1979


 * Also:  by.

Year 1979 () was a (link displays the 1979 ).

January

 * -  heralds the start of the "". Many musicians donate to the "" fund.
 * - The and the  establish full.


 * - Afif Mohammed Anwar Kagdi was born on this day.
 * - The State of agrees to pay $675,000 to families of the dead and injured in the.
 * - and Vietnam-backed n s announce the fall of, , and the collapse of the  regime. Pol Pot and the  retreat west to an area along the  border.
 * - The French tanker  explodes at the Gulf Oil terminal at in ; 50 are killed.
 * - The is held at the  to raise money for  and promote the Year of the Child. It is broadcast the following day in the  and around the world. Hosted by, other performers include , ,  and . A soundtrack album was released.
 * - The flees  with his family, relocating to  after a year of turmoil.
 * - Former U.S. Attorney General is released on  after 19 months at a federal prison in Alabama.
 * - The defeat the  35-31 in  played at the  in,.
 * - opens fire at a school in, killing 2 teachers and wounding 8 students.
 * - The police under directions of, Chief Minister of led govt of , surrounds and opens fire on unarmed refugee settlement of  island in , , . Hundreds killed but govt officially accepted 36 deaths.

February

 * - Convicted bank robber is released from prison after her sentence is commuted by U.S. President.
 * -, the famous bass player of the , dies of a.
 * -  returns to,  after nearly 15 years of.
 * - Khomeini creates the Council of the.
 * - Supporters of Khomeini take over the Iranian law enforcement, courts and government administration; the final session of the Iranian is held.
 * - moves inside 's orbit for the first time since either was known to science.
 * - - The Iranian army mutinies and joins the Islamic Revolution.
 * - seizes power in Iran.
 * - Prime Minister starts the  in an attempt to overthrow 's President.
 * - The intense strikes western  and sinks a 1/2-mile-long section of the.
 * - In, extremists kidnap the American ambassador to , , who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.
 * - Following her 1972, musician legally changes her name from Walter.  She later reveals this information in an interview in the May 1979 issue of   Magazine. Incidently on this day her future partner  was born a hermaphrodite. He also went on to have sex reassignment surgery and they married as husband and wife.
 * - A suspected gas explosion rocks a bank in killing 49.
 * - The invades northern, launching the.
 * - The experiences  for 30 minutes.
 * - becomes independent of the.
 * - A total solar arcs over northern, and a partial solar  is visible over almost all of  and.

March

 * - votes narrowly for home rule, which is not implemented, and  votes against it.
 * - The U.S. spaceprobe photos reveal.
 * - makes its closest approach to  at 172,000 miles.
 * - Largest, or , event recorded.
 * - leads a successful coup in.
 * - In, a crashes into a factory near , killing at least 200.
 * - The in the UK collapses, killing two workers.
 * - The first fully functional orbiter,, is delivered to the , to be prepared for its first launch.
 * - In a ceremony at the, President of  and Prime Minister  of  sign a peace treaty.
 * - A accident at, Pennsylvania, releases radiation.
 * - In, 's government loses a by 1 vote, forcing a general election.
 * -, the 6th of , dies in office. He is replaced by ,  of.
 * -, World War Two veteran and Conservative spokesman, is killed by an  bomb in the  car park.
 * - The withdraws from.
 * - declares its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien).
 * - Gali Atari and Milk and Honey win the for, with the song .

April

 * - 's government becomes an by a 98% vote, overthrowing the  officially.
 * - - Police lock in a holding cell in, , and forget him there without food or drink.
 * -, a children's channel, launches as.
 * - : A  laboratory at  accidentally releases airborne  spores, killing 66 plus an unknown amount of.
 * - President of  is executed.
 * - Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom is born.
 * - A tornado hits, killing 42 people (the most notable of 26 that hit that day).
 * - n troops take, the capital of ; flees.
 * - Schoolchildren in the are arrested (and around 100 killed) for protesting against compulsory s.   An African judicial commission later determines that Emperor  "almost certainly" took part in the massacre.
 * - is  while  in his hometown.
 * - Fighting in London between the and the 's  results in the death of protestor.
 * - 's birthday (a fictional character made by ).

