That Groovy ’70s Quiz

Question: Gary Dahl created a 1970s fad when he began selling which inanimate objects as “pets”?

Answer: Sold in a ventilated carrying case and accompanied with care instructions, the Pet Rock made millions within months of its 1975 release. Soon after that year’s holiday season, however, the fad began to fade.

Question: What woman defeated Bobby Riggs during the September 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match?

Answer: An outspoken critic of women’s tennis, Bobby Riggs challenged top-ranking star Margaret Court to an exhibition match on Mother’s Day 1973. He won in straight sets and followed up with a challenge to Billie Jean King. The ensuing “Battle of the Sexes” was the most-watched tennis match of all time, with an estimated 90 million people tuning in to watch King defeat Riggs in straight sets.

Question: In 1976, 26-year-old Steve Wozniak cofounded what company, the first to successfully market personal computers?

Answer: Steve Wozniak had been an engineering intern at Hewlett-Packard Company, but HP did not share his interest in microcomputing. Wozniak teamed up with former schoolmate Steve Jobs to create Apple.

Question: During their reporting on the Watergate scandal, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s anonymous source had what code name?

Answer: The anonymous source was used for “deep background” (meaning statements could not be attributed to them) and was given the nickname Deep Throat, the title of a popular pornographic movie released about the same time. The source remained anonymous until 2005, when Deep Throat was revealed to be then-FBI associate director Mark Felt.

Question: Which of these catchphrases could be frequently heard during the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter?

Answer: “Kiss my grits!” was a trademark saying on Alice, “You big dummy!” was the preferred put-down of the elder Sanford on Sanford & Son, and “Dy-No-Mite!” frequently boomed through episodes of Good Times.

Question: Before starring in Charlie’s Angels, which of these people modeled a red swimsuit for a poster that would become an all-time bestseller?

Answer: Farrah Fawcett’s famous red swimsuit photograph was snapped in 1976. By March 1977 more than five million posters of the image had been sold.

Question: Which of these Not Ready for Primetime Players was not a member of Saturday Night Live’s debut cast in 1975?

Answer: When Chevy Chase departed Saturday Night Live during its second season, Bill Murray was brought in to replace him.

Question: Known for hits like “YMCA” and “In the Navy,” Village People’s six members each wore a different costume. Which of these was not one of them?

Answer: Village People founders Henri Belolo and Jacques Morali conceived of the eccentrically dressed group one evening when they saw a bartender wearing a Native American headdress (to honor his father) converse with a patron dressed as a cowboy. That bartender, Felipe Rose, was then recruited into the group.

Question: To eliminate any potential conflicts of interest, Jimmy Carter put what family-owned enterprise in a blind trust when he was elected president?

Answer: When Jimmy Carter left office in 1981, the peanut business (which included a farm, warehouse, and store) he had put in a blind trust was one million dollars in debt, and he was forced to sell it.

Question: According to the title of David Bowie’s 1972 album, what band plays with his alter ego Ziggy Stardust?

Answer: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars helped define the 1970s glam era.

Question: The number one movie for 14 consecutive weeks in 1975, which film was the first in Hollywood history to gross over $100 million?

Answer: Widely considered to be the first summer blockbuster, Jaws was one of the first films to advertise using television commercials.

Question: The most widely watched episode of television at the time, in 1977 more than half of American TVs were tuned in to the finale of what show?

Answer: A television miniseries following multiple generations of enslaved people in the United States, Roots was aired in its entirety over the course of eight consecutive nights. More people tuned in to the Roots finale than the 1977 Super Bowl. Only the “Who shot J.R.?” episode of Dallas and the 1984 M*A*S*H finale have topped its rating.

Question: Released in 1972 as an arcade machine and three years later as a home console, which of these was Atari’s first video game?

Answer: While not the first video game ever made, Pong is widely recognized as the title that launched the popularity of video gaming.

Question: Shortly after taking office, President Gerald Ford began a campaign to “whip” what?

Answer: Hoping to unite the American public against the common foe of inflation, the Ford administration employed a Madison Avenue ad company to come up with WIN, short for Whip Inflation Now. They also hired The Music Man composer Meredith Willson to write a song about inflation. Despite countless WIN buttons and a catchy tune, the lack of significant policy change meant inflation continued into the 1980s.

Question: One of only three in history to earn the distinction, the soundtrack to which movie won the album of the year Grammy in February 1979?

Answer: Disco’s popularity was beginning to wane when Saturday Night Fever brought it strutting and hustling back onto America’s dance floors. The soundtrack sold a record-breaking 25 million copies between 1977 and 1980. The only other film soundtracks to win album of the year Grammys were The Bodyguard and O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

Question: The 1974 Rumble in the Jungle boxing match saw Muhammad Ali defeat what opponent?

Answer: Muhammad Ali’s boxing license was revoked in 1967 for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War, stripping him of his championship. He was reinstated in 1970 and earned a title shot against the heavily favored champ George Foreman four years later.

Question: Easing long lines at service stations during oil shortages in 1973 and 1979, many places employed gasoline rationing using what system?

Answer: When OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) disrupted the United States’ oil supply in 1973, and again in 1979 amid turmoil in the Persian Gulf, shortages meant American drivers in many areas were only allowed to buy gasoline every other day, according to whether their license plate ended in an even or odd number.

Question: In 1971 Americans were allowed into China for the first time since it became communist so they could play what sport?

Answer: While America’s team was in Japan for the 31st World Table Tennis Championship, their Chinese counterparts surprised them with an invite to their homeland, which had been closed off to the U.S. since 1949. This “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” laid the groundwork for Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China three months later.

Question: Which of these cities was invaded by North Vietnamese forces in 1975, ending the Vietnam War?

Answer: The U.S. had mostly withdrawn from Vietnam following the 1973 Paris Peace Accords but continued to provide military aid to South Vietnam. Sensing that the U.S. was unlikely to intervene again in the area, North Vietnam encroached further into the South, eventually taking the capital, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). Helicopters evacuated 7,000 U.S.-friendly personnel.

Question: When he was arrested in 1977, which of these serial killers claimed to be under the influence of a demon dwelling in a neighbor’s dog?

Answer: During the summer of 1977, David Berkowitz terrorized New York City and taunted police using the alias Son of Sam, a reference to his neighbor named Sam. Rather than plead insanity, Berkowitz pled guilty and was sentenced to 365 years in prison. He later recanted his stories about his neighbor’s dog.