Nixon's trip to China in February 1972 eventually led to diplomatic relations between the two nations. He laid the groundwork for this overture to China before he became president, writing in Foreign Affairs a year before his election: "There is no place on this small planet for a billion of its potentially most able people to live in angry isolation."

On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth's legendary record of 714 homers. "Hammerin' Hank" would finish his career with 755 home runs--a record that would stand for 33 years.

Roots, which told the story of an African boy sold into slavery in America, aired for eight consecutive nights from January 23 to 30, 1977, and attracted an estimated 140 million viewers--more than half of the U.S. population at the time.

Barbara Walters began her career on The Today Show in the early 1960s as a writer and segment producer of women's interest stories. Her popularity with viewers resulted in Walters receiving more airtime, and in 1974, she became co-host of the program, the first woman to hold such a title on an American news program. In 1976, she continued to be a pioneer for women in broadcasting by becoming the first female co-anchor of a network evening news program, alongside Harry Reasoner on the ABC Evening News.

The Fall of Saigon to the Viet Cong on April 30, 1975, was preceded by Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of almost all American civilian and military personnel in Saigon, along with tens of thousands of South Vietnamese civilians who had been associated with the southern regime. It was the largest helicopter evacuation in history.

In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, making him the first openly gay person elected to a public office in California. He served almost eleven months in office, during which time he sponsored a bill banning discrimination in public accommodations, housing, and employment on the basis of sexual orientation. The Supervisors passed the bill by a vote of 11-1, and it was signed into law by Mayor George Moscone. On November 27, 1978, Milk and Moscone were both assassinated by Dan White, a disgruntled city supervisor. Despite his short career in politics, Milk became an icon in San Francisco and a martyr in the gay community.

In 1973, Spiro Agnew was investigated by the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland on suspicion of criminal conspiracy, bribery, extortion and tax fraud. He had taken kickbacks from contractors during his time as Governor of Maryland, and the payments had continued during his tenure as vice president. They had nothing to do with the Watergate scandal, in which he was not implicated. After months of maintaining his innocence, Agnew pleaded no contest to a single felony charge of tax evasion and resigned from office.

David Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam or .44 Caliber Killer, was charged with eight separate shooting attacks that began in New York City during the summer of 1976. He confessed to all of them, initially claiming that he acted on the orders of a demon manifested in the form of a dog belonging to his neighbor "Sam." Despite this explanation, Berkowitz was found mentally competent to stand trial.

The Walkman's wearable design and lightweight headphones gave listeners the freedom to listen to music on the move. The product was an instant hit, and its popularity made "walkman" an unofficial term for personal stereos of any producer or brand.

The Iran hostage crisis began in November 4, 1979, when a group of militarized Iranian college students took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seized hostages, and demanded the extradition of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi from the United States. It ended 444 days later, with the release of captives on January 20, 1981.