What Happened in December 1977

Historical Events

Dec 2 First day of World Series Cricket at VFL Park in Melbourne; barely 200 people see Australia dismissed for 256 by West Indies; Ray Bright top scores with 69; Michael Holding captures 4 wickets & Andy Roberts 3; WI go on to win 1st WSC 'Test' by 3 wickets
Dec 4 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, Sydney: John Alexander beats Adriano Panatta of Italy 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 8-6, 11-9 in a 3 hour, 54 minute classic to give Australia a 3-1 victory

Jean-Bédel Bokassa

Dec 4 Jean-Bédel Bokassa crowns himself Emperor of the Central African Empire in a lavish ceremony costing US$20 million - one third of the nation's budget

Dec 4 Neil Simon's play "Chapter Two" opens in NYC
Dec 4 NFL's 5,000th game, Cincinnati beats KC 27-7

1st World Series Cricket 'Test'

Dec 4 West Indies win 1st World Series Cricket 'Test' against Australia at VFL Park in Melbourne by 3 wickets; chasing 235 for victory, Viv Richards with 56 and Clive Lloyd 44 guide WI to 237/7 with 2 days to spare

Cricketer and Master Blaster Viv Richards

Dec 5 Egypt breaks off diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq & South Yemen
Dec 6 South Africa grants Bophuthatswana independence
Dec 7 Islander Billy Smith's 10th shut-out opponent-Black Hawks 4-0
Dec 8 43rd Heisman Trophy Award: Earl Campbell, Texas (RB)
Dec 10 Soyuz 26 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station
Dec 11 Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams, leaders of the group 'Peace People' (an organization dedicated to encouraging a peaceful resolution of 'the Troubles' in Northern Ireland) receive the Nobel Peace Prize

Saturday Night Fever

Dec 12 "Saturday Night Fever", film starring John Travolta, with music by the Bee Gees, premieres in NYC

Dec 12 Yanks purchase Andy Messersmith from Braves
Dec 13 14 University of Evansville basketball players die in plane crash

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter

Dec 13 Asylum Records releases "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter", Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell's 9th studio album;

Pieter Menten Sentenced

Dec 14 Dutch war criminal Pieter Menten sentenced in Amsterdam to 15 years

Dec 14 Egyptian & Israeli representatives gather in Cairo for first formal peace conference
Dec 14 MLB Boston Red Sox trade Fergie Jenkins to Texas Rangers for John Poloni & cash

Abdul Qadir Test Debut

Dec 14 Test Cricket debut of Pakistan spin bowling great Abdul Qadir v England in 1st Test at Lahore

Dec 17 Bobby Simpson scores 176 Australia v India at the WACA, aged 41

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Dec 17 Elvis Costello & The Attractions 1st US TV appearance on "Saturday Night Live"

Dec 17 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
Dec 17 Rookie defenseman Barry Beck scores first career hat trick and adds an assist in Colorado Rockies' 5-1 win v Minnesota North Stars; sets NHL record for rookie defensemen with a goal in his 6th straight game
Dec 18 NBA Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 42, Nate Thumond
Dec 19 Dutch government of Van Agt/Wiegel forms
Dec 20 1st Space walk made by Soviet cosmonaut Georgy Grechko during Salyut 6 EO-1 mission
Dec 20 RAF -terrorist Knut Folkerts sentenced to 20 years
Dec 22 36 die as grain elevator at Continental Grain Company plant explodes

Cat Stevens Converts

Dec 23 British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens formally converts to Islam, taking the name Yusuf Islam

Dec 24 "Ghost to the Post", Raiders tight end Dave Casper ("The Ghost") catches a 42-yard reception to set up the Raiders' tying field goal near the end of regulation (Raiders win in OT)
Dec 25 7th Fiesta Bowl: #8 Penn State beats #15 Arizona State, 42-30

Israeli, Egyptian Leaders Met

Dec 25 Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in Egypt

President of Egypt and Nobel Laureate Anwar Sadat

Dec 26 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan

Ballon d'Or

Dec 27 Ballon d'Or: Borussia Mönchengladbach's Danish forward Allan Simonsen is named Europe's best football player ahead of Hamburg forward Kevin Keegan and Nancy midfielder Michel Platini

Dec 29 Ronald Ribman's "Cold Storage" premieres in NYC

Evonne Goolagong Cawley Champion

Dec 30 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Evonne Goolagong Cawley wins her 6th career Grand Slam title; beats fellow Australian Helen Gourlay Cawley 6-3, 6-0

Dec 30 Carter holds 1st news conference by US President in Eastern Europe (Warsaw)
Dec 31 Amir Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah becomes leader of Kuwait

Gerulaitis Defeats Lloyd

Dec 31 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Vitas Gerulaitis wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats Englishman John Lloyd 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 3-6, 6-2

