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Year 1979 (MCMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar).
Events of 1979
January
- January 4 - The State of Ohio agrees to pay $675,000 to families of the dead and injured in the Kent State shootings.
- January 7 - Vietnam and Vietnam-backed Cambodian insurgents announce the fall of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and the collapse of the Pol Pot regime. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge retreat west to an area along the Thai border.
- January 8 - The French tanker Betelgeuse explodes at the Gulf Oil terminal at Bantry in Ireland; 50 are killed.
- January 9 - The Music for UNICEF Concert is held at the United Nations General Assembly to raise money for UNICEF and promote the Year of the Child. It is broadcast the following day in the United States and around the world. Hosted by The Bee Gees, other performers include Donna Summer, ABBA, Rod Stewart and Earth, Wind & Fire. A soundtrack album was released.
- January 16 - The Shah of Iran flees Iran with his family, relocating to Egypt after a year of turmoil.
- January 19 - Former U.S. Attorney General John N. Mitchell is released on parole after 19 months at a federal prison in Alabama.
- January 21 - The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Dallas Cowboys 35–31 in Super Bowl XIII played at the Miami Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.
- January 29 - Brenda Ann Spencer opens fire at a school in San Diego, California, killing 2 faculty members and wounding 8 students.
- January 31 - The police under directions of Jyoti Basu, Chief Minister of CPM led govt of West Bengal, surrounds and opens fire on unarmed refugee settlement of Morichjhapi island in Sunderbans, West Bengal, India. Hundreds killed but govt officially accepted 36 deaths.
February
March
- March 1 - Scotland votes narrowly for home rule, which is not implemented, and Wales votes against it.
- March 4 - The U.S. Voyager I spaceprobe photos reveal Jupiter's rings.
- March 5 - Voyager I makes its closest approach to Jupiter at 172,000 miles.
- March 7 - Largest Magnetar, or Soft gamma repeater, event recorded.
- March 13 - Maurice Bishop leads a successful coup in Grenada.
- March 14 - In China, a Hawker Siddeley Trident crashes into a factory near Beijing, killing at least 200.
- March 17 - The Penmanshiel Tunnel in the UK collapses, killing two workers.
- March 25 - The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center, to be prepared for its first launch.
- March 26 - In a ceremony at the White House, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel sign a peace treaty.
- March 28 - A nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, caused a partial meltdown.
- March 28 - In Britain, Jim Callaghan's government loses a motion of confidence by 1 vote, forcing a general election.
- March 29 - Sultan Yahya Petra ibni Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim Petra, the 6th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, dies in office. He is replaced by Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Mustain Billah ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar Riayatuddin Al-Muadzam Shah, Sultan of Pahang.
- March 30 - Airey Neave, World War Two veteran and Conservative Northern Ireland spokesman, is killed by an Irish National Liberation Army bomb in the British House of Commons car park.
- March 31 - The last British soldier (belonging to the Royal Navy) leaves the Maltese Islands, after 179 years of presence. Malta declares its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien).
- March 31 - Gali Atari and Milk and Honey win the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 for Israel, with the song Hallelujah.
April
- April 1 - Iran's government becomes an Islamic Republic by a 98% vote, overthrowing the Shah officially.
- April 1-April 18 - Police lock Andreas Mihavecz in a holding cell in Bregenz, Austria, and forget him there without food or drink.
- April 1- Nickelodeon Television Channel, a children's cartoon channel, launches as The Pinwheel Network.
- April 2 - Sverdlovsk Anthrax leak: A Soviet biowarfare laboratory at Sverdlovsk accidentally releases airborne anthrax spores, killing 66 plus an unknown amount of livestock.
- April 10 - A tornado hits Wichita Falls, Texas, killing 42 people (the most notable of 26 that hit that day).
- April 11 - Tanzanian troops take Kampala, the capital of Uganda; Idi Amin flees.
- April 15 - 1979 Montenegro Earthquake Major earthquake measuring 7 on Richter scale strikes Montenegro (then part of Yugoslavia) and parts of Albania, causing extensive damage to coastal areas and taking 136 lives. Old town of Budva is devastated.
- April 17 - Schoolchildren in the Central African Republic are arrested (and around 100 killed) for protesting against compulsory school uniforms. An African judicial commission later determines that Emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa "almost certainly" took part in the massacre.
- April 20 - President Jimmy Carter is attacked by a swamp rabbit while fishing in his hometown Plains, Georgia.
