When This Dropped

March 5, 1980

President
Carter
Dow (EOY)
964
Gas/gal
$1.19
Big Mac
$1.00
Min Wage
$3.10

Gas cost $1.19 a gallon in the spring of 1980, and the Dow Jones stood at 964 — the United States was navigating the Iran hostage crisis and rising inflation, with the Carter administration quietly stepping back from treating the standoff as an active emergency. On the cultural front, Blondie's "Call Me" sat at the top of the charts while Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" was the bestselling nonfiction book in the country. The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship over the Philadelphia 76ers, and that same spring the World Health Organization certified the global eradication of smallpox — the first and still only time in history that a human disease had been completely eliminated from the planet.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — March 5, 1980

New York Times
Time
Rolling Stone
TV Guide
Nat. Geographic

NY Times Headlines — Week of March 5, 1980

Begin Selects Critic Of Peace Treaty To Be Next Israeli Foreign Minister; Abstained On Treaty Votes Peace Pact Critic Is Chosen Israeli Foreign Minister

World Events — March 1980

Time Person of the Year — 1980

Ayatollah Khomeini
Person of the Year
Ayatollah Khomeini

On the radio

Billboard Charts — March 5, 1980

Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Queen
Hot 100 #1
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
Queen
The Wall
Pink Floyd
Billboard 200 #1
"The Wall"
Pink Floyd

Grammy Awards

Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross
Grammy Album of the Year
"Christopher Cross"
Christopher Cross
Sailing
Christopher Cross
Grammy Song of the Year
"Sailing"
Christopher Cross
Sailing
Christopher Cross
Grammy Record of the Year
"Sailing"
Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross
Grammy Best New Artist
Christopher Cross

On the bookshelf

The Covenant
James Michener
NYT Fiction #1
"The Covenant"
James Michener
Cosmos
Carl Sagan
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"Cosmos"
Carl Sagan
The Executioner's Song
Norman Mailer
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"The Executioner's Song"
Norman Mailer
Sophie's Choice
William Styron
National Book Award Fiction
"Sophie's Choice"
William Styron
The Right Stuff
Tom Wolfe
National Book Award Nonfiction
"The Right Stuff"
Tom Wolfe

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1979–80 Season

60 Minutes
Nielsen #1 TV Show
60 Minutes
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1979–80 Season

Emmy Winners — 1980

Hill Street Blues
Emmy Drama Series
Hill Street Blues
Barney Miller
Emmy Comedy Series
Barney Miller
Daniel J. Travanti
Hill Street Blues
Emmy Lead Actor
Daniel J. Travanti
Hill Street Blues
Barbara Bel Geddes
Dallas
Emmy Lead Actress
Barbara Bel Geddes
Dallas

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — March 5, 1980

The Fog
Box Office #1
The Fog
Kramer vs. Kramer
Oscar Best Picture
Kramer vs. Kramer
Robert Redford
Ordinary People
Oscar Best Director
Robert Redford
Ordinary People
Robert De Niro
Raging Bull
Oscar Best Actor
Robert De Niro
Raging Bull
Sissy Spacek
Coal Miner's Daughter
Oscar Best Actress
Sissy Spacek
Coal Miner's Daughter

Ebert 4-Star Films — March 5, 1980

Atlantic City
4-Star Review
Atlantic City
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
4-Star Review
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Kagemusha
4-Star Review
Kagemusha
Mon oncle d’Amerique
4-Star Review
Mon oncle d’Amerique
Ordinary People
4-Star Review
Ordinary People

On the field

Sports Champions — March 5, 1980

Super Bowl
Pittsburgh Steelers
def. Los Angeles Rams
World Series
Philadelphia Phillies
def. Kansas City Royals
NBA Champion
Los Angeles Lakers
def. Philadelphia 76ers
Stanley Cup
New York Islanders
def. Philadelphia Flyers
Winter Olympics
Lake Placid, USA
🥇6🥈4🥉2
Summer Olympics
Moscow, USSR
US boycott

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