GREENSBORO, N.C. — WFMY News 2 turns 75 this year so we are opening the News 2 Vault to celebrate.
On July 17, 1979, people around North Carolina and the country adjusted their thermostats after President Jimmy Carter gave a speech on conserving energy.
As part of the speech, he asked the American public to carpool or use public transportation, park their car one extra day per week to obey the speed limit, and set their thermostats to save fuel.
Here in North Carolina, people started making changes right away. Hanes Mall raised the thermostat to 78 degrees. State leaders urged state employees to adjust as well.
"We have thermostats set at 80 degrees and temperatures may rise above that. We want to maintain our level of productivity and stay as comfortable as possible, so I urge state employees to dress according.
WFMY also spoke with restaurants who weren't so happy with the changes.
Some restaurant owners said their customers complained about the heat which sometimes led to dangerous situations in kitchens.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or search for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.