- April 23 - Fighting in London between the Anti-Nazi League and the Metropolitan Police's Special Patrol Group results in the death of protestor Blair Peach.
May
June
July
August
- August 5 - The Polisario Front signs a peace treaty with Mauritania.
- August 9 - The first British nudist beach is established in Brighton.
- August 9 - Raymond Washington, known for founding the Crips, today one of the largest, most notorious gangs in the United States, was shot and killed five months following his arrest for quadruple murder. (His killers have not yet been identified.)
- August 10 - Michael Jackson releases his first breakthrough album Off The Wall. It sold 7 million copies in the United States alone, making it a 7x platinum album.
- August 14 - A freak storm during the Fastnet Race results in the death of 15 sailors.
- August 27 - Lord Mountbatten and 3 others are assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. He was a British admiral, statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. On the same day, the Warrenpoint ambush occurs, Provisional Irish Republican Army members attack a British Convoy at Narrow Water, County Down, killing 18 British soldiers.
- August 28 - The death toll of the previous day's IRA bombing reaches five when Lady Dowager Brabourne, 82, dies in hospital as a result of her injuries.
- August 29 - A national referendum is held in which Somali voters approve a new liberal constitution, promulgated by President Siad Barre to placate the United States.
September
October
- October 1 - Nigeria terminates military rule, and the Nigerian Second Republic is established.
- October 1-October 6 - Pope John Paul II visits the United States.
- October 2- Bob Marley's album "Survival" is released.
- October 9 - Peter Brock wins the Bathurst 1000 by a record 6 laps, with a lap record on the last lap.
- October 14 - A major gay rights march in the United States takes place in Washington, D.C., involving many tens of thousands of people.
- October 15 - Black Monday events, in which members of a political group sack a newspaper office, unfold in Malta.
- October 16 - A tsunami in Nice, France kills 23 people.
- October 17 - The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Baltimore Orioles to win the '79 World Series.
- October 19 - 13 Marines die in a fire at Camp Fuji, Japan as a result of Typhoon Tip.[1]
- October 26 - Park Chung-hee, the President of South Korea, was assassinated by the KCIA director Kim Jaegyu
- October 27 - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gains independence.
November
- November 1 - Iran hostage crisis: Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini urges his people to demonstrate on November 4 and to expand attacks on United States and Israeli interests.
- November 2 - French police shoot gangster Jacques Mesrine in Paris.
- November 3 - In Greensboro, North Carolina, 5 members of the Communist Workers Party are shot to death and 7 are wounded by a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis, during a "Death to the Klan" rally.
- November 4 - Iran hostage crisis begins: 3,000 Iranian radicals, mostly students, invade the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and take 90 hostages (53 of whom are American). They demand that the United States send the former Shah back to Iran to stand trial.
- November 5 - The radio news program Morning Edition premieres on National Public Radio.
- November 6 - At Montevideo, Uruguay, the International Olympic Committee adopts a resolution, whereby Taiwan Olympic and sports teams will participate with the name Chinese Taipei in future Olympics Games and international sports tournaments and championships.
- November 7 - U.S. Senator Edward Moore Kennedy announces that he will challenge President Jimmy Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination.
- November 9 - The Carl Bridgewater murder trial ends with all four men found guilty. James Robinson, 45, and 25-year-old Vincent Hickey are sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended 25-year minimum for murder. 18-year-old Michael Hickey is also found guilty of murder and sentenced to indefinite detention. Patrick Molloy, 53, is found guilty on a lesser charge of manslaughter and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
[2]
- November 12 - Iran hostage crisis: In response to the hostage situation in Tehran, U.S. President Jimmy Carter orders a halt to all oil imports into the United States from Iran.
- November 14 - Iran hostage crisis: U.S. President Jimmy Carter issues Executive Order 12170, freezing all Iranian assets in the United States and U.S. banks in response to the hostage crisis.
- November 16 - Bucharest Metro Line One is opened, in Bucharest, Romania (from Timpuri Noi to Semanatoarea stations, 8.63 km).
- November 17 - Iran hostage crisis: Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini orders the release of 13 female and African American hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
- November 20 - A group of terrorists of around 200 militants occupy Mecca's Grand Mosque. They are driven out by French commandos (allowed into the city under these special circumstances despite their being non-Muslims) after bloody fighting that leaves 250 people dead and 600 wounded.
