On this day

October 17, 1977

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from October 17, 1977

CUOMO IS SWITCHING CAMPAIGN STRATEGY

By Frank Lynn

Koch and Cuomo, moving into intensive final 3 wks of mayoral campaign, have switched roles from those they held at time of Dem mayoral primary-switch that has apparently produced switch in strategy of Cuomo but not that of Koch; Cuomo says he sees 'extraordinary convolution of roles'; notes that Koch started as 'outsider' while he (Cuomo) was perceived as 'establishment' candidate; is seeking now to depict Koch as establishment candidate; Goodman is campaigning hard to avoid devastating defeat that could jeopardize his pol future (L)

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Port Authority, Shaken by Scandals, Forced to Accept Greater Scrutiny

By Ralph Blumenthal

Auth accepts closer governmental scrutiny in light of recent disclosures of financial irregularities by top officials; is being forced to disclose long-shielded inner workings to auditors and investigators; results of inquiries into Auth's operations detailed; current audits of agency's finances noted; recent charges against agency revd (M)

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Administration Is Moving Strongly To Defend Arms‐Accord Proposal

By Richard Burt Special to The New York Times

Carter Adm, reacting to growing Cong and defense establishment concern over new Soviet-Amer accord on limiting stragetic arms, has begun strong campaign for it; high Adm official says it meets White House objectives for arms control and represents 'much better deal' than '72 agreement reached between Pres Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev or '74 Vladivostok pact outlined by Brezhnev and Pres Ford; 1 question being raised is whether proposed limits on new generation of Soviet multiple warhead missiles (MIRVs) are adequate (L)

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of October 12, 1977, covering October 17, 1977.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

    Rumours

    Fleetwood Mac

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    34
  2. 2
    Album cover for Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt

    Simple Dreams

    Linda Ronstadt

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    4
  3. 3
    Album cover for Shaun Cassidy by Shaun Cassidy

    Shaun Cassidy

    Shaun Cassidy

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    17
  4. 4
    Album cover for Moody Blue by Elvis Presley

    Moody Blue

    Elvis Presley

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    13
  5. 5
    Album cover for Foreigner by Foreigner

    Foreigner

    Foreigner

    Last week
    6
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    30

Notable Births

Dudu Aouate

1977Dudu Aouate, Israeli footballer[†]

David "Dudu" Aouate is an Israeli retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Alimi Ballard

1977Alimi Ballard, American actor and producer[†]

Alimi Ballard is an American television actor. He is best known for his role as FBI agent David Sinclair on the CBS police procedural thriller Numb3rs (2005–2010), as well as the Quizmaster from Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

1977Bryan Bertino, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter[†]

Bryan Michael Bertino is an American filmmaker. He is best known as the writer/director of The Strangers (2008), as well as writing its sequel, The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018), with Ben Ketai.

1977Walter Calderón, Ecuadorian footballer[†]

Walter Richard Calderón Carcelén, nicknamed Mamita is a retired Ecuadorian football player.

Marko Antonio Cortés Mendoza

1977Marko Antonio CortĂ©s Mendoza, Mexican politician[†]

Marko Antonio Cortés Mendoza is a Mexican politician affiliated with the National Action Party (PAN). He currently serves in the Chamber of Deputies for the LXIII Legislature of the Mexican Congress, representing the state of Michoacån and the fifth electoral region.

1977Ryan McGinley, American photographer[†]

Ryan McGinley is an American photographer and lives in New York City. He began taking photographs in 1998. In 2003, at the age of 25, he was one of the youngest artists to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art. He was named Photographer of the Year in 2003 by American Photo Magazine. In 2007, he was given the Young Photographer Infinity Award by the International Center of Photography. In 2009, he was honored at The Young Collectors Council's Artists Ball at the Guggenheim Museum. A 2014 GQ article declared McGinley, "the most important photographer in America."

André Villas-Boas

1977AndrĂ© Villas-Boas, Portuguese footballer and manager[†]

Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas is a Portuguese sports executive, and former professional football manager, who is currently the president of Portuguese sports club Porto. He was among the growing number of top-level managers who never played football professionally, and one of the few managers to have never played beyond youth football.

Historical Events

Lufthansa Flight 181

1977The hijacked Lufthansa Flight 181 lands in Mogadishu. The remaining hostages are later rescued.[†]

Lufthansa Flight 181, a Boeing 737-230C jet airliner named Landshut, was hijacked on 13 October 1977 by four militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine while en route from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to Frankfurt am Main, West Germany. The hijacking aimed to secure the release of eleven notorious Red Army Faction leaders held in West German prisons and two Palestinians held in Turkey. This event was part of the so-called German Autumn, intended to increase pressure on the West German government. The hijackers diverted the flight to several locations before ending in Mogadishu, Somalia, where the crisis concluded in the early morning hours of 18 October 1977 under the cover of darkness. The West German counter-terrorism unit GSG 9, with ground support from the Somali Armed Forces, stormed the aircraft, rescuing all 87 passengers and four crew members. The captain of the flight was killed by the hijackers earlier in the ordeal.

Historical Context for October 17, 1977

In 1977, the world population was approximately 4,217,863,796 people[†]