January 17 - Gary Gilmore becomes the first prisoner to be executed in ten years.
January 20 - Jimmy Carter becomes the 39th U.S. President.
February 4 - A commuter train in Chicago, Illinois falls from an elevated track to the street below with a loss of 11 lives.
February 28 - The first killer whale to be born in captivity occurs at Marineland in Los Angeles, California.
May 22 - Janet Guthrie is the first U.S. woman to be qualified to compete in the Indianapolis 500 race.
June 22 - B. G. Kelly and D. L. Wilson are the first women assigned to serve aboard a U.S. Coast Guard ship.
July 7 - The first female member of the Civil Aeronautics Board, E. E. Bailey, is appointed.
July 20 - A blackout occurs in New York City after an electrical storm.
August 4 - The Department of Energy is created.
August 16 - Elvis Aron Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, dies at his home in Memphis, Tennessee.
September 29 - Eva Shain becomes the first woman to referee a heavyweight championship when she monitors the fight between Ali and Shavers in New York City.
October 4 - New Jersey and Pennsylvania are the first states with daily lotteries to have the same winning number.
December 22 - The first border-to-border national highway, Interstate 75, is dedicated.