- November 21 - After false radio reports from the Ayatollah Khomeini that the Americans had occupied the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan is attacked by a mob and set afire, killing 4. (see: Foreign relations of Pakistan)
- November 23 - In Dublin, Ireland, Irish Republican Army member Thomas McMahon is sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of Lord Mountbatten.
- November 28 - Mount Erebus disaster: an Air New Zealand DC-10 crashes into Mount Erebus on a sightseeing trip, killing all 257 people on board.
December
Undated
Ongoing
Births
January-February
- January 1 - Brody Dalle, Australian punk rock singer
- January 1 - Koichi Domoto, Japanese entertainer (Kinki Kids)
- January 2 - Morena Baccarin, Italo-Brazilian actress
- January 3 - Francesco Bellissimo, Italian mangaka
- January 6 - Bernice Liu, Hong Kong actress
- January 7 - Bipasha Basu, Indian actress and model
- January 10 - Chris Smith, 1/2 of rap duo Kris Kross
- January 11 - Siti Nurhaliza, Malaysian singer
- January 12 - Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player
- January 12 - Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
- January 16 - Aaliyah, American singer (d. 2001)
- January 17 - Sharon Chan, Hong Kong actress
- January 18 - Jay Chou, Taiwanese singer and producer
- January 18 - Paulo Ferreira, Portuguese footballer
- January 20 - Rob Bourdon, American drummer (Linkin Park)
- January 20 - Asaka Kubo, Japanese gravure idol of 20th Century
- January 21 - Brian O'Driscoll, Irish rugby union player
- January 23 - Larry Hughes, American basketball player
- January 24 - Tatyana Ali, American actress
- January 27 - Rosamund Pike, British actress
- February 1 - Julie Augustyniak, American soccer player
- February 2 - Yuichi Tsuchiya, Japanese actor
- February 8 - Martin Rowlands, Irish footballer
- February 9 - Zhang Ziyi, Chinese actress and model
- February 9 - Irina Slutskaya, Russian figure skater
- February 11 - Brandy Norwood, American singer
- February 12 - Antonio Chatman, National Football League player
- February 12 - Jesse Spencer, Australian actor
- February 13 - Rafael Marquez, Mexican footballer who plays for F.C Barcelona
- February 13 - Mena Suvari, American actress
- February 15 - Gordon Shedden, Scottish race car driver
- February 16 - Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
- February 19 - Mariana Ochoa, Mexican singer and actress
- February 21 - Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress and singer
- February 21 - Carly Colón, Puerto Rican professional wrestler
- February 22 - Patrick Merrill, Canadian lacrosse player
- February 25 - László Bodnár, Hungarian footballer
March-April
- March 4 - Ben Fouhy, New Zealand flatwater canoeist
- March 4 - Geoff Huegill, Australian swimmer
- March 4 - John Lawler (John Fratelli), Scottish singer (The Fratellis)
- March 5 - Tang Gonghong, Chinese weightlifter
- March 6 - Erik Bedard, Canadian pitcher
- March 8 - Tom Chaplin, British singer (Keane)
- March 9 - Melina Perez, American professional wrestler
- March 11 - Benji Madden and Joel Madden, twins from Good Charlotte
- March 12 - Pete Doherty, British singer and guitarist (The Libertines and Babyshambles)
- March 14 - Nicolas Anelka, French footballer
- March 17 - Samoa Joe, American wrestler
- March 18 - Adam Levine, American singer (Maroon 5)
- March 20 - Freema Agyeman, British Actress
- March 20 - Molly Jenson, American musician
- March 25 - Lee Pace, American actor
- March 25 - Traxamillion, American producer rapper
- March 25 - Gorilla Zoe, rapper
- March 26 - Jason McGill, American writer
- March 30 - Norah Jones, American musician
- March 31 - Amey Date, Indian playback singer
- April 4 - Heath Ledger, Australian actor (d. 2008)
- April 8 - Alexi Laiho, Finnish guitarist for (Children of Bodom)
- April 10 - Rachel Corrie, American activist (d. 2003)
- April 10 - Tsuyoshi Domoto, Japanese entertainer (Kinki Kids)
- April 10 - Sophie Ellis-Bextor, British singer
- April 10 - Dre, American producer
- April 11 - Michel Riesen, Swiss ice hockey player
- April 12 - Claire Danes, American actress
- April 12 - Jennifer Morrison, American actress
- April 13 - Baron Davis, NBA player
- April 14 - Pierre Roland, Indonesian actor<
