Events of 1970

Kent State Shooting
May 4, 1970....National Guardsmen opened fire on a group of students, wounding many, 4 fatally, on the campus of Kent State University. Today, memorials to the four students stand near the place of the shootings.

Chilie elects Marxist, Allende, as head of state
Allende became the first western nation to freely elect a Marxist head of state. This resulted in a stock market crash, a run on banks and a strike by mine workers.

Black September
Jordan's King Hussein started to drive Palestinian commandos from his country, and on the 28th, Egyptian president Nasser died of a heart attack.

First Earth Day, April 22
EPA created
Prime time football
ABC begins it's long running Monday Night Football
World Trade Center is completed
Childproof safety caps
First female jockey in Kentucky Derby
Mexico City subway is completed
California is the first no-fault divorce state
First New York City marathon

Lithium is approved by the FDA
Used to treat manic-depressives.

Arcosanti, a desert utopia is begun

The New English Bible is printed
Directly translated from ancient texts into English, it created a big stir of controversy due to it's deviations from the King James version of the Bible (which had been originally translated from other languages)

Spain's Franco regime convicts Basque leaders
The Beatles release Let It Be, their last album
First successful oil well in the North Sea found

Artist Rothko commits suicide
After an investigation of his dealer, it is discovered that he had purchased 800 paintings after Rothko's death at much less their true cost.

Canadian October Crisis
Two Canadian leaders were kidnapped by Front de liberation du Quebec, a Quebec seperatist movement. This resulted in martial law being declared in the Quebec province. One of the leaders, Pierre Laporte was killed by his captors, the other freed.

Doonesbury comic strip goes national

Apollo 13 mission suffers a huge setback
A ruptured air tank on their way to the moon almost sealed the fate of the three astronauts on board the spacecraft.

Floppy disc was invented.

Charles Manson Convicted of Murdering Sharon Tate
Charles Manson, the leader of a bizzare cult, and 4 of his followers were convicted of the murders of several people including actress Sharon Tate and her unborn baby.

Earthquake in Peru May 31, 1970
72,000 people were killed and 700,000 were left homless

China Launches Its First Satellite
APRIL 24. The People's Republic of China becomes the fifth nation to put a satellite into orbit. China 1's first broadcast is the song "Tang Fang Hung" (The East is Red).

Federal Elections
18 year olds are given the right to vote in federal elections.

The introduction of bar codes
Bar codes are introduced for retail and industrial use in England.

Marshall University plane crash
On November 14, 1970 a chartered plane carrying 75 players, coaches, and prominent residents of Huntington, WV and Marshall University crashed just short of the runway after returning from the days game against ECU. There were no survivors.

Dec. 21, 1970: The first ever F-14 Tomcat was tested; This led to use by the NAVY for about 30 years.

American soldiers found guilty of murdering entire town of Vietnamese civilians.

Founded in 1873, Boone's Farm is the only wine "farm" in existence with the capacity to grow 20 different flavors of grapes, including Pina Colada and Country Kwencher. Originally based in California, Boone's Farm has expanded to 12 different countries on four continents. While other wineries have stagnated and faltered, Boone's Farm has been a constant success, due to their many different flavors of grapes and their unique distribution system. And Strawberry Hill was the very first flavor distributed by Boone's. Actually, Boone's Farm Apple Wine was the first flavor. I used to drink it back in the late 1960s. Strawberry Hill was second.

Ripple wine was a kind of fortified wine that was famous during the 1970's. It was produced in the United States by the E & J Gallo Winery and was very popular among the social classes. It was relatively cheap in terms of price and thus was seen as being a drink of the alcoholics and the people in the streets. Ripple Wine is said to be a fortified wine because it has additional alcohol (most commonly added is brandy). Initially this additional alcohol was added so that the wine would be sweeter and thus could last for a longer duration.

As majestic as the cascading waters of a drain pipe, MD 20/20 is bottled by the 20/20 wine company in Westfield, New York.  This is a good place to start for the street wine rookie, but beware; this dog has a bite to back up its bark.  MD Stands for Mogen David, and is affectionately called "Mad Dog 20/20".  You'll find this beverage as often in a bum's nest as in the rock quarry where the high school kids sneak off to drink.  This beverage is likely the most consumed by non-bums, but that doesn't stop any bums from drinking it!  Our research indicates that MD 20/20 is the best of the bum wines at making you feel warm inside.

