What happened in 1979
156 entries recorded for 1979, listed by date. That was 47 years ago.
1979 at a glance
- Years ago
- 47 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1970s
- Generation born
- Generation X
- Entries here
- 156
- Breakdown
- 141 historical events · 14 births · 1 deaths
January
- January 7
Sino-Vietnamese War
Third Indochina War: Cambodian–Vietnamese War: Phnom Penh falls to the advancing Vietnamese troops, driving out Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
- January 7
People's Army of Vietnam
The People's Army of Vietnam captured Phnom Penh, marking the end of large-scale fighting in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War.
- January 16
Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution: The last Iranian Shah flees Iran with his family for good and relocates to Egypt.
- January 22
Mutukula, Uganda
After surrounding Mutukula the previous day, Tanzanian forces attacked the town and caused Ugandan forces to flee.
- January 25
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II starts his first official papal visits outside Italy to The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
- January 30
Varig
A Varig Boeing 707-323C freighter, flown by the same commander as Flight 820, disappears over the Pacific Ocean 30 minutes after taking off from Tokyo.
- January 30
Varig Flight 967
Varig Flight 967 disappeared shortly after takeoff from Tokyo's Narita International Airport en route to Rio de Janeiro.
February
- February 1
Iran
Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile.
- February 1
Ruhollah Khomeini
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile and soon led the Iranian Revolution to overthrow the Pahlavi dynasty.
- February 7
Pluto
Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
- February 8
Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso (pictured) was chosen as the new President of the Republic of the Congo after Joachim Yhombi-Opango was forced from power.
- February 11
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution establishes an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
- February 13
February 13, 1979, windstorm
An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.
- February 14
Kabul
In Kabul, Setami Milli militants kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.
- February 14
Adolph Dubs
Adolph Dubs, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan, was kidnapped by unknown agents and killed during a gun battle between Afghan police and the perpetrators.
- February 15
Don Dunstan
Don Dunstan (pictured) resigned as Premier of South Australia, ending a decade of sweeping social liberalisation.
- February 17
Sino-Vietnamese War
The Sino-Vietnamese War begins.
- February 18
Richard Petty
Richard Petty wins a then-record sixth Daytona 500 after leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash on the final lap of the first NASCAR race televised live flag-to-flag.
- February 20
Earthquake
An earthquake cracks open the Sinila volcanic crater on the Dieng Plateau, releasing poisonous H2S gas and killing 149 villagers in the Indonesian province of Central Java.
- February 22
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- February 24
Uganda–Tanzania War
Uganda–Tanzania War: Ugandan government forces fled Masaka as the Tanzania People's Defence Force bombarded and captured the town.
- February 26
Superliner (railcar)
The Superliner railcar entered revenue service with Amtrak.
March
- March 4
Voyager 1
The space probe Voyager 1 discovered the rings of Jupiter, the third ring system to be discovered in the Solar System, after those of Saturn and Uranus.
- March 5
Venera 11
Soviet probes Venera 11, Venera 12 and the German-American solar satellite Helios II all are hit by "off the scale" gamma rays leading to the discovery of soft gamma repeaters.
- March 8
Voyager 1
Images taken by Voyager 1 proved the existence of volcanoes on Io (pictured), a moon of Jupiter.
- March 8
Philips
Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time.
- March 10
1979 International Women's Day protests in Tehran
1979 International Women's Day protests in Tehran: Protestor involvement peaks with 15,000 Iranian women and girls performing a three‐hour-long sit‐in at the Courthouse of Tehran.
- March 13
New JEWEL Movement
The New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousts the Prime Minister of Grenada, Eric Gairy, in a coup d'état.
- March 14
Alia Royal Jordanian Flight 600
Alia Royal Jordanian Flight 600 crashes at Doha International Airport, killing 45 people.
- March 17
Penmanshiel Tunnel
The Penmanshiel Tunnel in the Scottish Borders collapsed during refurbishing construction, killing two workers, and leading to the abandonment of the tunnel.
