Pop Culture Happenings: October
Find out what happened in pop culture 50, 40 and 25 years ago.
October of 50, 40 and 25 years ago saw Ali KO George, Arnold hunt for Sarah Connor and festival goers attend the “anti-Woodstock.”
1974
50 years ago
On Oct. 30, 1974, boxers Muhammed Ali and George Foreman faced off in the “Rumble in the Jungle.” The bout took place in Kinshasa, Zaire — now the Democratic Republic of the Congo — and people favored Foreman, the “undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,” to win. The event had an attendance of 60,000 people and was one of the most-watched televised events at the time. Ali introduced his “rope-a-dope” tactic by leaning against the ropes of the boxing ring to draw non-injuring offensive punches to tire Foreman out. In a major upset, Ali won by a knockout in the eighth round.
1984
40 years ago
On Oct. 26, 1984, “The Terminator” opened, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in his most iconic role. Written and directed by James Cameron, the film follows the Terminator, a cybernetic assassin, sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton, whose unborn son will one day save mankind from extinction by Skynet, a hostile artificial intelligence in a post-apocalyptic future. The film’s success launched Cameron’s film career, solidified Schwarzenegger’s status as a leading man, and led to a franchise consisting of several sequels, a television series, comic books, novels and video games.
1999
25 years ago
On Oct. 9 and 10, 1999, the inaugural Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. Artists headlining the event were Beck, Tool and Rage Against the Machine. With the festival, cofounders Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen strove to recreate European music festivals with small crowds in a great setting with plenty of turntables. By booking acts based on artistry rather than radio popularity, Coachella earned the title of “the anti-Woodstock.” The event went smoothly, with the well-behaved crowd starkly contrasting with the violence that plagued Woodstock ’99 earlier that July. The biggest challenges to Coachella concert goers were temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit and decisions about which of the 80-plus acts to attend.
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