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What events in the last year stand out to you?
We can all think of wars, extreme heat, and the recession of democracies as important events that occurred in 1973, but three anniversaries speak of some pretty strong cultural influences. Disney and Warner Bros. celebrated their 100th anniversaries. The Hip Hop music phenomenon celebrated its 50th. All three of these have had a tremendous impact on American culture. The reminders of these anniversaries brought me back to 1973 to see what else happened that year. Going back to 1923 will have to wait.
I scoured online for 1973 and discovered two lists, one from the Saturday Evening Post (I didn't even know that the SEP still existed) and another from the Houston Defender, a now-online news source focused on Black information (I didn't know this news source existed until I looked online). These two publications are other echoes of our culture along with the anniversaries of Disney, Warner Bros, and Hip Hop.
The Saturday Evening Post began publication in 1897 and came to our house every week, often with its covers designed by Norman Rockwell, and full of mainstream American stories. It is still available in print six times a year and digitally. The Houston Defender started in 1930 as a physical paper that has transitioned to online with stories centered mostly on Black American life.
I combined some of the events on their lists for 1973:
Roe v Wade ruling
Motorola introduces the first cell phone
Gerald Ford became Vice President after Spiro Agnew resigned
Watergate scandal continues
Vietnam War ends
OPEC oil embargo
Occupation of Wounded Knee
Passing of the Endangered Species Act
Billie Jean King v Bobby Riggs tennis match
DJ Kool Herc invents Hip Hop
Films of the Year: Exorcist, Enter the Dragon, American Graffiti, and Blaxploitation movies such as Detroit 9000 and Cleopatra Jones
Books: Carrie by Stephen Kin, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam, Sula by Toni Morrison, There is a Tree More Ancient Than Eden by Leon Forrest
Which of these items on this list do you think has had the biggest impact on us today?
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Something to think about: Thanks to the writer
Rebecca Solnit who posted this photo this week from the Science Photo Library
of the earth taken from the point of view of the Pacific Ocean.
Check out the Houston Defender:
Link to Saturday Evening Post:
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