
Can you solve these 25 real Jeopardy! clues about the '70s?
Can you solve these 25 real Jeopardy! clues about the '70s?
As of early October 2025, "Jeopardy!" has been stumping contestants and audiences alike with nearly 552,000 clues over the course of its 60-year run. Categories have spanned the imagination, with "Before and After" reigning as the most-used category in "Jeopardy!" history and "What is China?" as the top answer.
In honor of the show's 42nd season, which premiered on Sept. 8, 2025, Stacker compiled a list of 25 clues about the 1970s, using the J! Archive. Ken Jennings, who won the "Jeopardy! Greatest" title and took over as host after Alex Trebek's death in November 2020, used the J! Archive to brush up on his skills before dominating the All-Star Tournament in 2019. The site also reportedly helped IBM's Watson computer beat the show's all-time leading money winner Brad Rutter in 2011.
Clues span a number of subjects, from music and movies to sports and science. The clues also range in difficulty, from easy $100 hints to $1,600 clues that should give even the nimblest historians a run for their money. You may recall easily the name of the film with characters Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski, or the man convicted of killing Martin Luther King Jr.—although, naming the James that headed the CIA, and served as secretary of defense and secretary of energy in the 1970s may prove a little tougher.
For each clue slide, information about the category and value, along with when the episode ran is included. The following slide will provide the answer, as well as some facts and information about the answer's relevance to the 1970s.
Keep reading to see if you can solve these real "Jeopardy!" clues about the '70s—and don't forget to put your answer in the form of a question.
Clue #1
- Clue: One story says this 1970s daredevil got his rhyming nickname after crashing his motorcycle while being chased by police as a teen.
- Category: THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
- Value: $1,200
- Date episode aired: Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020
Answer #1: Who is Evel Knievel?
Clad in a star-spangled leather costume, the Montana-born motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel defied death in the '70s while jumping over cars, rattlesnakes, and caged cougars. He also suffered severe physical trauma and underwent 15 major operations. The former Army paratrooper successfully pursued thrills after the military, becoming an "ABC Wide World of Sports" celebrity with an Ideal toy line created in his image.
Clue #2
- Clue: In 1972, Mujibur Rahman became the first prime minister of this new Asian nation for which a concert was held in 1971.
- Category: THE 1970s
- Value: $400
- Date episode aired: Thursday, March 12, 1998

Answer #2: What is Bangladesh?
"The Concert for Bangladesh," featuring George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, announced the new Asian nation's foundation in 1971. The album's songs include "My Sweet Lord," "That's the Way God Planned It," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Harrison released a second disc 34 years later in 2005, which featured artist interviews and never-before-seen rehearsal and soundcheck music sets.
Clue #3
- Clue: In the 1960s and 1970s, he was professional golf's leading money winner eight times.
- Category: SPORTS
- Value: $400
- Date episode aired: Friday, Oct. 4, 1991
Answer #3: Who is Jack Nicklaus?
Jack Nicklaus captured eight of his record-setting 18 career major championship titles in the 1970s. He led the money list in 1972—his highest earning season—at $317,000, the equivalent of about $2 million in 2020 dollars, while 54 players on PGA Tour made more than that in 2020. His 73 career victories rank third all-time, behind Sam Snead and Tiger Woods, who each have 82.
Clue #4
- Clue: 1973: Against a black background, a prism bends a beam of light into a colorful spectrum.
- Category: 1970s ALBUM COVERS
- Value: $600
- Date episode aired: Friday, Feb. 18, 2005
Answer #4: What is 'Dark Side of the Moon?'
Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," briefly titled "Eclipse," has sold 45 million copies worldwide since its 1973 release. Tthe album's prism graphic, designed by George Hardie, was hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the most iconic designs to ever grace an LP.
Clue #5
- Clue: On July 2, 1976, these two Asian countries officially reunited.
- Category: THE 1970s
- Value: $1,000
- Date episode aired: Friday, Sept. 20, 1991
Answer #5: What are North and South Vietnam?
