The timeline so far...
THE UPSET OF THE CENTURY
15th July 1976 – Former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter secures the Democratic Presidential Nomination. Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota is chosen as the Vice Presidential nominee.
19th August 1976 – Despite a strong challenge from former California Governor Ronald Reagan, incumbent President Gerald Ford secures the Republican Presidential Nomination. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas is named Ford’s running mate, replacing Vice President Nelson Rockefeller on the Republican ticket.
23rd September 1976 – The First US Presidential Debate (the first to be held since the 1960 Election) takes place. The debate is marred by a 27-minute delay caused by a failure in the sound system on stage. President Ford performs well during the debate itself, with most subsequent polls considering Ford the winner.
6th October 1976 – The Second US Presidential Debates take place. The debate is temporarily interrupted by a brief power outage which cuts off President Ford’s microphone while he is answering a question about the Soviet Union’s involvement in Eastern Europe. Fortunately there are no further technical issues and the second debate is considered another strong performance by Ford.
15th October 1976 – The US Vice Presidential Debate (the first of their kind in US history) takes place. The debate is notable for Bob Dole’s statements concerning what he refers to as ‘Democratic Wars’ and their collective death toll being equal to the population of Detroit. These statements are subsequently considered damaging to the Republican campaign.
22nd October 1976 – The Third US Presidential Debate takes place. No technical difficulties occur during the debate and Carter is narrowly considered the victor despite another competent performance by Ford.
2nd November 1976 – The 1976 US Presidential Election takes place.
Despite the Democrats beginning the campaign with a 33-point lead in the polls, the Republicans narrowly win the election with 276 Electoral Votes to 261 (with 1 Faithless Elector in the State of Washington voting for Ronald Reagan).
The election results are also notable for the narrow margins of victory on a State level, with 20 States being won by a margin of less than 5%, the two closest being Ohio and Wisconsin, which both went Republican by less than 0.1%.
Gerald R. Ford / Bob Dole (Republican) - 276
James Earl Carter / Walter Mondale (Democratic) - 261
Ronald Reagan - 1 (Faithless Elector)
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20th January 1977 – Gerald R. Ford is inaugurated for a full term as President of the United States. Due to the terms of the 22nd Amendment, he is ineligible for re-election in 1980, having already served more than half of Richard Nixon's second Presidential term.
31st January 1977 – The Space Shuttle ‘Enterprise’ begins operational testing.
February 1977 – The ‘First Video Game Crash’ begins. The crash in the games console market occurs when manufacturers of older ‘dedicated’ consoles (also known as ‘Pong’ consoles) flood the market in order to clear stock, creating a glut in the market. The crash ultimately leads to companies such as RCA and Fairchild leaving the market.
27th February 1977 – The remaining seven Virginia-class CGNs are authorized for construction. They will be the first vessels to be equipped with the Aegis Combat System.
18th March 1977 – The keel of MN Bretagne, the first of two Bretagne-class amphibious assault ships is laid down at the DCNS Brest Naval Shipyard.
19th March 1977 – Wales narrowly win the Five Nations Championship (their third in a row), despite an unexpectedly strong showing from the French team.
22nd May 1977 – Carlos Pace dies during the Monaco Grand Prix after crashing during the 23rd lap. The race is shortened by 20 laps as a result.
25th May 1977 – The film ‘Star Wars’, directed by George Lucas, is released. Not expected to be a great success, the film goes on to become one of the most successful films of the decade, replacing Stephen Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ as the highest earning film in North America.
25th June 1977 – Great Britain win the 1977 Rugby League World Cup after defeating Australia 12-10.
16th July 1977 – The Israeli government votes to resume funding and development of the IAI Arye (having been cancelled the previous year) despite IAF General Benny Peled's continued recommendations in favour of purchasing F-15s and F-16s from the United States.
30th June 1977 – The South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), originally founded in 1954, is formally dissolved.
7th July 1977 – The James Bond film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, the third to star Roger Moore in the title role, is released. The film is considered a significant improvement over its predecessor, 1974’s ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’.
12th August 1977 – The Space Shuttle ‘Enterprise’ undergoes its first free flight.
15th August 1977 – Singer Elvis Presley suffers a massive heart attack two days before the beginning of a scheduled concert tour (which is subsequently cancelled) and falls into a coma.
20th August 1977 – The ‘Voyager 2’ Space Probe is launched by NASA. Despite the number, it is the first of the Voyager probes to be launched.
5th September 1977 – The ‘Voyager 1’ Space Probe is launched by NASA. Despite the number, it is the second of the Voyager probes to be launched.
