 | By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
January 26, 2005
09:23 AM EST (14:23 GMT)
Cale Yarborough, who finished last in the 1976 Daytona 500, won the 19th Daytona 500. He beat Benny Parsons by 1.39 seconds for his second Daytona 500 win on Feb. 20, 1977.  |  | NASCAR ACCELERATION | |
| ALSO IN 1977 ... |
| • | President Jimmy Carter pardons Vietnam War draft evaders (Jan. 21) |
| • | Toronto Blue Jays play their first-ever game of baseball against the Chicago White Sox (April 7) |
| • | The Supreme Court of the United States rules that states are not required to spend Medicaid funds on elective abortions (June 20) |
| • | The New York City Blackout of 1977 lasts for 25 hours and results in looting and other disorder (July 13) |
| • | Porsche 928 debuts at the Geneva Auto Convention (Sept. 28) |
Courtesy: Wikipedia
|
|
On May 25, George Lucas' science fiction story about a kid, his 'droids and a Jedi master opened at 32 theaters and brought in $254,309 on its first day. By the end of its run, "Star Wars" would gross more than $290 million. If Yarborough had spent his $63,700 first-place check on tickets -- at the 1977 price of $2.25 -- he could have seen Star Wars 28,311 times. Kenner Toys introduced a line of Star Wars action figures, capitalizing on the popularity of the blockbuster film. They dominate the action figure market. Digital Equipment Corp. founder Ken Olson proclaimed: "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." In May, the Apple II was unveiled. It came completely assembled, with a keyboard and two game paddles. The 24K RAM version retailed for $1,878, while the top-end 48K RAM model went for $2,638. Monthly order topped $1 million. The first Pizza Time Theatre opened in San Jose, Calif., in 1977. Nolan Bushnell, who founded Atari and developed "Pong," was responsible for creating Chuck E. Cheese and the rest of the Pizza Time Players. Bushnell saw a connection between a family-style restaurant and video games, so each Pizza Time Theatre contained over 100 video games, pinball machines, and other types of games. If Yarborough had driven from Timmonsville, S.C. to have lunch and play a little skee-ball with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the 2,724-mile trip would have taken 49 and a half hours by station wagon -- or 17 hours and 47 minutes at the race-winning average speed of 153.218 mph. Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened the "Studio 54" disco on April 26. The club, which became the "be seen" spot in New York, grossed an estimated $7 million after one year of operation. Guests included Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Halston, Calvin Klein, Elton John, Andy Warhol, Christopher Reeves, Michael Jackson, Brooke Shields, newlyweds Donald and Ivana Trump, Truman Capote and Margaux Hemingway. On July 13, the New York blackout lasted for 25 hours. "Night Moves" by Bob Seger was No. 8 on the Cash Box charts on Feb. 20. In July, the first oil reached Valdez, Alaska, through the Trans Alaska Pipeline. In August, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation creating the Department of Energy. In one of his last decisions as President on Jan. 19, Gerald Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D'Aquino, otherwise known as "Tokyo Rose." It also snowed in Miami, Fla., for the first time in history. Two days later, President Carter pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders. On June 11, Seattle Slew became the first unbeaten thoroughbred to win the Triple Crown, taking the Belmont Stakes on a sloppy track by four lengths over Run Dusty Run. In 17 career starts, Seattle Slew won 14 races and $1,208,726. In 561 starts, Yarborough won 83 races and $5,003,616. Space Shuttle Enterprise made its first test flight on Aug. 12. Eight days later, Voyager 2 launched from Cape Canaveral. Voyager 1 followed on Sept. 5. On Aug. 16, Elvis Presley was found dead in a bathroom in his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tenn. The official cause of death was "cardiac arrhythmia due to undetermined heartbeat." His last No. 1 single on the Billboard charts was "Suspicious Minds" in 1969. Lynyrd Skynyrd released "Street Survivors" on Oct. 17. Three days later, a privately chartered plane carrying the band between shows in Greenville, S.C., and Baton Rouge, La., crashed outside of Gillsburg, Miss., killing Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and his sister Cassie. The remaining members were injured. On Nov. 19, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel when he met with Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, seeking a permanent peace settlement. Current drivers born in 1977:
• Austin Cameron (Jan. 24)
• Larry Foyt (Feb. 22)
• Bobby Hamilton Jr. (Jan. 8)
• Ryan Newman (Dec. 8)
• Billy Parker (Jan. 9)
• Deborah Renshaw (Oct. 28)
• David Stremme (June 19) → Click here for more Daytona Countdown. | |