The Stroh Brewery Company was a beer brewery located in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to their own Stroh's brand, they produced or bought the rights to several other brands including Schaefer, Schlitz, Augsburger, Erlanger (beer), Lone Star, Old Milwaukee, Red River, and Signature, as well as manufacturing Stroh's Ice Cream. The company was taken over and broken up in 2000 but some of its brands continued to be made by the new owners.

Vernors ginger ale shares the title of America's oldest surviving soft drink with Hires Root Beer. It was invented in 1866 by James Vernor, a Detroit pharmacist.

Vernor opened a drug store of his own on Woodward Avenue, and sold his ginger ale at its soda fountain. According to the 1911 trademark application on "Vernor's" as a name for ginger ale and extract, Vernors entered commerce in 1880. City by city, Vernor sold bottling franchises, with operators of those franchises required to strictly adhere to the recipe. In 1896, Vernor closed his drugstore to concentrate on the ginger ale business alone.

Sanders Hot Fudge Cream Puffs

The American Coney Island Hot Dog has been a favorite with Detroiters and visitors for nearly a century. As Detroiters have moved to other parts of the country, and as visitors have returned to their respective states, the American's reputation has spread throughout the country. Over the years, the American has received countless requests from people who wanted to have the Coney Islands shipped to them - either for their own restaurants, their own consumption or for parties or special events.

One of the most-frequently-mentioned comments that former Detroiters who have moved out-of-town say is: one of the things they miss most about Detroit is Coney Islands from the American Coney Island downtown on Lafayette Street!

One of the reasons for the great popularity of the American's Coney Islands is the high-quality, specially-seasoned, natural casing hot dogs that have always been served at the American. Another reason is the Coney Island chili sauce which is specially prepared using a secret recipe the Keros' developed decades ago. And, of course, the topping of fine mustard and fresh, chopped sweet onions adds the final touch to the distinctive overall taste and flavor of the Coney Island hot dog which is served in a warm, steamed bun. No wonder the American Coney Island hot dog has been such a tantalizing treat to the palate that's still hard to beat after all these years!

Memories Of Luke The Spook...

Luke the Spook: The empty haunted house out on Romeo Plank Road in Clinton Township,  not too from Warren.  We use to take people there and scare the hell out of them.

Where Jimmy Had Is Last Lunch.

On July 30, 1975, Hoffa had arranged a business meeting with old friend, Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano, and Detroit Mobster, Anthony "Tony Jack" Giacalone, at Machus Red Fox Restaurant in Bloomfield Township in Michigan.
The reason for this particular meeting was believed to discuss his intention to run once again for the presidency of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and regain his position that was stripped from him after his convictions (Bruno 2).
The car in which Hoffa was picked up in was a maroon 1975 Mercury Marquis Brougham. A truck driver, after nearly hitting him, recounted seeing Jimmy in the backseat behind the driver; he also happened to see an object covered with a blanket resembling a shotgun or rifle (Bruno 2). The Mercury Marquis was traced back to Hoffa's close friend, Charles "Chuckie" O'Brien, who had actually lived with the Hoffa family at one time.
Investigators believed that Jimmy was comfortable enough with Chuckie's presence and that was the only reason why he would get into the car. The car strangely enough was actually owned by Joseph Giacalone, the son of "Tony Jack" and at the time was being borrowed by O'Brien. Investigators also discovered that "Tony Jack" and "Tony Pro" had sound alibis', and knew nothing about the meeting with Hoffa.
He was pronounced legally dead in 1982.

Joe Muer's Restaurant.
Once the meeting place and watering hole of Detroit's rich and powerful

Famous London Chop House:

Established in 1938 by the Gruber brothers, Lester and Sam, it soon became a magnet for business executives, celebs passing through Detroit, and power elites of all stripes. Its attractions were many, including evening entertainment, a fine wine list, and fantastic concoctions from the bar. Its chefs, among them Eddie Dobler, “Pancho” Velez, and Jimmy Schmidt, were known for their preparations of freshwater perch and whitefish from Michigan’s lakes and rivers as well, of course, for beef dishes aplenty.

The Grubers were adept at flattering the male ego. When a guest made a reservation, he would arrive to find his table with books of matches and a reserved sign all imprinted with his name, as well as a card with a coin in a slot reimbursing him for his phone call. Alpha types jostled for table #1, while regulars glowed with the knowledge that their suavely jacketed waiter had remembered how many ice cubes they liked in their highballs. To keep up with escalating demand, in 1952 the Grubers opened a second place across the street, the Caucus Club. The 1980s turned out to be a tough decade for the Chop House. Les Gruber sold it in 1982, chef Schmidt left, and the new owner passed away. Despite efforts to keep it afloat, it closed in 1991.