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Liberty Belle

(9,705 posts)

41. Earth Day, the Viet Nam war ending, Watergate/Nixon resigning and AIDs.

Sun Jun 7, 2015, 02:29 AM

Jun 2015

My graduating class barely escaped the draft as the war ended, but it was AIDs that claimed several lives by the time our 10th reunion came around.

Watergate took down a president, and changed the discourse of American politics.

The Santa Barbara oil spill of '69 sticks in my mind - it was so horrible it inspired me to go to UC Santa Barbara and get my degree in environmental studies. Hard to believe another spill has happened today, when we were all told never again. That inspired the first Earh Day and an environmental movement around the world.

Oh and of course the music...Elton John, Neil Diamond, and I even saw Elvis Presley in one of his last concerts.

Also some really weird clothes--platform shoes etc. And women's lib -- bra burning, the push for the Equal Rights Amendment that never get adopted as part of the constitution.

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What do you remember most about the 70's? [View all] Archae Jun 2015 OP

Hideous clothes. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2015 #1

Waltons - in 1979 I was 10 yeoman6987 Jun 2015 #3

waltons was huge hit. recently saw some of the later shows as the kids became adults Liberal_in_LA Jun 2015 #12

The Walton's was also a very progressive show. philosslayer Jun 2015 #137

it was. Liberal_in_LA Jun 2015 #159

Like corduroy pants that went "shoop shoop" when you walked? Archae Jun 2015 #18

I second that. Purple polyester pantsuits, LibDemAlways Jun 2015 #59

my clothes were gorgeous cali Jun 2015 #67

peasant blouses marym625 Jun 2015 #70

Aw. but you two ladies are going against the narrative. malthaussen Jun 2015 #72

evidently I wasn't sent one! marym625 Jun 2015 #74

I could go on a long rant here, but I'll just suggest... malthaussen Jun 2015 #79

exactly marym625 Jun 2015 #87

I've kind of softened on Disco over the years. malthaussen Jun 2015 #92

I loved disco music and still do. Give me the Beegees any day. I also like the clothes -- peasant Nay Jun 2015 #107

+100 narnian60 Jun 2015 #152

Interesting. Gemini Cat Jun 2015 #97

The 60s didn't really end until about '75 . . . brush Jun 2015 #166

Ah, thanks for using "zeitgeist." malthaussen Jun 2015 #182

You're so right! brush Jun 2015 #200

Exactly. hifiguy Jun 2015 #146

Very insightful comment Pooka Fey Jun 2015 #199

Tube Tops....:) yourout Jun 2015 #109

...and Dittos. Iggo Jun 2015 #160

The dittoes, yes shanti Jun 2015 #165

And Candies shoes to complete the look. Arugula Latte Jun 2015 #192

Watergate!!!!! murielm99 Jun 2015 #2

Yes watergate! wendylaroux Jun 2015 #14

Yes - I was in college and we'd all get together after class to watch the hearings csziggy Jun 2015 #30

Weed DemocratSinceBirth Jun 2015 #4

Weed with seeds. And stems. And sometimes oregano or PCP. eridani Jun 2015 #58

Paraquat maveric Jun 2015 #153

Wasn't that when they tried to poison the weed... DemocratSinceBirth Jun 2015 #164

Platform shoes, Streaking, Lynard Skynard, Thai sticks, "I am not a crook" maveric Jun 2015 #211

Crappy American cars and leisure suits tularetom Jun 2015 #5

lol. my dad had a green leisure suit Liberal_in_LA Jun 2015 #11

I remember the birth of my second daughter then, and my entry to nursing school! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2015 #6

Disco. nt ChisolmTrailDem Jun 2015 #7

I try to forget Disco! MiniMe Jun 2015 #28

clothes, music, partridge family, Brady bunch, Carol burnette show Liberal_in_LA Jun 2015 #8

And Mary Tyler Moore show spooky3 Jun 2015 #25

M*A*S*H, too. hifiguy Jun 2015 #147

Thurman Munson dying. I was just about 5. That's my earliest significant memory. (eom) StevieM Jun 2015 #9

The Huey on the roof. lpbk2713 Jun 2015 #10

The Huey at the bottom of the ocean JustABozoOnThisBus Jun 2015 #71

Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Mexican Jumping Beans and the movie "Grease." inanna Jun 2015 #13

It was a fantastic decade for music. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jun 2015 #82