Dec 31 Cambodia drops diplomatic relations with Vietnam
Dec 31 Donald Woods, a banned anti-Apartheid white editor flees South Africa
Dec 31 Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is imprisoned for co-writing a play critical of the Kenyan government
Dec 31 Musical revue "Bubbling Brown Sugar" featuring songs of the Harlem Renaissance, closes at ANTA Theater, NYC, after 766 performances
Dec 31 Revival of Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion's musical "Man of La Mancha" starring Richard Kiley, closes at the Palace Theater, NYC, after 124 performances

Bundy Escapes Jail

Dec 31 Ted Bundy escapes from jail in Colorado

Dec 31 WFAT (Brooklyn New York pirate radio station) begins broadcasting on 1620 AM

Events in 1977

Famous Birthdays

Dec 1 Brad Delson, American rock guitarist (Linkin Park), born in Agoura, California
Dec 2 Siyabonga Nomvethe, South African soccer forward (81 caps; Moroka Swallows, AmaZulu), born in Durban, South Africa
Dec 3 Adam Małysz, Polish ski jumper (record 4 individual World C'ship gold medals), Wisła, Poland
Dec 4 Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricket all-rounder (26 Tests, 58 wickets, top score 109; 191 ODIs; Mumbai), born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Dec 4 Big Pokey [Milton Powell], American rapper (Screwed Up Click), born in Houston, Texas
Dec 4 Shahid Nazir, Pakistani cricket fast bowler (15 Tests, 36 wickets; 17 ODIs; Faisalabad, Lahore Badshahs), born in Faisalabad, Punjab
Dec 4 Zeynep Gedizlioğlu, Turkish contemporary classical composer, born in İzmir, Turkey
Dec 6 Andrew Flintoff, English cricketer, born in Preston, Lancashire, England
Dec 6 Kevin Cash, American baseball catcher (World Series 2007, 09; Boston Red Sox; New York Yankees) and manager (AL Manager of the Year 2020; TB Rays), born in Tampa, Florida
Dec 6 Paul McVeigh, Irish footballer (Norwich City), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Dec 7 Dominic Howard, English drummer (Muse), born in Stockport, England
Dec 7 Fernando Vargas, American boxer (IBF light middleweight title 1998-2000, WBA title 2001-02), born in Oxnard, California
Dec 7 Luke Donald, English golfer (US Masters 2005, PGA C'ship 2006 3rd), born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Dec 8 Elsa Benítez, Mexican supermodel, born in Hermosillo, Mexico
Dec 8 Ryan Newman, American NASCAR driver, born in South Bend, Indiana
Dec 8 Sébastien Chabal, French rugby union footballer, born in Valence, France

Dec 9 Imogen Heap, British dance-pop singer-songwriter, born in London Borough of Havering, United Kingdom
Dec 9 Saskia Garel, Canadian actress, born in Kingston, Jamaica
Dec 9 Shayne Graham, American football player, born in Radford, Virginia
Dec 10 Emmanuelle Chriqui, Canadian actress
Dec 11 Mark Streit, Swiss ice hockey player, born in Englisberg, Switzerland
Dec 12 Bridget Hall, American model (Ford), born in Dallas, Texas
Dec 12 Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm, American triplet Playboy models, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Dec 12 Orlando Hudson, American baseball player, born in Darlington, South Carolina
Dec 13 Peter Stringer, Irish rugby union footballer, born in Cork, Ireland
Dec 13 Sascha Kindred, British Paralympic swimmer, born in Münster, Germany
Dec 14 Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Colombian-Austrian conductor (Houston Symphony, 2014-22; Frankfurt Radio Symphony, 2005-2021), born in Medellín, Colombia
Dec 15 Catherine Fox, American swimmer (Olympic gold 4×100m freestyle, 4×100m medley 1996; World C'ships gold 4×100m freestyle 1998), born in Roeland Park, Kansas
Dec 16 Sylvain Distin, French footballer
Dec 17 Arnaud Clement, French tennis player
Dec 17 Katheryn Winnick, Canadian actress (Vikings; Big Sky), born in Etobicoke, Ontario

Dec 18 José Acevedo, Dominican MLB baseball pitcher (Cincinnati Reds, 2001-04; Colorado Rockies, 2005), born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Dec 18 Maria Brink, American heavy metal singer and songwriter (In This Moment), born in Schenectady, New York
Dec 19 Jorge Garbajosa, Spanish basketball forward (FIBA World C'ship gold 2006; Mr. Europa 2006 Unicaja; Toronto Raptors) and executive (president Spanish Basketball Federation 2016-23), born in Madrid, Spain
Dec 20 David Feldman, Brazilian-Israeli jazz and bossa nova pianist, arranger, and composer, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Emmanuel Macron (46 years old)

