1970s in Bangladesh, Economy, Industrial and Service Sectors
Some of the major business houses / enterprises that started journey in this decade include the Beximco, City Group, T K Group of Industries and BRAC in 1972, Jamuna Group and Milk Vita in 1974, Concord Group and Otobi in 1975, Meghna Group of Industries in 1976, Nasir Group in 1977, BRAC's business venture Aarong in 1978 and Rangs Group in 1979. In the public sector BTCL was established in 1971 followed by Petrobangla, Bangladesh Shipping Corporation and Biman Bangladesh Airlines in 1972, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation in 1976 and Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory in 1979.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Transportation
When Bangladesh achieved independence in 1971, it inherited 3,860 km of pucca roads, 2858.73 km of railway tracks and 466 railway stations, but most roads and connecting bridges were in shambles due to the ravage of the war. After the independence war-ravaged roads, culverts and bridges were reconstructed fast and some new bridges on the national highways were built. All the district headquarters were connected with the national highway network. The construction of double line track between Dhaka-Tangi and Chittagong-Mirsharai started in 1960s. These lines were opened in phases during the 1960s and 1970s.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Transportation
At the time of independence, Bangladesh had 5 inland river ports at Dhaka, Narayanganj, Chandpur, Barisal and Khulna. In 1975 a new port was added at Patuakhali. Air Transport also started to develop. As of 1973, there were 13,500 registered carrier departures worldwide which grew to 14,800 by 1979. During the same period number of passenger carried increased from 0.49 million to 0.62 million per annum.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Transportation
A UNDP funded Bangladesh Transportation Sector Study executed by World Bank in 1988 estimated that by 1975 the ground transport system of Bangladesh was already supporting 17 billion km of passenger commute and 2.6 billion km of freight transport. Road network accounted for 54% of the passengers and 35% of the freight whereas 30% of the passengers and 28% of the freight were transported using the rail network. The rest were using inland water transport.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Telecommunication
The erstwhile Telegraph branch under Posts and Telegraph Department of the government was reconstructed as Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Department under Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 1971 and again as Telegraph and Telephone Board in 1975. In 1979 Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) was given the right to issue license for telecom and wireless services. In the beginning of the decade there were 45,000 fixed telephone line subscription in the country - which increased to 89,000 by the end signifying 0.07 lines per 100 people.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Energy
Through Presidential Order 59 of 31st May 1972, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) was entrusted with the responsibilities of operation, maintenance, and development of generation, transmission & distribution facilities of electricity throughout the country. A separate division of the Ministry of Energy oversaw oil and gas while Petrobangla, established in 1974, became the main state oil and gas operator. Later, Rural Electrification Board (REB) was established for the development of electricity in the rural areas for the effective benefit of rural people on October, 1977.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Energy
In 1973 per capital electric power consumption was 15.2 kWh, which increased to 21.0 kWh by 1979. During the same period per capita energy usage increased from 92.5 kg of oil equivalent to 99.4 kg and fossil fuel energy consumption increased from 24.2% to 29.4% of total.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Energy
In 1973 the electricity produced in the country was coming from hydroelectric sources: 23.6%, natural gas sources: 34.7% and oil sources: 41.7%. By 1979 the same distribution changed to - hydroelectric sources: 24.4%, natural gas sources: 45.6% and oil sources: 29.9%.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Financial Services
At the time of independence the country inherited a very limited financial set-up consisting of 1130 branches of 12 commercial banks, the Dhaka Stock Exchange, several insurance companies established between 1958 and 1971, and the Samabaya (co-operative) Bank Ltd.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Financial Services
Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of the country, was established in Dhaka as a body corporate vide the Bangladesh Bank Order, 1972 (P.O No. 127 of 1972). Bangladesh Bank started operating with all capital and liabilities of the Dhaka branch of State Bank of Pakistan. The 12 banks which were inherited were soon nationalised and merged into six banks, naming them -Sonali, Agrani, Janata, Rupali, Pubali and Uttara. Later IFIC Bank was established as a private bank in 1976.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Financial Services
The number of insurance companies that had business in East Pakistan was 75, of which 10 were locally incorporated ones. Following the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, both life and general insurance business in the country was nationalised under the Bangladesh Insurance (Nationalisation) Order 1972 except foreign insurance companies. Five corporations were established to absorb, own and control the businesses of the 75 existing insurance companies and these new corporations were Bangladesh Jatiya Bima Corporation, Karnafuli Bima Corporation, Tista Bima Corporation, Surma Jiban Bima Corporation and Rupsa Jiban Bima Corporation. These four corporations were in business from 1 January 1973 to 14 May 1973. Later they were gradually merged into two entities named Jiban Bima Corporation (for life insurance) and Sadharan Bima Corporation (for general insurance).


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Financial Services
The activity of Dhaka Stock Exchange remained suspended until 1976, when it renewed operations with nine listed companies having paid up capital of Tk 137.52 million. This, along with the establishment of the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh in the same year marked the launch of the country's capital market operations.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Education
The education system that Bangladesh inherited after independence needed immediate intervention to suit the need of a new country. The first Education Commission in Bangladesh appointed under Dr. Qudrat-i-Khuda submitted its report in 1974. The report recommended secular education across levels, future work-relevant technical and vocational education, improvedassessment system, letter grading in the assessment of student performance and makingprimary education from grade 1 to 8 and secondary from grade 9 to 12.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Education
The primary education system in this decade was barely adequate to address the need of the nation. As of 1970, almost 4.77 million primary-school-age children were not enrolled in either primary or secondary schools; and even for those in school, there were only 1.71 teachers per 1,000 students. By 1977-78, the number of out-of-school children dropped to 3.14 million and primary school teachers per 1,000 student ratio improved to 2.39.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Education
Based on World Bank data, in 1973, there were 2.27 million secondary school students (including higher secondary) in the country, which grew to 2.35 million by the end of the decade. However, Secondary school enrollment rate changed from 20.5% to 16.8% during the same period. Over these years ratio of female students in secondary education also dropped from 25.1% to 20.2%. On the brighter side, number of teachers covering the strudnts grew from 94 to 105 thousand.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Education
Before independence the secondary and higher secondary education administration for East Pakistan, used to be managed by 4 general education boards set-up in the 1960s, namely Dhaka, Rajshahi, Comilla and Jessore, and a Technical Education Board. After independence these boards were retained. However, religious education, which historically was managed by community based Madrasas was brought under Government supervision. Steps were taken for the modernization of madrasah education. Bengali, mathematics,  English, social science, general science were made compulsory. In 1978 the Madrasah Education Board was formed under Ordinance for the Modernization of Madrasah Education.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Education
In the tertiary level newly independent Bangladesh started its journey with four general education universities, namely University of Dhaka, University of Rajshahi, University of Chittagong and newly opened Jahangirnagar University along with 2 specialized universities - Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology in Dhaka and Bangladesh Agricultural University at Mymensingh. In addition, Institute of Postgraduate Medicine and Research (IPGMR) served as a Government-controlled postgraduate institute for medical research and studies. The University Grants Commission was established on 16 December 1972 as the apex body of all the affiliated universities of Bangladesh. On 22 November 1979, the foundation of the Islamic University was set up in Kushtia, but it began operations on 28 June 1986.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Mass Media
News agencies were present in Bangladesh prior to its independence from Pakistan in 1971. The state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (AAP) had branches in Dhaka and Chittagong from 1949. After independence, the AAP was replaced by the Bangladesh state-owned agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha on January 1, 1972. The second news agency to be established, and the first to be privately owned was Eastern News Agency (ENA). It was founded in Dhaka in the years immediately prior to the Bangladesh Liberation War. However, the freedom of press was significantly curbed quite early in the history of the country.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Mass Media
One of the many restrictive regulations coming from the enactment of single party rule of BaKSAL was the promulgation of the Newspaper Ordinance (June 1975; Annulment of Declaration)-  which allowed only four state owned newspapers (the Dainik Bangla, Bangladesh Observer, The Daily Ittefaq, and Bangladesh Times) to continue their publication and banned the rest of the press and newspaper industries. Later, After the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, many newspapers that were banned earlier started to reappear. Press Institute of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Press Council were established.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Mass Media
Government control was absolute in broadcast media landscape as well. The erstwhile autonomous East Pakistan station of Pakistan Television was brought under Government control after independence of Bangladesh, and started its refreshed journey as Bangladesh Television from 15 Sep 1972. Till the end of the decade BTV operated as the sole television transmission station in the country and aired its programmes in black and white format only. In 1975, the offices of the TV station were moved from the initial location of DIT Bhaban (present Rajuk Bhaban) to its new home at Rampura, Dhaka.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Mass Media
Radio played an important role during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. On March 26, 1971, the broadcasting centre of Radio Pakistan was used to transmit a declaration of independence, which was picked up by a Japanese ship in Chittagong Harbor and got retransmitted. During the war, the Pakistan Army took over the Radio Station in Dhaka and the Bangladeshis operated Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (Independent Bengal Radio Station)  clandestinely.


1970s in Bangladesh, Infrastructure, Mass Media
Because of heavy shelling, the station had to be relocated several times, and ultimately moved to Calcutta on May 25, from where it would broadcast until the end of the war. On December 6, 1971 the station was renamed Bangladesh Betar. It continued to operate as the only state-owned radio station of the country. In 1975, after the coup d'état the station was renamed as Radio Bangladesh.


1970s in Bangladesh, Culture, Literature
The literary works of the 1970s had strong influence of Bangladesh Liberation war on them.


