A HOCKEY STAR’S DEBUT, A ROCK OPERA’S ASCENT AND A TV FAMILY’S FAREWELL WERE JUST A FEW EVENTS MAKING NEWS IN THE FINAL YEAR OF THE 1970S
Like all years, 1979 was filled with highs and lows. It was the year we lost John Wayne to cancer and Sid Vicious to a drug overdose. It was also the year of the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster. But on the upside, 1979 saw smallpox declared eradicated and the debut of the Sony Walkman. The year also brought us The Dukes of Hazzard, which would remain a top-rated TV show into the early 1980s. Below, we look back at some of the year’s other major moments in movies, music, sports, books and science.
MOVIES
Released in 1979, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now reimagined Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, creating a visceral and psychological journey into the horrors of both war and human nature. Coppola created a haunting, immersive experience, one that required an equally powerful visual representation in the movie poster. Robert Peak delivered with a surreal composition that captured the psychological intensity of the film. Tiny helicopters float like storm clouds on a distant horizon in a seemingly placid landscape lit ablaze with the orange of the sun. Peak’s original poster art for Apocalypse Now realized $300,000 in a November 2024 Heritage auction.
SPORTS
Wayne Gretzky, who made his National Hockey League debut in October 1979, has always been The Great One. But 41 years later he became The Greatest One when the Canadian version of his 1979 Edmonton Oilers rookie card became the first hockey card ever to break the million-dollar mark. One of only two known 1979 O-Pee-Chee Gretzkys graded Gem Mint 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator sold for $1,290,000 in a December 2020 Heritage auction. That’s almost three times the previous record of $465,000 set four years earlier, when there was but one PSA Gem Mint 10 known to exist.
COMICS
From her premiere in The Amazing Spider-Man No. 194, Black Cat instantly captured the hearts of fans, becoming one of Spider-Man’s most recognizable and beloved allies, adversaries and even romantic interests. Since her 1979 debut, Black Cat has graced countless Spider-Man titles, headlined several of her own comic series, and appeared in video games and animated television shows. Created by Al Milgrom, the iconic cover of The Amazing Spider-Man No. 194 gave readers their very first glimpse of Marvel’s captivating, catty criminal. Milgrom’s original art for the cover sold for $1,020,000 in a January 2025 Heritage auction.
SCIENCE
In 1979, German chemist Georg Wittig received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his 1953 discovery of the Wittig reaction, a process of regulating the regrouping of atoms in a molecule. This method opened new ways to synthesize biologically active substances, and the work made it possible to mass-produce hundreds of important drugs, such as the arthritis medicine hydrocortisone, and industrial chemicals that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive. Wittig’s Nobel Prize medal, designed by Swedish artist Erik Lindberg and struck in 22-karat gold, realized $274,000 in an October 2016 Heritage auction.
TELEVISION
America was first invited into Edith and Archie Bunker’s living room on January 12, 1971, when All in the Family debuted on CBS. But after nine seasons, the television show aired its final episode in 1979, the same year the spinoff series Archie Bunker’s Place made its debut. Both shows featured the original walls and set decoration of one of the most famous houses in all of TV land: 704 Hauser Street, Queens, New York. The Bunkers’ living room set got a new owner in June 2023, when it sold for $125,000 in a Heritage auction. Archie and Edith’s iconic chairs sold separately for $250,000 in the same auction.
MUSIC
Upon its release in November 1979, Pink Floyd’s The Wall was met with mixed reviews. Some critics called the progressive rock opera overblown and pretentious. But fans disagreed. The Wall topped the U.S. Billboard 200 chart for 15 weeks and spawned three singles and a 1982 feature film. The Wall has also appeared on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. This RIAA Gold Record Award, which commemorates the sale of more than 500,000 copies of the Columbia Records release, sold for $2,000 in a July 2024 Heritage auction.
BOOKS
Though Stephen King had written seven novels – five under his own name – by 1979, it wasn’t until that year’s release of The Dead Zone that the author saw one of his books rank among the 10 best-selling novels of the year in the United States. The book, about a former schoolteacher who develops clairvoyant abilities, was also the first King story to feature the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine, which has served as the primary setting in many subsequent works by King. This first edition of The Dead Zone, signed and dated by the author, realized $1,875 in a July 2022 Heritage auction.