May

 * - gets.
 * - win the  ;  becomes the new prime minister.
 * - The,  in city centre is seriously damaged by fire; 10 shoppers die.
 * - bomb injures  graduate student John Harris.
 * - The becomes self-governing.
 * - : In, a crashes during takeoff at , killing 271 on board and two people on the ground.
 * - executed in . First usage of  in USA after the reintroduction of  in.
 * - : wins the race for the first time, and the second time for car owner.

June



 * - is formed in,.
 * - The first black-led government of in 90 years takes power, in succession to  and under his power-sharing deal.
 * - The won the NBA Championship against the.
 * - visits his native, becoming the first  to visit a  country.
 * - A blowout at the oil well in the southern  causes at least 600,000 tons (176,400,000 gallons) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the worst oil spill to date. Some estimate the spill to be 428 million gallons, making it the largest unintentional  ever.
 * - are held in.
 * - becomes 's 16th and youngest Prime Minister.
 * -  takes power in  after military  in which   is overthrown.
 * - flies the man-powered  across the.
 * - and  sign the  agreement in.
 * - A n National Guard soldier kills news correspondent  and his interpreter Juan Espinosa. Other members of the news crew capture the killing on tape.
 * - : Premier  officially opens the . It operates as a shuttle between Central & Bondi Junction until full integration with the Illawarra Line during.
 * - :  escapes an assassination attempt by the.

July

 * - The dollar is introduced in the U.S.
 * - U.S. President signs the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul.
 * - passes its  bill.
 * - A car bomb destroys a owned by "Nazi hunters"  at their home in .  A note purportedly from  claims responsibility.
 * - 's first orbiting space station  begins its return to, after being in orbit for 6 years and 2 months.
 * - declares independence from the.
 * - A "" publicity stunt goes awry at, forcing the to  their game against the.
 * -, boss of the , is assassinated.
 * - A fire at a in,  leaves 72 dead. Worst hotel fire in  in decades.
 * - i President resigns and Vice President  replaces him.
 * - n president General resigns and flees to.
 * - of  wins Miss Universe, stage  collapses after contestants and news photographers rushed to the throne of the new Miss Universe..
 * - The s take control of.
 * - becomes prime minister of.
 * - The exchanges Gerald Brook for spies Peter and Helen Kroger with the.
 * - Four hundred ian pilgrims are killed after clashes with security forces in.

August

 * - The Front signs a peace treaty with.
 * - The first British is established in.
 * -, known for founding the , today one of the largest, most notorious gangs in the , was shot and killed five months following his arrest for quadruple murder. (His killers have not yet been identified.)
 * - Michael Jackson releases his first breakthrough album . It sold 7 million copies in the alone, making it a 7x platinum album.
 * - A freak storm during the results in the death of 15 sailors.
 * - and 3 others are assassinated by the . He was a British admiral, statesman and an uncle of . On the same day, the  occurs,  members attack a British Convoy at Narrow Water,, killing 18 British soldiers.
 * - The death toll of yesterday's IRA bombing reaches five when, 82, dies in hospital as a result of her injuries.

September

 * - The U.S.  becomes the first spacecraft to visit, when it passes the at a distance of 21,000 km.
 * - The asks the  government for $1 billion to avoid.
 * - starts broadcasting.
 * - makes landfall at 10:00 p.m. on Alabama's Gulf Coast.
 * - Two families flee from by balloon.
 * - French s help to overthrow  in the.
 * - The is observed near, thought to be a.
 * - Equatoguinean dictator is executed by Moroccan hired men.
 * - The  begins service with the opening of its  (aka Kwun Tong Line).