1970s in Bangladesh, Culture, Literature
Notable literary works from Bangladeshi authors from this decade include Shawkat Osman's Jahannam Haite Biday, Dui Sainik, Nekde Aranya, Jalamgi and Janma Yadi Taba Bange; Selina Hossain's Hangor Nodi Grenade, Jalochchhvas and Magnachaitanye Shis; Humayun Ahmed's debut novel Nandita Narake and Shankhanil Karagar; Bashir Al Helal's Pratham Krishnachuda and Kalo Ilish; Rahat Khan's Anishchita Lokalay and Antahin Yatra; Anwar Pasha's autobiographical Rifle Roti Aorat; Syed Shamsul Huq's novel Khelaram Khele Ya and poetic play Payer Awaz Pawa Jay; Hasan Azizul Huq's Jiban Gase Agun and Namhin Gotrahin;  Alauddin Al-Azad's Amar Rakta and Svapna Amar; Akhtaruzzaman Elias' Anya Ghare Anya Svar and Mamunur Rashid's Ora Kadam Ali. In this decade the literature circle of the country lost luminaries like: novelist Zahir Raihan (1972), author Syed Mujtaba Ali (1974), poet Jasim Uddin and the national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam (1976), writer Ibrahim Khan and Abul Kalam Shamsuddin (1978) and poet Bande Ali Mia (1979).


1970s in Bangladesh, Culture, Visual arts
After the independence a few pioneers helped set the tone of fine arts for Bangladesh. In the field of photography – Manzoor Alam Beg and  Anwar Hossain made their marks. The field of painting was particularly vibrant with painters Quamrul Hassan, SM Sultan and  Monirul Islam actively contributing and new artists like Monsur Ul Karim and Shahabuddin Ahmed coming up. Sultan did some of his best work in the 1970s. In 1976 the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy put on an individual exhibition of his work. It was his first major exhibition and his first in Dhaka.


1970s in Bangladesh, Culture, Visual arts
The next year he was selected as a member of the panel of judges for the Asian Art Biennale in Dhaka. However, in this decade the death of master painter Zainul Abedin (1976) made the nation grieve. Bangladeshi Architect Fazlur Rahman Khan also was performing at his peak in this decade, although most of his creations were outside Bangladesh. In 1977, architect Bashirul Haq won the national design competition for the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) headquarters in Dhaka. Shilpakala Academy, the national academy of fine and performing arts, was established through an act of Parliament in 1974 as a statutory organization under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.


1970s in Bangladesh, Culture, Performing arts
Music played an important role in the Bangladesh Liberation war. Music directors and composers Samar Das, Ajit Roy and Shujeo Shyam along with singers and musicians like Apel Mahmud, Amitava Sengupta, Manjula Dasgupta, Abdul Jabbar, Mala Khan, Rupa Khan, Rafiqul Alam, Kaderi Kibria, Lucky Akhand, Jahangir Hayat Khan, Mihir Kumar Nandi, Timir Nandi, Fakir Alamgir and Dalia Nausheen played instrumental role in Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra in inspiring the freedom fighters and the nation.


1970s in Bangladesh, Culture, Performing arts
A pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar named "The Concert for Bangladesh" were held on Sunday, 1 August 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, to raise international awareness of, and fund relief for refugees from East Pakistan, following the Bangladesh Liberation War-related genocide. The concerts were followed by a bestselling live album, a boxed three-record set, and Apple Films' concert documentary, which opened in cinemas in the spring of 1972.


1970s in Bangladesh, Culture, Performing arts
After the independence, music directors and composers like  Debu Bhattacherjee, Lokman Hossain Fakir, Azad Rahman and Alauddin Ali and singers like Ferdausi Rahman, Abdul Alim,  Firoza Begum, Sabina Yasmin, Runa Laila and Mahmudun Nabi led the music arena with modern Bengali music and playback music of films. The untimely death of folk singer Abdul Alim in 1974 was shocking to the nation. The first band of the independent Bangladesh are the Underground Peace Lover (UPL), formed in 1972 in Dhaka.


1970s in Bangladesh, Culture, Performing arts
Uccharon were the biggest band of that era; and their frontman Azam Khan, a freedom fighter, cemented himself as a pop culture phenomenon. On the other hand, Spondan featuring musicians like Nasir Ahmed Apu, Firoz Shai, Ferdous Wahid, reinvented Bangla folk music and became one of the most popular rock bands during the 1970s. The Akhand Brothers Band (featuring Lucky and Happy Akhand), who produced several hit songs in that decade, is often credited as the first pop rock band of the country.


1970s in Bangladesh, Culture, Performing arts
Theatre was possibly the most forceful and exuberant expression of post-liberation Bangladesh. Numerous non-professional theatre groups were formed all over the country, modelled after the group theatre movement in post-Nabanna Calcutta. The most important among these in Dhaka city were Theatre (established February 1972), Nagarik Natya Sampraday (established 1968, first performance August 1972), Natyachakra (established August 1972), Aranyak Natyadal (established 1972), Dhaka Theatre (established July 1973) and, in Chittagong, Theatre '73 (established 1973), ‘’Tirjak Nattyagoshthi’’ (Established May 1974) and Arindam (established September 1974). The range of texts performed by the groups varied widely, from Euro-American plays to contemporary originals written by group members themselves. A completely new set of playwrights appeared, important among whom were Abdullah al Mamun, Mamunur Rashid, Syed Shamsul Huq, Selim Al Deen and Momtazuddin Ahmed.


1970s in Ghana
1970s in Ghana details events of note that happened in Ghana in the years 1970 to 1979.


1970s in Ghana, National holidays
In addition, several other places observe local holidays, such as the foundation of their town. These are also "special days."


1970s in Hong Kong
Hong Kong in the 1970s underwent many changes that shaped its future, led for most of the decade by its longest-serving and reform-minded Governor, Murray MacLehose. Economically, it reinvented itself from a manufacturing base into a financial centre.


1970s in Hong Kong, Background
Political talks about the Second Convention of Peking resurfaced in the early 70s. The New Territories land lease agreement would end within 27 years in 1997. MacLehose began visiting Beijing to talk about the future of Hong Kong with PRC leaders.


1970s in Hong Kong, Background
The British and the PRC governments began a long negotiation process that would ultimately lead to the Handover of Hong Kong in 1997.


1970s in Hong Kong, Political and social development
Under Sir Murray MacLehose, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (1971–82), a series of reforms improved public services, the environment, housing, welfare, education and infrastructure. MacLehose was the longest-serving governor and, by the end of his tenure, had become one of the most popular and well-known figures in the Crown Colony. MacLehose laid the foundation for Hong Kong to establish itself as a global city in the 1980s and early 1990s.


1970s in Hong Kong, Political and social development
With the rising public service provision came a clampdown on the free flow of refugees from mainland China that had powered the growth of Hong Kong since the Second World War. In 1974, the 'touch base' was introduced, under which only those immigrant arrivals who reached the urban areas were allowed to stay. Six years later, it was replaced by a policy of repatriation for all illegal arrivals.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Metrication
The Metric System was adopted under the 1976 Metrication Ordinance. Subsequently, many of the wet markets and traditional Chinese medicine shops used the old Chinese system for at least another decade.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Education
The Hong Kong government introduced six years of free compulsory education in 1971, and expanded it to nine years in 1978. Companies were also seeking well educated employees for complex projects. Seventy-two percent of overseas graduates between 1962 and 1976 would come back to Hong Kong to take on highly skilled domestic positions.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Domestic entertainment
On 7 September 1975, Commercial Television was established. It provided competition for the other two other companies: Rediffusion Television and Television Broadcasts Limited. Unable to compete, Commercial TV closed down on 22 August 1978 after only three years of operation.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Domestic entertainment
The 1970s was when Hong Kong gained daily news broadcasts. News programmes ranked in the top 10 continuously for a decade. Other segments of the ratings included TV dramas, which averaged 80 to 120 episodes, usually broadcasting at 7:00 pm. 66% of the population tuned in regularly covering 2 to 3 million viewers nightly. Popular series finales would empty streets and restaurants. Most series did not contain much if any Chinese traditionalism. The theme songs of these dramas also helped revive Cantonese music - indeed the term Cantopop was coined during this period.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Foreign entertainment
Hong Kong also found itself at a unique geographical and cultural crossroads. Many of the western artists like Elvis Presley and The Beatles were getting exposure in the music industry. Toys from Japan have arrived in Hong Kong via random and inconsistent shipments in the past. But the first big waves of Japanese products with staying power in the market place were mainly super robot toys. Gordian Warrior and Baxinger were some that were commonly available.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Foreign entertainment
The 1975 Japanese series Ultraman was aired, and was named as such since the protagonist had eyes resembling eggs. The children were fascinated. Kids tried to "fly" in the air, imitating their heroes. Two kids (aged 3½ and 4½) attempted a flight jumping off a 7-storey building in Kowloon City on 26 July 1975. The younger brother was killed on the spot, while the elder was miraculously saved. The broadcast of the series was suspended for a while after the accident.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Cinema
The martial arts films starred by Bruce Lee, including the 1971 The Big Boss (唐山大兄) and Fist of Fury (精武門) the following year, were sensational. Cornered for some times by Western and Mandarin films, Cantonese films were much revived in the 1970s, with the great success of 1976 The Private Eyes (半斤八兩), directed by Michael Hui, which is said to remain the all-time box-office king of Hong Kong cinema when inflation is taken into account.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Cinema
The James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun in 1973 was filmed in Hong Kong. The film featured the wreck of SS Seawise University and that of the famous former Cunard Ocean liner RMS Queen Elizabeth.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Natural disasters
In August 1971, Typhoon Rose passed over Hong Kong causing extensive damage, forcing the hoisting of Hurricane Signal No. 10 on 16 August. A total of 5,664 people from 1,032 families became homeless. The typhoon also destroyed 653 wooden huts and damaged 24 buildings, six beyond repair.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Natural disasters
In June 1972, torrential rains caused two serious landslides in Sau Mau Ping and the Mid-levels respectively. Around 150 were killed and many buildings were destroyed.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Natural disasters
In August 1979, Typhoon Hope reached Hong Kong but has weakened considerably from the 150 mph wind earlier.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Law and order, Anti-corruption campaigns
In the 1970s, corruption was a way of life in Hong Kong, being the norm in all government departments. Policemen would often extract bribes (popularly called "tea fee") before they investigated a crime, as did firemen before they rescued people and put out fires. Many Chinese detective superintendents amassed incredible wealth from their corrupt dealings with triads and corporations. Their names have been seared into the memories of the older generations, their stories adapted into several popular movies such as To be Number One (跛豪) in 1991. That is not to say British officers were entirely clean in their dealings.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Law and order, Anti-corruption campaigns
In 1974, Hong Kong Governor Murray MacLehose, realising the seriousness of the problem, founded the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The investigations and arrests of many police officers created a furore among the police, who protested against the ICAC and even tried to overrun the headquarters in one protest.