11th September 1977 – Atari, Inc releases the ‘Video Computer System’ (VCS), the company’s first non-dedicated home console and the second cartridge-based console to enter the North American market (the first being the Fairchild VES/Channel F, released the previous November). The console is a commercial success and marks the beginning of the end of the ‘First Video Game Crash’.
In response to the VCS’s release, Fairchild changes the name of their own console from ‘Video Entertainment System’ (VES) to ‘Channel F’ (in reference to the machine’s F8 CPU).
12th September 1977 – South African anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko dies while in police custody, allegedly the result of a hunger strike. Despite an ongoing journalistic investigation, the true cause of Biko’s death (massive head trauma) is successfully concealed by South African authorities for the time being.
9th October 1977 – South African driver Jody Scheckter wins the 1977 Formula One championship, becoming the first champion to hail from the African continent.
18th October 1977 – The Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) is commissioned into United States Navy.
26th October 1977 – The Space Shuttle Enterprise undergoes it’s fifth and final test flight.
20th November 1977 – Egyptian President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to visit Israel, meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister as part of peace negotiations stemming from 1973’s Arab-Israeli War.
14th December 1977 – The submarine SAS Astrant (S100) is launched. It is the first of the two Agosta-class submarines ordered by the South African Navy.
21st December 1977 – Singer Elvis Presley awakens from his coma.
22nd December 1977 – Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini dies in an automobile accident in Najaf, Iraq. Khomeini, a notable opponent of the Iranian Shah, had been in exile from Iran for over 13 years.
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12th January 1978 – After a long (and increasingly public) series of disputes between United Artists and its parent company Transamerica, the two companies reach a last-minute compromise over both administrative expenses and the creative direction of UA. Rumours of a threatened walkout by a number of prominent UA executives are strongly denied by Transamerica.
13th January 1978 – Minnesota Senator and former US Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey dies of bladder cancer.
3rd March 1978 – In Rhodesia, the ‘Internal Settlement’ is signed between Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith and members of the United African National Congress (UANC), Rhodesia’s only legal black party. An interim governing Executive Council is established until elections can be held under a new constitution, both to be voted on the following year.
18th March 1978 – Just before the kick-off of their first exhibition match, the Netherlands National Football Team announces that it will not participate in the 1978 World Cup Tournament in Argentina, in protest against Argentina's current political system.
In response, Belgium is invited to take the place of The Netherlands, but the Belgian team rejects the offer. Bolivia (the loser of the the UEFA/CONMEBOL playoff) ultimately accepts the invitation and participates as part of Group 4 (alongside Peru, Scotland and Iran).
13th April 1978 – The keel of MN Provence, the second Bretagne-class amphibious assault ship, is laid down at the DCNS Brest Naval Shipyard.
29th April 1978 – The Paramount Television Service (PTVS), an attempt to create a ‘fourth network’, launches.
6th May 1978 – ‘Star Trek: Phase II’ premiers on the Paramount Television Service. In addition to the Original Series cast (minus Leonard Nimoy), the show stars Stephen Collins, Persis Khambatta and David Gautreaux.
1st June 1978 – The 1978 FIFA World Cup Tournament begins in Argentina.
11th June 1978 – Regina Maršíková wins the Women’s Singles at the 1978 French Open, defeating Virginia Ruzici 6-1 6-0 in the final.
20th June 1978 – Director Mark Robson suffers a heart attack during filming for the film ‘Superman’. While Robson ultimately recovers and is able to see the filming of Superman through, Richard Lester is hired to complete filming ‘Superman II’ (both films being filmed simultaneously).
25th June 1978 – The 1978 FIFA World Cup concludes, with Brazil defeating Italy 2-0 in the final to win their record-setting fourth championship. Previous champions West Germany finish in third place (defeating Poland in the third-place playoff), while host nation Argentina finishes in sixth place.
5th August 1978 – The Season One finale of ‘Star Trek: Phase II’ airs on PTVS. Despite mixed reviews, the series is picked up for a full 22-episode Season (the first season consisting of 14 episodes – 15 if the Pilot is counted as a two-parter, as it is shown as in later airings) to be aired later in the year.
6th August 1978 – Pope Paul VI dies of a heart attack at the age of 80.
13th August 1978 – Despite significant progress made between the two countries since the previous November, peace talks between Israel and Egypt fall through due to the question of sovereignty of both the West Bank and the Sinai Peninsula. Both remain under Israeli control for the foreseeable.
26th August 1978 – The Papal Conclave elects Cardinal-Archbishop Giovanni Benelli of Florence as Pope. He subsequently takes the papal name John XXIV.
19th September 1978 – A week after the first anniversary of Stephen Biko’s death, evidence that Biko did not die as the result of a hunger strike is discovered and published. The news spreads throughout both South Africa and the rest of the world, causing outrage worldwide and triggering riots throughout South Africa.
