Do you remember your license plate number from 1979? 

I do.  Since mine ended in an odd number, I could buy gasoline on Mondays and Wednesdays. As a teenage driver, I felt that filling up my 1967 VW at 75 cents a gallon was economic hardship enough.  When prices soared to more than $1.20 a gallon, I vowed never to drive again! 

 

The Jimmy Carter administration began phased decontrol of oil prices in April when the average price of crude oil was $15.85 a barrrel. Later in 1979, the price jumped to $39.50. This did not boost the supply of gasoline. The result: long lines and rationing, along with short tempers and vows to "never let it happen again!"