1979 CE

The Soviet–Afghan War begins as the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan; the Iran hostage crisis erupts when militants seize the U.S. embassy in Tehran; American Airlines Flight 191 crashes in Chicago, killing 271; Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park turns into a riot; the Three Mile Island accident causes a partial nuclear meltdown; the Sony Walkman debuts; SALT II is signed to limit nuclear arms; the 1979 oil crisis sends fuel prices soaring; and the Egypt–Israel peace treaty is signed, marking the first peace deal between Israel and an Arab nation.

In the 1970s, the 20th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 1 – The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full diplomatic relations.source
January 8 -The Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the dissident rebels declare an end to Democratic Kampuchea, replacing it with the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK), a Vietnamese puppet state. Heng Samrin was installed as the head of the new PRK government.Cambodia source
January 28 – Deng Xiaoping arrives in Washington, D.C., for the first visit of a paramount leader of the People's Republic of China to the United States.source
February 18 – The Khomeini government in Iran cuts diplomatic relations with Israel.source
18 February – Second National Parliamentary Elections were held. The result was a victory for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which won 207 of the 300 seats.Bangladesh source
March 1 – Scottish devolution referendum: Scotland votes in favour of a Scottish Assembly, which is not implemented due to failing a condition that at least 40% of the electorate must support the proposal; in a Welsh devolution referendum, Wales votes against devolution.source
March 26 – In a ceremony at the White House, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel sign an Egypt–Israel peace treaty.source
26 March – In a ceremony at the White House, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel sign a peace treaty. Egypt thus becomes the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel.Israel source
March 28 – In Britain, James Callaghan's minority Labour government loses a motion of confidence by one vote, forcing a general election which is to be held on 3 May.source
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).source
the General People's Congress declares that the "vesting of power in the masses" and the "separation of the state from the revolution" is complete. The government is divided between the "Jamahiriya sector" and the "revolutionary sector". The "Jamahiriya sector" is composed of the General People's Congress, the General People's Committee, and the local Basic People's Congresses. Muammar Gaddafi relinquishes his position as general secretary of the General People's Congress, as which he was succeeded by Abdul Ati al-Obeidi, but remains supreme commander of the armed forces. The "Jamahiriya sector" is overseen by the "revolutionary sector", headed by Gaddafi as "Leader of the Revolution" .Libya source
April 1 – Iran's government becomes an Islamic Republic by a 98% vote, overthrowing the Shah officially.source
May 1 – Greenland is granted limited autonomy from Denmark, with its own Parliament sitting in Nuuk.source
May 3 – The 1979 United Kingdom general election for the House of Commons takes place, giving the Conservatives a majority, and designating Margaret Thatcher the nation's first woman prime minister, ending the rule of James Callaghan's Labour government.source
6 May – In the Austrian legislative election, the country's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in government.Austria source
June 1 – The first black-led government of Rhodesia in 90 years takes power, in succession to Ian Smith and under his power-sharing deal, in the unrecognized republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia.source
June 4 – Following the "Muldergate" Information Scandal, John Vorster resigns as State President of South Africa.source
June 4 – Joe Clark becomes Canada's 16th and youngest Prime Minister.source
June 7 – 1979 European Parliament election: The first direct elections to the European Parliament begin, allowing citizens from across all nine (at this time) member states of the European Communities to elect 410 MEPs. It is also the first international election in history.source
June 18 – Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev sign the SALT II agreement in Vienna.source
July 16 – Iraqi President Hasan al-Bakr resigns and Vice President Saddam al-Tikriti, more commonly referred to in the Western press as "Saddam Hussein", assumes the presidency.source
July 21 – Nicaraguan Revolution: The Sandinista National Liberation Front concludes a successful revolutionary campaign against the Somoza dynasty and assumes power in Nicaragua.source
July 28 – Morarji Desai resigns as India's prime minister and Charan Singh succeeds him.source
August 5 – The Polisario Front signs a peace treaty with Mauritania. Mauritania withdraws from the Western Sahara territory it had occupied, and cedes it to the SADR.source
October 1 – Nigeria terminates military rule, and the Second Nigerian Republic is established.source
October 3 - Security chief Kim Jae-kyu meets democrat politician Kim Young-sam to discuss the country's future.South Korea source
October 12 – Thorbjörn Fälldin returns as Prime Minister of Sweden, replacing Ola Ullsten who is named Foreign Minister of Sweden.source
3 December – Ministers from France, Germany, and Luxembourg meet in Bonn. Germany and Luxembourg protest against France's plans to allow the construction of a nuclear power plant at Cattenom, but in vain.Luxembourg source
December 5 – Jack Lynch resigns as Taoiseach of Ireland; he is succeeded by Charles Haughey.source
10 December – Abdus Salam wins the first Nobel Prize for the country.Pakistan source
December 12 – The unrecognised state of Zimbabwe Rhodesia returns to British control and resumes using the name Southern Rhodesia.source
December 12 – The NATO Double-Track Decision: is the decision of NATO from December 12, 1979, to offer the Warsaw Pact a mutual limitation of medium-range ballistic missiles and intermediate-range ballistic missiles combined with the threat that in case of disagreement NATO would deploy more middle-range nuclear weapons in Western Europe, following the so-called "Euromissile Crisis".source
December 13 – The Canadian Progressive Conservative minority government of Prime Minister Joe Clark, falls in a non-confidence motion.source
Cape Verde ratified the UN treaties of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of ApartheidCape Verde source

