In the capsule today…
We find a UFO film, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The Air Force and NASA declined to cooperate on the film… and NASA sent a twenty-page letter to Spielberg telling him that the film was dangerous.
We find the first state execution after the reinstatement of the death penalty. The convicted prisoner, Gary Gilmore, inspired songs, books... and later a successful shoe campaign for Nike, created by Portland advertising guru Dan Weiden.
And we find a song on the radio by Styx. The track was written about the band struggling to break through to the next level. Until this song, Styx always found themselves as the support act, and never the headliner.
What is the year? (answer below).
The year... 1977!