Since being divided by the 1954 Geneva Agreement, North and South Vietnam officially reconciled after more than 20 years of combat. Hanoi radio announced the New Socialists Republic of Vietnam, made up of 492 members worldwide, reporting, "At this moment, 8:30 a.m. [9:30 p.m. Thursday New York time] on July 2, 1976, the Vietnamese nation is officially considered as a unified country from Cao Lang to Cau Mau."
Clue #6
- Clue: This American resigned his World Chess Championship in 1974.
- Category: THE 1970s
- Value: $400
- Date episode aired: Thursday, Feb. 16, 1995
Answer #6: Who is Bobby Fischer?
Chicago-born Bobby Fischer battled and won the worldwide chess tournament against the tremendous Russian Boris Spassky in 1972, halting the Soviet Union's 35-year winning streak. Fischer's fame came during the height of the United States and Russian nuclear missile fight in the 70s, with The New York Times reporting that the match between the two foreigners was the cold war fought with chess pieces. Fischer renounced his title in 1974 in protest over new rules from the International Chess.
Clue #7
- Clue: During the 1970s, he served as CIA director, secretary of defense and secretary of energy.
- Category: JIMS & JAMESES
- Value: $1,000
- Date episode aired: Friday, Nov. 24, 1995
Answer #7: Who is James Schlesinger?
Serving under presidents Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon, James Schlesinger became one of the most notable American intelligence and defense officials. Schlesinger, who also authored "The Political Economy of National Security," charged the United States to remain superior to other countries on land, air, and water during his post-Vietnam tenure.

Clue #8
- Clue: Full name of the show on which Bill Bixby became angry, became too big for his shirt, and became Lou Ferrigno.
- Category: 1970s TV
- Value: $1,200
- Date episode aired: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015
Answer #8: What is 'The Incredible Hulk?'
Seven-foot tall, bright green, and filled with righteous anger, "The Incredible Hulk" ran from 1977 to 1982 on CBS. The five muscle-packed seasons centered on David Banner, a scientist played by Bill Bixby, who becomes a guinea pig in his trial. Played by renowned bodybuilder at the time, Lou Ferrigno, the Hulk character always had to hoodwink reporter Jack McGee, who wanted to break the story on the green menace born from an experiment gone wrong.
Clue #9
- Clue: This 1970s book, later a movie, told the true and gripping tale of survival in the Andes after a 1972 plane crash.
- Category: FROM A TO E
- Value: $1,600
- Date episode aired: Friday, Dec. 21, 2007
Answer #9: What is 'Alive'?
The 1972 Andes plane crash survivor Roberto Canessa said he would never forget making the first incision in the human body he had to eat to survive in the Argentina mountains. The harrowing book chronicoling the experiences of Canessa and his fellow 16 survivors was turned into a 1993 major motion picture by the same name.

Clue #10
- Clue: It was the only prime-time TV series to be #1 in the ratings in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
- Category: THE ONE AND ONLY
- Value: $400
- Date episode aired: Tuesday, May 22, 2001
Answer #10: What is '60 Minutes'?
"60 Minutes" has been a fixture in Sunday evening TV-watching for decades, informing viewers of critical domestic and global reports with top correspondents including Andy Rooney, Lesley Stahl, and Mike Wallace. The show received the most Emmy Award nominations and wins over any other broadcast network news show in television history.
Clue #11
- Clue: In the 1970s you paid a $40 adoption fee for Little People, the precursor to these dolls that came with birth certificates.
- Category: TOYS
- Value: $800
- Date episode aired: Friday, Jan. 10, 2020
Answer #11: What are Cabbage Patch Kids?
Toy designer Xavier Roberts' hand-stitched dolls with official birth certificate became one of the most hottest gender-neutral toys sold in 1976. By the early '80s, the adolescent adoption idea was all the roar and remained more than just a rag doll fad. Cabbage Patch Kids dolls traveled to the moon on a 1985 space shuttle mission, served as mascot for the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic teams, and were commemorated in 2001 with a "Celebrate the Celebrity" postage stamp.