1970s in Hong Kong, Culture, Law and order, Anti-corruption campaigns
The Governor, concerned to avoid a possible police strike or even rebellion, at last issued a pardon, preventing arrests in cases committed before 1977. However, the pardon did not extend to higher-level detective superintendents. These high-level Chinese officers, famous for their riches, left for exile to Taiwan, which had no extradition treaty with Hong Kong. In time, the efforts of the ICAC changed the habits of an entire population and turned Hong Kong into one of the least corrupt cities in the world.


1970s in Hong Kong, Politics, Defend Diaoyutai Islands campaigns
In 1970, the American government returned to Japan the sovereignty of Ryukyu Islands and Diaoyutai Islands (known as the Senkaku Islands to Japan). The act stirred up campaigns for defending the Diaoyutai Islands among Chinese societies all around the world. The "Hong Kong Federation of Students" (香港專上學生聯會) requested a protest at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay on 7 July 1971. Having been frightened by the 1967 riots, the police tried to prevent the protest. Unnecessary violence erupted, leading to the arrests of students. The media criticised the violation of democracy. The British police officers involved were sent back to the UK and went unpunished. Protests concerning the defence of Diaoyutai Islands continued to be held the following months.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Manufacturing
Many factors contributed to the decline of manufacturing in Hong Kong. The late 1970s saw increases in land prices. Along with the opening up of global trade with China via the 1978 economic reforms, factories were gradually relocated to the mainland, where labour costs were lower.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Manufacturing
At the same time, Singapore and Taiwan underwent similar developments to those of Hong Kong. The competitiveness of manufacturing similar products led to protectionism to shelter local companies. As a result, there was less demand for Hong Kong goods.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Property and land
Following decades of immense and sustained immigration, the shortage of housing in the territory became acute. Many lived in squatter settlements or boats, where they were susceptible to typhoons, fires and landslides. To improve the quality of public housing and relieve overcrowded conditions, the government announced the Ten-year Housing Programme (十年建屋計劃) in 1972, with the goal of providing quality housing for 1.8 million people in 10 years. The Hong Kong Housing Authority was formed to spearhead the programme. The government also introduced the Home Ownership Scheme (居者有其屋計劃) in 1976, building houses and selling them at below-market prices to help people own property.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Emerging businesses
Wellcome, the first supermarket in Hong Kong, was opened in Central in 1970. It was called "Gweilo market" by some locals, as most customers were westerners during the initial period of its operation, but Chinese citizens would soon embrace this new kind of store. By 1975, more than 200 big- and small-scaled supermarkets could be found in the city. These new stores eliminated most traditional rice dealers (米舖), wine shops (辦館) and convenient stores (See Dor) (士多). Wellcome and PARKnSHOP did not take long to capture the market. The front and full page ads of these two mega franchises aided in their increase in popularity where smaller traditional stores couldn't. The first McDonald's restaurant opened on Paterson Street, Causeway Bay in 1975.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Infrastructure
Hong Kong's first modern rapid transit, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) was opened in October 1979. The first line served eastern Kowloon from Shek Kip Mei to Kwun Tong. In December, services were extended to Tsim Sha Tsui, and by 1980, it was possible to ride from Kwun Tong to the central business district in Central on the other side of the harbour on Hong Kong Island.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Infrastructure
The Cross-Harbour Tunnel, the first underwater tunnel in Hong Kong, opened in 1972. For the first time in the region's history, people could travel between Hong Kong and Kowloon without taking ferries. As a result, small electrical boats like sampans (小電船) were gradually eliminated.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Infrastructure
Kai Tak Airport was expanded in the first half of the 1970s to handle Boeing 747s, despite the limited land space and proximity to nearby hills.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Finance
People grew richer entering the 1970s. Not surprisingly, people started to look for some means of investment. The passing of Banking Ordinance of 1964 would begin the tightening up of banks. A minimum capital of HK$5 million and liquidity ratio of 25% and limitation on loans and investments became the new requirements to operate legally. People began to have more trust in their banks, and the accumulation of savings led to people's willingness to invest.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Finance
Soon, the stock rush began. New stocks were on sale every day; brokerage houses mushroomed; some people quit their jobs to become full-time investors, suffering a kind of urban disease that doctors called "stock illness". It is said that the investors during this period numbered to 500,000. The Hang Seng Index kept soaring, but then crashed in March 1973, leaving many people bankrupt. The Hong Kong economy recovered only slowly over the next few years.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Finance
In 1976, a "Deposit-taking Companies Ordinance" was also passed to enforce non-licensed bank institutions to register with the government. A minimum paid up capital requirement of HK$2.5 million was also required. The strategy was to mirror the Deposit Trust concept in the United States.


1970s in Hong Kong, Economy, Resource
As a result of the water shut-down by mainland China during the Cultural Revolution riots in Hong Kong, the government responded with a desalination plant at Lok On Pai, Castle Peak in 1975. The High Island Reservoir construction went from 1969 to 1979, and was expected to be the same size as Plover Cove. The construction, contracted by a Japanese company cost more than HK$400 million.


1970s in Hong Kong, Trivia
Tsang Tsou Choi, or the "Kowloon Emperor", began his career of calligraphy graffiti in 1970.


1970s in Irish television
For articles on Irish television in the 1970s please see:


1970s in Japan
In Japan during the 1970s, the economy was hit by the oil shock and the Nixon shock. Energy consumption dropped and industrial production increased. During the 1970s energy crisis, Japan introduced energy-saving measures and became a hub of miniaturization. The women's liberation movement in Japan, known as ũman ribu, began to gain momentum with feminist groups starting to form in 1970.


1970s in Japan
In November 1973, a tissue shortage in Japan was reported by news agencies.


1970s in LGBT rights
This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the 1970s.


1970s in LGBT rights, Background
Private, consensual same-sex activity was decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967. Most same-sex activity was legalized in Canada in 1969. The Stonewall riots, which occurred in New York City in June 1969, are generally considered to have ignited the modern gay rights movement in the United States.


1970s in LGBT rights, Themes
Considering the profound stigma still attached to homosexuality at the dawn of the 1970s, the movement, although still nascent, saw tremendous gains over the course of the decade. The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders in 1973. Homosexual decriminalisation laws and ordinances were passed by several cities and states, including Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1972, South Australia in 1975, the Australian Capital Territory in 1976, and in 1977 Quebec became the first jurisdiction larger than a city or county in the world to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in the public and private sectors.


1970s in LGBT rights, Themes
Bisexuality also saw increased visibility. A Quaker group, the Committee of Friends on Bisexuality, issued the “Ithaca Statement on Bisexuality” supporting bisexuals.


1970s in LGBT rights, Themes
The Statement, which may have been "the first public declaration of the bisexual movement" and "was certainly the first statement on bisexuality issued by an American religious assembly," appeared in the Quaker Friends Journal and The Advocate in 1972.


1970s in LGBT rights, Themes
Today Quakers have varying opinions on LGBT people and rights, with some Quaker groups more accepting than others.


1970s in LGBT rights, Themes
For the first time, a few openly gay people were elected to political office in the United States. In 1977 Harvey Milk, a politically active gay man in the emerging gay neighborhood The Castro, was elected to the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco. Milk and liberal San Francisco mayor George Moscone were assassinated the following year. In 1979 their assassin, Dan White, received a sentence of voluntary manslaughter. The anger the gay community felt about the murders and about White's light sentence further galvanized the movement (see White Night Riots).


1970s in LGBT rights, Themes
The increasing visibility of gay people also generated a backlash during the 1970s. In perhaps the most discussed anti-gay rights campaign of the decade, singer Anita Bryant led a successful drive in 1977 to repeal a gay-rights ordinance in Dade County, Florida. The new openness about homosexuality proved disconcerting to some heterosexuals who had been accustomed to gay and lesbian people remaining closeted and politically silent.


1970s in LGBT rights, Themes
Canadian author Robertson Davies wrote during the decade that "the love that dare not speak its name" (referencing the famous Lord Alfred Douglas quotation, also quoted by Oscar Wilde during his court case in 1895) "has become the love that won't shut up." On October 14, 1979, approximately 100,000 people marched in Washington, D.C., in the largest pro-gay rights demonstration up to that time.


1970s in LGBT rights, By year
The Statement, which may have been "the first public declaration of the bisexual movement" and "was certainly the first statement on bisexuality issued by an American religious assembly," appeared in the Quaker Friends Journal and The Advocate in 1972.


1970s in Morocco
In the 1970s in Morocco, after two coup attempts in 1971 and 1972, the patriotism engendered by Morocco's participation in the Middle East conflict and by the events in Western Sahara contributed to Hassan's popularity and strengthened his hand politically despite serious domestic turmoil. The king had dispatched Moroccan troops to the Sinai front after the outbreak of Arab-Israeli War in October 1973. Although they arrived too late to engage in hostilities, the action won Morocco goodwill among other Arab states. Shortly thereafter, the attention of the government turned to the annexation of then Spanish Sahara from Spain, an issue on which all major domestic parties agreed.


1970s in Morocco
The Spanish enclave of Ifni in the south became part of the new Morocco in 1969, but other Spanish possessions in the north (Ceuta, Melilla and some small islands) remain under Madrid's control, with Morocco viewing them as "occupied territories".


1970s in Morocco
A defining theme of Moroccan history and foreign policy is the bitter struggle over Western Sahara. Moroccan claims to Western Sahara date to the 11th century. However, in August 1974, Spain formally acknowledged the 1966 United Nations (UN) resolution calling for a referendum on the future status of Western Sahara and requested that a plebiscite be conducted under UN supervision. A UN visiting mission reported in October 1975 that an overwhelming majority of the Sahrawi people desired independence.