Conflict & Security

January 7 – Cambodian–Vietnamese War: The People's Army of Vietnam and Vietnamese-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, ending large-scale fighting.source
January 7 - The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (led by Lê Duẩn) and moderate dissidents from the Khmer Rouge (led by Heng Samrin) advanced and captured the city of Phnom Penh. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge are pushed out of the capital and begin a guerrilla war in the forests near the Thai border.Cambodia source
January 22 – Uganda–Tanzania War: Battle of Mutukula: The Tanzanian military captures the Ugandan border town of Mutukula after a short battle.source
February 7 – Iranian Revolution: Supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini take over the Iranian law enforcement, courts, and government administration; the final session of the Iranian National Consultative Assembly is held.source
February 17 – The People's Republic of China invades northern Vietnam, launching the Sino-Vietnamese War.source
March 10 – Uganda–Tanzania War: Battle of Lukaya: The Ugandan military, a Libyan expeditionary force and allied Palestine Liberation Organisation militants begin a counter-offensive against Tanzanian troops in south-central Uganda. The Ugandan-led alliance retakes Lukaya after a short clash with the Tanzanian military.source
April 11 – Uganda–Tanzania War: Fall of Kampala: Tanzanian troops take Kampala, the capital of Uganda; Idi Amin flees.source
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.source
18 April - 1979–80 Balkans Cup: Albania defeats Yugoslavia 4-1 at Selman Stërmasi Stadium, TiranaAlbania source
April 23 – Fighting breaks out in London between the Anti-Nazi League and the Metropolitan Police's Special Patrol Group; protester Blair Peach receives fatal injuries during the incident, now officially attributed to the SPG.source
May 15 – Uganda–Tanzania War: Battle of Lira: Tanzania and its Uganda National Liberation Front allies capture Lira, Uganda, from the forces of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.source
June 4 – Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings takes power in Ghana after a military coup in which General Fred Akuffo is overthrown.source
15 June – U.N. Security Council Resolution 451 was adopted and noted that, due to the existing circumstances, the presence of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) would continue to be essential for a peaceful settlement.Cyprus source
June 25 – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Alexander Haig escapes an assassination attempt in Belgium by the Baader-Meinhof terrorist organization.source
26 June - 2,500 Libyan troops invade Chad, heading for Faya-Largeau. The Libyans are forced to retreat by the intervention of French airplanes.Libya source
July 3 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan.source
July 9 – A car bomb destroys a Renault owned by Nazi hunters Serge and Beate Klarsfeld at their home in France. A note purportedly from ODESSA claims responsibility.source
August 3 – Dictator Francisco Macías Nguema of Equatorial Guinea is overthrown in a bloody coup d'état led by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.source
September 16 – East German balloon escape: Two families flee from East Germany by balloon.source
September 22 – Vela incident: The "South Atlantic Flash" is observed near the Prince Edward Islands in the Indian Ocean, thought to be a nuclear weapons test conducted by South Africa and Israel.source
October 14 – National March for gay rights takes place in Washington, D.C., involving tens of thousands of people.source
15 October – The Armed Forces of El Salvador deposed President Humberto Romero in a military coup d'état and established the Revolutionary Government Junta. The Salvadoran Civil War began.El Salvador source
November 2 – Assata Shakur (née Joanne Chesimard), a former member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, escapes from a New York prison to Cuba, where she remains under political asylum until her death in 2025.source
November 3 – Greensboro massacre: In Greensboro, North Carolina, five members of the Communist Workers Party are shot to death and seven are wounded by a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis, during a "Death to the Klan" rally.source
November 4 – Iran hostage crisis begins: 500 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 of Iran back to stand trial.source
November 7 – U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy announces that he will challenge President Jimmy Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination.source
November 20 – Grand Mosque seizure: A group of 200 Juhayman al-Otaybi militants occupy Mecca's Masjid al-Haram, the holiest place in Islam. They are driven out by Saudi military forces after bloody fighting that leaves 250 people dead and 600 wounded.source
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 four, and disturbing Pakistan–United States relations.source
21 November – After false radio reports from the Ayatollah Khomeini that the Americans have 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)Pakistan source
December 12 - Coup d'état of December Twelfth: Lieutenant General Chun Doo-hwan, commander of the Security Command, orders the arrest of General Jeong Seung-hwa, ROK Army Chief of Staff, on allegations of involvement in the assassination of President Park Chung Hee. A shoot-out at the Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defense results in Chun and his fellow eleventh class military academy graduates such as Major General Roh Tae-woo and Major General Jeong Ho-yong taking control of the Korean military.South Korea source
December 21 – Lancaster House Agreement: A ceasefire for Rhodesia is signed at London.source
December 26 – In Rhodesia, 96 Patriotic Front guerrillas enter the capital Salisbury to monitor a ceasefire that begins December 28.source
Ethnic tensions and political unrest increase, as the Tamil minority realize their political party is having minimal success in the south.Sri Lanka source