October

 * - terminates military rule, and the  is established.
 * - - Pope visits the.
 * - 's album "Survival" is released.
 * - wins the  by a record 6 laps, with a lap record on the last lap.
 * - A major march in the  takes place in, involving many tens of thousands of people.
 * - events, in which members of a political group sack a newspaper office, unfold in Malta.
 * - A in,  kills 23 people.
 * - South Korean president is killed by KCIA head.
 * - gains independence.

November

 * - : ian Ayatollah urges his people to demonstrate on  and to expand attacks on  and  interests.
 * - French police shoot gangster in.
 * - In, 5 members of the are shot to death and 7 are wounded by a group of  and , during a "Death to the Klan" rally.
 * - begins: 3,000 ian radicals, mostly students, invade the U.S. Embassy in  and take 90 hostages (53 of whom are American).   They demand that the  send the former  back to  to stand trial.
 * - The radio news program  premieres on.
 * - At, , the adopts a resolution, whereby  Olympic and sports teams will participate with the name  in future  and international sports tournaments and championships.
 * - U.S. Senator announces that he will challenge President  for the 1980  presidential nomination.
 * - The 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.
 * - : In response to the hostage situation in, U.S. President orders a halt to all  imports into the  from.
 * - : U.S. President issues, freezing all ian assets in the  and U.S. banks in response to the hostage crisis.
 * - Line One is opened, in,  (from Timpuri Noi to Semanatoarea stations, 8.63 km).
 * - : ian leader orders the release of 13 female and  hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in.
 * - A group of of around 200 militants  's . 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.
 * - After false radio reports from the that the  had  the  in, the  Embassy in ,  is attacked by a mob and set afire, killing 4. (see: )
 * - In, , member  is sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of.
 * - : an DC-10 crashes into  on a sightseeing trip, killing all 257 people on board.

December

 * - Eleven fans are killed during a stampede for seats before concert at the Riverfront Coliseum (now known as the ) in.
 * - The Hastie fire in, , leads to the deaths of 3 boys and begins the hunt for , the UK's most prolific killer.
 * - resigns as  of the Republic of Ireland; he is succeeded by.
 * - The world premiere for  is held at the in.
 * - A for  is signed at.
 * - The invades.
 * - The first European rocket is launched.
 * - In, 96 Patriotic Front guerrillas enter the capital to monitor a ceasefire that begins.
 * - The Soviet Union seizes control of, and replaces overthrown and executed President.

Undated

 * becomes the first nation in the world to register 1 billion people in its population. Conversely, the is implemented in China in this year.
 * becomes the first.
 * civilian patrol group forms in.
 * opens in,.
 * was built in,.
 * The first experiments were conducted by  and  of.
 * The finishes production after 16 years and is replaced by the all-new, which follows the current  trend of abandoning rear-wheel drive saloons for front-wheel drive hatchbacks on the small family car market.
 * launches the, which is little more than a facelift of the hugely successful MK4 that was launched.
 * Financially-troubled carmaker  sells its  to . The British-built Chrysler and  Simca models are all sold under the  badge.

Ongoing

 * The occurred throughout this year, in the wake of the.
 * Historical year of worldwide  oil production.

January-February

 * -, Australian punk rock singer
 * -, Japanese entertainer
 * -, actress
 * -, Italian mangaka
 * -, Hong Kong actress
 * -, American actor
 * -, Malaysian singer
 * -, Slovak ice hockey player
 * -, Polish footballer
 * -, American singer (d. )
 * -, Hong Kong actress
 * -, Taiwanese singer and producer
 * -, Portuguese footballer
 * -, American drummer
 * -, Japanese gravure idol of 20th Century
 * -, Irish rugby union player
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, American actress
 * -, British actress