1970s in Morocco
Morocco opposed the proposed referendum and took the case to the International Court of Justice at The Hague, which ruled that despite historical “ties of allegiance” between Morocco and some tribes of Western Sahara, there was no legal justification for departing from the UN position on self-determination. Spain, meanwhile, had declared that even in the absence of a referendum, it intended to surrender political control of Western Sahara, and Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania convened a tripartite conference to resolve the territory's future. But Madrid also announced that it was opening independence talks with the Algerian-backed Sahrawi independence movement known as the Polisario Front.


1970s in Morocco
In early 1976, Spain ceded Western Sahara administration's to Morocco and Mauritania. Morocco assumed control over the northern two-thirds of the territory and conceded the remaining portion in the south to Mauritania. An assembly of Saharan tribal leaders duly acknowledged Moroccan sovereignty. However, buoyed by the increasing defection of the chiefs to its cause, the Polisario drew up a constitution and announced the formation of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). A new dimension was thereby added to the dispute because the liberation movement could now present its claims as a government-in-exile.


1970s in Morocco
Morocco eventually sent a large portion of its combat forces into Western Sahara to confront the Polisario's forces, which were relatively small but well-equipped, highly mobile, and resourceful, using Algerian bases for quick strikes against targets deep inside Morocco and Mauritania as well as for operations in Western Sahara. In August 1979, after suffering heavy military losses, Mauritania renounced its claim to Western Sahara and signed a peace treaty with the Polisario, in which the Islamic republic ceded its part of Western Sahara to the SADR. By the same month, Morocco annexed the territory formerly controlled by Mauritanians.


1970s in comics
See also:1960s in comics,other events of the 1970s,1980s in comics and thelist of years in comics


1970s in comics
Publications: 1970 - 1971 - 1972 - 1973 - 1974 - 1975 - 1976 - 1977 - 1978 - 1979


1970s in comics, Publications, 1970
Jack Kirby leaves Marvel Comics to work for rival DC Comics. At DC, he creates the Fourth World mythology, introducing many new characters to the DC Universe, most notably Darkseid.


1970s in comics, Publications, 1970
Mort Weisinger retires from DC Comics after a long tenure as editor of the Superman line during the Silver Age of comic books. He is succeeded by his longtime friend, Julius Schwartz.


1970s in comics, Publications, 1970
Marvel Comics adapts Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian into a series written by Roy Thomas.


1970s in comics, Publications, 1978
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade is a publication reproduced in the offices of DC Comics in very limited quantity following the "DC Implosion" in 1978 that features material  originally intended for series that were abruptly cancelled.


1970s in fashion
Fashion in the 1970s was about individuality. In the early 1970s, Vogue proclaimed "There are no rules in the fashion game now" due to overproduction flooding the market with cheap synthetic clothing. Common items included mini skirts, bell-bottoms popularized by hippies, vintage clothing from the 1950s and earlier, and the androgynous glam rock and disco styles that introduced platform shoes, bright colors, glitter, and satin.


1970s in fashion
New technologies brought advances in production through mass production, higher efficiency, generating higher standards and uniformity. Generally the most famous silhouette of the mid and late 1970s for both genders was that of tight on top and loose on bottom. The 1970s also saw the birth of the indifferent, anti-conformist casual chic approach to fashion, which consisted of sweaters, T-shirts, jeans and sneakers. The French designer Yves Saint Laurent and the American designer Halston both observed and embraced the changes that were happening in the society, especially the huge growth of women's rights and the youth counterculture. They successfully adapted their design aesthetics to accommodate the changes that the market was aiming for.


1970s in fashion
Top fashion models in the 1970s were Lauren Hutton, Margaux Hemingway, Beverly Johnson, Gia Carangi, Janice Dickinson, Cheryl Tiegs, Jerry Hall, and Iman.


1970s in fashion, 1970s beauty trends, Women's hairstyles
Throughout much of the decade, women and teenage girls wore their hair long, with a centre or side parting, which was a style carried over from the late 1960s. Other hairstyles of the early to mid-1970s included the wavy "gypsy" cut, the layered shag, and the "flicked" style, popularly referred to as "wings", in which the hair was flicked into resembling small wings at the temples. This look was popularised by the stars of the television series Charlie's Angels. Blonde-streaked or "frosted" hair was also popular. In 1977, punk singer Debbie Harry of Blondie sparked a new trend with her shoulder-length, dyed platinum blonde hair worn with a long fringe (bangs).


1970s in fashion, 1970s beauty trends, Women's hairstyles
In the 1970s, making one of the popular hairstyles for a woman didn't take a lot of time. These hairstyles, including Afro hairstyle, Shaggy Hairdo and Feathered hair (then known as "Farrah Fawcett hairstyle") were said to be perfect when you're on-the-go and would still keep your expressive style in-check. For black people in the United States and elsewhere, the afro was worn by both sexes throughout the decade. It was occasionally sported by Whites, especially Jewish Americans as an alternative to the uniform long, straight hair which was a fashion mainstay until the arrival of punk and the "disco look" when hair became shorter and centre partings were no longer the mode.


1970s in fashion, 1970s beauty trends, Women's hairstyles
The most iconic women's hairstyle of the 1970s is arguably the Farrah Fawcett hairstyle. Popularized in 1976, the hairstyle was heavily imitated by many American women and girls. It incorporated waves, curls, and layers. The style mostly worn with bangs, but could also be worn with a side part. To make it even more stylish, women and girls would frost their hair with blonde streaks.


1970s in fashion, 1970s beauty trends, Men's hairstyles
Continuing on from the 1960s, the ducktail and Pompadour hairstyle (then known as the "Elvis Presley hairstyle") were popular among young Italian-American and Mexican-American men in big cities like New York. Large quantities of grease or brylcreem was normally used to keep the hair in place. The early and mid 1970s generally featured longer hair on men, as way of rebelling against the social norms of years past. Sideburns were also worn around the same time.


1970s in fashion, 1970s beauty trends, Men's hairstyles
Some of the most popular hairstyles for men include "Long and Luscious" hairstyle, mod haircut, and the "buzzcut" hairstyle popularised by action heroes like Steve McQueen. In the late 1970s, men went for the chop, ranging from crew cuts, to buzz cuts, to a shag. This was mainly done for an athletic look, and sideburns and facial hair went out of style.


1970s in fashion, Makeup and cosmetics
Cosmetics in the 1970s reflected the contradictory roles ascribed for the modern woman. For the first time since 1900, make-up was chosen situationally, rather than in response to monolithic trends. The era's two primary visions were the daytime "natural look" presented by American designers and Cosmopolitan magazine, and the evening aesthetic of sexualized glamour presented by European designers and fashion photographers. In the periphery, punk and glam were also influential. The struggling cosmetics industry attempted to make a comeback, using new marketing and manufacturing practices.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
The early 1970s' fashions were a continuation of the hippie look from the late 1960s.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
A West German school girl with Schultüte in 1970, with a 'hippyish' outfit on.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
In Kings Road, London, 1971, Swedish model Efva Attling wears a "midi" dress.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
Fashion models in Leipzig, GDR, 1972. One of the girls is modelling a "maxi" dress.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
Siouxsie Sioux of the English punk group Siouxsie and the Banshees. She personified the female punk look on both sides of the Atlantic.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
David Bowie in the early 1970s. His avant-garde style of dressing exerted a strong influence on fashion in the first half of the decade.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
American First Lady Pat Nixon wears a shirt with the wide collar that was popular until the final years of the decade.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
Los Angeles high school students, 1973. The tousled, blond surfer hair was popular for young men in southern California.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
English girl in the mid-1970s wearing a wide-sleeved shirt, belted at the waist.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
Debbie Harry of Blondie in 1977. A female punk icon, her dyed platinum blonde hair was widely copied by teenage girls and young women in Britain and America.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
Silk scarves were popular fashion accessories for women in the 1970s.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
Singer Barry Manilow wears his hair longish in the soft, layered style favoured by men in the 1970s.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
Punk pioneer Lene Lovich in 1979, with her trademark long plaited hair.


1970s in fashion, Image gallery
Frisbee player Ken Westerfield wearing draw string bell bottoms in the 1970s


1970s in film
The decade of the 1970s in film involved many significant films.


1970s in film, Highest-grossing films
(All figures are U.S.- Canada. Some figures * are for rentals accruing to the distributor, not total box office gross.)


1970s in film, Asian cinema
An Asian cinema touchstone beginning in the early 1970s was traditional Hong Kong martial arts films which sparked a greater interest in Chinese martial arts across the world. Martial arts film reached the peak of its popularity largely in part due to its greatest icon, Bruce Lee. His films elevated the genre to a new level and sparked a greater interest in martial arts in the West.


1970s in film, Asian cinema
Lee became famous for playing Kato in the TV series The Green Hornet during the 1960s yet it was when he returned to Hong Kong and starred in three films that shot him to stardom all over Asia, The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972) and Way of the Dragon (1972). After the kung fu film Five Fingers of Death (1972), starring Indonesian-born actor Lo Lieh, topped the North American box office in 1973, this paved the way for Lee's The Big Boss and Fist of Fury topping the US box office.


1970s in film, Asian cinema
Lee achieved his greatest global stardom with his last completed film, and the first kung fu film to be produced by a Hollywood studio, Enter the Dragon (1973). This led to a "chopsocky" kung fu craze across the world, and a wave of "Bruceploitation" films. In 1978, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung popularized the kung fu comedy sub-genre, with Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Drunken Master and Enter the Fat Dragon.


1970s in film, Asian cinema
South Asian cinema of the 1970s catered to the rising working-class fantasies and struggles. In the Bollywood cinema of India, this was epitomized by the films written by Salim–Javed and starring Amitabh Bachchan. They began the genre of gritty, violent, Bombay underworld crime films in the 1970s, with films such as Zanjeer (1973) and Deewaar (1975). These films portrayed adventurous plots and presented the young working-class man from the slums as an "angry young man".


