What happened in August 1977?
The top front-page story of each day in August 1977, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Aug 1🎨 Weekend of Beethoven – Tanglewood's annual Beethoven Weekend featured conductor Klaus Tennstedt, attracting over 35,000 attendees for three concerts.
- Aug 2🛬 747 Emergency Landing – A British Airways Boeing 747 made a safe emergency landing at Heathrow after losing a wheel during takeoff for Bahrain.
- Aug 3🏙️ Paris Pedestrian Path Opens – A new three-mile pedestrian path, 'Paris-Promenade', opened, enhancing walkability but causing traffic disruptions.
- Aug 4🌍 Soviet Launches Rats – The Soviet Union launched a satellite carrying rats for biological experiments in a joint program with the United States.
- Aug 5🔬 New Quark Discovery – Physicists at Illinois Lab have potentially discovered a new quark, suggesting there may be six basic building blocks of matter.
- Aug 6🏢 First Oil from Alaska – The first oil from Alaska's North Slope arrived in Cherry Point, marking the start of deliveries from the trans-Alaska pipeline.
- Aug 7🔬 Carter's Energy Bill Passed – President Carter's National Energy Bill, including taxes and regulations, was passed by the House after intense debate, establishing a Department of Energy.
- Aug 8🌍 U.S. Negotiators in Panama – A high-level U.S. team arrives in Panama for crucial talks aimed at finalizing a new treaty over the Panama Canal.
- Aug 9🏛️ Carter Signs Emission Bill – President Carter signed bills easing federal emission standards and funding water development projects during his vacation.
- Aug 10🌋 Volcano Erupts in Japan – People in a resort area rushed for cover as fresh eruptions of a nearby volcano hurled flames thousands of feet into the air.
- Aug 11🌎 Panama Canal Transfer – The U.S. and Panama reached an agreement to transfer control of the Panama Canal to Panama by the year 2000.
- Aug 12🌍 Edison Phonograph Centennial – The centennial celebration of Thomas A. Edison's phonograph begins with a ceremony at historic sites in New Jersey.
- Aug 13🔬 Centenary of Phonograph – Menlo Park marked the 100th anniversary of Edison's phonograph invention, celebrating its impact on music and sound recording.
- Aug 14🦖 Dinosaur Skeleton Discovered – Chinese archeologists found a well-preserved skeleton of a carnivorous dinosaur in Szechwan, marking a significant paleontological discovery.
- Aug 15🏆 Wadkins Takes P.G.A. Title – Lanny Wadkins won the P.G.A. Championship on the third playoff hole against Gene Littler at Pebble Beach, California.
- Aug 16🏺 Ancient China Tomb Unearthed – A 2,100-year-old tomb in China's Kwangsi Chuang Autonomous Region was discovered, yielding over 1,000 burial artifacts.
- Aug 17🌊 Sea Creatures Survive Ascent – Amphipod crustaceans have been recovered alive from depths of 18,700 feet, marking the first survival from such ocean depths.
- Aug 18🚢 Soviet Ship Reaches North Pole – The Soviet nuclear icebreaker Arktika became the first surface ship to reach the North Pole, breaking through Arctic ice.
- Aug 19🚀 Voyager Launch Set – The first Voyager spacecraft, designed for exploration of Jupiter and Saturn, is ready for launch from Cape Canaveral, marking a significant space exploration milestone.
- Aug 20🏛️ World Rowing Championships – Over 1,000 participants from 33 countries entered the 1977 world rowing championships, the largest in history, starting in Amsterdam.
- Aug 21🌊 Philippine Floods – At least 10 people died and 4,300 were evacuated in Manila due to severe flooding caused by two days of heavy rain.
- Aug 22🌌 Science Satellite Lands – Seven American biological experiments launched in a Soviet satellite are set to parachute to a soft landing in Siberia on Thursday.
- Aug 23🌍 First Icebreaker at North Pole – The Soviet nuclear icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole, showcasing human exploration capabilities.
- Aug 24✈️ Pedal-Driven Plane Flies – Bryan Allen flew a pedal-driven plane for 1.4 miles, winning an $85,000 prize for the first sustained man-powered flight.
- Aug 25🌊 Typhoon Hits Japan – A typhoon struck southern Japan, bringing nearly a foot of rain in 10 hours and forcing hundreds to evacuate homes due to flooding.
- Aug 26🌌 Mysterious Soviet Vehicle – A Soviet space vehicle, large enough to be manned, has puzzled observers after being in orbit for a month without any apparent purpose.
- Aug 27🔥 Fire at U.S. Embassy – A fire swept through the top floors of the American Embassy in Moscow, forcing evacuation and causing extensive damage.
- Aug 28🌍 Taiwan Wins Title – Taipei of Taiwan clinched the Little League World Series title with a 7-2 victory over El Cajon, California, showcasing exceptional talent.
- Aug 29🚀 Italian Satellite Launched – Italy's first experimental communication satellite, Sirio, was successfully positioned in orbit 22,300 miles from Earth.
- Aug 30🏅 Olympic Assistant Named – Roger Tubby was appointed as special assistant to Governor Carey for the upcoming 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
- Aug 31⚓ Carrier Roosevelt Decommissioned – The U.S. Navy confirmed the decommissioning of the aircraft carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt, effective October 1.
Happy Birthday! 1977 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1977 in real headlines. See the 1977 book →
Born in August? Pick the day
Every birthday in August has its own On This Day in Headlines book: