AUGUST 16, 1979

THURSDAY
1979 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1979
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $283,595 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$2.95
Median Home Price$44,840.00
Gas Price Avg$1.13
Bread Price Avg$0.47
Movie Ticket Avg$2.66
First Class Stamp$0.14
Milk Price Avg$2.06
Top Movies From 1979
Show screen release and event cards
1 Kramer vs. Kramer
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Kramer vs. Kramer
2 The Amityville Horror
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The Amityville Horror
3 Rocky II
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Rocky II
4 Apocalypse Now
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Apocalypse Now
5 Star Trek: The Motion Picture
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Star Trek: The Motion Picture
6 Alien
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Alien
7 The Muppet Movie
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The Muppet Movie
8 10
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10
9 The Jerk
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The Jerk
10 Moonraker
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Moonraker
The Warriors
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The Warriors
The China Syndrome
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The China Syndrome
Escape from Alcatraz
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Escape from Alcatraz
Norma Rae
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Norma Rae
Agatha
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Agatha
Saint Jack
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Saint Jack
The Great Train Robbery
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The Great Train Robbery
The In-Laws
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The In-Laws
Manhattan
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Manhattan
Breaking Away
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Breaking Away
Love at First Bite
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Love at First Bite
Hair
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Hair
The Deer Hunter
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The Deer Hunter
Meatballs
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Meatballs
The Frisco Kid
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The Frisco Kid
Hardcore
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Hardcore
Phantasm
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Phantasm
The Champ
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The Champ
Over the Edge
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Over the Edge
Escape to Athena
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Escape to Athena
Superman
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Superman
Halloween
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Halloween
The Millionaire
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The Millionaire
The Lord of the Rings
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The Lord of the Rings
Les Misérables
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Les Misérables
Brass Target
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Brass Target
Starcrash
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Starcrash

August 16, 1979 Trivia

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Television from this era · August 16, 1979
Sesame Street poster
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Sesame Street
Saturday Night Live poster
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Saturday Night Live
Dallas poster
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Dallas
M*A*S*H poster
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M*A*S*H
The Love Boat poster
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The Love Boat
Barnaby Jones poster
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Barnaby Jones
Charlie's Angels poster
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Charlie's Angels
Nova poster
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Nova

Exact-date daily brief

August 16, 1979

On August 16, 1979, U.S. agencies were in a race against time to utilize allocated funds before impending budget cuts took effect. The urgency stemmed from recent political discussions concerning fiscal responsibility and the nece...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of August 1979

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Personal Computer Operating System
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Personal Computer Operating System
2 Mobile Cellular Network Deployment
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Mobile Cellular Network Deployment
3 Portable Computer Concept
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Portable Computer Concept
4 Computer-Aided Manufacturing Software
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Computer-Aided Manufacturing Software
5 Digital Camera Sensor Improvements
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Digital Camera Sensor Improvements
6 Medical MRI Commercialization
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Medical MRI Commercialization
7 Automotive Electronic Engine Control Unit
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Automotive Electronic Engine Control Unit
8 Electronic Mail Standardization
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Electronic Mail Standardization
9 Space Shuttle Avionics System
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Space Shuttle Avionics System
10 Video Game Handheld Concept
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Video Game Handheld Concept

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From August 16, 1979

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Fiscal Year End Spending Rush. Impact: In a bizarre twist of fate, the frantic spending spree led to a surplus of unused staplers and paperclips in government offices, forever altering the stationery supply chain. Decades later, the Great Stapler Shortage of 2045 would be blamed on this very event. Fact: Did you know that 'use it or lose it' budgeting has resulted in more weirdly themed office parties than actual policy changes? Who knew the fate of federal funding hinged on taco Tuesdays?.
  • Headline: Villella Eyes Artistic Director Role. Impact: Had Villella not pursued this position, the Eglevsky Ballet may have gone through a horrific identity crisis, turning into a circus troupe specializing in interpretive dance about tax reform. Thank goodness for the arts!. Fact: Fun fact: The last time a ballet company had a circus-themed season, ticket sales were phenomenal, but the clowns were just too much for the prima ballerinas.
  • Headline: BAR GROUP REJECTS PROPOSAL ON RAIDS. Impact: The rejection of the proposal has resulted in a never-ending cycle of surprise raids, which ultimately led to the establishment of the 'Surprise Party' law—because why not make a joke out of it?. Fact: Did you know that American lawyers prefer surprise raids over surprise parties? One requires a warrant, the other just awkward small talk and cake.
  • Headline: 6 Estates of DC‐10 Crash Victims Agree to Settle Damage Claims. Impact: The settlements from the crash not only provided compensation but also inadvertently led to a boom in personal injury lawyers specializing in aviation accidents, resulting in the phrase 'falling out of the sky' becoming a lucrative catchphrase. Fact: Did you know that settling for $30 million doesn’t actually mean you get to keep all of it? Lawyers take a cut, and then your accountant takes another. You end up with just enough for a nice dinner.
  • Headline: 2 Banks Raise Prime Rate to 12% As Credit Policy Seems to Tighten. Impact: The banks raising the prime rate sent shockwaves through the economy, leading to a bizarre trend of people hoarding cash in their mattresses, resulting in a nationwide shortage of high-quality mattresses by 2025. Fact: Did you know that the prime rate is not a fancy cocktail but rather the interest rate that banks charge their most creditworthy customers? Cheers to financial jargon!.
  • Headline: Egyptian Dancer Portrays Moses in Israeli Festival. Impact: This performance inadvertently inspired a new genre of dance that blended ancient biblical stories with modern choreography, resulting in the creation of the 'Moses Shuffle,' a dance craze that swept the globe in the early 2030s. Fact: Did you know that dancing like Moses parting the Red Sea is not nearly as impressive as it sounds? Most people just end up looking like they're trying to dodge a wave at the beach.
  • Headline: Australia Relaxes Rules On Exploiting Uranium. Impact: The relaxation of uranium export rules led to a rush of international partnerships that ended up creating a global game of Monopoly, where the stakes were literally nuclear energy rights. Fact: Did you know that uranium is not just a key player in energy but also an excellent conversation starter at parties? Just make sure you have a good exit strategy!.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
WMT
Walmart
Price in 1979
$0.02
Stored value
$6,997,064

Walmart - If you invested $1,000 in 1979, it would be worth $6,997,064 today (6997.1x return)

Rank #2
INTC
Intel
Price in 1979
$0.18
Stored value
$199,890

Intel - If you invested $1,000 in 1979, it would be worth $199,890 today (199.9x return)

Rank #3
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1979
$0.50
Stored value
$417,979

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1979, it would be worth $417,979 today (418.0x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
X-Men #129
X-Men #129
$1,500
Iron Man #118
Iron Man #118
$150
Batman #313
Batman #313
$20
Micronauts #1
Micronauts #1
$164.00
Superman #331
Superman #331
$10
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Simon
Simon
$1,000.00
LEGO Space Sets
LEGO Space Sets
$400.00
Star Wars Action Figures
Star Wars Action Figures
$300.00
My Little Pony
My Little Pony
$150.00
Atari 2600
Atari 2600
$6,500.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Asteroids
Asteroids
Unknown
Lunar Lander
Lunar Lander
$50.00
Galaxian
Galaxian
$262.70
Adventure
Adventure
$5,000.00
Star Raiders
Star Raiders
$5,000.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card #18
O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card #18
$1,290,000
Topps Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card #18
Topps Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card #18
$8,000
Garry Unger Kolner EC Card
Garry Unger Kolner EC Card
$1,000
Topps Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - Series 1 Luke Skywalker
Topps Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - Series 1 Luke Skywalker
$1,000
1979 Hostess Baseball George Brett
1979 Hostess Baseball George Brett
$4,920.00