Clue #12
- Clue: These very brief and close-fitting shorts for women first became fashionable in the 1970s.
- Category: I'M GETTING "HOT"
- Value: $400
- Date episode aired: Friday, March 29, 2002

Answer #12: What are hot pants?
With an inseam of two inches or less, 1970s hot pants were a heated fashion fad that showed off more of female legs than ever before. Initially designed in the 1930s as sports and swimwear, the high-cut shorts in the '70s were paired with everything from heels to high boots. The denim version of hot pants got branded "Daisy Dukes" a decade later when actress Catherine Bach wore them on the '80s TV show "Dukes of Hazzard."
Clue #13
- Clue: In a board game based on this 1972-74 government scandal, the last person to stay out of jail is the winner.
- Category: THE 1970s
- Value: $600
- Date episode aired: Monday, Feb. 18, 1991
Answer #13: What is 'Watergate'?
Richard Nixon's resignation from the presidency due to the notorious Watergate scandal became a popular board game in the '70s. In the game, which includes the complete Watergate history, one player represents the Nixon administration while other plays take on roles as investigative journalists such as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the real-life Washington Post reporters who scooped America's biggest political crime.
Clue #14
- Clue: He played sheriff Sam Cade in the early 1970s drama "Cade's County."
- Category: TELEVISION
- Value: $500
- Date episode aired: Monday, Jan. 29, 1990

Answer #14: Who is Glenn Ford?
After being discovered by a Twentieth Century Fox talent scout in 1939, Candian-born Glenn Ford became one of Hollywood's leading men, most notably playing opposite Rita Hayworth in the blockbuster "Gilda." This particular role was unique since it was the first one Ford, born with the name Gwyllyn Samuel Newton, played since returning from active duty in World War II.
Clue #15
- Clue: In the 1970s, this was rampant, raising prices 14% a year, and the president declared it public enemy #1.
- Category: BACK IN THE 20TH CENTURY
- Value: $400
- Date episode aired: Friday, Dec. 6, 2019
Answer #15: What is inflation?
President Gerald Ford preached that "public enemy #1" in 1974 was inflation, prompting immediate action to address it. Ford developed Whip Inflation Now (WIN), a policy that encouraged Americans to curb spending and save money in order to fight the rising prices of life.
Clue #16
- Clue: Rock royalty since the 1970s, this guitarist wrote "We Will Rock You."
- Category: CLASSIC ROCK GUITARISTS
- Value: $1,200
- Date episode aired: Friday, Nov. 8, 2019
Answer #16: Who is Brian May?
Full credit for "We Will Rock You" goes to song author and Queen's lead guitarist Brian May. The England-born May made his first guitar out of firewood, which he would bust out intermittently at live Queen concerts or album recordings. May is also notable for his animal rights activism and advanced degrees in physics.
Clue #17
- Clue: In the 1970s he played Joe Valachi, Vince Majestyk and an Apache named Chato.
- Category: THE MOVIES
- Value: $400
- Date episode aired: Monday, Nov. 15, 1991
Answer #17: Who is Charles Bronson?
Charles Bronson gained worldwide fame with several '70s character roles, but he was already a real-life hero. One of 15 children, the Pennsylvania-born actor earned the Purple Heart for his aircraft gunner service in World War II under his surname Buchinsky.
Clue #18
- Clue: On June 10, 1977, this man convicted of killing Martin Luther King, Jr. escaped from a Tennessee prison.
- Category: THE 1970s
- Value: $100
- Date episode aired: Wednesday, March 16, 1994
Answer #18: Who is James Earl Ray?
Despite being found guilty of murdering one of the greatest civil rights leaders of all time, Martin Luther King Jr.'s family maintains James Earl Ray is not King's murderer. Up until her death in 2006, Coretta Scott King continued to denounce any charges against Ray, rather pointing to the American government and the mafia for killing her husband on April 4, 1968.
