When This Dropped

May 4, 1978

President
Carter
Dow (EOY)
805
Gas/gal
$0.63
Big Mac
$0.83
Min Wage
$2.65

Gas cost $0.63 a gallon in the spring of 1978, and the Dow Jones stood at 805 — a Carter administration push on Middle East arms sales was dominating Washington headlines, with debate over proposed jet sales to Arab nations keeping foreign policy at the center of daily life. On the cultural front, the Bee Gees held the number one spot with "Night Fever," and "Annie Hall" had just taken home the Oscar for Best Picture, while James Michener's "Chesapeake" sat atop the fiction bestseller list. In sports, the Washington Bullets claimed the NBA championship over the Seattle SuperSonics, and earlier that spring, Czechoslovak cosmonaut Vladimír Remek made history aboard Soyuz 28 as the first person from a country other than the United States or the Soviet Union to travel in space.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — May 4, 1978

New York Times
Time
Rolling Stone
Nat. Geographic

NY Times Headlines — Week of May 4, 1978

Carter May Compromise On Planes, Possibly Increasing Sales To Israel

Kissinger Supports Increase In Number Of Jets For Israel

World Events — May 1978

Time Person of the Year — 1978

Anwar Sadat
Person of the Year
Anwar Sadat

On the radio

Billboard Charts — May 4, 1978

Night Fever
Bee Gees
Hot 100 #1
"Night Fever"
Bee Gees
Saturday Night Fever
Soundtrack
Billboard 200 #1
"Saturday Night Fever"
Soundtrack

Grammy Awards

Saturday Night Fever
Bee Gees
Grammy Album of the Year
"Saturday Night Fever"
Bee Gees
Just the Way You Are
Billy Joel
Grammy Song of the Year
"Just the Way You Are"
Billy Joel
Just the Way You Are
Billy Joel
Grammy Record of the Year
"Just the Way You Are"
Billy Joel
A Taste of Honey
Grammy Best New Artist
A Taste of Honey

On the bookshelf

Chesapeake
James Michener
NYT Fiction #1
"Chesapeake"
James Michener
If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries…
Erma Bombeck
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries…"
Erma Bombeck
Elbow Room
James Alan McPherson
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"Elbow Room"
James Alan McPherson
Blood Tie
Mary Lee Settle
National Book Award Fiction
"Blood Tie"
Mary Lee Settle
Samuel Johnson
W. Jackson Bate
National Book Award Nonfiction
"Samuel Johnson"
W. Jackson Bate

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1977–78 Season

Laverne & Shirley
Nielsen #1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1977–78 Season

Emmy Winners — 1978

Lou Grant
Emmy Drama Series
Lou Grant
Taxi
Emmy Comedy Series
Taxi
Ron Leibman
Kaz
Emmy Lead Actor
Ron Leibman
Kaz
Mariette Hartley
The Incredible Hulk
Emmy Lead Actress
Mariette Hartley
The Incredible Hulk

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — May 4, 1978

House Calls
Box Office #1
House Calls
Annie Hall
Oscar Best Picture
Annie Hall
Michael Cimino
The Deer Hunter
Oscar Best Director
Michael Cimino
The Deer Hunter
Jon Voight
Coming Home
Oscar Best Actor
Jon Voight
Coming Home
Jane Fonda
Coming Home
Oscar Best Actress
Jane Fonda
Coming Home

Ebert 4-Star Films — May 4, 1978

An Unmarried Woman
4-Star Review
An Unmarried Woman
Blue Collar
4-Star Review
Blue Collar
Coming Home
4-Star Review
Coming Home
Days of Heaven
4-Star Review
Days of Heaven
Gates of Heaven
4-Star Review
Gates of Heaven

On the field

Sports Champions — May 4, 1978

Super Bowl
Dallas Cowboys
def. Denver Broncos
World Series
New York Yankees
def. Los Angeles Dodgers
NBA Champion
Washington Bullets
def. Seattle SuperSonics
Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens
def. Boston Bruins

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