When This Dropped

April 11, 1975

President
Ford
Dow (EOY)
852
Gas/gal
$0.57
Big Mac
$0.75
Min Wage
$2.10

Gas cost $0.57 a gallon in the spring of 1975, and the Dow Jones stood at 852 — the fall of Saigon was weeks away, as North Vietnamese forces closed in on the South Vietnamese capital and American involvement in the war entered its final chapter. On the radio, "Philadelphia Freedom" by The Elton John Band sat at the top of the charts, while audiences were still filling theaters to see "The Godfather Part II," which had just won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Golden State Warriors claimed the NBA championship by defeating the Washington Bullets, and on April 5, a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft suffered a critical malfunction during launch, forcing cosmonauts Vasily Lazarev and Oleg Makarov to execute an emergency abort — both men survived, making it one of the highest-altitude launch failures in the history of crewed spaceflight.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — April 11, 1975

New York Times
Time
Rolling Stone
TV Guide
Nat. Geographic

NY Times Headlines — Week of April 11, 1975

Fighting Is Heavy In South Vietnam

Sadat Declares That U.S. Must Order Israeli Pullout

Saigon Reporting Gains At Xuan Loc And On A Key Road

World Events — April 1975

Time Person of the Year — 1975

King Faisal
Person of the Year
King Faisal

On the radio

Billboard Charts — April 11, 1975

Lovin' You
Minnie Riperton
Hot 100 #1
"Lovin' You"
Minnie Riperton
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
Billboard 200 #1
"Physical Graffiti"
Led Zeppelin

Grammy Awards

Still Crazy After All These Years
Paul Simon
Grammy Album of the Year
"Still Crazy After All These Years"
Paul Simon
Send in the Clowns
Judy Collins
Grammy Song of the Year
"Send in the Clowns"
Judy Collins
Love Will Keep Us Together
Captain & Tennille
Grammy Record of the Year
"Love Will Keep Us Together"
Captain & Tennille
Natalie Cole
Grammy Best New Artist
Natalie Cole

On the bookshelf

Ragtime
E.L. Doctorow
NYT Fiction #1
"Ragtime"
E.L. Doctorow
Angels: God's Secret Agents
Billy Graham
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"Angels: God's Secret Agents"
Billy Graham
The Killer Angels
Michael Shaara
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"The Killer Angels"
Michael Shaara
Dog Soldiers
Robert Stone
National Book Award Fiction
"Dog Soldiers"
Robert Stone
The Life of Emily Dickinson
Richard B. Sewall
National Book Award Nonfiction
"The Life of Emily Dickinson"
Richard B. Sewall

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1974–75 Season

All in the Family
Nielsen #1 TV Show
All in the Family
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1974–75 Season

Emmy Winners — 1975

Police Story
Emmy Drama Series
Police Story
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Emmy Comedy Series
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Peter Falk
Columbo
Emmy Lead Actor
Peter Falk
Columbo
Michael Learned
The Waltons
Emmy Lead Actress
Michael Learned
The Waltons

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — April 11, 1975

The Godfather Part II
Box Office #1
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II
Oscar Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
Miloš Forman
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Oscar Best Director
Miloš Forman
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Jack Nicholson
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Oscar Best Actor
Jack Nicholson
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Louise Fletcher
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Oscar Best Actress
Louise Fletcher
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Ebert 4-Star Films — April 11, 1975

Barry Lyndon
4-Star Review
Barry Lyndon
Dog Day Afternoon
4-Star Review
Dog Day Afternoon
Farewell, My Lovely
4-Star Review
Farewell, My Lovely
Jaws
4-Star Review
Jaws
Nashville
4-Star Review
Nashville

On the field

Sports Champions — April 11, 1975

Super Bowl
Pittsburgh Steelers
def. Minnesota Vikings
World Series
Cincinnati Reds
def. Boston Red Sox
NBA Champion
Golden State Warriors
def. Washington Bullets
Stanley Cup
Philadelphia Flyers
def. Buffalo Sabres

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