Clue #19
- Clue: He sang "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" about attempting to take his own life when engaged to an onion heiress.
- Category: THE 1970s MUSIC SCENE
- Value: $800
- Date episode aired: Friday, Jan. 7, 2005
Answer #19: Who is Elton John?
In "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," the lyrics detail Sir Elton John's state-of-mind while considering marriage to Linda Woodrow in 1970. It was not until six years later that the performer, winner of six Grammy Awards, came out in a 1976 Rolling Stone interview, further clarifying why the artist expressed his fear years earlier of marrying a woman.
Clue #20
- Clue: For her work in Calcutta, this tireless Catholic nun won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.
- Category: ANCIENT HISTORY: THE 1970s
- Value: $400
- Date episode aired: Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1999
Answer #20: Who is Mother Teresa?
Canonized as Saint Teresa in 2016, the Albanian Catholic nun is one of the most altruistic missionaries of all time, founding a hospice program in a leper colony. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, Mother Theresa took her vows in 1937 and in 1946 began serving on the slum-ridden Calcutta streets, which earned her the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.
Clue #21
- Clue: Director Cameron Crowe's experience as a teenage rock journalist inspired this movie set in the early 1970s.
- Category: GROOVY MOVIE
- Value: $1600
- Date episode aired: Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Answer #21: What is 'Almost Famous'?
The semi-autobiographical film "Almost Famous" spearheaded A-lister Kate Hudson's career while depicting Cameron Crowe's breakout into journalism writing for Rolling Stone as a teenager. Crowe and his wife Nancy Wilson, vocalist and backup guitarist for Heart, authored some of the soundtrack songs from the movie on their honeymoon more than 15 years earlier.
Clue #22
- Clue: Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski end up together in this musical that opened Valentine's Day, 1972.
- Category: THE 1970s
- Value: $200
- Date episode aired: Thursday, March 12, 1998
Answer #22: What is 'Grease'?
After its off-Broadway opening in 1972 and continuing Broadway run, "Grease" became the quintessential coming-of-age high school musical. John Travolta, who played Danny, and Olivia Newton-John, who characterized Sandy, brought the Alan Carr production to the big screen in 1978, shooting at Venice High School in Los Angeles.
Clue #23
- Clue: 1970s: "This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off."
- Category: MOVIE ENDING LINE OF THE DECADE
- Value: $1200
- Date episode aired: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013
Answer #23: What is 'Alien'?
Directed by Ridley Scott, the original 1979 release of "Alien" starring Sigourney Weaver depicts the Nostromo spaceship astronauts discovering a hive colony on the moon. The classic '70s sci-fi film got three sequels that kicked off with director James Cameron's 1986 continuation, "Aliens."
Clue #24
- Clue: Her CB handle in the 1970s was First Mama.
- Category: A FORD IN YOUR FUTURE
- Value: $400
- Date episode aired: Thursday, July 15, 2004
Answer #24: Who is Betty Ford?
"Big Mama" First Lady Betty Ford spoke CB radio with the best of them in her time, all the while fighting for women's rights and discussing abortion and premarital sex aloud and without regret. Her unapologetic frankness about her substance abuse history and breast cancer battle was a breath of fresh air in the White House, paving the way for future hostesses who would assume her role. In 1982, the First Lady opened the Betty Ford Center, a renowned substance abuse facility in California.
Clue #25
- Clue: Philip Bailey was the mesmerizing lead falsetto singer of this 1970s funk supergroup abbreviated EWF.
- Category: GET YOUR PHIL
- Value: $1,000
- Date episode aired: Monday, May 24, 2004
Answer #25: Who is Earth, Wind & Fire?
Decades after Earth, Wind & Fire belted out hit tunes including "Boogie Wonderland," "Let's Groove," and "Shining Star," the nine-member group of R&B heavyweights got inducted into the Hall of Fame by Lil' Kim. The group, co-founded by Maurice White, also won the 2016 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.