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
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…
January 31
January 31
Deng Xiaoping and Jimmy Carter sign accords
On January 31, 1979, Deng Xiaoping, deputy premier of China, meets President Jimmy Carter to sign historic new accords that reverse decades of U.S. opposition to the People’s Republic of…
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.…
February 18
February 18
Richard Petty wins Daytona 500 after last‑lap crash
Richard Petty comes from behind to win the 21st annual Daytona 500, after leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash into a wall during the final lap of the race.…
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 13
March 13
Johan Santana born
On this day in 1979, power pitcher Johan Santana is born in Tovar Merida, Venezuela. He went on to become the dominant left‑handed pitcher in baseball from 2003 to 2006…
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 23
March 23
Two men sentenced in murder of former Chilean diplomat
Federal Judge Barrington Parker presides over the sentencing of Guillermo Novo and Alvin Ross Diaz for the murder of Orlando Letelier. Novo and Ross Diaz were initally sentenced to consecutive…
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 26
March 26
Michigan State defeats Indiana State in NCAA championship
On March 26, 1979, Earvin “Magic” Johnson leads the Michigan State Spartans to a 75‑ 64 victory over Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores in the NCAA men’s basketball championship game.…
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
Reactor overheats at Three Mile Island
The most serious nuclear accident in United States history takes place at the Three Mile Island plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on this day in 1979, when one of the reactors…
