When This Dropped

December 20, 1979

President
Carter
Dow (EOY)
838
Gas/gal
$0.86
Big Mac
$0.95
Min Wage
$2.90

By the winter of 1979, Carter was in the White House and the federal minimum wage stood at $2.90/hr — the Iran hostage crisis was deepening, with the U.S. government warning Tehran against parading American captives before any tribunal as diplomatic tensions showed no sign of easing. On television, "Taxi" had just taken the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, while Christopher Reeve's "Superman" was drawing massive crowds to movie theaters across the country. The Pittsburgh Pirates had claimed the 1979 World Series title just weeks before, and in a separate milestone, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping had arrived in Washington for the first-ever visit by a paramount leader of the People's Republic of China to the United States.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — December 20, 1979

New York Times
Time
Rolling Stone
TV Guide
Nat. Geographic

NY Times Headlines — Week of December 20, 1979

U.S. Says Pol Pot Has Handed Over His Role As Premier Of Rebel Force

World Events — December 1979

Time Person of the Year — 1979

Deng Xiaoping
Person of the Year
Deng Xiaoping

On the radio

Billboard Charts — December 20, 1979

Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
Rupert Holmes
Hot 100 #1
"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"
Rupert Holmes
The Long Run
Eagles
Billboard 200 #1
"The Long Run"
Eagles

Grammy Awards

52nd Street
Billy Joel
Grammy Album of the Year
"52nd Street"
Billy Joel
What a Fool Believes
The Doobie Brothers
Grammy Song of the Year
"What a Fool Believes"
The Doobie Brothers
What a Fool Believes
The Doobie Brothers
Grammy Record of the Year
"What a Fool Believes"
The Doobie Brothers
Rickie Lee Jones
Grammy Best New Artist
Rickie Lee Jones

On the bookshelf

Sophie's Choice
William Styron
NYT Fiction #1
"Sophie's Choice"
William Styron
The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet
Herman Tarnower
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet"
Herman Tarnower
The Stories of John Cheever
John Cheever
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"The Stories of John Cheever"
John Cheever
Going After Cacciato
Tim O'Brien
National Book Award Fiction
"Going After Cacciato"
Tim O'Brien
Robert Kennedy and His Times
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
National Book Award Nonfiction
"Robert Kennedy and His Times"
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1979–80 Season

Laverne & Shirley
Nielsen #1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1979–80 Season

Emmy Winners — 1979

Lou Grant
Emmy Drama Series
Lou Grant
Taxi
Emmy Comedy Series
Taxi
Ed Asner
Lou Grant
Emmy Lead Actor
Ed Asner
Lou Grant
Barbara Bel Geddes
Dallas
Emmy Lead Actress
Barbara Bel Geddes
Dallas

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — December 20, 1979

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Box Office #1
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
The Deer Hunter
Oscar Best Picture
The Deer Hunter
Robert Benton
Kramer vs. Kramer
Oscar Best Director
Robert Benton
Kramer vs. Kramer
Dustin Hoffman
Kramer vs. Kramer
Oscar Best Actor
Dustin Hoffman
Kramer vs. Kramer
Sally Field
Norma Rae
Oscar Best Actress
Sally Field
Norma Rae

Ebert 4-Star Films — December 20, 1979

10
4-Star Review
10
Alien
4-Star Review
Alien
Apocalypse Now
4-Star Review
Apocalypse Now
Being There
4-Star Review
Being There
Breaking Away
4-Star Review
Breaking Away

On the field

Sports Champions — December 20, 1979

Super Bowl
Pittsburgh Steelers
def. Dallas Cowboys
World Series
Pittsburgh Pirates
def. Baltimore Orioles
NBA Champion
Seattle SuperSonics
def. Washington Bullets
Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens
def. New York Rangers

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