'Johnny B. Goode' is now travelling through interstellar space: on 25 August 2012 Voyager 1, carrying its Golden Record, became the first human-made craft to enter interstellar space.

1977 · 2012 · apart: 35 years

◍ Show on the globe

The event

• The Voyager Golden Record1977 · Cape Canaveral, USA. In 1977 both Voyagers carried gilded records for any aliens: greetings in 55 languages, whale songs, laughter, Bach, Mozart and Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode'. When a folklorist objected that rock was adolescent, Carl Sagan replied: 'There are a lot of adolescents on the planet.'

20th century · 21st century

More amazing facts

• 1974 In one month of 1974 a soldier who had ignored the end of the war for 29 years gave up, and an army that had waited 2,200 years was found: Onoda surrendered on 10 March, the Terracotta Army turned up on 29 March.
• 1975 In 1975 an American became a millionaire selling ordinary stones.
• 1977 Star Wars came out in May 1977, and in September France carried out its last execution by guillotine.
• 1977 · 1980 The last person to catch smallpox naturally was a hospital cook in Somalia.
• 1977 The most famous 'alien' signal is named after a margin note.
• 1980 Pac-Man, his creator said, was dreamed up at lunch while looking at a pizza with a slice missing.

All amazing facts (1058) →