+1....you had everything from Motown to Manilow.....from ACDC to Seals and Crofts. yourout Jun 2015 #115

My 2 sons have always said they were envious of us for the great music back then. dixiegrrrrl Jun 2015 #119

Guess I'm lucky that way. inanna Jun 2015 #169

lol...I used to put "Pomp and Circumstance" on full blast in the am dixiegrrrrl Jun 2015 #172

Shag carpet!! BuddhaGirl Jun 2015 #144

I remember having to do that in the hifiguy Jun 2015 #150

Boot camp.... Wounded Bear Jun 2015 #15

San Diego RTC and Great Lakes NTC FrodosPet Jun 2015 #23

No static at all... FM! Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jun 2015 #84

Same here. Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jun 2015 #141

SS Mayaguez. Doc_Technical Jun 2015 #16

Easy times. Playing with friends. Bell bottoms and cords. Hairy people. Bubblegum pop and disco. Arugula Latte Jun 2015 #17

Yes, yes yes....eom LittleGirl Jun 2015 #43

seems there was an optimism to those old shows 6chars Jun 2015 #85

Very good discription of the time - exuberance. We were so hopeful even though we were still in jwirr Jun 2015 #135

Like, totally, my experience too :) Lilith Rising Jun 2015 #125

That's cool. Welcome to DU! Arugula Latte Jun 2015 #181

Thanks :) Lilith Rising Jun 2015 #198

All in the Family. beam me up scottie Jun 2015 #19

All In The Family...yes! inanna Jun 2015 #20

Hair! Everyone with long shaggy hair! bettyellen Jun 2015 #21

And the musical HAIR! csziggy Jun 2015 #33

By Celestia herself, I had that first guy's hair style hifiguy Jun 2015 #151

That was the best part of it for me. The rest, politics, war, music, work and death. freshwest Jun 2015 #38

Getting out donco Jun 2015 #22

Taxi Driver spooky3 Jun 2015 #24

You talkin' to me? Human101948 Jun 2015 #66

Kid stuff, mostly. Lizzie Poppet Jun 2015 #26

Marching band, kentauros Jun 2015 #27

The unrest in the Middle East and SW Asia MADem Jun 2015 #29

Sex , drugs and great music. jaysunb Jun 2015 #31

Charlies angels :P Egnever Jun 2015 #32

All those 70s TV shows-- eridani Jun 2015 #62

Aside from disco, there was some good music. HooptieWagon Jun 2015 #34

Sure was.... inanna Jun 2015 #36

and freddie mercury (queen) DesertFlower Jun 2015 #56

Riding in the back seat of the parents' car with the radio on arcane1 Jun 2015 #35

Star Wars/Hostages Puglsy Jun 2015 #37

Earth Day, the Viet Nam war ending, Watergate/Nixon resigning and AIDs. Liberty Belle Jun 2015 #41

This message was self-deleted by its author truebluegreen Jun 2015 #112

AIDs wasn't until the 80s. nt brush Jun 2015 #204

Not true, it was here earlier. Liberty Belle Jun 2015 #212

Bad music, worse fashion, too many drugs around, all capped off by inflation Warpy Jun 2015 #39

Singles Bars, my low Draft Number, first and best real job (government). Hoyt Jun 2015 #40

Make love not war, Uriah Heap, Cat Stevens, Pink Floyd....... AuntPatsy Jun 2015 #42

4 Finger sacks of weed for $20!!! Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Ozzy, Nixon leaving office... Ghost in the Machine Jun 2015 #44

I was in my 20's in the 70's, and I remember a lot of great music, meeting the love of my life, secondwind Jun 2015 #45

The Watergate Hearings were must-see TV. We got rid of Richard Effing Nixon. My 2 kids were born. Hekate Jun 2015 #46

Riding in my dad's truck... NaturalHigh Jun 2015 #47

Today is the 39th anniversary of my HS graduation, Dr. Xavier Jun 2015 #48

met and married my 2nd husband. DesertFlower Jun 2015 #49

It was a long decade. Blue_In_AK Jun 2015 #50

Wounded Knee Half-Century Man Jun 2015 #51

You were allowed to run on the field when your team won the pennant bluestateguy Jun 2015 #52