- March 17
Aeroflot Flight 1691
Aeroflot Flight 1691 crashes on approach to Vnukovo International Airport, killing 58.
- March 19
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives begins broadcasting its day-to-day business via the cable television network C-SPAN.
- March 19
Cable television
The American cable television network C-SPAN, covering government proceedings and public-affairs programming, was launched.
- March 25
Space Shuttle
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
Anwar Sadat
Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Egypt–Israel peace treaty in Washington, D.C.
- March 26
Interflug
An Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crashes at Quatro de Fevereiro Airport during a rejected takeoff, killing 10.
- March 28
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
The British House of Commons passes a vote of no confidence against James Callaghan's government by one vote, precipitating a general election.
- March 28
Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station
A coolant leak at the Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania leads to the core overheating and a partial meltdown.
- March 28
James Callaghan
British prime minister James Callaghan was defeated by one vote in a vote of no confidence after his government struggled to cope with widespread strikes during the Winter of Discontent.
- March 29
Quebecair Flight 255
Quebecair Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City, killing 17.
- March 30
Airey Neave
Airey Neave, a British Member of Parliament (MP), is killed by a car bomb as he exits the Palace of Westminster. The Irish National Liberation Army claims responsibility.
April
- April 1
Iran
Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.
- April 2
Spore
Spores of anthrax were accidentally released from a military research facility near the city of Sverdlovsk, causing at least 68 deaths.
- April 5
Boston University
Faculty members, clerical workers, and librarians at Boston University went on strike.
- April 7
Uganda–Tanzania War
Uganda–Tanzania War: Tanzanian forces defeated Ugandan troops and their Libyan allies at the Battle of Entebbe, opening the way for an advance on the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
- April 10
1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak
Red River Valley tornado outbreak: A tornado lands in Wichita Falls, Texas, killing 42 people.
- April 11
Uganda–Tanzania War
Uganda–Tanzania War: The allied forces of Tanzania and the Uganda National Liberation Front captured the capital Kampala, deposing Ugandan president Idi Amin.
- April 18
Matt Cooper (rugby league)
Matt Cooper, Australian rugby league player
- April 18
Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian, American television personality
- April 21
Virginie Basselot
Virginie Basselot, French chef
- April 22
Zoltán Gera
Zoltán Gera, Hungarian international footballer and manager
- April 22
Daniel Johns
Daniel Johns, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- April 23
SAETA Flight 011 (1979)
SAETA Flight 011 crashes in Pastaza Province, Ecuador, killing all 57 people on board. The wreckage was not discovered until 1984.
- April 23
Death of Blair Peach
Blair Peach, a New Zealand teacher, was fatally injured while taking part in an Anti-Nazi League demonstration against a National Front election meeting in Southall, London.
- April 30
1979 eruption of Mount Marapi
Eruption of Mount Marapi: Mount Marapi, a complex volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, erupts. Between 80 and 100 people are killed.
May
- May 3
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party wins the United Kingdom general election. The following day, Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female British Prime Minister.
- May 4
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher became the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom.
- May 9
Iranian Jews
Prominent Iranian Jew Habib Elghanian was executed after having been convicted by a revolutionary tribunal of various charges, triggering a mass exodus of Jews from Iran.
- May 9
Brandon Webb
Brandon Webb, American baseball player
- May 9
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson, American actress
- May 25
O'Hare International Airport
During takeoff from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, an engine detached from American Airlines Flight 191, causing a crash that killed 273 people in the deadliest aviation accident in United States history.
- May 25
Disappearance of Etan Patz
Six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared on his way to school in New York City, and later became one of the first missing children to have his picture featured on milk cartons.
- May 25
American Airlines Flight 191
American Airlines Flight 191: A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashes during takeoff at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, killing all 271 on board and two people on the ground.