Exploration & Expansion

26 February – Chiang Kai-shek International Airport located in Taoyuan County (now is Taoyuan County) officially opened.Taiwan source
February: Muhammed Ali came to New Zealand; staying at Upper Hutt (photos).New Zealand source
11 March – Keren Peles, Israeli singer.Israel source
11 April – The Razorback Blockade, a truck drivers' blockade, which had disrupted the eastern states for 10 days, ends. The truck drivers had been protesting against state road taxes and low cartage rates.Australia source
3 July – A cargo ship named MV Kairali owned by Kerala Shipping Corporation went missing on its journey carrying iron ore from Mormugao to Rostock.India source
9 August – Tore Ruud Hofstad, cross-country skierNorway source
The remains of Tsar Nicholas II and some of the Romanovs are discovered and exhumed near Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg).source
Irving Layton: The Tightrope DancerCanada source
Tristan Jones - The Incredible VoyageWales source

Religion & Belief

1 January – People's Republic of China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress published the Message to the Compatriots in TaiwanTaiwan source
20 January – Octavio Ortiz, Catholic priest (born 1944)El Salvador source
January 25 – Pope John Paul II arrives in Mexico City for his first visit to Mexico, mainly for 1979's Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM) or Conference of Puebla.source
February 3 – Ayatollah Khomeini creates the Council of the Islamic Revolution.source
February 5: Roman Catholic Diocese of Cuautitlán established.Mexico source
March 13 – Maurice Bishop leads a successful coup in Grenada. His government will be crushed by American intervention in 1983.source
April 14 – Holy Saturday (additional holiday)Philippines source
April 19 – The Church in Ytri-Njarðvík was opened.Iceland source
June 2 – Pope John Paul II arrives in his native Poland on his first official, nine-day stay, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country. This visit, known as nine days that changed the world, brings about the solidarity of the Polish people against Communism, ultimately leading to the rise of the Solidarity movement.source
September 1 – Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps is formed.source
29 September – Pope John Paul II, in Drogheda at the start of a 3-day visit to Ireland, appeals for an end to violence in Northern Ireland. Plans for him to extend his visit to Northern Ireland have been abandoned.Northern Ireland source
October 1–7 – Pope John Paul II makes a six-city visit to the United States, starting in Boston.source
October 2 – Pope John Paul II arrives in New York City for his first papal tour where he addresses the U.N. General Assembly against all forms of concentration camps and torture.source
October 7 – Pope John Paul II ends his first U.S. papal visit in Washington, D.C., with his first-ever visit to the White House.source
16 November – Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi (born 1886), Russian (Ukraine)-born Israeli author, educator, and a leading Labor Zionist.Israel source
December 3 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini becomes the first Supreme Leader of Iran.source
Hànyǔ Pīnyīn is widely adopted as the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, leading to changes in Western spelling of Chinese toponyms.source
Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah (from 20 September)Malaysia source

