The year 1979 was one of momentous events. Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister in the U.K., the first woman in this position. Sony released the Walkman, a technological marvel at the time, price tag $200. The snowboard was invented.http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1979.html
In international politics, England continued the relentless bombing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and Lord Mountbatten was assassinated, along with three others, as a result. Iran became an Islamic republic when the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned. On November 4, 63 Americans are taken hostage in the American Embassy in Tehran.http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1979.html
In domestic news, 1979 had some dark moments. There was a "Death to the Klan March" in North Carolina, during which white supremacists shot five marchers. When the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio during a Who concert, eleven people were killed and dozens injured. Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania had a nuclear disaster with a fire in the nuclear reactor.http://www.quakervalley79.com/class_custom8.cfm
According to the Chinese zodiac, 1979 was the year of the goat. "You would be best as an actor, gardener, or beachcomber."http://www.chinatoday.com/culture/zodiac/zodiac.htm
January 2 1979
January 2: The murder trial of The Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious opened up as he was accused of murdering his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. Vicious died of an overdose while on bail.
January 1979
- January 7: Vietnamese troops end the the Khmer Rouge government after capturing the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.
February 1979
- February 1: After 14 years of exile, religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran.
- February 17: China invades Vietnam marking the beginning of the Sino-Vietnamese War
March 1979
- March 26: Jimmy Carter is credited by both leaders of Israel and Egypt of making peace possible between the two nations as they sign the Camp David Peace Treaty.
- March 28: The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant partial meltdown occurs, known as the biggest accident in the history of the American commercial nuclear power generating industry.
May 25 1979
May 25: American Airlines Flight 191 crashes in Illinois killing all 271 passengers on board becoming the largest air crash in history.
May 1979
- May 4: Margaret Thatcher is sworn in as the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom.
July 12 1979
July 12: Between doubleheader Baseball games between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox's at Comisky Park in Chicago. Disco Demolition Night erupted into a full scale riot.
July 1979
- July 16: Saddam Hussein becomes the President of Iraq.
October 1979
- October 6: John Paul II became the first Pope to visit the White House. where he was received by President Jimmy Carter.
- October 10: Wayne Gretzky makes his National Hockey League debut with the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzy would go on to shatter most offensive records before he retired in 1999.
November 1979
- November 4: American hostages are taken at the Iranian Embassy in Tehran, beginning of the Iran Hostage Crisis.
- November 21: After Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini blamed the United States (falsely) for the occupation of Mecca, a mob of Pakistani's stormed and destroyed the American embassy in Islamabad, and killed 1 marine.
December 1979
- December 3: 11 people are crushed and killed in Cincinnati while attending a The Who concert.
- December 21: The U.S. Congress approves 1.5 Billion in "emergency loans" in an effort to save the Chrysler Corporation.
- December 24: The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.
- December 27: Afghanistan President Hafizullah Amin is executed during a Soviet Union led coup.
Famous Births
- Mar. 30: Norah Jones - Musician
- Apr. 19: Kate Hudson - Almost Famous
- May 04: Lance Bass - NSYNC
- Jun. 24: Mindy Kaling - The Office
- Jun. 25: Busy Philipps - ER
- Dec. 15: Adam Brody - The O.C.
Famous Deaths
- Feb. 02: Sid Vicious - The Sex Pistols
- Jun. 11: John Wayne - The Big Trail
- Lord Mountbatten assassinated
Chart Toppers
- Jan. 06: Bee Gees - Too Much Heaven
- Jan. 20: Chic - Le Freak
- Feb. 10: Rod Stewart - Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?
- Mar. 10: Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
- Mar. 24: Bee Gees - Tragedy
- Apr. 07: Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
- Apr. 14: The Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes
- Apr. 21: Ami Stewart - Knock on Wood
- Apr. 28: Blondie - Heart of Glass
- May 05: Peaches and Herb - Reunited
- Jun. 02: Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
- Jun. 09: Bee Gees - Love You Inside Out
- Jun 16: Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
- Jun. 30: Anita Ward - Ring My Bell
- Jul. 14: Donna Summer - Bad Girls
- Aug. 18: Chic - Good Times
- Aug. 25: The Knack - My Sharona
- Oct. 06: Robert John - Sad Eyes
- Oct. 13: Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til...
Nobel Laureates
Top Athletes
Championship Teams
52nd Academy Awards
- Presented on: April 14, 1980
- Best Picture: Kramer vs Kramer
- Lead Actor: Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer
- Lead Actress: Sally Field in Norma Rae
- Best Director: Robert Benton for Kramer vs. Kramer
- Best Documentary: Best Boy RopesofSilicon: Complete Oscar winners list
Top Grossing Films
References
Fast Facts
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