- May 25
John Spenkelink
John Spenkelink, a convicted murderer, is executed in Florida; he is the first person to be executed in the state after the reintroduction of capital punishment in 1976.
- May 28
Konstantinos Karamanlis
Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community.
- May 30
Downeast Airlines Flight 46
Downeast Airlines Flight 46 crashes on approach to Knox County Regional Airport in Rockland, Maine, killing 17.
June
- June 1
Rhodesia
The first black-led government of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 90 years takes power.
- June 2
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II starts his first official visit to his native Poland, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country.
- June 3
Ixtoc I oil spill
A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the second-worst accidental oil spill ever recorded.
- June 3
Idi Amin
Having invaded Uganda and deposed President Idi Amin, Tanzanian forces secured Uganda's western border, ending a seven-month war.
- June 4
Flight lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings takes power in Ghana after a military coup in which General Fred Akuffo is overthrown.
- June 4
Jerry Rawlings
Jerry Rawlings came to power in Ghana as chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council.
- June 6
Roberto De Zerbi
Roberto De Zerbi, Italian football manager
- June 6
Jack Haley
Jack Haley, American actor (born 1897)
- June 7
Anna Torv
Anna Torv, Australian actress
- June 8
Derek Trucks
Derek Trucks, American guitarist, former member of the Allman Brothers band
- June 9
Sydney Ghost Train fire
The Ghost Train fire at Luna Park Sydney, Australia, kills seven.
- June 12
Bryan Allen (hang glider)
Bryan Allen wins the second Kremer prize for a man-powered flight across the English Channel in the Gossamer Albatross.
- June 18
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
SALT II is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.
- June 20
Bill Stewart (journalist)
Bill Stewart, an American journalist, was executed by Nicaraguan Guardia forces.
- June 20
ABC News (United States)
ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart is shot dead by a Nicaraguan National Guard soldier under the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle during the Nicaraguan Revolution. The murder is caught on tape and sparks an international outcry against the regime.
- June 22
Liberal Party (UK)
Former British Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe was acquitted of conspiracy to murder Norman Scott, who had accused Thorpe of having a relationship with him.
- June 25
Richard Hughes (footballer)
Richard Hughes, Scottish footballer
- June 25
Busy Philipps
Busy Philipps, American actress
July
- July 1
Sony
Sony introduced the Walkman, a portable audio player that changed listening habits by offering users the ability to play one's own choice of music.
- July 3
Jimmy Carter
US president Jimmy Carter signed a presidential finding, authorizing covert operations to aid the mujahideen against the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
- July 9
Renault
A car bomb destroys a Renault motor car owned by "Nazi hunters" Serge and Beate Klarsfeld outside their home in France in an unsuccessful assassination attempt.
- July 11
Skylab
America's first space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.
- July 12
Comiskey Park
Rowdy fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago stormed the field during a Major League Baseball promotional event at which a crate of disco records was blown up.
- July 12
Kiribati
The island nation of Kiribati becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- July 15
President of the United States
U.S. president Jimmy Carter gives his "malaise speech".
- July 16
President of Iraq
Iraqi President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr resigns and is replaced by Saddam Hussein.
- July 18
Iliwerung
A landslide occurs on the Iliwerung volcano in Indonesia, triggering a tsunami that kills over 530 and leaves 700 missing.
- July 19
SS Atlantic Empress
The oil tanker SS Atlantic Empress collides with another oil tanker, causing the largest ever ship-borne oil spill.
- July 19
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista rebels overthrow the government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua.
- July 21
Jay Silverheels
Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk actor, becomes the first Native American to have a star commemorated in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- July 25
Egypt–Israel peace treaty
In accord with the Egypt–Israel peace treaty, Israel begins its withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula.
August
- August 5
Bala Hissar uprising
In Afghanistan, Maoists undertake the Bala Hissar uprising against the Leninist government.
