1. Deep Throat
   Watergate
2. Whitewash
   Iran Contra

In 1972, five men were convicted of breaking into the Watergate Hotel complex where the Democratic National Committee had offices. Nixon was likely facing impeachment for covering up the scandal and instead resigned on Aug. 9, 1974.

1. Aretha Franklin
   Diana Ross
2. Dionne Warwick
   Pattie LaBelle

The Supremes were a powerhouse all-female trio that epitomized the Motown sound in the 1960s. In 1970, Diana Ross set out to have an equally successful solo career and she is still known as the "Queen of Motown."

1. Scarface
   The Godfather
2. Goodfellas
   Mean Streets

One of the greatest movies depicting the mafia was "The Godfather," which debuted in 1972. The movie, based on the Mario Puzo novel, was a hit and remains one of Marlon Brando's best performances. The film spawned two sequels.

1. Jaws
   Alien
2. The Exorcist
   The Omen

In 1975 the iconic horror movie "Jaws" made its way into theaters. The Steven Spielberg classic caused a bit of fear in beachgoers as the movie follows a killer shark menacing a beach town. The masses chose to hit the theater instead of the beach and the summer blockbuster was born.

1. Montreal, Canada
   Mexico City, Mexico
2. Munich, Germany
   Tokyo, Japan

This unfortunate event took place at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Palestinian terrorists demanded the release of prisoners being held in Israel. By the time the kidnapping was over, nine athletes, five hostages and one police officer were killed.

1. Kent State
   Ohio State
2. Northwestern University
   Marquette University

Many college campuses saw extensive student protests to the Vietnam War. In 1970, National Guard troops opened fire on students at Kent State University in Ohio, murdering four students.

1. Richard Nixon
   Gerald Ford
2. Jimmy Carter
   Ronald Reagan

Jimmy Carter became the 39th president in 1976 after defeating the incumbent, Gerald Ford. Carter was the onetime governor of Georgia. Before his life in politics he ran a successful peanut farm.

1. Bobby Fischer
   Walter Brown
2. Larry Evans
   Lev Alburt

Bobby Fischer was the US chess dhampion for eight years. In 1972 he beat Boris Spassky to become the first native-born American world champion. The Russians had dominated chess on the global stage since the end of World War II.

1. Moon Explorer
   Lunar Rover
2. Tranquility 1
   Moon Roamer

Apollo 15 was the ninth mission to the moon and the fourth time that a manned mission landed on the moon. The Lunar Rover vehicle was launched for astronauts to explore further reaches of the moon and collect samples.

1. Mini MP3
   Ipod
2. Walkman
   Discman

Way before we had the iPod, Sony introduced a portable cassette player that could hold a single cassette and was small enough to be hand-held. The Walkman morphed into the Discman upon the advent of the CD.

1. Chrysler Building
   Empire State Building
2. Sears Tower
   World Trade Center

In 1973, the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) in Chicago eclipsed the previous tallest building, the World Trade Center, and remains the second tallest building in the US. The newly built One World Trade Center in New York is the tallest at 1776 feet.

1. Last Tango In Paris
   Saturday Night Fever
2. American Graffiti
   Grease

Disco became extremely popular in 1977 after the release of the movie "Saturday Night Fever." John Travolta starred in the movie and was nominated for an Oscar for best actor. The soundtrack contained five No.1 hits.

1. Janis Joplin
   Elvis Presley
2. Jimi Hendrix
   Jim Morrison

1977 brought an end to a musical icon when Elvis Presley died at the age of 42. Presley was known to have battled substance abuse issues later in his life, though he was still touring and recording.

1. Mad TV
   The Tonight Show
2. Saturday Night Live
   Late Show

The iconic TV show "Saturday Night Live" debuted in October of 1975. The show was comprised of skits performed by a group of up and coming comics. The show featured musicians and actors who took turns hosting each episode. The show still airs on Saturday nights.

1. Hank Aaron
   Willy Mays
2. Jackie Robinson
   Barry Bonds

Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run in 1974 to surpass Babe Ruth as the all-time leader. He would go on to finish his career with 755 home runs, which was eclipsed in 2007 by Barry Bonds.

1. Sierra Club
   Greenpeace
2. The Nature Conservancy
   American Civil Liberties Union

There are a number of conservation groups that focus on sustaining the environment. In 1971, Greenpeace was formed in Vancouver, Canada. The objective was to create a peaceful and green world for nature and people to prosper.

1. Pope Pius XI
   Pope John Paul II
2. Pope Paul VI
   Pope Benedict XVI

In 1978, Pope John Paul II was introduced to the world. His real name was Karol Josef Wojtyla. Born in Poland, he was the first non-Italian pope in more than 400 years. He would serve as Pope for 27 years.

