Culture & Life in Baltimore 1973

Secretariat
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As home to the Pimlico Racetrack and host to the Preakness Stakes, has always been horse-crazy. 1973 was a landmark year in horse racing as local favorite Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes (establishing a new record time and earning him the covers of Sports Illustrated, Time, and Newsweek), and the Belmont Stakes in New York in the same year, earning the first Triple Crown win since 1948, a feat which has to this day not yet been repeated. Watch Secretariat win the Belmont Stakes & the Triple Crown in the video on the right

Spiro Agnew
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Baltimore lost face in 1973 when its own son, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, was caught in a tax evasion and bribery scandal and forced to resign on criminal charges. Born to a working class Greek-American family, Agnew started his political career as Baltimore County Executive, became governor of Maryland, and served as Vice President of the United States under Nixon for five years. His popularity was credited to his support of fair and equal housing laws and interest in desegregating Maryland for good. Agnew remains both the highest-ranking Marylander and highest-ranking Greek-American in the government. His vacated position was filled by Gerald Ford, who went on to become President after Nixon resigned. Watch Spiro Agnew address the nation above, on the left.

Yom Kippur War/1973 Oil Crisis
thumb|300px|rightIn October 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in what became known as the Yom Kippur War. Though far away from Baltimore, the resulting oil embargo concurred upon by the nations of OPEC took a toll on American motorists, with gas shortages, rations, and price rises all across the country. The embargo came as a result of the oil-producing Arab World’s dislike of Nixon’s support of the Israeli military through Operation Nickel Grass. This oil crisis lasted for six months and was a wakeup call to many Americans about their country’s relationships with the nations that supplied them with energy. Watch WBAL Baltimore’s News Report on this above, on the left.

Prostitution in 1973 Read up on prostitution in the 1970s - specifically, the role of call girls (such as The Girl) and johns. For videos on prostitution in the 1970s, check out the sights and sounds page.