What a crazy year it's been! Similar to this year, 1976 was also full of events and surprises. Jimmy Carter was elected president, the United States celebrated its 200th birthday and Dorothy Hamill captured the hearts of the country at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. 

December was a relatively tame month compared to the spectacular year that was 1976, but there were still some notable moments.

Let's take a look at what the world looked like 40 years ago.

People 

People

In 1976, screen star Natalie Wood was married (once again) to Robert Wagner. The couple appeared in the television version of the film Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, made famous by Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in 1958. 

People

You wouldn't expect to see a rock group on the cover of a tabloid, yet here Led Zeppelin was on the cover of People. The band was promoting the concert film The Song Remains the Same, filmed three years earlier at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Time 

TIME

Entrepreneur Howard Hughes died earlier in 1976, but Time published an exclusive report about the man behind the money and the fame later on that year. 

TV Guide 

TV Guide

Walter Cronkite was the king of the nightly news in 1976 on CBS. But NBC also had a nightly news show anchored by David Brinkley and John Chancellor, which tried to match the ratings of "the most trusted man in America." 

TV Guide

The third season of Rhoda premiered in 1976, with drama ensuing right off the bat. Joe leaves Rhoda, and viewers freak out. The show fell from #7 to #32 in the Nielsen ratings that season.

Rolling Stone 

Rolling Stone

The "Running on Empty" singer released the album The Pretender in 1976. It was a rough year for Jackson Browne, with his first wife, Phyllis Major, committing suicide before the album's release. 

Rolling Stone

Maurice Sendak, the famous author of Where the Wild Things Are, got an illustration on the cover of Rolling Stone to celebrate the Christmas season. Earlier in the year, he published the book Some Swell Pup; Or, Are You Sure You Want a Dog?

Tiger Beat 

Tiger Beat

1976 was the last year John Travolta was known solely as a teen sensation. The next year, Saturday Night Fever was released, and the rest is history. Taking the place of John Travolta on the cover of Tiger Beat was the Bay City Rollers, who were just starting to grab teens' attention by the time 1977 rolled around. 

Cosmopolitan 

Cosmopolitan

It was a busy year for Elizabeth Taylor, who divorced Richard Burton for the second time and married John Warner. She also starred in the critically panned film, The Blue Bird.