Muhammad Ali retires as boxing champ on June 27, 1979

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; January 17, 1942) is an American former boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who is widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. After turning professional, he went on to become the first and only boxer to win the lineal heavyweight championship three times.

Originally known as Cassius Clay, Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975. In 1967, Ali refused to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. He was arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges, stripped of his boxing title, and his boxing license was suspended. He was not imprisoned, but did not fight again for nearly four years while his appeal worked its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was successful.

Nicknamed "The Greatest", Muhammad Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches.

Notable among these are three with rival Joe Frazier and one with George Foreman, whom he beat by knockout to win the world heavyweight title for the second time. He suffered only five losses (four decisions and one TKO by retirement from the bout) with no draws in his career, while amassing 56 wins (37 knockouts and 19 decisions). Ali was well known for his unorthodox fighting style, which he described as "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee", and employing techniques such as the rope-a-dope. He was also known for his pre-match hype, where he would "trash talk" opponents on television and in person some time before the match, often with rhymes. These personality quips and idioms, along with an unorthodox fighting technique, made him a cultural icon.

Retro History for June 27 The 50s 60s 70s 80s

Retro History For The Decade 1980

1988 Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spink in 91 seconds, in Atlantic City ($67m)
1988 Reds bat out of order against Padres in 1st inning
1986 Anne White shocks Wimbledon by wearing only a body stocking
1986 In referendum, Irish uphold ban on divorce
1986 Robby Thompson (SF) sets record, caught stealing 4 times in 1 game
1986 San Francisco Giant Robby Thompson is caught stealing record 4 times
1986 U.S. informs New Zealand it will not defend it against attack
1986 World Court rules U.S. aid to Nicaraguan contras illegal
1985 1st hotel strike in New York
1985 Route 66, Chicago to Santa Monica, is decertified
1984 Emmy 11th Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci loses for 5th time
1984 Fire destroys a set in "A View to the Kill"
1984 France wins soccer's European Cup
1984 Late Night's 1st Tower Drop
1984 Supreme Court ends NCAA monopoly on college football telecasts
1983 Highest price paid for painting by a living artist 960,200 pounds - Miro
1983 Mariners bat out of order against White Sox in 2nd inning
1983 NASA launches space vehicle S-205
1983 Soyuz T-9 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 7 space station
1982 "Dancin'" closes at Broadhurst Theater New York City after 1,774 performances
1982 "Play Me a Country Song" opens and closes at Virginia Theater New York City
1982 STS-4 Launch (Columbia)
1982 Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Rochester Golf International
1981 "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes returns to #1 slot
1981 Cambodia adopts its constitution
1981 Pamela Jenks, 21, crowned 14th Miss Black America
1980 1st female state police graduates, New Jersey
1980 Dodger's Jerry Reuss' no-hits San Francisco Giants 8-0
1980 Italian plane crashes into Tyrrheense Sea, kills 81
1980 U.S. revives draft registration

Retro History For The Decade 1970

1979 Muhammad Ali retires as boxing champ
1979 Supreme Court rules employers may use quotas to help minorities
1978 Henry Rono of Kenya sets record for 3,000 m, 7:32.1
1978 Soyuz 30 carries 2 cosmonauts (1 Polish) to Salyut 6 space station
1978 U.S. Seasat 1, 1st oceanographic satellite, launched into polar orbit
1977 5-4 Supreme Court decision allows lawyers to advertise
1977 Djibouti (Afars and Issas) claims Independence from France
1977 Willie McCovey smashes 2 home runs in inning for 2nd time (Apr 12, 1973)
1976 "Pacific Overtures" closes at Winter Garden New York City after 193 performances
1976 Air France Airbus hijacked in Germany to Uganda
1976 Israeli raid on Entebbe, Uganda
1976 Judy Rankin wins LPGA Babe Didrikson Zaharias Golf Invitational
1976 Portuguese general Antonio Eanes elected president
1974 "Flip Wilson Show," last airs on NBC-TV
1974 U.S. president Nixon visits U.S.S.R.
1973 "Live and Let Die" premieres in U.S.
1973 John W Dean tells Watergate Committee about Nixon's "enemies list"
1973 Uruguay suspends constitution
1971 "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" closes at Golden New York City after 31 performances
1971 26th U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship won by JoAnne Carner

Retro History For The Decade 1960

1969 50,000 attend Denver Pop Festival
1969 Honduras/El Salvador breaks diplomatic relations due to soccer match
1969 Police raid Stonewall Gay Bar in Greenwich Village, New York, about 400 to 1,000 patrons riot against police, it lasts 3 days
1968 Ludvik Vaculik publishes "Manifest of 2000 words" in Prague
1967 Race riot in Buffalo New York (200 arrested)
1966 1st sci-fi soap opera, "Dark Shadows," premieres on ABC-TV
1966 4th Mayor's Trophy Game; Yankees beat Mets 5-2
1965 Carol Mann wins LPGA Carling Golf Open
1964 "New Phil Silvers Show," last airs on CBS-TV
1964 Jan and Dean release "Little Old Lady From Pasadena"
1963 Bill J Kramer and Dakotas record Lennon and McCartney "I Call Your Name"
1963 President Kennedy spent 1st full day in Ireland
1963 USAF Major Robert A Rushworth in X-15 reaches 86,900 m
1963 Phillies Johnny Callison hits for cycle, but Phillie centerfielder Tony Gonzalez's error ends his record 205 consecutive errorless games
1962 NASA civilian pilot Joseph Walker takes X-15 to 6,606 kph, 37,700 m
1962 Ross Perot begins Electronic Data Systems, EDS
1960 British Somaliland becomes part of Somalia
1960 Chlorophyll "A" synthesized Cambridge Mass
1960 Oil pipe line from Rotterdam-Ruhrgebied opens

Retro History For The Decade 1950

1959 "West Side Story" closes at Winter Garden Theater New York City after 734 performances
1959 14th U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship won by Mickey Wright
1959 Players vote Henry Aaron unanimously for the All-Star Game
1958 Billy Pierce's perfect game bid broken with 2 outs in 9th
1958 Harry Burrell flies KC-135 record (5:27:42.8) New York to London
1957 Hurricane Audrey, kills 526 in Louisiana and Texas
1956 Indians trailing Orioles 9-1 come back to win 12-11 in 11 innings
1955 "Julius LaRosa Show," debuts on CBS-TV
1954 1st atomic power station opens (Obninsk, near Moscow, Russia)
1954 CIA-sponsored rebels overthrow elected government of Guatemala
1953 Joseph Laniel appointed French premier
1950 "Liar" closes at Broadhurst Theater New York City after 12 performances
1950 32nd PGA Championship: Chandler Harper at Scioto CC Columbus Ohio
1950 U.S. sends 35 military advisers to South Vietnam
1950 North Koreans troop reach Seoul, United Nations asks members to aid South Korea, Truman orders Air Force and Navy into Korean conflict


Have a groovy vintage retro sunshine day!


- Retro Rebirth
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Vintage Retro Music & Retro Pop Culture is our passion and what we LOVE. We keep it going everyday for the love of producing it for you to enjoy. Thanks for viewing. Much Peace! Muhammad Ali retires as boxing champ on June 27, 1979.