THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS

April 29 1975: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate U.S. citizens from Saigon, Vietnam before an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.

Operation Frequent Wind was the final phase in the evacuation of American civilians and “at-risk” Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnamprior to the takeover of the city by the North Vietnamese Army (PAVN) in the Fall of Saigon. It was carried out on 29–30 April 1975, during the last days of the Vietnam War. More than 7,000 people were evacuated by helicopter from various points in Saigon. (wikipedia)

Photo: South Vietnamese refugees walk across a U.S. Navy vessel during Operation Frequent Wind (public domain)

December 16 1973: Papillon the film based on the 1969 autobiography by french convict Henri Charriere is released in the U.S.

Photo: Don Gordon, Bill Mumy, Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman (Allied Artists/Columbia Pictures)

December 10 1966: The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. After over 90 hours of recording sessions at four different studios and at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars, it was the most expensive single ever recorded at the time of its release.

Photo: Guy Webster

October 25 1978: Horror film John Carpenter’s Halloween premieres in Kansas City, Missouri at the AMC Empire theater and becomes one of the most profitable independent films in history.

Photo: stars Brian Andrews as Tommy, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie and Kyle Richards as Lindsey (Compass International)

October 1 1974: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror film premieres in director Tobe Hooper’s hometown, Austin, Texas in the US

September 30 1968: The first Boeing 747, City of Everett, was rolled out for public viewing at Boeing’s Everett, Washington plant. It was registered as N7470 and made its first flight on February 9 1969. It last flew in 1995. City of Everett is on static display at The Museum of Flight, Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington.

September 1 1977: American rock band BLONDIE signs their first major label record deal with British label Chrysalis Records. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles including “Heart of Glass”, “Call Me”, “Rapture” and “The Tide Is High”.

Photo: Blondie - Los Angeles, 1977 (Henry Diltz)

August 12 1977: The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

Photo: NASA

Actress Sharon Tate showing the new clothes she purchased for her expecting baby. 1969.

Photo: Terry O’Neal

thats-the-way-it-was:

August 9-10, 1969: On this night in Los Angeles, followers led by Charles Manson murder pregnant actress Sharon Tate, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Polish actor Wojciech Frykowski, men’s hairstylist Jay Sebring and recent high-school graduate Steven Parent. The following night, Manson followers murder supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in their home in Los Feliz.