As a result of the crisis, South African Prime Minister John Vorster decides to postpone his planned retirement.
7th November 1978 – The US Midterm Elections take place.
As predicted, the Democrats make a moderate net gain and retain their existing majorities in both the House and the Senate. The Republicans do however make two notable gains in the House, including a single district in otherwise Democratic Georgia (the 6th District, won by Newton Gingrich in his third attempt at election, having previously been the Republican candidate in 1974 and 1976) and a former Democratic stronghold in Texas (the 19th District, won by George W. Bush, son of CIA Director George Bush, in an extremely narrow upset against Democrat Kent Hance).
9th November 1978 – The D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos SAS Good Hope and SAS Transvaal are commissioned into the South African Navy.
18th November 1978 – The second season of ‘Star Trek: Phase II’ begins airing on PTVS.
26th November 1978 – Director Mark Robson suffers a second heart attack, this time fatal. He dies 8 days short of his 65th birthday and two weeks before the premier of ‘Superman’.
10th December 1978 – The film ‘Superman’, directed by the Mark Robson, is released. The film, starring Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner in the title role, is a commercial success but is criticized for it’s campy tone and bloated script.
17th December 1978 – The IIS Ardeshir is laid down at Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi as the third guided missile destroyer ordered by the Imperial Iranian Navy.
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26th January 1979 – Former US Vice President Nelson Rockefeller dies of a heart attack at the age of 70.
19th February 1979 – The SAS Astrant (S100) is commissioned into the South African Navy.
23rd February 1979 – The film ‘The Deer Hunter’ (based on the unproduced ‘The Man Who Came to Play’) is released. Originally planned for release the previous December, the film is one of the first major releases to depict the events of the Vietnam War in a negative light.
3rd March 1979 – Wales win their fifth Five Nations Tournament in a row, defeating England 20-6 in the final match.
25th March 1979 – The Space Shuttle Columbia arrives at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle’s first orbital launch is scheduled for later in the year.
26th March 1979 – The IIS Shapour is laid down at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine as the fifth guided missile destroyer ordered by the Imperial Iranian Navy.
28th March 1979 – In the UK, a Vote of No Confidence against the Labour Government of James Callaghan is narrowly defeated.
4th May 1979 – South African Prime Minister John Vorster steps down, partly due to growing criticisms over his role in the ongoing ‘Muldergate Scandal’.
11th May 1979 – After a closely fought leadership election, John Vorster is succeeded as National Party Leader by Foreign Minister Roelof F. Botha (popularly known by the nickname ‘Pik’), who becomes Prime Minister of South Africa.
12th May 1979 – The Season Two finale of ‘Star Trek: Phase II’ airs on PTVS. Due to contract negotiations with several of the main cast (William Shatner in particular), the show has already gone on hiatus and the second season finale is edited in order to serve as a de facto series finale should the show not go back into production.
22nd May 1979 – The 1979 Canadian Federal Election is held. The Progressive Conservative Party wins 147 seats (52.1%), the Liberal Party wins 100 seats (35.5%), and the New Democrat Party wins 35 seats (12.4%). Joe Clark becomes the 16th Prime Minister of Canada.
25th May 1979 – The Canadian government announces the end of the New Fighter Aircraft Program with 160 McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A/B Hornets (112 F/A-18As and 48 F/A-18Bs) being chosen as the replacement for the aging CF-104 Starfighters and CF-116 Freedom Fighters.
1st June 1979 – The ‘Republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia’ is declared in Rhodesia, following the overall General Election held throughout April and May. Bishop Abel Murozewa becomes Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, while Josiah Gumede becomes President.
Joshua Nkomo of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) and Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), both of whom declined the offer to take part in the elections, denounce the election results and the new government. As a result, the Bush War continues.
12th June 1979 – The United States Senate votes to lift economic sanctions against Zimbabwe Rhodesia.
15th June 1979 – ‘Rocky II’, the sequel to the 1976 film ‘Rocky’, is released. Sylvester Stallone, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith and Talia Shire all reprise their roles from the first film. Like the first film, ‘Rocky II’ is a commercial success.
26th June 1979 – The James Bond film ‘Moonraker’, the fourth to star Roger Moore in the title role, is released. The film, heavily influenced by the success of Star Wars, is criticised for it’s overly campy tone and receives mixed-to-negative reviews.
14th August 1979 – The ‘Gladys Love Presley Center for Drug and Alcohol Addiction’ opens in a suburb of Memphis, TN. A visibly trimmer Elvis performs "You'll Never Walk Alone" to the audience's acclaim.