 * -, American soccer player
 * -, Japanese actor
 * -, American actress
 * -, Chinese actress and model
 * -, American actress
 * -, Russian figure skater
 * -, American singer
 * -, Australian actor
 * -, Mexican er who plays for
 * -, Scottish race car driver
 * -, Italian motorcycle racer
 * -, Mexican singer and actress
 * -, American actress and singer
 * -, Puerto Rican professional wrestler
 * -, Canadian lacrosse player
 * -, British actress

March-April

 * -, New Zealand flatwater canoeist
 * -, Australian swimmer
 * - (John Fratelli), Scottish singer
 * -, British porn actress
 * -, Canadian pitcher
 * -, British singer
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * - and, twins from
 * -, British singer and guitarist ( and )
 * -, French footballer
 * -, Pro wrestler
 * -, American musician


 * -, Australian actor
 * -, Finnish guitarist
 * -, American activist (d. )
 * -, Japanese entertainer
 * -, British singer
 * -, Swiss ice hockey player
 * -, American actress
 * -, American actress
 * -, player
 * -, Indonesian actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, Iranian director
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, American actress
 * -, Bulgarian chess player
 * -, Australian musician
 * -, Finnish singer
 * -, Indian actress of Czech-orgin is born.
 * -, American musician
 * -, American musician

May-June

 * -, Italian rugby player
 * -, Canadian ice hockey player
 * -, Russian ice hockey player (d. )
 * -, British broadcaster
 * -, Indian actress and model
 * -, English actress
 * -, American actress
 * -, Canadian musician
 * -, Canadian footballer
 * -, Prince of
 * -, Polish footballer
 * -, German-American porn star
 * -, American actress
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, British rugby union player
 * -, American professional wrestler and model
 * -, American soldier (Son of anti-war activist ) (d. )
 * -, Canadian ice hockey player


 * -, American bassist and lyricist
 * -, murder victim (d. )
 * -, Canadian baseball player
 * -, American actor
 * -, Norwegian beach volleyball player
 * -, American singer-songwriter
 * -, a Canadian hockey player.
 * -, Japanese (voice actress)
 * -, Irish boxer
 * -, American football player
 * -, British cancer patient
 * -, American football player
 * -, Turkish rock musician (d.)
 * -, Dutch swimmer
 * -, Hispanic-American actor

July-August

 * -, French model and actress
 * -, French tennis player
 * -, Westlife
 * -, Hong Kong actress
 * -, Australian fashion model and actor
 * -, American politician
 * -, American musician
 * -, American football player
 * -, American rapper
 * -, British recipient of the
 * -, American singer
 * -, Canadian ice hockey player
 * -, Mexican boxer
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, Northern Irish professional golfer
 * -, lead singer of the band
 * -, British Actress
 * -, Canadian actress
 * -, Northern Irish footballer
 * -, Japanese idol and AV idol
 * -, American actress
 * -, American screenwriter
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, Japanese politician
 * -, Filipina prisoner and singer
 * -, pornographic actress
 * -, Swiss footballer
 * -, Taiwanese singer
 * -, American football player
 * -, German football referee
 * -, Japanese singer
 * -, Iranian scientist
 * -, Hong Kong actress
 * -, Hong Kong actress
 * -, British actor
 * -, American professional wrestler

September-October

 * -, Hong Kong actor
 * -, Russian ice hockey player
 * -, Norwegian footballer
 * -, Canadian basketball player and sportscaster
 * -, Australian singer and musician
 * -, American singer
 * -, Serbian volleyball player
 * -, English rugby league player
 * -, American actress
 * -, American football player
 * -, American actress
 * -, French supermodel
 * -, American author
 * -, American actress
 * -, American skateboarder


 * -, American football player
 * -, English-born Italian rugby player
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, American supermodel
 * -, American actor
 * -, American singer and actress
 * -, singer
 * -, Canadian singer
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, actress
 * -, Finnish race car driver
 * -, American actor
 * -, Irish rugby player
 * -, Mexican professional boxer
 * -, Czech ice hockey player
 * -, Japanese actress

