Cost of Living in 1979
Yearly Inflation Rate: (USA) 11.2%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average: 838
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve: 15.25%
Average Cost of new house: $58,100.00
Average Income per year: $17,500.00
Average Monthly Rent: $280.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas: 86 cents
Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling
Average House Price: 13,650
Gallon of Petrol: 0.79
Yearly Inflation Rate: 17.00%
Interest Rates Year End Bank of England: 12.50%
Sony Walkman: $200.00
Chess Challenger Computer Chess Game: $199.49
Pachinko Pinball Machine: $199.49
Jox Trainers: $14.99
Girls Denim Overalls: $24.00
Atari Video Computer System: $199.00
JVC VHS Video Recorder System: $54.99
Mens Blazer, Vest and Slacks: $39.99
King Size Bean Bag Chair: $19.99
Toyota Corola: $3,698.00
Mercury Couger XR7: $6,430.00
The Number One Hits of 1979
January 6, 1979 – February 9, 1979: Bee Gees – Too Much Heaven
December 9, 1978 – January 5, 1979: Chic – Le Freak
February 10, 1979 – March 9, 1979: Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy
March 10, 1979 – March 23, 1979: Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
March 24, 1979 – April 13, 1979: Bee Gees – Tragedy
April 14, 1979 – April 20, 1979: The Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes
April 21, 1979 – April 27, 1979: Amii Stewart – Knock on Wood
April 28, 1979 – May 4, 1979: Blondie – Heart of Glass
May 5, 1979 – June 1, 1979: Peaches & Herb – Reunited
June 2, 1979 – June 8, 1979: Donna Summer – Hot Stuff
June 9, 1979 – June 29, 1979: Bee Gees – Love You Inside Out
June 30, 1979 – July 13, 1979: Anita Ward – Ring My Bell
July 14, 1979 – August 17, 1979: Donna Summer – Bad Girls
August 18, 1979 – August 24, 1979: Chic – Good Times
August 25, 1979 – October 5, 1979: The Knack – My Sharona
October 6, 1979 – October 12, 1979: Robert John – Sad Eyes
October 13, 1979 – October 19, 1979: Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough
October 20, 1979 – November 2, 1979: Herb Alpert – Rise
November 3, 1979 – November 9, 1979: M – Pop Muzik
November 10, 1979 – November 16, 1979: Eagles – Heartache Tonight
November 17, 1979 – November 23, 1979: Commodores – Still
November 24, 1979 – December 7, 1979: Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer – No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
December 8, 1979 – December 21, 1979: Styx – Babe
December 22, 1979 – January 4, 1980: Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
1979 Pop Culture History
Elvita Adams jumped from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building in an attempted suicide, only to be blown back onto the 85th floor by a gust of wind. Her only injury was a broken hip.
In 1979 you could call a 1-800 number and listen to messages from Star Wars‘ characters Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, C3PO and Darth Vader.
A large number of Swedish people were calling sick with a ‘case of being homosexual’ as protest to homosexuality being labeled an illness.
John Paul II visted the Unites States of America (October 1st-8, 1979).
The Grateful Dead played the final concert at the iconic Winterland venue in San Francisco on New Years Eve 1978 which lasted over 8 hours. The guests were treated to a hot buffet breakfast at dawn when the show ended.
Michael Jackson released Off the Wall, his fifth solo studio album.
The last claim under the 1866 Homestead Act, which entitled a person to free frontier land if they lived on it for five years and built a farm, was made on 80 acres near the Stony River in Alaska in 1979.
In 1979 the US had specific days to get gas based on if you’re license plate ended in an odd or even number, due to a gasoline shortage.
Jimmy Carter signed the bill that made homebrewing legal in 1978. It took effect in 1979.
Black and Decker released the now-famous cordless mini-vacuum, The Dustbuster.
Guy Lafleur, a player for the Montreal Canadiens, released an album called “Lafleur”. It consisted of Lafleur giving hockey instructions over the sound of disco music.
An LA man received thousands of parking tickets due to DMV computers matching tickets for cars without plates to his custom “NO PLATE” license plate.
PBS’ This Old House was one of the earliest home improvement shows. It was initially controversial among building contractors, and the cast was afraid that they were giving away secrets of the building trades.
On 9/22/1979 there was an unidentified nuclear explosion in the Indian Ocean, and it is known as the Vela Incident.
1979’s Mad Max was dubbed for original US release, because producers assumed American audiences would have trouble understanding Australian accents.
The first recorded human death by robot was on Jan. 25, 1979, when a Ford Motors assembly line worker was killed in Flat Rock, Michigan.
ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) began broadcasting on September 7.
Alec Guiness was one of the few cast members who believed that Star Wars would be a box office hit; he negotiated a deal for 2.25% of the gross royalties paid to the director, George Lucas, who received one fifth of the box office takings.
Etan Patz was the first missing child to have their picture on milk carton in 1979 and that the murderer wasn’t caught till 2012.
Victoria’s Secret stores opened in 1979. It went national in 1982 after being aquired by Limited Brands.
Rhodesia became Zimbabwe.
An unknown group of people paid for the erection of the “Georgia Guidestones”, 6 granite slabs that instruct the survivors of an apocalyptic scenario how to rebuild a better world.
April 1st – Nickelodeon TV cable network began.
When the Peanuts started in 1950, Charlie Brown was 4 years old, aged to six 1957, and has been about eight since 1979.
The Cleveland Elementary School shooting which took place in 1979 in San Diego, California. A 16-year-old girl, Brenda Spencer, killed the principal and a custodian, and injured 8 children and a police officer. When asked by a reporter why she did it, she said “I don’t like Mondays.”
Cost of a Super Bowl ad in 1979: $185,000.
The first time a black character appeared in a video game was in 1979’s “Basketball” on the Atari 800.
The biggest ever storm on record was Typhoon Tip in 1979 – 2,200km wide, 305km/h winds.
1979 Quotes
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning”
– Robert Duvall in ‘Apocalypse Now’
“Have a coke and smile”
-Coca-Cola
“Quality is job one”
– Ford
“Nothing comes between me and my Calvins”
– Brooke Shields, for Calvin Klein
“Reach out and touch someone”
– AT&T
Golden High School Class of 1979 