1979: When MJ Was Black - Spcl. Gst. Ed

Topics: Jimmy Carter, Donna Summer, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor - Live In Concert, Roots: The Next Generations. (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco) 1979 Snapshots 1. Jimmy Carter president 2. Mar - America's most serious nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania. 3. Mar - C-SPAN, an American television channel focusing on government and public affairs, is launched. 4. Apr - On CBS, the final episode of All in the Family is seen by 40.2 million American viewers. 5. Jun - McDonald's introduces the Happy Meal. 6. Sep - ESPN, an all-sports channel, launches and becomes the first cable TV channel to be launched as a 24-hour channel 7. Oct - President Jimmy Carter signs a law establishing the Department of Education. [also responsible for Dept. of Energy] 8. Nov - Iran hostage crisis begins: 3,000 Iranian radicals, mostly students, invade the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and take 90 hostages (53 of whom are American). They demand that the United States send the former Shah of Iran back to stand trial. 9. Open Comments: 10. Popular Music Scene 11. #1 - "My Sharona", The Knack 12. #2 - "Bad Girls", Donna Summer 13. #3 - "Le Freak", Chic 14. Record of the Year: "What a Fool Believes"-The Doobie Brothers 15. Album of the Year: "52nd Street"-Billy Joel 16. Song of the Year: "What a Fool Believes"-The Doobie Brothers 17. Best New Artist: Rickie Lee Jones 18. Open Comments: 19. Popular Movies 20. #1 - Kramer vs. Kramer 21. #2 - The Amityville Horror 22. #3 - Rocky II 23. Notables: Apocalypse Now, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Alien, 10, The Jerk, Moonraker, The Muppet Movie, Phantasm, The Warriors. 24. Open Comments: 25. Popular TV 26. #1 - 60 Minutes 27. #2 - Three's Company 28. #3 - That's Incredible! 29. Open Comments: 30. Black Snapshots 31. Jan - Singer Donny Hathaway dies after falling 15 stories from his hotel room in New York City. According to Hathaway's record company, Atlantic, the singer had been having some psychological problems 32. Apr - Real People, starring Byron Allen, featured a panel of seated hosts in front of a large studio audience. The hosts introduced pre-filmed segments and engaged in comedic banter about them. Each segment was a visit to someone with a unique occupation or hobby. 33. Aug - Michael Jackson releases his first breakthrough album Off the Wall. It sells 7 million copies in the United States alone, making it a 7x platinum album. 34. Aug – "Prince", the self-titled second studio album from Prince was released. The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince. Singles: "I Wanna Be Your Lover" & "Sexy Dancer". 35. Aug – TV Debut: The Facts of Life 36. Sep - Benson 37. Sep - Sugarhill Gang releases Rapper's Delight. 38. Nov - The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (Film) 39. Open Comments: 40. Economic 41. New House: 58k 42. Avg. income: 17.5k 43. New car: 5.7k 44. Avg rent: 280 45. Gas: 0.86 46. Inflation reaches double digits - 13% 47. Open Comments: 48. Social Scene: Jimmy Carter's truth-telling sermon to Americans 49. James Earl Carter Jr. (@ 55yrs old in 1979), Politician and philanthropist. Born and raised in south-west Georgia, Jimmy grew up to be a U.S. Navy Lieutenant, Georgia State Senator, Governor of Georgia, and the 39th POTUS. 50. On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter went on national television to share with millions of Americans his diagnosis of a nation in crisis. "It's clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper -- deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation or recession. And I realize more than ever that as President I need your help...I know, of course, being President, that government actions and legislation can be very important. That's why I've worked hard to put my campaign promises into law, and I have to admit, with just mixed success. But after listening to the American people, I have been reminded again that all the legislation in the world can't fix what's wrong with America. So, I want to