What was Washington, D.C. like in the 1970s? Take a look at our great posts with stories, people, photos, and history about the District from the seventies.
This is a guest post by Aaron. He also wrote a cool one on the 1940 U.S. Census.
We suspect you’ve ridden Metro for many years – without seeing anything quite like these stunning “glossy red” train cars. They were part of the original plan. Sure they’re sleek and sporty but they never progressed beyond the drawings and models seen here. Why not? And where did this space-age mockup come from?
Dive into the musical journey of the Bee Gees, focusing on Robin Gibb’s contribution and their iconic 1979 performance at the Capital Centre. Explore the heights of their fame in the late 70s and reminisce about Robin Gibb’s enduring legacy in the music world.
In January 1973, Senator John Stennis of Mississippi was shot in the chest and leg in DC’s Cleveland Park neighborhood. He survived 6 1/2 hours of surgery and two Washington teenagers were charged. Read the full story here.
Explore the history of Washington’s red light district in the 1970s and 80s, and the rise of development that eventually drove out the unsavory sex shops. Featuring an article from the Washington Post in 1978.
Can you believe the San Diego Padres almost moved to DC? In fact, it was approved, and ready to go. And then, it didn’t happen. Read on to learn why.
Bob Short, owner of the Washington Senators moved the team to Arlington, Texas following the 1971 MLB season. Baseball wouldn’t return to D.C. until 2005.
I had heard that Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland (aka, The Police) had played in Adams Morgan and wanted to do a little research into that. Unfortunately, they weren’t a huge band when they played here in 1979, so there was very little on their arrival here. After all, they had only been around for a little over two years.
They played the Ontario Theater on Columbia Rd. NW on October 8th, 1979 — the same place that U2 played in 1981 — and there was a short review of the show in the Washington Post the following day.
The shrill sound of police whistles careened off the walls of the Ontario Theater last night. Crowds of people flung themselves into the aisles. Spotlight sliced through the darkness as a murderous barrage of sound thundered from the stage.
The Police had arrived!
The Police, in this case, were an English-American rock trio that has emerged from the new wave of punk scene. Like many of their counterparts, they draw much of their power and substance from the crunching power chords and raucous rhythmic assaults of mid-’60s musical styles. But this group adds a melodic flair and urbane lyrics that are an intelligent twist to current rock.
Their show blended bright vocal harmonies with savage musical onslaughts in a dazzling display of exuberant energy. Andy Summers’ guitar and Stewart Copeland’s drums slashed out at the crowd while Sting added thumping bass lines, creating a powerful yet chunky sound. The addition of swirling, electronic chords and quirky reggae beats on some of the numbers gives the group a sense of style that evades many new wave musicians.
The Police gave a truly arresting performance.
Not a bad review. Thus far, the reviews I come across of legendary rock acts have been hit or miss. Were any of you at this show?
Check out this video of The Police live in 1979. They’re playing a West German TV show called Musikladen.
In 1972, the Grateful Dead played a free show at AU in front of 10,000 fans. Read an excerpt from the Washington Post review and stream the show on Archive.org to find out what happened!
Check this out! If you were a student at the University of Maryland back in 1973 — maybe some of you were? — you could attend this sick concert with Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Bruce Springsteen. Okay, so Jerry Lee Lewis has as slightly dubious past, but the dude is pretty incredible at piano.
The first game was set for October 9th, 1974 against the New York Rangers, not the best team, but a strong NHL team.
