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Earl Green is the creator, curator, and head writer of theLogBook.com.

The Chicxulub Crater Theory

BOOOOOOOOOMIn the journal Science, in an article titled “Extraterrestrial Cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction”, Nobel-Prize-winning physicist Luis Alvarez and his son, geologist Walter Alvarez, propose their theory that the 110-mile-wide Chicxulub Crater discovered in the past few decades on the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is evidence of a large asteroid collision with Earth, resulting in the widespread death of the dinosaurs 65 million years before the modern day. A contentious peer review of the published theory follows, with many opposing theories proposed, though the Chicxulub hypothesis is eventually accepted as the “smoking gun” that killed the dinosaurs (the theory of an asteroid collision with Earth causing the extinction had been in circulation since the 1950s; the Alvarez theory is the first to point to a specific geological feature as evidence).

Xanadu soundtrack

XanaduMCA Records releases an album of songs from the upcoming movie musical Xanadu, with the first side of the LP devoted to songs performed by Electric Light Orchestra, and the other filled with songs by Olivia Newton-John (who also stars in the film). Hit singles from the album include the ELO/ONJ team-up “Xanadu”, Olivia Newton-John’s “Magic”, and ELO’s “All Over The World” and “I’m Alive”. The album is a bigger hit with critics and the public than the movie (which premieres well after the album’s release). Read more

Adventure (Atari 2600)

Atari 2600Atari releases the Adventure cartridge for the Atari VCS home video game system. Designed and programmed by Warren Robinett, Adventure is the first of its kind – a VCS game with a playing field larger than the TV screen, mapped out in the program’s memory – but later becomes better remembered for one “room” in the game’s maze which contains the programmer’s name, one of the earliest video game “Easter eggs.” Read more

Astro Invader

Astro InvaderChicago-based pinball manufacturer Stern makes one of its earliest forays into the booming video game industry with an altered version of the hit game Space Invaders, retitled Astro Invader. The game proves successful enough for Stern to invest in development of original games. Read more

Soyuz 37

Soyuz 37The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 37 on a week-long mission to visit space station Salyut 6. Part of the Interkosmos series, Soyuz 37 carries an international crew consisting of veteran cosmonaut Viktor Gorbatko and the first Vietnamese space traveler, Pham Tuan. Joint experiments are conducted with the long-duration crew of Salyut 6/Soyuz 35, and the Soyuz 37 crew departs in the Soyuz 36 capsule on July 31st, leaving the station crew with a fresh vehicle with which to make their own return home.

Moon Cresta

Moon CrestaJapanese import Moon Cresta bursts into American arcades, challenging veterans of previous slide-and-shoot space games to dodge its never-ending waves of multi-colored invaders. Also on display is the best metaphor ever for “extra lives”: the player has to assemble a three-stage rocket to fight off the attackers. Read more

Tales Of The Unexpected: The Flypaper

Tales Of The UnexpectedITV airs the 26th episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. This episode opens the third season, the first season in which adaptations of Dahl’s short stories are in the minority, with more original scripts and adaptations of works by other writers.

More about Tales Of The Unexpected in theLogBook.com Store

Han Solo and the Lost Legacy

Han Solo and the Lost LegacyBallantine Books publishes the third in a trilogy of original novels based on the Star Wars characters Han Solo and Chewbacca, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy by Brian Daley. All three books chronicle the misadventures of everyone’s favorite Corellian smuggler and his Wookiee sidekick – and avoid clashing with the recently-released sequel The Empire Strikes Back by setting these events before Star Wars itself. Hear about it on the Sci-Fi 5 podcast

Doctor Who: The Leisure Hive, Part 1

Doctor WhoThe 526th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the first story produced by John Nathan-Turner, who remains as showrunner through the series’ cancellation in 1989, and features a redesigned title sequence and – for the first time in the series’ history – a major revision to the theme tune. Adrienne Corri and Nigel Lambert guest star. Season 18 begins with this episode. Read more

Doctor Who: The Leisure Hive, Part 2

Doctor WhoThe 527th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the first story produced by John Nathan-Turner. Adrienne Corri and Nigel Lambert guest star.

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

GOES-4 goes up

GOES-4NOAA’s GOES-4 Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite is launched from Cape Canaveral into a geosynchronous orbit over 98 degrees west longitude on Earth, a position which will change several times over GOES-4’s career until 1988, allowing it to monitor weather over the continental United States and Europe. In 1988, GOES-4 will become the first satellite to be boosted into a “graveyard” parking orbit using its remaining propellant, leaving it intact in a higher-than-geostationary orbit to avoid collisions with operational satellites.

Doctor Who: The Leisure Hive, Part 3

Doctor WhoThe 528th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the first story produced by John Nathan-Turner. Adrienne Corri and Nigel Lambert guest star.

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

Hammer House Of Horror: Witching Time

Hammer House Of HorrorThe first episode of the Hammer Studios-produced horror anthology series Hammer House Of Horror premieres on ITV. Patricia Quinn (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and Ian McCulloch (Survivors) guest star in an episode written by Antony Read (Doctor Who).

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.