15th August 1979 – After a long and troubled production, the Francis Ford Coppola film ‘Apocalypse Now’ (loosely based on the novel ‘Heart of Darkness’). Set during the Vietnam War, the film receives near-universal acclaim and is a commercial success.
22nd August 1979 – The initial development phase for the IAI Arye is completed. Work starts on the production of the first three aircraft.
27th August 1979 – An IRA plot to assassinate 79-year-old Lord Louis Mountbatten is discovered and foiled after the arrest of IRA bombmaker Thomas McMahon, shortly before the scheduled detonation of a bomb planted on Mountbatten’s fishing boat.
6th September 1979 – The UK General Election is held. Jim Callaghan’s Labour government is defeated by the Conservative Party in a landslide. Margaret Thatcher becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
13th November 1979 – Former California Governor and 1976 candidate Ronald Reagan announces his candidacy for the 1980 Republican Presidential Nomination.
15th November 1979 – Allegedly caught off guard by Reagan’s announced candidacy, Vice President Bob Dole announces his own candidacy for the 1980 Republican Presidential Nomination.
1st December 1979 – At a Kennedy Center gala honouring Martha Graham (Mrs. Ford's former dance teacher), Betty Ford is observed to be slurring her words a little. Concerned, her husband thinks that she is suffering from a mini-stroke. The First Lady is rushed to nearby George Washington University Hospital.
3rd December 1979 – After two days of extensive tests, Betty Ford is discharged from George Washington University Hospital, with no evidence of a stroke being found.
8th December 1979 – The film ‘Superman II’, directed by the late Mark Robson and Richard Lester, is released. The film, despite experiencing the same criticisms as its predecessor, is a modest financial success.
16th December 1979 – The first of three IAI Arye prototypes is completed and begins its test flights.
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1st February 1980 – The Israeli government authorizes the IAF to present a list of technical specifications and requirements for the development of the IAF's future lightweight fighter.
18th February 1980 – The SAS Adventurous (S101) is commissioned into the South African Navy. The vessel is the second of two Agosta-class submarines ordered by South Africa.
29th May 1980 – The Israeli Air Force receives the first ten pre-production model IAI Arye fighters for testing, with regular production to begin in the following two years with a planned order of 100 aircraft.
14th July 1980 – The Republican National Convention opens in the Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan.
11th August 1980 – The Democratic National Convention opens in Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York.
20th October 1980 – Australian Minister of Defence Jim Killen announces the purchase of 96 McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A/B Hornets (72 F/A-18As and 24 F/A-18Bs) for the RAAF.
31st October 1980 – The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is laid down at the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia as the fourth Nimitz-class supercarrier.
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1st May 1981 – Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla remarry in Hawaii.
6th July 1981 – After a series of interventions by former President Ford, their children, and the family doctor, Betty Ford enters treatment for alcohol and prescription drug treatment at Long Beach Naval Hospital.
14th July 1981 – The F-14B prototype (BuNo 157986) is brought out of storage for testing the viability of replacing the TF30 engines with a pair of General Electric F101 engines. Grumman test pilots discovered that the F-14B could accelerate from Mach 0.8 to Mach 1.8 in just 90 seconds and the Navy found out, that the F-14B could launch from a catapult without the use of afterburners. Further, for the first time in the F-14's lifetime, pilot talked of "flying the aircraft and not the engines".
7th August 1981 – During a routine deployment aboard USS America (CV-66), an F-14 Tomcat of VF-213 "Black Lions" suffers a compressor stall and explodes while attempting a land. An investigation is subsequently launched in order to discover the cause of the accident (specifically, whether it was the result of a potential design flaw in the Tomcat design).
3rd September 1981 – BuNo 158630 is built as the second F-14B prototype and equipped with a marinized version of the F101 engines dubbed the F101-GE400.
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11th January 1982 – Betty Ford enrolls in classes at the University of California, Riverside. She will be popular with her classmates, some of whom are women close to her age, others of whom are closer to her children's ages. She will go on to major in art therapy, working with people who are going through treatment for addiction. Later she will also join the board of the Gladys Love Presley Center, working closely with the Presleys.
19th April 1982 – The MN Bretagne is launched from the DCNS Brest Naval Shipyard.
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14th April 1983 – The MN Provence is launched from the DCNS Brest Naval Shipyard.
27th October 1983 – The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is launched from the Newport News Shipbuilding Company.
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4th August 1984 – Following a coup, the ‘Republic of Upper Volta’ changes it’s name to ‘Burkina Faso’. The nation’s flag is also changed.
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10th April 1985 – The MN Bretagne is commissioned into the Marine Nationale.
25th October 1985 – The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is commissioned into the United States Navy as the fourth member of the Nimitz-class supercarriers.
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5th April 1986 – The MN Provence is commissioned into the Marine Nationale.
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