History was made on 16 September 1977 when Andreas Grüntzig performed world’s first in-human coronary angioplasty procedure—paving the way for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to become the first-line approach for managing obstructive coronary lesions—but the procedure was not the only memorable event that year. Cardiovascular News looks back at some of the other major happenings of 1977 (for more events, see: www.onthisday.com)
- 20 January: Jimmy Carter becomes president of the USA
- 18 February: The space shuttle goes on its maiden flight (attached to a Boeing 747)
- 28 March: Rocky wins Best Picture at the 49th Academy Awards
- 16 April: The first mass-produced Apple computer, Apple II, introduced at the West Coast Computer Faire (released for sale two months later)
- 25 May: Stars Wars (later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope) hits cinemas
- 7 June: Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Silver Jubilee, which people across the UK celebrate by holding street parties
- 11 July: Martin Luther King is posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 16 August: Elvis Aaron Presley, dubbed the King of Rock and Roll, dies
- 10 September: Hamida Djandoubi becomes the last person to be executed by the guillotine and also the last person to be executed in Western Europe
- 7 October: UK band Queen release the song We are the champions, which has since become an anthem for winners of sporting events
- 22 November: British Airways starts a regular Concorde service between London and New York
- 25 December: Silent film star Charlie Chaplin, winner of three Academy Awards (two honorary and one for best score), dies.