1970s in film, Asian cinema
The women on the other hand were shown as ones who have adopted western values and outfits especially by heroines like Parveen Babi (who was featured on the cover of Time magazine for a story on Bollywood's success) and Zeenat Aman. However towards the very end of the 1970s, especially after the steep rise in land prices in urban areas and the decline in employment security, the heroines were seen more often as saree-women striving to have a prosperous middle-class family especially heroines like Jaya Prada and Hema Malini. In this way, the cinema of Asian region becomes a sociological statement of the social-economic times of the region and its people. In Malayalam cinema, Adoor Gopalakrishnan made Swayamvaram in 1972, which got wide critical acclaim. This was followed by the film Nirmalyam by M. T. Vasudevan Nair in 1973.


1970s in film, European cinema
In European cinema, the failure of the Prague Spring brought about nostalgic motion pictures reminiscent of the ones that celebrate the 1970s itself. These films expressed a yearning and as a premonition to the decade and its dreams. The Hungarian director István Szabó made the motion picture Szerelmesfilm (1970), which is a nostalgic portrayal and a premonition of the fading of the young 1970s ethos of change and a friendlier social structure. The Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci made the motion picture The Conformist (1970). German films after the war asked existential questions especially the works of Rainer Fassbinder.


1970s in film, European cinema
The films of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman reached a new level of expression in motion pictures like Cries and Whispers (1973). Young German directors made films that came to be known as the German new wave. It was the voice of a new generation that had grown up after the second world war. These included directors like Wim Wenders, Hans-Jürgen Syberberg and Werner Herzog.


1970s in film, North American cinema
The decade opened with Hollywood facing a financial slump, reflecting the monetary woes of the nation as a whole during the first half of the decade. Despite this, the 1970s proved to be a benchmark decade in the development of cinema, both as an art form and as a business. With young filmmakers taking greater risks and restrictions regarding language and sexuality lifting, Hollywood produced some of its most critically acclaimed and financially successful films since its "golden era."


1970s in film, North American cinema
In the years previous to 1970, Hollywood had begun to cater to the younger generation with films such as The Graduate. This proved a folly when anti-war films like R. P. M. and The Strawberry Statement became major box-office flops. Even solid films with bankable stars, like the Pearl Harbor epic Tora! Tora! Tora!, flopped, leaving studios in dire straits financially. Unable to repay financiers, studios began selling off land, furniture, clothing, and sets acquired over years of production. Nostalgic fans bid on merchandise and collectibles ranging from Judy Garland's sparkling red shoes to MGM's own back lots.


1970s in film, North American cinema
More of the successful films were those based in the harsh truths of war, rather than the excesses of the 1960s. Films like the Francis Ford Coppola-scripted Patton, starring George C. Scott as the World War II general, and Robert Altman's MASH, about a Korean War field hospital, were major box-office draws in 1970. Honest, old-fashioned films like Summer of '42, and the Erich Segal adaptation, Love Story, were commercial and critical hits. (Love Story and "Summer" remain, as of 2005, two of the most successful films in Hollywood history. "Summer", costing US$1,000,000, brought in $25,000,000 at the box office, while "Love Story", with a budget of $2,200,000, earned $106,400,000).


1970s in film, North American cinema
One of the most insightful films of the decade came from the mind of a Hollywood outsider, Czechoslovakian director Miloš Forman, whose Taking Off became a bold reflection of life at the beginning of the 1970s. The 1971 film satirized the American middle class, following a young girl who runs away from home, leaving her parents free to explore life for the first time in years. While the film was never given a wide release in America, it became a major critical achievement both in America and around the world (garnering the film high honors at the Cannes Film Festival and several BAFTA Award nominations).


1970s in film, North American cinema
Sean Connery returned to the role of James Bond in 1971 in Diamonds Are Forever after George Lazenby filled the role in 1969. Roger Moore succeeded Connery in 1973 with an adaptation of Ian Fleming's Live and Let Die which was the most successful of his Bond films in terms of admissions. Live and Let Die was followed by an adaptation of The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974, which at the time garnered the lowest box office taking of any Bond film before it.


1970s in film, North American cinema
After its release Harry Saltzman co-owner of Danjaq with Albert R. Broccoli sold his half to United Artists causing a three-year gap until the next Bond film, the longest gap since the start of the franchise in 1962. The series picked up again in 1977 with The Spy Who Loved Me and ended the decade with Moonraker in 1979, which was the highest grossing Bond film (not adjusting for inflation) of all time until GoldenEye in 1995.


1970s in film, North American cinema
An adaptation of an Arthur Hailey novel would prove to be one of the most notable films of 1970, and would set the stage for a major trend in 1970s cinema. The film, Airport, featured a complex plot, characters, and an all-star cast of Hollywood A-listers and legends. Airport followed an airport manager trying to keep a fictional Chicago airport operational during a blizzard, as well as a bomb plot to blow up an airplane. The film was a major critical and financial success, helping pull Universal Studios into the black for the year. The film earned senior actress Helen Hayes an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and garnered many other nominations in both technical and talent categories. The success of the film launched several other disaster films, many of which following the same blueprint of major stars, a melodramatic script, and great suspense.


1970s in film, North American cinema
Three Airport sequels followed in 1974, 1977, and 1979, each successor making less money than the last. 1972 brought The Poseidon Adventure, which starred a young Gene Hackman leading an all-star cast to safety in a capsized luxury liner. The film earned an Academy Award for visual effects (and Best Original Song for "The Morning After"), as well as numerous nominations, including one for its notable supporting star, Shelley Winters, but its sequel in 1979 was far less successful. The Towering Inferno teamed Steve McQueen and Paul Newman against a fire in a San Francisco skyscraper.


1970s in film, North American cinema
The film cost a whopping $14 million to produce (expensive for its time), and won Academy Awards for Cinematography, Film Editing, and Best Original Song. The same year, the epic Earthquake featured questionable effects (camera shake and models) to achieve a destructive 9.9 earthquake in Los Angeles. Despite this, the film was one of the most successful of its time, earning $80 million at box office. By the late 1970s, the novelty had worn off and the disasters had become less exciting. 1977 brought a terrorist targeting a Rollercoaster, 1978 a Swarm of bees, and a less-than-threatening Meteor in 1979.


1970s in film, North American cinema
The early 1970s also brought a rebirth of gritty crime film, three years after the influential Bullitt. William Friedkin's The French Connection, starring Gene Hackman as a drug detective and Sidney Lumet's Serpico, starring Al Pacino in the true-life story of an honest cop who fought corruption, were two of the most famous ones. Films like Get Carter featured gratuitous nudity, while Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking A Clockwork Orange featured much physical and sexual violence to complement its complex story. African American filmmakers also found success in the 1970s with such hits as Shaft and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Like other sequels in the 1970s, Shaft went on to have two more adventures, each less successful than the last.


1970s in film, North American cinema
An adaptation of a Mario Puzo novel, The Godfather, was a box-office and critical success in 1972. The three-hour epic followed a Mafia boss, played by Marlon Brando, through his life of crime. Beyond the violence and drama were themes of love, pride, and greed. The Godfather went on to earn $134 million at American box office, and $245 million throughout the world, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. It won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.


1970s in film, North American cinema
Its director Francis Ford Coppola was passed over in favor of Bob Fosse and his musical, Cabaret, which also earned an Oscar for its star, Liza Minnelli. The Godfather Part II followed in 1974, with roughly the same principal cast and crew, earning Oscars for star Robert De Niro, its director, composer, screenwriters and art directors. The film also earned the Best Picture Oscar for that year.


1970s in film, North American cinema
Not all of the "street smart" urban related films were 100% live action. Director Ralph Bakshi released the first animated full-length feature specifically oriented towards adults (Fritz the Cat) then moved on to two other features that dealt with the mafia and other ethnic-related urban issues. Both Heavy Traffic and Coonskin would prove that this kind of material could be handled effectively in the animation genre. Bakshi would later produce fantasy oriented films (Wizards and The Lord of the Rings) before the decade ended.


1970s in film, North American cinema
Inaugurated by the 1969 release of Andy Warhol's Blue Movie, the phenomenon of adult erotic films being publicly discussed by celebrities (like Johnny Carson and Bob Hope), and taken seriously by critics (like Roger Ebert), a development referred to, by Ralph Blumenthal of The New York Times, as "porno chic", and later known as the Golden Age of Porn, began, for the first time, in modern American culture. According to award-winning author Toni Bentley, Radley Metzger's 1976 film The Opening of Misty Beethoven, based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (and its derivative, My Fair Lady), and due to attaining a mainstream level in storyline and sets, is considered the "crown jewel" of this 'Golden Age'.


1970s in film, North American cinema
In the middle 1970s, films began to also reflect the disenfranchisement brought by the excesses of the past twenty years. A deeply unsettling look at alienation and city life, Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver earned international praise, first at the Cannes Film Festival and then at the Academy Awards, where it was nominated for Best Leading Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Score (Bernard Herrmann), and Best Picture. All the President's Men dealt with the impeachment of Richard Nixon, while Lumet's Network portrayed greed and narcissism in both American society and television media.


1970s in film, North American cinema
The film won Oscars for Best Actor (Peter Finch), Best Actress (Faye Dunaway), Best Supporting Actress (Beatrice Straight), and Best Screenplay (Paddy Chayefsky). Thanks to a stellar cast, experienced director, and a poignant story, Network became one of the largest critical successes of 1976. Another film, Rocky, about a clubhouse boxer (played by Sylvester Stallone) who is granted a world championship title fight won the Best Picture Academy Award that year. The film also became a major commercial success and spawned four sequels through the rest of the 1970s and 1980s.


1970s in film, North American cinema
Throughout the 1970s, the horror film developed into a lucrative genre of film. It began in 1973 with the terrifying The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin and starring the young Linda Blair. The film saw massive success, and the first of several sequels was released in 1977. 1976 brought the equally creepy suspense thriller, Marathon Man, about a man who becomes the target of a former Nazi dentist's torment after his brother dies. The same year, the Devil himself made an appearance in The Omen, about the spawn of Satan.