November-December

 * -, American baseball player
 * -, American pornographic actress
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, Hong Kong actress
 * -, American singer and songwriter
 * -, Northern Irish footballer
 * -, Chilean actress
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, German actress
 * -, English footballer
 * -, Colombian gospel singer
 * -, South Korean singer and actor
 * -, Pakistani author
 * -, Irish singer
 * -, English actress/model
 * -, American Motocross Champion
 * -, Canadian curler
 * -, a.k.a. , American rapper
 * -, a.k.a. , American rapper


 * -, Canadian actor and singer
 * -, English pop singer and songwriter
 * -, Taiwanese singer
 * -, Japanese actress
 * -, Hong Kong actor
 * -, English footballer
 * -, American actor
 * -, American football player
 * -, American actress
 * -, American model and actress
 * -, American singer
 * -, American football player
 * -, American tennis pro
 * -, Mexican actor
 * -, Chechen journalist and author
 * -, Irish actress
 * -, American drummer

January - March

 * -, American hotelier (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American bluegrass and country singer (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, Governor of New York, (b. )
 * -, English musician (drug overdose) (b. )
 * -, Soviet general (b. )
 * -, Nazi war criminal (b. )
 * -, Hungarian physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, French film director (b. )
 * -, British politician (b. )
 * -, Canadian politician (b. )
 * -, American talking horse (b. )


 * -, Iraqi Kurdish politician (b. )
 * -, British actor (b. )
 * -, English footballer (b. )
 * -, American clown (b. )
 * -, King of Malaysia (b. )
 * -, British politician (assassinated) (b. )

April - June

 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, and  (executed) (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Italian composer (b. )
 * -, New Zealand-born anti-Nazi campaigner (killed by police) (b. )


 * -, Italian chemist, laureate (b. )
 * -, American bluegrass and folk singer (b. )
 * -, American socialite (b. )
 * -, Canadian actress and studio founder (b. )


 * -, German physician, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, Soviet satirical and children's writer (b.)
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, American eugenicist (b. )
 * -, American percussionist, composer, mystic, shaman, poet, occultist, calligrapher and original drummer for the (b. )
 * -, American animator (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )

July - September

 * -, French composer (b. )
 * -, Japanese physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, American chemist, laureate (b. )
 * -, American conductor (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, English countertenor (b. )
 * -, Hungarian footballer (b. )
 * -, American game show producer (b. )


 * -, Peruvian politician, founder of party (b. )
 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, Swedish economist, laureate (b. )
 * -, German biochemist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, baseball executive (b. )
 * -, German-born biochemist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, Canadian Prime Minister (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * - Grand Rabbi,  (b. )
 * -, last British (assassinated) (b. )
 * -, American dancer (b. )


 * -, former head of the and secretary of the  (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, Angolan nationalist (b. )
 * -, King of Malaysia (b. )
 * -, president of (b. )
 * -, Canadian physicist (b. )
 * -, first president of

October - December

 * -, American poet (b. )
 * -, British psychologist and computer scientist (b. )
 * -, English composer and violist (b. )
 * -, Norwegian author (b. )
 * -, French composer and composition teacher (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, British aeronautical engineer (b. )
 * -, Italian, wife of (b. )


 * -, (b. )
 * -, author of "Worlds In Collision" and psychiatrist (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American actor and comedian (b. )


 * -, Indian hockey player (b. )
 * -, American art collector (b. )
 * -, Canadian artist (b. )
 * -, General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, (b. )

Unknown dates

 * , British author
 * , General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (b. )

Film

 * Films set in 1979:
 *  (1979)
 *  (1980)
 *  (1990)

Television

 * Set in 1979:
 *  episode "" (1979)

Computer and video games

 * Set primarily in 1979:  (announced 2006)

Comics

 * House Of M avengers will be set on 1979 to present day