1974 was a great year!  Afterall, that's the year we graduated from Normandy.  Here's some fun stuff that will bring back some great memories. 

1974 Top Billboard Top 100 Songs

 Click here to see a list of the top tunes from 1974. 

1974 Top Albums

Click here for a list of the top albums from 1974 like David Bowie's Diamond Dogs.

Cost of Living 1974

• Yearly inflation rate - 11.3%
• Year end close Dow Jones Industrial Average -  616
• Average cost of new house - $34,900
• Average income per year - $13,900
• Average monthly rent - $185
• Cost of a gallon of gas - 55 cents
• Average cost new car - $3,750

What Events Happened in 1974?

• Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum US speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo
• Richard Nixon becomes the first US president forced to resign after the Watergate Scandal
• Sears Tower in Chicago becomes the worlds tallest building
• Henry Kissenger convinces Syria and Israel agree to a ceasefire on the Golan Heights
• Patricia Hearst kidnappers demand $70 of food be given to every needy Californian
• In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in the United States
• Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France
• The largest series of tornadoes in history, hits 13 U.S. states and one Canadian province. By the time the last of 148 tornadoes hit early the following morning, 315 died and over 5,000 were injured
• India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so
• Work begins on the 800 mile long Alaska Oil pipeline
• People Magazine is published for the first time
• At the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Hank Aaron breaks baseball great's Babe Ruth's record by hitting his 715th home run
• After a nine-year run, the Dean Martin Show airs for the last time
• The Cleveland Indians host "Ten Cent Beer Night", but have to forfeit the game to the Texas Rangers due to drunken and unruly fans
• The U.S. Congress places a $1 billion dollar limit on military aid to South Vietnam
• The Ramones play their first ever show at the CBGB's
• Evel Knievel's attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon at Twin Falls, Idaho, fails after a parachute prematurely deploys on his "sky cycle”
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre opens in theaters
• "The Rumble in the Jungle": Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire to regain the World Heavyweight Boxing championship
• In Salt Lake City, Utah, Carol DaRonch narrowly escapes abduction by serial killer Ted Bundy
• The United States Department of Justice files its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. This suit later leads to the break up of AT&T and its Bell System

Technology

• MRI Scanner (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) developed USA
• Australopithecus afarensis was discovered in Ethiopia and is a hominid which lived between 3.9 to 3 million years ago belonging to the genus Australopithecus, They named the skeleton "Lucy"
• After 84 days in space, the last crew of the temporary American space station Skylab return to Earth
• Pocket calculators start to appear in shops
• Offices start using a very primitive word processor that resembles a typewriter
• Lucy an almost complete hominid skeleton over 3 million years old is discovered in Africa
• The first retail product (a pack of chewing gum) was sold using a barcode reader
• The Altair 8800, the first personal computer, goes on sale

Popular Films

• The Sting
• The Exorcist
• Papillon
• Herbie Rides Again
• Blazing Saddles
• The Great Gatsby
• Serpico
• Death Wish
• The Godfather, Part II
• Murder on the Orient Express

Popular Musicians

• ABBA
• Beach Boys
• David Bowie
• Carpenters
• Eric Clapton
• Alice Cooper
• Deep Purple
• Donovan
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Genesis
• Grateful Dead
• Joni Mitchell
• Van Morrison
• Dolly Parton
• Queen
• Minnie Riperton
• Roxy Music
• Matching Mole
• Sparks
• Supertramp
• Jethro Tull
• The Velvet Underground
• Barry White
• Paul McCartney
• Stevie Wonder
• Quadratic Force

Popular TV Programs

• TV premiers in 1974 included Happy Days, Good Times, Rhoda, Chico and the Man, Little House on the Prarie, The Rockford Files, and Police Woman
• Other hot shows included Kung Fu, The Waltons, Kojak, All in the Family, Columbo, Mary Tyler Moore, M*A*S*H, Sanford & Son, The Odd Couple, and The Six Million Dollar Man
• The Match Game was the top rated game show
• Monty Python's Flying Circus was first shown in the U.S.
• Ending it's TV run this year were Love American Style, The Brady Bunch, The Partrige Family, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The Flip Wilson Show, The F.B.I., The Dean Martin Show and The Newlywed Game

Cleveland Sports

• The Browns' era of success came to a crashing halt as the team dropped to 4-10 in 1974. Neither Phipps nor rookie QB Brian Sipe were effective, throwing 24 combined interceptions to only 10 touchdowns. The Browns allowed 344 points, most in the league. It was the first losing season in franchise history and head coach Nick Skorich saw his tenure with the team end as a result of the collapse.

• The Cleveland Indians finshed 77-84.  They were led by Gaylord Perry's 21 victories.  Other starting pitchers including Jim Perry, Fritz Peterson and Dick Bosman.  The starting lineup included Dave Duncan (C), John Ellis (1B), Jack Brohammer (2B), Frank Duffy (SS), Buddy Bell (3B, and outfieders George Hendick, John Lowenstein and Charlie Spikes.  Oscar Gamble was the DH.  Manager Ken Aspromonte was fired due to the teams poor performance and was replaced in 1975 by first black manager Frank Robinson.

• In 1974, the Cavaliers moved into the brand-new Richfield Coliseum, located in the cornfields thirty miles south of downtown Cleveland in Summit County. The Cavs finished 40-42 falling just short of a playoff berth behind star players Autin Carr, Bingo Smith, Jim Chones, Jim Cleamons and Dick Snyder.   

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