History

ICONS: Kent State, Oil Embargo, Roots

• The Ohio National Guard opens fire on protesters at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine on May 4, 1970.
• The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries announces an embargo on oil exports to the United States on October 15, 1973.
• Construction is completed on the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) in Chicago, IL, in 1973, and it becomes the tallest building in the world until surpassed by the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1998.
• President Richard M. Nixon resigns from office on August 8, 1974.
• The last Americans (10 U.S. Marines) depart Vietnam on April 30, 1975.
• Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels, a novel about the Battle of Gettysburg, wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975.
• NASA's Viking 1 lands on Mars on July 20, 1976.
• The miniseries Roots airs from January 23 to January 30, 1977. The series would earn 36 Emmy nominations and win 9.
• The 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical is awarded to "Ain't Misbehavin'."
• The Bee Gees dominate the music charts with hits songs, including "Night Fever," "Stayin' Alive," and "How Deep Is Your Love."