Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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6 UCW JUNE 21 - 27, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 1973 is officially middle aged. Today we will take a walk down Memory Lane to 1973 which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. If you are of a demographic which can re- member that far back, kindly do not drive at night. If you are too young to remember 1973, why are you reading this column? Hop on board Mr. Peabody's Way Back Machine. It's time to poke around in the dust bin of history into which 1973 has been deposited. January: e year started with a bang in Janu- ary with George Steinbrenner and some buddies buying the New York Yankees for $10 million. A million dollars went a lot farther in 1973. e Watergate burglary trial started starring Judge "Maximum John" Sirica presiding. (For you youngsters who are still reading, Watergate was a quaint scandal involving a third-rate bur- glary that brought down President Nixon). Elvis' concert from Hawaii was broadcast on TV. Monty Python's Flying Circus had its last broadcast on BBC. OJ Simpson was the MVP of the NFL Pro Bowl. Mr. Simpson went on to beat two murder raps but got sent to prison for stealing his own sports memorabilia. Roe v. Wade was handed down by the Su- preme Court. It turned out that did not finalize abortion rights. Nixon announced Peace with Honor had been achieved in the Vietnam war. February: Hagar the Horrible appeared for the first time in the funnies to the delight of fans of viking humor everywhere. e price of gold jumped $10 per ounce over- night to $95. Pretend you had bought $1000 worth of gold then. Sweet vision, ain't it? e Triple Crown winner Secretariat sold for $5.7 million or the price of 60,000 ounces of gold. Fun Fact — as of the writing of this column an ounce of gold sells for $1971 which means 60,000 ounces translates into $118, 261,000. at would buy a lot of hay. March: Far Out! Pink Floyd released their album "Dark Side of the Moon" to the eternal enjoyment of aging hippies worldwide. Sales of pizza and patchouli oil shot through the roof. John McCain, who had been otherwise engaged for the last five years at the Hanoi Hilton, was freed by North Vietnam. White House Counsel John Dean tells Richard Nixon that Watergate is "a cancer growing on the Presidency." "e Godfather" wins the Academy Award for Best Picture. April: John Lennon and Yoko Ono form a new country named Nutopia. e first mobile phone call is made in America by Martin Cooper, the head of the Motorola com- munications division. FBI Director L. Patrick Gray, caught up in Wa- tergate, resigns after "twisting slowly, slowly in the wind." Nixon's Berlin Wall henchmen Bob Halde- man and John Erlichman resign. May: Not much happened of interest. June: "e Rocky Horror Show" opens as a play in London. Marvin Gaye releases "Let's Get It On" which wins R&B Song of the Year. Marvin's dad later forfeits any claim to Father of the Year. July: John Paul Getty III, grandson of one of the richest men in the world is kidnapped. Kid- nappers send his ear to Granddad to push their ransom demand. August: e movie "American Graffiti" pre- mieres spiking nostalgia for the early 1960s. Willie Mays hits his 660th and last home run. September: Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in the incredibly hyped tennis Battle of the Sexes. October: Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns in disgrace pleading no contest to tax fraud. Ger- ald Ford is nominated to replace him. Dolly Parton releases "Jolene." e Watergate Saturday Night Massacre fires Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy AG William Rucklelhaus for refusing to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. is does not work out as well as Nixon hoped. November: President Nixon announces: "I am not a crook." Turns out he was. December: Scary movie "e Exorcist" is re- leased on the nation, prompting a run on demon possession cures. OPEC raises the price of a barrel of oil from $5.12 to $11.65 ere you have it. Our old friend 1973 was full of life, bumps and bruises. If you can remember these things, be sure to take your meds before you go to bed this after- noon. If this seems to be ancient history, go back to doom scrolling Tik Tok. Editor's note: To read about some things that happened 100 years ago, stay on board Mr. Pea- body's Way Back Machine and travel on over to page 9. Fifty years goes by like nothing by PITT DICKEY OPINION PITT DICKEY, Columnist. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweek- ly.com. 910-484-6200. Some pretty interesting stuff happened 50 years ago. Read on to find out more. (Hand-drawn illustration by Pitt Dickey) Christian music station local your