1. Netflix
   Showtime
2. HBO
   CineMax

In 1972, HBO became the first pay subscription service available for television in the US. HBO, or Home Box Office as it was known, provided a service for commercial free and uncut movies. Eventually, it would provide original series along with movies.

1. Zenyatta
   Affirmed
2. Secretariat​
   Seabiscuit

The three races that make up the Triple Crown of horse racing are the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. In 1972, Secretariat became the first horse to win all three in one season.

1. New York Times V. Sullivan
   Roe V. Wade
2. Brown V. Board of Education
   Miranda V. Arizona

The 1973 case, Roe V. Wade, was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court to allow women to have an abortion in the first two trimesters of pregnancy. This decision is still being argued in states to this day, but the Supreme Court has maintained the precedent case.

1. The human genome is mapped.
   The first test-tube baby is born.
2. Cloning of animals
   Penicillin is discovered.

In-vitro fertilization is a process also known as a "test-tube baby." This process involves fertilizing the egg outside the body and replacing it back into the uterus. The first baby born using this process was in 1978.

1. Limits president to two terms
   Lowered voting age from 21 to 18 years of age
2. Gave women the right to vote
   Congress cannot grant themselves pay raises.

The 26th Amendment was ratified in 1971. The previous age to vote had been 21 and the amendment changed the age to 18. There has only been one other amendment passed since then. Amendment 27 in 1992 which does not allow Congress to grant themselves pay raises while in office.

1. United States
   Columbia
2. Mexico
   Brazil

The original idea for a canal across the Central American isthmus was supposed to be in Nicaragua and not Panama. The US was convinced by French engineers that Panama would be a more suitable location. A treaty was signed in 1977 that would allow Panama to take control of the canal in 1999.

1. Sega Genesis
   Atari 2600
2. Commodore 64
   Nintendo

The Atari 2600 was introduced to the market in 1977 and brought video game consoles into the household and out of the arcades. The unit came with two controllers and a Pac-Man game cartridge.

1. Stroker Ace
   Cannonball Run
2. Smokey and the Bandit
   Grand Theft Auto

Burt Reynolds was already a huge actor when he climbed into a black Pontiac Firebird for the movie "Smokey and the Bandit" in 1977. This is one of the most famous cars in cinema history. It is still referred to as the "Bandit" car.

1. San Onofre
   Three Mile Island
2. Chernobyl
   Hanford

The nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island was one of the worst disasters at any US commercial power plant. A mechanical issue in one of the pumps failed to provide water to cool the reactor core. The environmental impacts from the accident have proven to be negligible and not as serious as first thought.

1. Miami Dolphins
   Green Bay Packers
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
   New York Giants

The only team to achieve a perfect season in NFL history is the 1972/73 Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins, under coach Don Shula, capped off their perfect season with a Super Bowl Victory in January 1973.

1. Punk rock
   Grunge
2. Classic rock
   Heavy metal

The 1970s ushered in a new musical genre that emphasized short, fast songs with attitude. The movement was know as punk rock and featured bands like The Ramones, Sex Pistols and The Clash.

1. Walt Disney World
   Disneyland
2. Six Flags Magic Mountain
   Dollywood

Disneyland has been a staple in California since 1955. In 1971, Disney opened Walt Disney World in Florida. The park features many of the same attractions as Disneyland but also has parks such as Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios.

1. Speak and Spell
   Omnibot
2. Laser Tag
   Gameboy

Texas Instruments developed the Speak and Spell and introduced it to market in 1978. This device was one of the first handheld machines with a visual display. It was part of a series of educational technology toys that included Speak and Math.

1. IBM
   Apple
2. Microsoft
   Intel

Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975. The company was originally started in Albuquerque, NM, before moving to Washington in 1979. The company focused on micro-processors and software for personal computers.

1. Doonesbury
   Peanuts
2. Garfield
   Family Circus

The orange cat who ate lasagna known as Garfield made his debut in 1978 in 41 newspapers. The strip revolves around themes of how lazy Garfield is, how he hates Mondays and dieting. The comic cat has been made into several movies and books.

1. 1970
   1971
2. 1975
   1974

The Beatles had each been working on solo projects only five years after storming the U.S. Their popularity was at an all-time high, which made their breakup in 1971 so surprising to many. The band would never play together again and John Lennon was killed in 1980.

1. Columbia
   Discovery
2. Enterprise
   Challenger

The first space shuttle built by NASA was the Enterprise. Ironically, it never made it to space. It was designed as a test vehicle. The crews were launched but not into space. They practiced flying and to see if it could land like an aircraft.

1. Michael Jackson, "Thriller"
   Fleetwood Mac, "Rumours"
2. Pink Floyd, "The Wall"
   The Eagles, "Greatest Hits"

The Eagles had many hits in the '70s. The compilation of their greatest hits has the honor of being the best selling album of all time. It has sold about 38 million records, outpacing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album by 5 million.