- August 6
1979 Coyote Lake earthquake
An earthquake struck along the Calaveras Fault near Coyote Lake, California, injuring sixteen people.
- August 6
Francesco Bellotti
Francesco Bellotti, Italian cyclist
- August 6
Jaime Correa (footballer)
Jaime Correa, Mexican footballer
- August 9
YH incident
Female workers of YH Trading in South Korea held a sit-in protest in response to the company's unilateral shutdown.
- August 11
Aeroflot
Two Aeroflot passenger jets collided in mid-air near Dniprodzerzhynsk in the Ukrainian SSR, killing all 178 people on both aircraft.
- August 27
The Troubles
The Troubles: the IRA ambushed and killed 18 British soldiers near Warrenpoint, and assassinated Lord Mountbatten on his boat at Mullaghmore.
September
- September 7
Chrysler
The Chrysler Corporation asks the United States government for US$1.5 billion to avoid bankruptcy.
- September 13
Venda (Bantustan)
South Africa grants independence to the "homeland" of Venda (not recognised outside South Africa).
- September 14
Nur Muhammad Taraki
Afghan president Nur Muhammad Taraki (pictured) was overthrown and later killed on the orders of Hafizullah Amin, who succeeded him.
- September 16
East Germany balloon escape
Eight people escaped from East Germany to West Germany in a home-made hot air balloon.
- September 16
The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang released their first single, Rapper's Delight.
- September 20
Operation Caban
A French-supported coup d'état in the Central African Empire overthrows Emperor Bokassa I.
- September 22
Vela (satellite)
An American Vela satellite detected an unidentified flash of light near the Prince Edward Islands in the Indian Ocean, thought to be a nuclear weapons test.
- September 22
Vela incident
A bright flash, resembling the detonation of a nuclear weapon, is observed near the Prince Edward Islands. Its cause is never determined.
- September 29
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinean dictator Francisco Macías Nguema is executed by soldiers from Western Sahara.
October
- October 6
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit the White House.
- October 7
Swissair Flight 316
Swissair Flight 316 crashes at Ellinikon International Airport in Athens, Greece, killing 14.
- October 10
Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant
The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant began operations in Eurajoki, Satakunta, Finland.
- October 12
Typhoon Tip
Typhoon Tip, the largest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded, reached a worldwide record-low sea-level pressure of 870 mbar (25.69 inHg) in the western Pacific Ocean.
- October 14
National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights
At least 75,000 people attended the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Washington, D.C., to demand equal civil rights for LGBT people.
- October 15
Carlos Humberto Romero
President Carlos Humberto Romero of El Salvador was overthrown and exiled in a military coup d'état.
- October 15
1979 Salvadoran coup d'état
A coup d'état in El Salvador overthrows President Carlos Humberto Romero and begins the 12 year-long Salvadoran Civil War.
- October 15
Black Monday (Malta)
Supporters of the Malta Labour Party ransack and destroy the Times of Malta building and other locations associated with the Nationalist Party.
- October 17
Department of Education Organization Act
The Department of Education Organization Act creates the U.S. Department of Education.
- October 17
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- October 18
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begins allowing people to have home satellite earth stations without a federal government license.
- October 21
Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan resigns from the Israeli government because of strong disagreements with Prime Minister Menachem Begin over policy towards the Arabs.
- October 26
Park Chung Hee
Park Chung Hee, President of South Korea, is assassinated by Korean CIA head Kim Jae-gyu.
- October 27
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
- October 31
Western Airlines Flight 2605
Western Airlines Flight 2605 crashes on landing in Mexico City, killing 73 people.
November
- November 1
Alberto Natusch
In Bolivia, Colonel Alberto Natusch executes a bloody coup d'état against the constitutional government of Wálter Guevara.
- November 1
Griselda Álvarez
Griselda Álvarez becomes the first female governor of a state of Mexico.
- November 3
Greensboro massacre
Greensboro massacre: Five members of the Communist Workers Party are shot dead and seven are wounded by a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis during a "Death to the Klan" rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States.