Disco and drugs and knowing just how corrupt the government really was. nt bemildred Jun 2015 #53

youth themonster Jun 2015 #54

Watergate gopiscrap Jun 2015 #55

When Saturday Night Live debuted. With Muppets! RufusTFirefly Jun 2015 #57

Afterschool 60s TV series repeats (except during Watergate) & cartoon Saturdays eShirl Jun 2015 #60

I don't remember the 70's. I was hung over from the 60's. lob1 Jun 2015 #61

That's a looong hangover. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jun 2015 #89

The TV series One Day At A Time, House of Roberts Jun 2015 #63

Had an English teacher around the same time who mandated "Ms" or her first name. malthaussen Jun 2015 #83

Oct. 2, 1973-the day I stood outside the main gate of MacGuire AFB a free man. hobbit709 Jun 2015 #64

A lot, but this sticks out... bluesbassman Jun 2015 #65

During summer vacation, all my mom said was, "Be back by sundown" Pooka Fey Jun 2015 #188

Thanks Pooka Fey! bluesbassman Jun 2015 #209

Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies Bring JAWS Back To The Big Screen June 21 and 24 Omaha Steve Jun 2015 #68

Toughskins melman Jun 2015 #69

Gas rationing marshall Jun 2015 #73

Probably Top 40 radio malthaussen Jun 2015 #75

If you're from Chicago, then you'll know what I'm talking about. Exilednight Jun 2015 #76

The guy who did Son of Sven is still on ME TV, hifiguy Jun 2015 #154

Inexpensive Gasoline cantbeserious Jun 2015 #77

The time after the birth control pill but before we knew about AIDS. Motown_Johnny Jun 2015 #78

Being introduced to Andre (Mary) Norton science fiction/fantasy novels. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jun 2015 #80

The hospital. tymorial Jun 2015 #81

Tough skins, big hair, HEAT, listening to the Top 40 each week underpants Jun 2015 #86

war news reports; the USSR/USA space docking; funky colors everywhere... JanMichael Jun 2015 #88

After Vietnam and 18 months in the hospital, I got out of the Army in '71 pinboy3niner Jun 2015 #90

You really want to know madokie Jun 2015 #91

Vietnam War B Calm Jun 2015 #93

The music and the TV shows. TwilightGardener Jun 2015 #94

As the country fell apart so did the music BeyondGeography Jun 2015 #95

That I was born! bigwillq Jun 2015 #96

I was born eleven days into 1970 AwakeAtLast Jun 2015 #180

Being on strike for seven months, then moving into my new house during the strike! dmosh42 Jun 2015 #98

I was in college in the early 70's... Sancho Jun 2015 #99

My first calculator cost 75 bucks. malthaussen Jun 2015 #104

Haha..you're right. All it would do is add, subtract, multiply and divide! Sancho Jun 2015 #111

You got ripped off.:) malthaussen Jun 2015 #117

The high end Hewlett-Packard calculators 1939 Jun 2015 #195

"Disco Sucks", college years, and progressive rock stations. . . DinahMoeHum Jun 2015 #100

Remember when the movie "Airplane!" knocked over the disco tower scene? MrMickeysMom Jun 2015 #116

Yep. DinahMoeHum Jun 2015 #120

Thanks for reminding me... mike in raleigh Jun 2015 #175

The awful clothes and hairstyles that I thought were cool. ananda Jun 2015 #101

The music, the movies and Saturday Night Live. n/t lumberjack_jeff Jun 2015 #102

Purple Micro Dot cherokeeprogressive Jun 2015 #103

What I remember Gemini Cat Jun 2015 #105

How awful we looked - LiberalElite Jun 2015 #106

The good, the bad, and the ugly... Tom_Foolery Jun 2015 #108

Kent State GP6971 Jun 2015 #110

Here are mine... MrMickeysMom Jun 2015 #113

Earth Day, Watergate, oil embargo, solar panels on the White House.... truebluegreen Jun 2015 #114

4things.. one_voice Jun 2015 #118

There were a couple of big blizzards in the mid 70s. malthaussen Jun 2015 #122

Only six channels on the TV. aikoaiko Jun 2015 #121

Best time of my long life. dixiegrrrrl Jun 2015 #123

What I remember most is under-appreciating that decade. (nt) Paladin Jun 2015 #124

