January 7
January 7
Pol Pot overthrown
On January 7, 1979, Vietnamese troops seize the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, toppling the brutal regime of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge, organized by Pol…
A Year In History: 1979
This Year in History:
1979
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
January 9
January 9
Pop luminaries gather at the U.N. for the Music for UNICEF concert
On January 9, 1979, the United Nation’s Children’s Fund, a.k.a. UNICEF, stages a concert fundraiser featuring dozens of leading lights of late‑’70s pop music. Designed to publicize the organization’s proclamation…
January 16
January 16
Shah flees Iran
Faced with an army mutiny and violent demonstrations against his rule, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the leader of Iran since 1941, is forced to flee the country. Fourteen days later,…
January 26
January 26
‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ premieres
On January 26, 1979, “The Dukes of Hazzard,” a television comedy about two cousins in the rural South and their souped‑up 1969 Dodge Charger known as the General Lee, debuts…
January 29
January 29
Deng Xiaoping and Jimmy Carter sign accords
On January 29, 1979, Deng Xiaoping, deputy premier of China, meets President Jimmy Carter, and together they sign historic new accords that reverse decades of U.S. opposition to the People’s…
January 29
January 29
School shooting in San Diego
Brenda Spencer kills two men and wounds nine children as they enter the Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. Spencer blazed away with rifle shots from her home directly…
February 1
February 1
Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran
On February 1, 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran in triumph after 15 years of exile. The shah and his family had fled the country two weeks before, and…
February 2
February 2
Sid Vicious dies of a drug overdose in New York City
On February 2, 1979, Sid Vicious, former bassist for the notorious Sex Pistols—and the living embodiment of everything punk rock stood for and against—dies of a heroin overdose in a…
February 7
February 7
Josef Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death,” dies
Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor who performed medical experiments at the Auschwitz death camps, dies of a stroke while swimming in Brazil—although his death was not verified until…
February 17
February 17
China invades Vietnam
In response to the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia, China launches an invasion of Vietnam. Tensions between Vietnam and China increased dramatically after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.…
March 9
March 9
Lawsuit prompts MLB to allow locker room access to female reporters
On March 9, 1979, the 26 Major League Baseball teams are ordered by MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn to allow equal access to all reporters, regardless of sex. The commissioner’s order…
March 14
March 14
Judy Chicago unveils controversial feminist art installation “The Dinner Party”
On March 14, 1979, Judy Chicago’s art installation “The Dinner Party” opens at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The piece remains one of the most famous—and controversial—works of…
March 26
March 26
Israel‑Egypt peace agreement signed
In a ceremony at the White House, Egyptian President Anwar el‑Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign a historic peace agreement, ending three decades of hostilities between Egypt and…
March 26
March 26
This Day in History Video: What Happened on March 26
On this day a peace treaty was signed that ended three decades of war between Egypt and Israel. Egyptian President Anwar el‑Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the…
March 27
March 27
Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton are married
On March 27, 1979, one of pop music’s most famous love triangles shifts when British Blues guitarist Eric Clapton finally marries his muse, former model Pattie Boyd. He had been…
March 28
March 28
Nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island
At 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979, one of the worst accidents in the history of the U.S. nuclear power industry begins when a pressure valve in the Unit‑2 reactor…
April 2
April 2
Deadly anthrax poison released from Soviet bio‑weapons plant
The world’s first anthrax outbreak begins in Sverdlovsk, Russia (now Ekaterinburg), on April 2, 1979. By the time it ends six weeks later, according to official records, 66 people had…
April 7
April 7
Astros’ Ken Forsch pitches no‑hitter, matching feat by his brother
On April 7, 1979, nearly a year after his brother Bob pitched a no‑hitter, Houston Astros pitcher Ken Forsch tosses his first career no‑hitter. Ken and Bob become the first—and…
April 11
April 11
Ugandan dictator Idi Amin overthrown
On April 11, 1979, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin flees the Ugandan capital of Kampala as Tanzanian troops and forces of the Uganda National Liberation Front close in. Two days later,…
May 4
May 4
Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain’s first female prime minister
Margaret Thatcher, leader of the Conservative Party, becomes Britain’s first female prime minister on May 4, 1979. The Oxford‑educated chemist and lawyer took office the day after the Conservatives won…
