Ugandan dictator Idi Amin awarded himself the Victorious Cross and a string of grandiose titles, cementing a personality cult built on terror and absurdity.

George Lucas's space opera premiered in 32 US theaters, launching a franchise that reshaped Hollywood's approach to blockbusters and merchandising.

Apple Computer began shipping the Apple II, one of the first mass-produced personal computers, launching the home computing era.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline began carrying crude oil 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, reshaping American energy policy after the 1970s oil crisis.

U.S. and Panamanian negotiators finalize terms transferring eventual control of the Panama Canal to Panama, ending decades of dispute.

Apple Computer begins shipping the Apple II, one of the first mass-market personal computers, to retail stores across the United States.

NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched days earlier and now on its way, was checked into deep space cruise mode as engineers monitored its Grand Tour trajectory toward Jupiter.

Elvis Presley, 42, was found unresponsive on his bathroom floor at Graceland; he was pronounced dead that afternoon, stunning fans worldwide.

NASA launched Voyager 2 from Cape Canaveral, sending it on a grand tour past Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

NASA launched Voyager 1 aboard a Titan-Centaur rocket, beginning a grand tour of the outer planets that would make it the most distant human-made object in space.

Anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko died in police custody in South Africa after suffering severe head injuries during interrogation.

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, weeks after launch, photographed Earth and the Moon together in a single frame for the first time from deep space.

The U.S. Senate began ratification debate on treaties transferring the Panama Canal to Panama, a fight that would consume Congress for months.