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50 Years Ago

Photo Credit: All in the Family: Credit: TV Land/Paramount

By Meredith Ennis, ReMIND Magazine

1971 might best be remembered as a time of transition, both in popular culture and on a nationwide scale, with political and judicial decisions that will ultimately have long-term impacts on the American people being made during the course of the year.

The 26th Amendment, which lowers the voting age from 21 to 18, is certified; and in a landmark case, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that busing may be used in order to achieve racial balance in public schools.

In January, the ban on cigarette advertising on radio and television goes into effect. National Public Radio broadcasts for the first time in April.

The Cold War continues, but by the end of the year, the U.S. will be closer to ending its involvement in the Vietnam War. In June, The New York Times begins publishing the Pentagon Papers, revealing the full extent of the U.S.’s involvement in the Vietnam War, and in November, President Nixon sets a February 1972 deadline for the removal of another 45,000 American troops from the country.

On a lighter note, after 24 seasons, The Ed Sullivan Show airs its final episode. Over the years, the variety show brought a number of notable or soon-to-be notable guests to the American audience, including Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Jim Henson’s Muppets, the Supremes, Janis Joplin, the Jackson 5, comedian Jackie Mason and more.

A new type of television debuts when All in the Family premieres on CBS. The Norman Lear-created sitcom stars Carroll O’Connor, Jean Stapleton, Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner, and is based off of a popular British series, Till Death Us Do Part. The groundbreaking show doesn’t shy away from controversial topics, touching on such things as religion, racism, anti-Semitism, abortion, rape, women’s liberation, the Vietnam War, breast cancer and homosexuality in the course of its nine-year run. It also marks the first time a toilet flush is heard on television.

Other popular TV shows include Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Adam-12 and Marcus Welby, M.D. At the box office, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Shaft, The French Connection, Fiddler on the Roof and Play Misty for Me are bringing audiences in.

On the music front, Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World,” “Reason to Believe/Maggie May” by Rod Stewart, Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move/It’s Too Late,” the Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” Donny Osmond’s “Go Away Little Girl,” John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee” are at the top of the charts throughout the year.

In technology, the first microprocessor (the Intel 4004), the first pocket calculator (Texas Instruments) and the first internet chat rooms appear on the scene.

Setting the stage for making coffee drinking a trendy action, the very first Starbucks opens in Seattle. Meanwhile, in Orlando, children (and the young at heart) rejoice when Disney World opens.

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