Memories JustAnotherGen Jun 2015 #126

Reds two World Series exboyfil Jun 2015 #127

I was a kid living in Phoenix Horse with no Name Jun 2015 #128

Classic rock - The. Best. Music. Ever. (Early 70s) polichick Jun 2015 #129

The Oakland A's baseball dynasty aint_no_life_nowhere Jun 2015 #130

I grew up in the Bay Area and the A's were so huge ... Arugula Latte Jun 2015 #197

One hell of a decade Freddie Jun 2015 #131

That's where my back pages are. hunter Jun 2015 #132

Politics and war. jwirr Jun 2015 #133

DJ Cousin Brucie GP6971 Jun 2015 #134

Going braless! My VW Bug! Great music! Great movies! TexasBushwhacker Jun 2015 #136

Guys wearing seriously cut-off jean shorts chowder66 Jun 2015 #138

Star Wars. Evel Knievel. Discovering science fiction novels. Codeine Jun 2015 #139

Affordable college tuition Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jun 2015 #140

Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I also tell kids today that I had an apartment, Nay Jun 2015 #156

I graduated from college without student loans. hunter Jun 2015 #174

Nonexistence Oneironaut Jun 2015 #142

My Lai, Kent State, Nixon's downfall, the end of the war. Tierra_y_Libertad Jun 2015 #143

Progressive rock, the more out there the better, and weed, LOTS of weed. hifiguy Jun 2015 #145

I remember the '70's as a continuation of what started in the '60's... kentuck Jun 2015 #148

The polyester clothing that smelled funky when wet! BigDemVoter Jun 2015 #149

Being 9 months pregnant AC_Mem Jun 2015 #155

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Soap, Fernwood, SNL maveric Jun 2015 #157

For me, Mary Hartman was appointment TV every night hifiguy Jun 2015 #171

The music and partying all night. n/t RebelOne Jun 2015 #158

Star Wars, Burger Chef, the Bicentennial gollygee Jun 2015 #161

Has any one mentioned Quaaludes? Scurrilous Jun 2015 #162

Childhood; school. The space programme and especially the Apollo 13 near-disaster; LeftishBrit Jun 2015 #163

SNL shanti Jun 2015 #167

Music Trajan Jun 2015 #168

Smoking in college classrooms. Both students and teachers. Gidney N Cloyd Jun 2015 #170

USMC Basic and AIT oneshooter Jun 2015 #173

where I lived: Skittles Jun 2015 #176

Watergate, Star Wars, Skylab, Nixon Resigning AnnieBW Jun 2015 #177

I remember Vietnam, I remember when the war ended, I was out mackerel Jun 2015 #178

well, pretty much Jackpine Radical Jun 2015 #179

Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo and fruity lip glosses. nt betsuni Jun 2015 #183

all the above steve2470 Jun 2015 #184

Oops wrong place Arugula Latte Jun 2015 #194

All the war protests in early 70s.... N_E_1 for Tennis Jun 2015 #185

Begging Mom to let me wear Ditto jeans to Jr. High School Pooka Fey Jun 2015 #186

Hanging out with Stewie Griffin Quackers Jun 2015 #187

Remember most about the 70s? Snobblevitch Jun 2015 #189

Nobody on the thread remembers the HUSTLE? Shout-out to MAYNARD Pooka Fey Jun 2015 #190

How could we forget! Definitely a classic from the 70s. Glimmer of Hope Jun 2015 #214

One of the only things I personally remember. NCTraveler Jun 2015 #191

Everything I know about the '70s comes secondhand, from music, movies, and TV. True Blue Door Jun 2015 #193

A few more things: "Bicentennial Moments" on TV, and really the whole Bicentennial hoopla Arugula Latte Jun 2015 #196

Men unafraid of their chest hair n/t teenagebambam Jun 2015 #201

I graduated from high school in 78 mindfulNJ Jun 2015 #202

Garvey, Lopes, Russell, and Cey. n/t trackfan Jun 2015 #203

1977 & 1978 L.A. Dodgers World Series against those damn NY Yankees Pooka Fey Jun 2015 #210

Quaaludes Go Vols Jun 2015 #205

Born in 79... Xyzse Jun 2015 #206

Barry Manilow, The Carpenters, The Manhattan Transfer. Chipper Chat Jun 2015 #207

Mine started out with some personal experience with terrorism then... cascadiance Jun 2015 #208

That I grew up feeling like I missed something given that I craigmatic Jun 2015 #213

The Bicentennial and the colors- Avocado, Goldenrod and that Orange. Glimmer of Hope Jun 2015 #215