Highway Patrol: Oil Lease

Mr. District AttorneyThe 48th episode of the syndicated series Highway Patrol, starring Broderick Crawford, is broadcast in the United States. This story, titled Prospector, is an early TV script written by future Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who has just retired from the Los Angeles Police Department, is also the show’s “technical advisor” on police procedure. This is the only Highway Patrol credited to Roddenberry’s real name instead of his Robert Wesley pseudonym. Hear more about it on the Gene-ology podcast

Luna 8

Luna 8Soviet engineers and space scientists come achingly close to succeeding in landing a robotic lunar lander on the moon’s surface. Luna 8, the latest in a long line of problem-plagued would-be moon explorers, lifts off. A new, improved version of the nearly 3,500-pound spacecraft, Luna 8 manages to last longer than the previous three attempts at Luna landers, but loses control mere minutes from a safe touchdown, crashing into the moon instead. The Soviet Union will finally achieve a safe landing on the moon just two months later with Luna 9.

Doctor Who: The Power Of The Daleks, Part 5

Doctor WhoThe 139th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC, continuing the first adventure of the second Doctor. This episode is now missing from the BBC’s archives.

This timeline entry leads to an entry covering this entire Doctor Who serial; there are plans to write new episodic entries in the future. You can support this effort!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store

Pioneer 10: Jupiter’s first visitor from Earth

JupiterNASA’s Pioneer 10 space probe, launched in 1972 and boosted to unprecedented speeds by a three-stage rocket, makes its closest pass to the planet Jupiter, the first human-made vehicle to do so. Zooming past Jupiter’s equator at a distance of less than 100,000 miles, Pioneer 10’s electronics are nearly fried by the giant planet’s intense radiation. Pioneer 10 presses on toward the edge of the solar system, continuing to report back through the 1990s.

Robert’s Robots: C For Chaos

Robert's RobotsThe fourth episode of the British comedy series Robert’s Robots airs on ITV licensee Thames Television, starring John Clive (A Clockwork Orange, Yellow Submarine) as eccentric inventor Robert Sommerby and Nigel Pegram as one of his robot creations. Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who, Sense8, The Hobbit) guest stars.

More about Robert’s Robots in the LogBook

Starship 1

Starship 1One of the very first first-person space games is introduced to arcades by Atari. Despite its flickery graphics, Starship 1 gives would-be space heroes the chance to take aim at the bad guys; perhaps showing the enduring power of a certain science fiction series, Starship 1’s friendly ships look suspiciously like the U.S.S. Enterprise, while its enemy targets look somewhat like Klingon ships. Read more

Doctor Who: The Sun Makers, Part 2

Doctor WhoThe 467th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Michael Keating (Blake’s 7) guest stars.

This timeline entry leads to an entry covering this entire Doctor Who serial; there are plans to write new episodic entries in the future. You can support this effort!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store

Intellivision

IntellivisionAfter over a year of play testing and preparation, Mattel Electronics launches the first major competitor to the market-dominating Atari VCS video game console: Intellivision (short for “Intelligent Television”). Boasting superior graphics and a library of the first-ever licensed sports titles (though licensed by various pro sports leagues, rather than by specific teams or individuals), Intellivision is well-poised to enter a market where sports games are all-important. Read more

The Odyssey File

The Odyssey FileBallantine Books publishes The Odyssey File by Arthur C. Clarke and filmmaker Peter Hyams, chronicling the authors’ collaboration to translate Clarke’s novel 2010: Odyssey Two into the film 2010: The Year We Make Contact. Their lengthy international correspondence in 1983 and early 1984 was conducted by then-groundbreaking means of pre-internet e-mail exchanges. Read more

Hammer House Of Mystery And Suspense: Czech Mate

Hammer House Of Mystery And SuspenseThe tenth episode of the Hammer Studios-produced horror anthology series Hammer House Of Mystery And Suspense airs on ITV; the series will be shown later in the U.S. under the title Fox Mystery Theatre. Susan George (Straw Dogs) and Patrick Mower (Emmerdale Farm) guest star.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.

Twilight Zone: Acts Of Terror

The Twilight ZoneThe 46th episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs in syndication. Melanie Mayron (thirtysomething) stars in an episode written by J. Michael Straczynsi (Babylon 5, Jeremiah, Sense8).

This series is not fully chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
More about The Twilight Zone in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
The Twilight Zone now streaming on Paramount Plus

Superman: Episode 12

SupermanCBS airs the 12th episode of the animated series Superman, starring the voices of Beau Weaver and Ginny McSwain, and comprised of two stories: Night Of The Living Shadows and Graduation. Linda Gary (Alien Worlds) guest stars.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
Superman now streaming on Amazon Prime

Superboy: The Alien Solution

SuperboyThe ninth episode of the syndicated Alexander and Ilya Salkind-produced Superboy series, starring John Haymes Newton and Stacy Haiduk, airs. The episode is written by Eisner Award-winning comic writers Mike Carlin (currently editor of DC’s Superman comics) and Andy Helfer.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.