Billy Joel’s song was #1 for two weeks and remained iconic forever. See the 5th and final verse in pictures…
1. Birth Control
In 1960, the first oral contraceptive hit the market. It was invented by American biologist, Dr. Gregory Goodwin Pincus.
2. Ho Chi Minh
Image source: http://kalamu.com/neogriot/2015/05/19/video-happy-birthday-ho-chi-minh/
The Vietnamese call it “The American War.” Americans call it Vietnam, or Nam if you were there. Ho Chi Minh led the Vietnamese nationalist movement in North Vietnam. He fought against the Japanese, the French, and the Americans.
3. Richard Nixon Back Again
Image source: www.nytimes.com
In 1968, Richard Nixon won the White House. Eight years earlier, he lost to John F. Kennedy.
4. Moonshot
Image source: www.educatinghumanity.com
July 24, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Buzz used Armstrong’s reflective visor to take this stellar selfie.
5. Woodstock
Image source: www.demilked.com
186,000 tickets were sold for the unprecedented three-day concert on a farm in Bethel, New York. Over 400,000 people showed up. (Why was it called Woodstock? That’s the name of the town where the organizers originally wanted to hold the event, 50 miles away.)
6. Watergate
Image source: www.wsj.com
After President Nixon tried covering up his staff members’ breaking into the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate hotel, the President was forced to resign.
7. Punk Rock
Image source: www.wsj.com
In the mid-Seventies, a new rock genre hit the scene. Punk rock featured bands like The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Ramones (pictured here).
8. Begin, Reagan
Image source: timesofisrael.com
President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin, met to discuss the raging civil war in Lebanon…and Israel’s security.
9. Palestine
The Palestinian intifada began against Israel.
10. Terror On The Airline
Palestinians hijacked or attempted to hijack 29 passenger jets over the course of a decade.
11. Ayatollah’s in Iran
Ayatollah Khomeini took over Iran after the Shah was overthrown, resulting in the U.S. embassy hostage crisis that lasted 444 days.
12. Russians In Afghanistan
Proxy war. The Soviets were there to “protect” Communist interests and the rebels, supported by the U.S., fought them back.
13. Wheel of Fortune
Image source: hesselblogger.com
The game show rose in popularity to become the most successful syndicated show on TV.
14. Sally Ride
Image source: www.nasa.gov
Astronaut Sally Ride rode the space shuttle Challenger to become the first American woman to go into space.
15. Heavy Metal
Image source: spin.com
Black Sabbath (with Ozzy Osbourne) gave birth to the new genre of rock that bore groups like Iron Maiden, Megadeath, and Metallica (pictured here).
16. Suicide
Image source: http://wallpaperbackgrounds.com
Many argued there was a connection between a rise in teenage suicides and heavy metal music. There were even lawsuits filed against certain bands.
17. Foreign Debts
Image source: qz.com
U.S.inflation grew thanks to foreign debts.
18. Homeless Vets
Image source: www.aviewfromtheattic.com
Vietnam Vets found themselves on the streets, losing everything to drug and alcohol addictions.
19. AIDS
Image source: http://www.sfchronicle.com
The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) spread throughout the world.
20. Crack
Image source: global.rakuten.com
Crack cocaine, or “crack,” became the hottest street drug.
21. Bernie Goetz
Image source: global.rakuten.com
Bernhard Goetz shot four men who tried to mug him on a New York subway, sparking heated, nationwide discussions about vigilante justice.
22. Hypodermics On The Shores
Image source: http://www.cbc.ca
Hundreds of carelessly discarded hypodermic needles washed up on New Jersey beaches.
23. China’s Under Martial Law
Image source: www.theatlantic.com
Chinese students began a protest in Tiananmen Square that lasted eight months. The military ultimately moved in and hundreds were killed.
24. Rock and Roller Cola Wars
Image source: abcnews.go.com
Pepsi and Coke took to televisions across the country with entertaining commercials in a battle to be #1.
25. I Can’t Take It Anymore!
Image source: www.youtube.com
We didn’t start the fire. It was always burning since the world’s been turning. We didn’t start the fire. No, we didn’t light it,
but we tried to fight it.
[Featured Image Credit: www.avclub.com]