Dec 21 French politician, President of France (2017-), born in Amiens, France

Dec 23 Alge Crumpler, American football player, born in Greenville, North Carolina
Dec 23 Becky Ruehl, American diver (Olympic 4th 1996), born in Lakeside Park, Kentucky
Dec 23 Jari Mäenpää, Finnish heavy metal guitarist and singer (Wintersun), born in Finland
Dec 23 Paul Shirley, American basketball player, born in Redwood City, California
Dec 25 Israel Vázquez, Mexican boxer (WBC, IBF, Lineal Super bantamweight champion), born in Mexico City
Dec 25 Jim Greco, American skateboarder (Bakerboys Distribution, Deathwish Skateboards, Hammers), born in New Haven, Connecticut
Dec 25 Uhm Ji-won, South Korean actress, born in Daegu, South Korea
Dec 27 Jacqueline Pillon, Canadian actress
Dec 28 Shane Elford, Australian rugby league player, born in Penrith, Australia
Dec 29 Jimmy Journell, American baseball player, born in Springfield, Ohio
Dec 29 Katherine Moennig, American actress, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 30 Grant Balfour, Australian baseball player
Dec 30 Kenyon Martin, American basketball player
Dec 30 Laila Ali, American boxer
Dec 30 Scott Lucas, Australian rules footballer
Dec 31 Donald Trump Jr., American businessman and son of Donald Trump and Ivana Trump, born in New York City

Psy (46 years old)

Dec 31 South Korean pop star (Gangnam Style), born in Seoul, South Korea

Dec 31 Wardy Alfaro, Costa Rican soccer goalkeeper (5 caps; LDA Alajuelense 154 games), born in Alajuela, Costa Rica

Born in 1977

Famous Weddings

David Mamet

Dec 21 American Jewish playwright and screenwriter "Glengarry Glen Ross" David Mamet marries 1st wife actress Lindsay Crouse

Michelle Bachelet

Dec 23 Future President of Chile Michelle Bachelet (26) weds architect Jorge Dávalos

Famous Deaths

Dec 1 Teun Struycken [Antoon Arnold Marie Struycken], Dutch Minister of Justice (1950-51) and Governor of the Netherlands Antilles (1951-56), dies at 70
Dec 4 Leila Hyams, actress (Red Headed Woman, Freaks), dies at 72
Dec 5 Aleksandr Vasilevsky, Soviet military commander (b. 1895)
Dec 5 Rahsaan Roland Kirk, American jazz multi-instrumentalist (Bright Moments, The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color), dies of a stroke at 42
Dec 7 Paul Gibb, cricketer (England batsman, 8 Tests), dies

Peter Carl Goldmark (1906-1977)

Dec 7 Hungarian-American engineer (developed the 33-1/3 rpm LP phonograph record format), dies in a car accident at 71

Dec 9 Clarice Lispector, Ukrainian-Brazilian writer (Laços de Família), dies at 56
Dec 10 Adolph Rupp, American Basketball HOF coach (NCAA Div I Tournament 1948, 49, 51, 58; Uni of Kentucky; 5 × National Coach of the Year), dies of spinal cancer at 76
Dec 11 Bodi Rapp [Johanna Goetmakers], Dutch mezzo-soprano and teacher, dies at 1977
Dec 12 Clementine Churchill, British life peer and wife of Winston Churchill, dies at 92
Dec 12 Frank Boucher, Canadian Hockey HOF center (Ottawa Sens, Vancouver Maroons, NY Rangers), coach (Stanley Cup 1939–40 NY Rangers) and executive (GM NY Rangers), dies at 76
Dec 13 Charles Petrie, British historian known for his study of royalism and Jacobitism (If: A Jacobite Fantasy), dies at 82
Dec 15 Wilfred Kitching, English, 7th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1893)
Dec 16 Benny de Weille, German swing jazz clarinetist and bandleader, dies at 62
Dec 16 Risto Jarva, Finnish filmmaker (b. 1934)
Dec 18 Cyril Ritchard, Australian actor (Peter Pan; Hans Brinker), dies at 80
Dec 18 Louis Untermeyer, American poet and critic (Immortal Poems, Story Poems), dies at 92
Dec 18 Walter Breedveld, Dutch writer (Een ship vergaat), dies at 76
Dec 19 Nellie Tayloe Ross, American educator, politician, 1st woman to serve as a governor (Wyoming, 1925-27), and administrator (Director of US Mint, 1933-53), dies at 101
Dec 22 Johann Nepomuk David, Austrian-German composer, dies at 82
Dec 24 Samael Aun Weor, Colombian writer (b. 1917)

Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)

Dec 25 British actor and comedian (Modern Times, The Kid), dies in Switzerland at 88

Dec 26 Howard Hawks, American director and producer (Rio Bravo, Scarface, The Big Sleep), dies at 81
Dec 26 Ivan Rezak, Czech composer, dies at 53
Dec 28 Charlotte Greenwood, American actress (Oklahoma; Moon Over Miami), dies at 87
Dec 31 Nora Marlowe, actress (Sara-Gov & JJ), dies at 62
Dec 31 Sabah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah, ruler of Kuwait (b. 1924)

On This Day