- November 4
Iran hostage crisis
Iran hostage crisis: A group of Iranian college students overruns the U.S. embassy in Tehran and takes 90 hostages.
- November 9
Cold War
Cold War: Nuclear false alarm: The NORAD computers and the Alternate National Military Command Center in Fort Ritchie, Maryland, detect a purported massive Soviet nuclear strike. After reviewing the raw data from satellites and checking the early-warning radars, the alert is canc
- November 10
Canadian Pacific Railway
A 106-car Canadian Pacific freight train carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals from Windsor, Ontario, Canada derails in Mississauga, Ontario.
- November 14
Executive Order 12170
US President Jimmy Carter issues Executive Order 12170, freezing all Iranian assets in the United States in response to the hostage crisis.
- November 16
Bucharest Metro
The first line of Bucharest Metro (Line M1) is opened from Timpuri Noi to Semănătoarea in Bucharest, Romania.
- November 20
Grand Mosque seizure
Armed insurgents attacked and took over the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, declaring that one of their leaders was the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam.
- November 26
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740, crashed shortly after takeoff near Taif, Saudi Arabia, killing all 156 people on board.
- November 28
Mount Erebus disaster
Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Antarctica's Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people on board.
- November 29
Tellico Dam
The controversial Tellico Dam project by the Tennessee Valley Authority is completed despite being ordered to shut down from the Supreme Court of the United States' decision in Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill.
- November 30
The Wall
The Wall, a rock opera and concept album by the English band Pink Floyd, was first released.
December
- December 3
1979 Iranian constitutional referendum
Following the result of a two-day referendum, the current Constitution of Iran was adopted.
- December 3
Cincinnati
In Cincinnati, 11 fans are suffocated in a crush for seats on the concourse outside Riverfront Coliseum before a Who concert.
- December 3
The Who concert disaster
Eleven people were crushed in a human stampede at a concert by British rock band the Who in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
- December 4
Kingston upon Hull
The Hastie fire in Hull kills three schoolboys and eventually leads police to arrest Bruce George Peter Lee.
- December 9
Smallpox
The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first of only two diseases that have been driven to extinction (with rinderpest in 2011 being the other).
- December 9
World Health Organization
A World Health Organization commission of scientists certified the global eradication of smallpox (virus pictured), making it the only human infectious disease to date to have been completely eradicated.
- December 10
Kaohsiung Incident
Kaohsiung Incident: Taiwanese pro-democracy demonstrations are suppressed by the KMT dictatorship, and organizers are arrested.
- December 12
1979 Tumaco earthquake
A magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck just off the shore of Tumaco, Colombia, causing at least 300 deaths, mostly by the resulting tsunami.
- December 12
1979 South Korean coup d'état
Coup d'état of December Twelfth occurs in South Korea.
- December 18
Mohammad Mofatteh
Mohammad Mofatteh, an Iranian philosopher, was assassinated by the Furqan Group.
- December 21
Lancaster House Agreement
Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London by Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.
- December 23
Soviet–Afghan War
Soviet–Afghan War: Soviet Union forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
- December 24
Ariane 1
The first Ariane 1 rocket is launched from ELA-1 at the Guiana Space Centre.
- December 24
Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet government deployed troops in Afghanistan, starting the Soviet–Afghan War.
- December 27
Soviet–Afghan War
Soviet–Afghan War: Soviet troops stormed Tajbeg Palace outside Kabul and killed Afghan president Hafizullah Amin and his 100–150 elite guards.
Questions about 1979
What happened in 1979?
This site records 156 entries for 1979, including Sino-Vietnamese War on January 7. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1979?
47 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1979 turns 47 this year.
Which century is 1979 in?
1979 falls in the 20th century, in the 1970s.
Which generation was born in 1979?
Generation X (1965–1980). The latch-key generation; first to grow up with personal computers.
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