1970s in film, North American cinema
1978's Halloween was a precursor to the "slasher" films of the 1980s and 1990s with its psychopathic Michael Myers. Cult horror films were also popular in the 1970s, such as Wes Craven's early gore films Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes, as well as Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.


1970s in film, North American cinema
The blockbuster was born in 1975. While The Exorcist was among the top five grossing films of the 1970s, the first film given the blockbuster distinction was 1975's Jaws. Released on June 20, the film about a series of horrific deaths related to a massive great white shark was director Steven Spielberg's first big-budget Hollywood production, coming in at $9 million in cost. The film slowly grew in ticket sales and became one of the most profitable films of its time, ending with a $260 million gross in the United States alone.


1970s in film, North American cinema
The film won Academy Awards for its skillful editing, chilling score, and sound recording. It was also nominated for Best Picture that year, though it lost to Miloš Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (which also won acting awards for Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher). It spawned the successful sequel, Jaws 2 in 1978, which featured the same cast, but without Steven Spielberg. Another tailor-made blockbuster, Dino De Laurentiis' King Kong was released, but to less than stellar success. King Kong did mark the first time a film was booked to theaters before a release date, a common practice today.


1970s in film, North American cinema
The massive success of Jaws was eclipsed just two years later by another legendary blockbuster and film franchise. The George Lucas science-fiction film Star Wars hit theater screens in May 1977, and became a major hit, growing in ticket sales throughout the summer and the rest of the year. In time earning some $460 million, the good versus evil fantasy set in space was not soon surpassed. The film's breathtaking visual effects won an Academy Award. The film also won for John Williams's uplifting score, as well as art direction, costume design, film editing, and sound.


1970s in film, North American cinema
Star Wars effectively removed any specter of studio bankruptcy that had haunted the studios since early in the decade. When a television film, Star Wars Holiday Special, was released as a spin-off from Star Wars in 1978; it failed to receive the status of the original film, and was deemed a flop. It would be two years until the Star Wars series would be revived with The Empire Strikes Back. Another success in visual effects came the same year as Star Wars, with Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, another blockbuster and alien contact set in the wilderness.


1970s in film, North American cinema
For the picture, Spielberg received his first Oscar nomination for directing. A year later the most iconic superhero was brought to the screen in Superman, who was portrayed by classically trained actor Christopher Reeve. It was met by resounding praise for strong performances and its epic scope which resulted in numerous sequels and is regarded as one of the greatest superhero films ever made, beginning a new era of superhero films.


1970s in film, North American cinema
The success of Woody Allen's Annie Hall in 1977 stirred a new trend in filmmaking. Annie Hall, a love story about a depressed comedian and a free-spirited woman, was followed with more sentimental films, including Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl, An Unmarried Woman starring Jill Clayburgh, the autobiographical Lillian Hellman story, Julia, starring Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave, and 1978's Heaven Can Wait and International Velvet.


1970s in film, North American cinema
Younger audiences were also beginning to be the focus of cinema, after the huge blockbusters that had attracted them back to the theater. John Travolta became popular in the pop-culture landmark films, Saturday Night Fever, which introduced Disco to middle America, and Grease, which recalled the world of the 1950s. Comedy was also given new life in the irreverent Animal House, set on a college campus during the 1960s. Up in Smoke, starring Cheech & Chong, was another irreverent comedy about marijuana use became popular among teenagers. The new television comedy program, "Saturday Night Live", launched the careers of several of its comedians, such as Chevy Chase, who co-starred in the 1978 hit Foul Play with Goldie Hawn.


1970s in film, North American cinema
The decade closed with two films chronicling the Vietnam War, Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter and Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. Both films focused on the horrors of war and the psychological damage caused by such horrors. Christopher Walken and director Michael Cimino earned Oscars for their work on the film, which earned a Best Picture Academy Award. Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep were also nominated for their work in The Deer Hunter. Apocalypse Now won for cinematography and sound, and earned nominations for Robert Duvall and Coppola. Hal Ashby's Coming Home portrayed life for Vietnam veterans. Actor Jon Voight won an Academy Award for his role in the film.


1970s in film, North American cinema
1979 saw the poignant Kramer vs. Kramer, the inspiring Norma Rae, and the nuclear thriller, The China Syndrome. Alien scared summer film-going audiences of 1979 with its horrible monster from outer space, achieving similar success that Jaws had seen four years earlier. Meanwhile, The Onion Field and ... And Justice for All focused on the failures of the American judicial system. The year ended with Hal Ashby's subtle black comedy Being There and The Muppet Movie, a family film based on the Jim Henson puppet characters.


1970s in film, Events
The films in the 1970s came in many different varieties, as the socially conscious directors that emerged in the late 1960s grew in very different ways, influenced by music, literature, crime and war. The decade is most known for excelling in the crime-drama genre. The early part of the decade focused on increasingly realistic, gritty films, including Coppola's first two Godfather pictures and Robert Altman's black comedy MASH. A trend that lasted through the decade was the popularity of disaster films, starting with Airport in 1970.


1970s in film, Events
Another trend was the birth of the blockbuster horror film, initiated by William Friedkin's The Exorcist, which spawned numerous imitators. A pivotal moment in films was the release of Steven Spielberg's first blockbuster hit, Jaws, which was considered to be the birth of the blockbuster motion picture (a trend sealed two years later with the release of Star Wars). The end of the decade saw two epic Vietnam War films, from directors Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter) and Coppola (Apocalypse Now).


1970s in furniture
Furniture of the 1970s refers to the style of furniture popular in the 1970s. Often, the furniture would be laid with bold fabric patterns and colors. Bold designs and prints were also used profusely in other decor. Other design elements found in 1970s furniture and interior decorating included the use of the colors brown, purple, orange, and yellow (sometimes all in the same piece of fabric), shag-pile carpet, textured walls, lacquered furniture, gaudy lampshades, lava lamps, and molded plastic furniture.


1970s in furniture
Another major aspect of 1970s furniture is the use of teak wood. The use of teak in fashionable furniture and panelling regained popularity in the 1960s and items became chunkier as it progressed into the 1970s. Because of the popularity of wood in homes, dark color palettes also became more widely used as the 1970s progressed. In the mid-to-late 1970s, pine wood began to replace teak wood, and color palettes became even darker.


1970s in jazz
In the 1970s in jazz, jazz become increasingly influenced by Latin jazz, combining rhythms from African and Latin American countries, often played on instruments such as conga, timbale, güiro, and claves, with jazz and classical harmonies played on typical jazz instruments (piano, double bass, etc.). Artists such as Chick Corea, John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola increasingly influenced the genre with jazz fusion, a hybrid form of jazz-rock fusion which was developed by combining jazz improvisation with rock rhythms, electric instruments, and the highly amplified stage sound of rock musicians such as Jimi Hendrix.


1970s in jazz
All Music Guide states that "..until around 1967, the worlds of jazz and rock were nearly completely separate." However, "...as rock became more creative and its musicianship improved, and as some in the jazz world became bored with hard bop and did not want to play strictly avant-garde music, the two different idioms began to trade ideas and occasionally combine forces." On June 16, 1972 the New York Jazz Museum opened in New York City at 125 West 55th Street in a one and one-half story building. It became the most important institution for jazz in the world with a 25,000 item archive, free concerts, exhibits, film programs, etc.


1970s in jazz
Miles Davis made the breakthrough into fusion in the 1970s with his album Bitches Brew. Musicians who worked with Davis formed the four most influential fusion groups: Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra emerged in 1971 and were soon followed by Return to Forever and The Headhunters. Although jazz purists protested the blend of jazz and rock, some of jazz's significant innovators crossed over from the contemporary hard bop scene into fusion. Jazz fusion music often uses mixed meters, odd time signatures, syncopation, and complex chords and harmonies.


1970s in jazz
In addition to using the electric instruments of rock, such as the electric guitar, electric bass, electric piano, and synthesizer keyboards, fusion also used the powerful amplification, "fuzz" pedals, wah-wah pedals, and other effects used by 1970s-era rock bands. Notable performers of jazz fusion included Miles Davis, keyboardists Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, vibraphonist Gary Burton, drummer Tony Williams, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, guitarists Larry Coryell, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Frank Zappa, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and bassists Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke. Jazz fusion was also popular in Japan where the band Casiopea released over thirty albums praising Jazz Fusion.


1970s in jazz
In the mid-1970s, jazz funk became popular, characterized by a strong back beat (groove), electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers. The integration of Funk, Soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creation of a genre whose spectrum is indeed quite wide and ranges from strong jazz improvisation to soul, funk or disco with jazz arrangements, jazz riffs, and jazz solos, and sometimes soul vocals.


1970s in motorsport
This article documents the events in motorsport that happened in the 1970s.


1970s in music
This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1970s.


1970s in music
In North America, Europe, and Oceania, the decade saw the rise of disco, which became one of the biggest genres of the decade, especially in the mid-to-late 1970s. In Europe, a variant known as Euro disco rose in popularity towards the end of the 1970s. Aside from disco, funk, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, and soul music remained popular throughout the decade. Rock music played an important part in the Western musical scene, with punk rock thriving throughout the mid to late 1970s.


1970s in music
Other subgenres of rock, particularly glam rock, hard rock, progressive, art rock, and heavy metal achieved various amounts of success. Other genres such as reggae were innovative throughout the decade and grew a significant following. Hip hop emerged during this decade, but was slow to start and did not become significant until the late 1980s. Classical began losing a little momentum; however, through invention and theoretical development, this particular genre gave rise to experimental classical and minimalist music by classical composers. A subgenre of classical, film scores, remained popular with movie-goers.


1970s in music
Alongside the popularity of experimental music, the decade was notable for its contributions to electronic music, which rose in popularity with the continued development of synthesizers and harmonizers; more composers embraced this particular genre, gaining the notice of listeners who were looking for something new and different. Its rising popularity, mixed with the popular music of the period, led to the creation of synthpop. Pop also had a popularity role in the 1970s.


1970s in music
In Africa, especially Nigeria, the genre known as Afrobeat gained a following throughout the 1970s.


