SH&TNS - 1979 Rewind: Joe Clark, Slime, and Sudbury! A Nightshift History Mashup

Historian Craig Baird joins Shane Hewitt and the Nightshift to talk about Joe Clark who was sworn in as the youngest Prime Minister in Canadian history in June of 1979. More Canadian history at CanadaEHX.com 

Later we take a look at 1979 through the eyes of Ed Conroy, founder of RetrOntario. He talks about iconic television greats like  "You Can't Do That on Television", a Canadian sketch comedy show that aired from 1979 to 2004, known for its slapstick humor and the introduction of Nickelodeon's iconic slime, Conroy also talks about the first entry in the Degrassi franchise and the only one to focus on children instead of teenagers, it follows the lives of a group of children living on De Grassi Street in Toronto. 

Shane Hewitt takes us back, with stories from June 1979. Key events included Joe Clark's Canadian Prime Minister appointment, the end of the Sudbury Strike, and President Carter addressing economic issues. Entertainment highlights featured popular TV shows, disco music dominance, and the release of films like The Brood and Grease. The Soviet Union set a drilling record, and the second largest oil spill in history occurred.

Originally aired on 2025-06-05