1978-79 Trivia Quiz

Answer: California's Proposition 13 passed, starting a nationwide property tax revolt

California's Proposition 13, which greatly reduced property taxes and capped their future increases, was passed in June 1978. Pete Rose's hitting streak had begun in June. He hit in his 44th consecutive game on July 31, and the streak ended on August 1.

Answer: He was Pope John Paul I

Upon the death of Pope Paul VI, Cardinal Albino Luciani was elected Pope on August 26, and chose the name "John Paul I" to honor his two immediate predecessors. He died on September 28. Karol Wojtyla of Poland was selected as his successor on October 16. This first non-Italian Pope in more than four and a half centuries selected "John Paul II" as his papal name.

Answer: The words on the chair in which he was sitting

The chair in which Moon was sitting has the words "NOT TO BE TAKEN AWAY" stenciled on it. Moon died on September 7, 1978, two weeks after the release of the album. He was pictured sitting in the backward-facing chair in an attempt to disguise how overweight he'd become since his last public appearances with the band.

Answer: Leo Ryan

Leo Ryan represented the 11th district of CA in the US Congress from 1973 to 1978. Intrigued by a 1977 newspaper report about the mysterious death of a constituent's son who had tried to leave Jim Jones' organization, Ryan went to Jonestown on November 14, 1978 to investigate for himself.

When he tried to leave on November 18, taking along a family interested in returning to the US, his small airplane and its occupants were attacked with weapons on the airstrip. Ryan and a defector were killed, along with an NBC correspondent and cameraman, and a newspaper reporter.

In the hours following this, Jim Jones and more than 900 of his followers committed mass suicide.

Answer: Deng Hsiao-Peng

Chinese premier Deng Hsiao-Peng was selected "because of the tremendous enterprise he has launched to propel the nation into the modern world." Ironically, despite the movements toward democracy and capitalism for which Time lauded Deng, he was still premier 10 1/2 years later at the time of Tiananmen Square.

Answer: Egypt

The Shah and his family went into exile. As his health declined, he eventually entered the US on October 22 seeking medical treatment. While he was in the US, mobs took over the US embassy in Tehran, taking several Americans hostage. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat tried to stem the crisis by offering to fly the Shah to Cairo for continued care, but the gesture failed to win the release of the hostages.

Answer: Coming Home

Jon Voight and Jane Fonda won the Best Actor and Best Actress awards for their roles in "Coming Home." Best Picture that year went to "The Deer Hunter." Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep were nominated for their supporting roles in Deer Hunter; Walken won.

Answer: Chicago

Jane Byrne was elected Chicago mayor on April 3, 1979, five weeks after defeating incumbent mayor Michael Bilandec in the Democratic primary. Two of her major contributions to the city were in the area of public works, expanding CTA mass transit to reach the O'Hare airport, and beginning a reconfiguration of the curves of Lakeshore Drive. Byrne was defeated by Harold Washington in the 1983 Democratic primary, as he went on to become Chicago's first black mayor.

Answer: All in the Family

All in the Family broadcast its final episode in April of 1979, with Mike and Gloria moving to California. In the fall of 1979, the show continued, as "Archie Bunker's Place," with Jean Stapleton in occasional appearances as Edith Bunker, before she left the series compeletely after the 79/80 season.

The Carol Burnett Show's final episode was in 1978; The Waltons' was in 1980, and Happy Days' in 1984.

Answer: Citation

The X-Cars were GM's first broad attempt to produce small, fuel-efficient front-wheel drive cars. The first X-Cars were the Chevy Citation, the Buick Skylark, the Oldsmobile Omega, and the Pontiac Skylark. Complaints quickly piled up about the cars' sluggish performance and subpar reliability, prompting GM to begin work on a new line of cars.

These "J-Cars" (not too subtle use of "J" as in "Japan"), introduced in 1982, included the Chevy Cavalier, Cadillac Cimarron, Buick Skyhawk, Oldsmobile Firenza, and Pontiac Sunbird, and were much more warmly-received by reviewers and the public.