1970s in music
In Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, the Nueva canción movement peaked in popularity and was adopted as the music of the hippie, Liberation Theology, and New Left movements. Cumbia music began its internationalization as regional scenes rose outside Colombia. Merengue experienced mainstream exposure across Latin America and the southern US border states.


1970s in music
In Asia, music continued to follow varying trends. In Japan, the decade saw several musical trends, including pop music, folk music, rock music, disco music, while the rock group "Spiders" disbanded in 1970.


1970s in music, Overview
In an essay published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote:


1970s in music, Overview
"The decade is of course an arbitrary schema itself—time doesn't just execute a neat turn toward the future every ten years. But like a lot of artificial concepts—money, say—the category does take on a reality of its own once people figure out how to put it to work. ' The '60s are over,' a slogan one only began to hear in 1972 or so, mobilized all those eager to believe that idealism had become passe, and once they were mobilized, it had. In popular music, embracing the '70s meant both an elitist withdrawal from the messy concert and counterculture scene and a profiteering pursuit of the lowest common denominator in FM radio and album rock."


1970s in music, Overview
According to Christgau, the decade also saw greater fragmentation along stylistic lines because of the rise of semipopular music: "It goes back to whenever arty types began to find 'the best' rock worthy of attention in the '60s, but in the '60s tolerance was the rule; it was easier to name rough substyles—say British invasion, folk-rock, psychedelic, and soul—than to analyze their separate audiences (even racial distinctions were fuzzy). Not until 1968 or 1969, when it became a hippie commonplace to dismiss soul as 'commercial' and when bubblegum and 'white blues' developed into clear categories, did the breakdown really begin. And only in the '70s did genres start asserting themselves: singer-songwriter and interpreter, art-rock and heavy metal and country-rock and boogie, fusion and funk and disco and black MOR, punk and new wave, and somehow straddling them all (except for punk, God bless) the monolith of pop-rock."


1970s in music, North America, Hard rock, arena rock and heavy metal
The 1970s saw the emergence of hard rock as one of the most prominent subgenres of rock music. During the first half of the decade, British acts such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath were at the height of their international fame, particularly in the United States. By the second half of the decade, many other acts had also achieved stardom, namely, Mountain, Grand Funk Railroad, Alice Cooper, Cactus, James Gang, AC/DC, Blue Öyster Cult, Kiss, Aerosmith, Van Halen, and Ted Nugent.


1970s in music, North America, Hard rock, arena rock and heavy metal
Arena rock grew in popularity through rock acts such as Boston, Kansas, Styx, Journey, TOTO, Foreigner, and Heart.


1970s in music, North America, Hard rock, arena rock and heavy metal
Psychedelic rock declined in popularity after the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison of The Doors, the self-imposed seclusion of Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd, and the break-up of The Beatles in 1970.


1970s in music, North America, Progressive rock
The American brand of prog rock varied from the eclectic and innovative Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and Blood, Sweat and Tears, to more pop rock oriented bands like Boston, Foreigner, Journey, Kansas, and Styx.


1970s in music, North America, Progressive rock
These, beside British bands Supertramp and Electric Light Orchestra, all demonstrated a prog rock influence and while ranking among the most commercially successful acts of the 1970s, ushering in the era of pomp or arena rock, which would last until the costs of complex shows (often with theatrical staging and special effects), would be replaced by more economical rock festivals as major live venues in the 1990s.


1970s in music, North America, New wave
Successful American new wave bands in the late seventies included Talking Heads, The Cars, The Knack, The B-52's, and Devo. Some of the Canadian new wave groups included Rough Trade, The Payolas, and Martha and the Muffins. After the success of British synthpop acts in the U.S. such as Gary Numan and the Buggles, a number of American bands also began experimenting with synthesizers. In the early 1980s, bands from the United Kingdom became immensely popular in the U.S., and this phenomenon became known as the Second British Invasion which mainly consisted of British new wave and synthpop acts, therefore broadening the definition of "new wave".


1970s in music, North America, Punk rock
The mid-1970s saw the rise of punk music from its protopunk-garage band roots in the 1960s and early 1970s. The Ramones, Patti Smith, and Blondie were some of the earliest American punk rock acts to make it big in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Punk music has also been heavily associated with a certain punk fashion and absurdist humour which exemplified a genuine suspicion of mainstream culture and values. Blondie quickly lost their punk roots going on to become a pop/ska/reggae band.


1970s in music, North America, Blues rock
Blues rock remains popular, with Eric Clapton, ZZ Top, and George Thorogood seeing the greatest success. Freddie King started moving from straight blues to blues rock since the genre was now mostly popular among white audiences. Stress from nonstop touring resulted in his death at the age of 42 in 1976.


1970s in music, North America, Soft rock and pop
Some of the more notable pop/soft rock groups during the 1970s were the Carpenters, the Jackson 5, Seals & Crofts, The Bee Gees, The Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, Bread, Captain & Tennille, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Bay City Rollers, and The Osmonds.


1970s in music, North America, Soft rock and pop
Soloists who characterized the pop music of the era included Barry Manilow, Andy Gibb, Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Marvin Gaye, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Eric Clapton, Barry White, and Rod Stewart. Female soloists who epitomized the 1970s included Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, Roberta Flack, Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand, Rita Coolidge, Olivia Newton-John, and Helen Reddy.


1970s in music, North America, Soft rock and pop
Some of the most popular music acts of the day got their own network television variety shows, which were very popular in the 70s. Acts like Sonny & Cher, Glen Campbell, John Denver, Tony Orlando and Dawn, husband and wife team Captain & Tennille, brother and sister Donny & Marie Osmond.


1970s in music, North America, Soft rock and pop
Soft rock was prominently featured on many Top 40 and contemporary hit radio stations throughout the 1970s. Soft rock often used acoustic instruments and placed emphasis on melody and harmonies. Major soft rock artists of the 1970s included Carole King, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Chicago, America, the Eagles, and Fleetwood Mac, whose Rumours (1977) was the best-selling album of the decade. (See the country music section of this article for more about country music that crossed over onto the pop charts.) Bob Dylan's 1975–1976 Rolling Thunder Revue reunited him with a number of folk-rock acts from his early days of performing, most notably Joan Baez, who returned to the charts in 1975 with "Diamonds & Rust".


1970s in music, North America, Soft rock and pop
Some of the most successful singers and songwriters were: Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Jim Croce, John Denver, Neil Diamond, Barry Gibb, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Carole King, Elton John, Don McLean, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Carly Simon, Donna Summer, Gordon Lightfoot, and Harry Chapin— some had previously been primarily songwriters but began releasing albums and songs of their own. King's album Tapestry became one of the top-selling albums of the decade, and the song "It's Too Late" became one of the 1970s biggest songs. McLean's 1971 song "American Pie," inspired by the death of Buddy Holly, became one of popular music's most-recognized songs of the 20th century, thanks to its abstract and vivid storytelling, which center around "The Day the Music Died" and popular music of the rock era.


1970s in music, North America, Soft rock and pop
The early 1970s marked the departure of Diana Ross from The Supremes and the break-up of Simon & Garfunkel and The Beatles. All continued hugely successful recording careers throughout the decade. Some of their songs that are among the hits of the early 1970s: Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Simon's solo hit "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", The Beatles  "Let It Be", Paul McCartney's "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord", and Ross' "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" .


1970s in music, North America, Soft rock and pop
Popular British acts were The Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Leo Sayer, The Bee Gees, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Supertramp, and The Who; who's lead singer Roger Daltrey made a splash in the movie Tommy, playing the title role, based on the groups 1969 album of the same name. Elton John, Tina Turner, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Jack Nicholson, and the other band members made up the ensemble cast.


1970s in music, North America, Disco, R&B and urban
The Bee Gees were one of, if not the 1970s biggest musical act dominating album sales, singles sales and music charts of many countries including the U.S. and U.K. Most notably. They spearheaded and led the disco and pop music scenes of the 1970s at one point The Bee Gees had 5 songs in the top 10 and 3 songs in the top 5 of the U.S. Billboard charts according to Barry Gibb.


1970s in music, North America, Disco, R&B and urban
they were the main artists and songwriters of the cultural and revolutionary music soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever which went on to become the second biggest selling soundtrack of all time and up until Thriller it was the biggest selling album of all time selling between 40 to 50 million copies worldwide to date. After achieving all of these huge records and milestones some critics have labeled The Bee Gees as the decade-defining act and band of the 1970s.


1970s in music, North America, Disco, R&B and urban
Along with disco, funk was one of the most popular genres of music in the 1970s. Primarily an African-American genre, it was characterized by the heavy use of bass and "wah-wah" pedals. Rhythm was emphasized over melody. Artists such as James Brown, The Meters, Parliament-Funkadelic and Sly and the Family Stone pioneered the genre. It then spawned artists such as Stevie Wonder, Rufus, The Brothers Johnson, Kool & The Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Spinners, King Floyd, Tower of Power, Ohio Players, The Commodores, War, Confunkshun, Gap Band, Slave, Cameo, the Bar-Kays, Zapp, and many more. Other popular artists with the mainstream were Bill Withers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Three Dog Night, The Stylistics, The Fifth Dimension, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The O'Jays, Barry White, and Issac Hayes.


1970s in music, North America, Disco, R&B and urban
The 1970s saw African-American audiences shift away from genres like rock and blues which had originally been invented and dominated by black musicians. While blues performers like B.B. King and Albert King remained successful, they changed to a mostly white audience. Soul, R&B, and funk became the predominate music styles among black artists and audiences.


1970s in music, North America, Disco, R&B and urban
Roberta Flack had two of the biggest hits of the decade with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", from the Clint Eastwood movie Play Misty for Me; and "Killing Me Softly". Both were # 1 hits on the pop charts and she became the first artist and the only female artist to win back to back Grammy Awards for Record of the Year. Stevie Wonder who topped the charts five times during the decade with songs such as "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Sir Duke" had a unique treble. He won Grammy Awards for both Best Male Pop & Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1974, 1975, and 1977.


