May 23, 1970

Gas cost $0.36 a gallon in the spring of 1970, and the Dow Jones stood at 839 — the United States had sent combat troops into Cambodia, expanding the Vietnam War beyond its borders and drawing sharp criticism from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. On the radio, "Let It Be" by The Beatles held the number one spot, while audiences filled theaters to watch "Midnight Cowboy," which had just won the Oscar for Best Picture, making it the only X-rated film ever to win the award. The New York Knicks claimed their first NBA championship by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, and earlier that spring, the crew of Apollo 13 had set the record for the farthest distance any humans had ever traveled from Earth, reaching 400,171 miles from the planet after an oxygen tank explosion forced them to abandon their lunar landing and return home safely.