1970s in music, North America, Disco, R&B and urban
The Jackson 5 became one of the biggest pop-music phenomena of the 1970s, playing from a repertoire of rhythm and blues, pop and later disco. The Jacksons — brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon,  and Michael — the first act in recording history to have their first four major label singles: "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100.


1970s in music, North America, Disco, R&B and urban
The band served as the launching pad for the solo careers of their lead singers Jermaine and Michael, both had some solo success in the early part of the decade. Jermaine with top 10 hit "Daddy's Home" and Michael topped the charts with "Ben" theme song to the movie. Other family acts included Gladys Knight & the Pips who topped the charts with "Midnight Train to Georgia", Sly & the Family Stone who brought "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" and "Family Affair" to the top spot. As well as The Staple Singers with "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again" theme song to a 1975 Sidney Poitier/Bill Cosby movie. The Sylvers with "Boogie Fever", and The Emotions with "Best of My Love".


1970s in music, North America, Disco, R&B and urban
The Emotions were a girl group which were still popular in soul music, Honey Cone had a chart topping hit with "Want Ads", as did Labelle with "Lady Marmalade" and A Taste of Honey with "Boogie Oogie Oogie". Other examples of the girl group were Love Unlimited and The Three Degrees who scored a number two pop hit with "When Will I See You Again" but topped the chart when they teamed with Mother, Sister, Father, Brother (MSFB) on the Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP).


1970s in music, North America, Disco, R&B and urban
The Commodores were another group that played from a diverse repertoire, including R&B, funk, and pop. Lionel Richie, who went on to even greater success as a solo artist in the 1980s, fronted the group's biggest 1970s hits, including "Easy", "Three Times a Lady", and "Still".


1970s in music, North America, Country
A number of styles defined country music during the 1970s decade. At the beginning of the decade, the countrypolitan — an offshoot of the earlier "Nashville Sound" of the late 1950s and early 1960s — and the honky-tonk fused Bakersfield Sound were some of the more popular styles.


1970s in music, North America, Country
The countrypolitan sound — a polished, streamlined sound featuring string sections, background vocals and crooning lead vocalists — was popularized by artists including Lynn Anderson, Glen Campbell, Anne Murray, Dottie West, Tammy Wynette, and others, achieving their successes through such songs as "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden", "Snowbird", and others. The Bakersfield sound, first popularized in the early 1960s, continued its peak in popularity through artists such as Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.


1970s in music, North America, Country
But other styles began to emerge during the 1970s. One of the more successful styles was "outlaw country", a type of music blending the traditional and honky tonk sounds of country music with rock and blues music, and mixed with the anger of an alienated subculture of the nation during the period. The leaders of the movement were Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, although others associated with the movement were Jerry Jeff Walker, David Allan Coe, Jessi Colter, Tompall Glaser, Gary Stewart, and Billy Joe Shaver. The efforts of Jennings, Nelson, Colter, and Glaser were encapsulated in the 1976 album Wanted! The Outlaws.


1970s in music, North America, Country
The 1970s saw the rise of country music groups. The most successful act by far during the first half of the decade was The Statler Brothers, a Stanton, Virginia-based group that had gotten its start performing with Johnny Cash in the 1960s. The group – several years removed from their 1965 hit "Flowers On the Wall" – successfully used their vocal harmonies on songs including "Bed Of Rose's," "Do You Remember These," "The Class of '57," "I'll Go To My Grave Loving You," and "Do You Know You Are My Sunshine."


1970s in music, North America, Country
Until 1977, the Statlers – who in the 1970s had brothers Harold and Don Reid, Phil Balsley, and Lew DeWitt – were the only group to achieve sustained success; that year, the Oak Ridge Boys, a country gospel group, switched to a country-pop direction, and their first single release, "Y'all Come Back Saloon," was a top-5 hit on the country chart; their lineup in the late 1970s was Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban.


1970s in music, North America, Country
Both groups remained firmly committed to gospel music, but it was with country-pop that they had their most success and the rise in country groups began to take shape. In 1979, a third group – the Fort Payne-based band Alabama, the core being cousins Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry, and Jeff Cook, along with drummer Mark Herndon – released the mellow love ballad "I Wanna Come Over"; although only reaching the mid-30s on the country chart, "... Over" was a foreshadowing of what was to come for one of the most successful country music groups/bands of all time, with their blend of soft rock and Southern rock (which would be featured on their next single, "My Home's In Alabama," recorded in 1979 and released in January 1980).


1970s in music, North America, Country
The country pop sound was a successor to the countrypolitan sound of the early 1970s. In addition to artists such as Murray and Campbell, several artists who were not initially marketed as country were enjoying crossover success with country audiences through radio airplay and sales. The most successful of these artists included The Bellamy Brothers, Charlie Rich, John Denver, Olivia Newton-John, Marie Osmond, B. J. Thomas, and Kenny Rogers.


1970s in music, North America, Country
Newton-John, an Australian pop singer, was named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1974, sparking a debate that continues to this day — what is country music? A group of traditional-minded artists, troubled by this trend, formed the short-lived Association of Country Entertainers, in an attempt to bring back traditional honky-tonk sounds to the forefront, setting the stage for the neotraditional country revival that would become particularly prominent in the early 1980s.


1970s in music, North America, Country
The debate continued into 1975, a year where six songs reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts. Things came to a head when, at that year's CMA Awards, Rich — the reigning Entertainer of the Year, and himself a crossover artist — presented the award to his successor, "my good friend, Mr. John Denver."


1970s in music, North America, Country
His statement, taken as sarcasm, and his setting fire to the envelope (containing Denver's name) with a cigarette lighter were taken as a protest against the increasing pop style in country music (this despite Rich himself having made his name with songs that crossed over from country into the pop and adult contemporary charts).


1970s in music, North America, Country
By the later half of the 1970s, Dolly Parton, a highly successful traditional-minded country artist since the late 1960s, mounted a high-profile campaign to crossover to pop music, culminating in her 1977 hit "Here You Come Again", which peaked at No. 1 country and No. 3 pop. Of her 25 career No. 1 hits, 11 of them came during the 1970s. Parton, also became the female country music artist to host her own variety show, Dolly!, which aired during the 1976–77 season.


1970s in music, North America, Country
Rogers, the former lead singer of The First Edition, followed up a successful career in pop, rock, and folk music by switching to country music. Like Parton, whom he would record with in the 1980s and thereafter, Rogers enjoyed a long series of successful songs that charted on both the Hot Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts; the first of the lot was "Lucille," a No. 1 country and No. 5 pop hit. Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Eddie Rabbitt, and Linda Ronstadt were some of the other artists who also found success on both the country and pop charts with their records as well.


1970s in music, North America, Country
The most successful of the female artist in the 1970s was Loretta Lynn, releasing her best selling album Coal Miner's Daughter in 1970. She gained a total of seven number one albums, and 20 number one hit singles including her biggest hit single, 1970s "Coal Miner's Daughter," which went on to sell more than 500,000 copies to date. Several of Lynn's siblings gained national recording contracts, and it was her youngest sister, Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb), who would become by far the most successful.


1970s in music, North America, Country
Although she has recorded and/or performed traditional country, Gayle's primary style was country pop, and by forging her own path rather than mimicking her famous sister's style, she had several tremendously successful songs, most notably "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." Lynn also recorded with Conway Twitty multiple times during the 1970s, and had five No. 1 singles together, including "After the Fire Is Gone." Like Lynn, Twitty had family—in this case, his children—who also recorded and had songs make the top 40 of the Billboard country chart, but none of them had sustained, long-term success.


1970s in music, North America, Country
Besides Lynn-Twitty duet pairing, there were other notable duet pairings during the 1970s, including George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Married in 1968, the two had their first duet hit together in 1972 with "Take Me" (a remake of Jones' 1965 solo hit), and went on to have three No. 1 hits together.


1970s in music, North America, Country
The two went through an acrimonious divorce in 1975, due in part to Jones' increasingly erratic behavior worsened by substance abuse problems, but the two did continue recording together afterward, releasing their most successful hit, the ironic "Golden Ring" (a song about how a wedding ring is meaningless without true love) in 1976.


1970s in music, North America, Country
As a solo artist, Jones continued to maintain his hold as the premiere honky-tonk artist of the genre, recording songs of broken relationships ("The Grand Tour," "The Door", and "Her Name Is") and bitterness ("These Days I Barely Get By"), but the aforementioned substance abuse and behavioral issues restrained his own success and by the end of the decade, his life was wildly out of control. Wynette, meanwhile, remarried to producer and songwriter George Richey, and continued to perform songs in her signature style, alternating between heartbreak and marital difficulty to loyalty and fidelity. Although she would have health and legal issues of her own, Wynette remained highly successful, achieving 10 of her 16 solo number one hits during the 1970s, including "'Til I Get It Right," "Another Lonely Song", and "'Til I Can Make It on My Own."


1970s in music, North America, Country
The 1970s continued a trend toward a proliferation of No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. In 1970, there were 23 songs that reached the top spot on the chart, but by the mid-1970s, more than 40 titles rotated in and out of the top spot for the first time in history. The trend temporarily reversed itself by the late 1970s, when about 30 to 35 songs reached the pinnacle position of the chart annually.


1970s in music, North America, Country, Country rock and Southern rock
Country rock, a subgenre of country music formed from the fusion of rock music with country music, gained its greatest commercial success in the 1970s, beginning with non-country artists such as Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, and The Byrds. By the mid-1970s, Linda Ronstadt, along with other newer artists such as Emmylou Harris and The Eagles, were enjoying mainstream success and popularity that continues to this day. The Eagles themselves emerged as one of the most successful rock acts of all time, producing albums that included Hotel California (1976).


1970s in music, North America, Country, Country rock and Southern rock
The year 1975 was big for Ronstadt, Harris and the Eagles as each had their first top 10 country hits during the year: Ronstadt with a cover of Hank Williams' "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)," featuring Harris on backing vocals; Harris, with "If I Could Only Win Your Love"; and the Eagles with "Lyin' Eyes."