Economy & Finance

January 1 – Following a deal agreed during 1978, French carmaker Peugeot completes a takeover of American manufacturer Chrysler's European operations, which are based in Britain's former Rootes Group factories, as well as the former Simca factories in France.source
1 January – The commune of Rodenbourg is merged into the commune of Junglinster.Luxembourg source
11 January – The Singapore Refining Company is formed by three oil companies, namely Singapore Petroleum Company, Chevron and BP.Singapore source
11 January – The establishments of Export-Import Bank of the Republic of China.Taiwan source
February - The government is rocked by yet another bribery case: the Douglas-Grumman scandalJapan source
February – Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA) was established.Malaysia source
March 22 – The National Hockey League votes to approve its merger with the World Hockey Association, to take effect in three months, following the leagues' respective postseasons.source
June 1 – The Vizianagaram district is formed in Andhra Pradesh, India.source
June 3 – 1979 Italian general election: The Italian Communist Party loses a significant number of seats.source
June 22 – The WHA formally ceases operations, completing the merger with the NHL.source
June 29 - Finance Minister Sergio de Castro announces that the exchange rate of the peso against the dollar will be fixed, establishing it at 39 pesos.Chile source
July 15 – President Jimmy Carter addresses the nation in a televised speech talking about the "crisis of confidence in America today"; it would go on to be known as his "national malaise" speech.source
August 9 – Female workers of YH Trading in South Korea held a sit-in protest in response to the company's unilateral shutdown.source
1 September - Biju Patnaik mediates for an unsuccessful merger attempt between Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.India source
October 6 – Federal Reserve System changes from an interest rate target policy to a money supply target policy.source
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.source
26 November – Binyamin Shahor (born 1916), Israeli politician.Israel source
December 3 – The United States dollar exchange rate with the Deutsche Mark falls to 1.7079 DM, the all-time low so far; this record is not broken until November 5, 1987.source
China International Trust Investment Group (CITIC) founded.source
The One-child policy is introduced in China – it contributes to the country's sex-ratio imbalance. It was loosened in 2013.source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 1 – United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the International Year of the Child. Many musicians donate to the Music for UNICEF Concert fund, among them ABBA, who write the song Chiquitita to commemorate the event.source
8 February – The opening of Chongde Station and Heping Station of Taiwan Railways Administration in Xiulin Township, Hualien County.Taiwan source
February 13 – An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 1.3 km long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.source
February 18 – The 1979 Daytona 500 is televised on CBS, the first ever full airing of a 500-mile race on US television, Richard Petty wins after Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison battle for first place on the final lap and crash out, leading to a fist fight. This race brought NASCAR to a wider audience.source
February 26 – The Superliner railcar enters revenue service with Amtrak.source
March 1 – Philips publicly demonstrate a prototype of an optical digital audio disc at a press conference in Eindhoven, Netherlands.source
March 8 – Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time.source
March 17 – The Penmanshiel Tunnel in the UK collapses, killing two workers.source
March 19 – C-SPAN, an American television channel focusing on government and public affairs, is launched.source
19 March – The government, steel companies, and trade unions reach an agreement on restructuring the steel industry.Luxembourg source
April 1 – Nickelodeon launches from QUBE's Pinwheel experiment and begins airing on various Warner Cable systems beginning in Buffalo, New York, expanding its audience reach.source
April 7 – In Japan, Yoshiyuki Tomino directs Mobile Suit Gundam, the first series of the metaseries of the same name.source
April – nearly nine years after the decision to produce it was taken, the Israeli developed and produced battle tank Merkava was first introduced to the IDF forces.Israel source
April – Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. of Japan opened its factories in Shah Alam, Selangor.Malaysia source
May 24 – Thorpe Park: Opens its doors having attractions such as Phantom Fantasia also next door had a farm called Thorpe Farmsource
May 27 – Indianapolis 500: Rick Mears wins the race for the first time, and car owner Roger Penske for the second time.source
June 23 – New South Wales Premier Neville Wran officially opens the Eastern Suburbs Railway in Sydney. It operates as a shuttle between Central and Bondi Junction until full integration with the Illawarra Line in 1980.source
July 1 – The Sony Walkman goes on sale for the first time in Japan.source
August 11 – The Machchu-2 dam in Morbi, India, collapses, killing between 1800 and 25000 people in one of the worst ever dam failures.source
September 30 – The MTR in Hong Kong begins service with the opening of its Modified Initial System, the Kwun Tong Line.source
October 1 – The MTR, the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong, opens.source
October 9 – Peter Brock wins the Bathurst 1000 by a record six laps, with a lap record on the last lap.source
10 October – The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant began operations in Eurajoki, Satakunta, Finland.Finland source
15 October – The first automated teller machine (ATM) in Singapore is launched.Singapore source
October 20 – The first McDonald's in Singapore opens at Liat Towers in Orchard Road.source
November 16 – Bucharest Metro Line One is opened, in Bucharest, Romania (from Timpuri Noi to Semanatoarea stations, 8.63 km).source
November 29 – After 12 years of environmental controversy and legal action, the Tennessee Valley Authority's Tellico Dam project is completed. It remains the last dam to be built by the agency as of 2023.source
December 23 – The highest aerial tramway in Europe, the Klein Matterhorn, opens.source
The first usenet experiments are conducted by Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis of Duke University.source
NBC introduces a new version of its famous peacock, used in conjunction with the 1975-style N, for the Fall season.source
Domestic football: Team BJMC won 1979 Dhaka First Division League title, while Abahani KC came out runners-up.Bangladesh source
Museo Rufino Tamayo in Oaxaca opens.Mexico source

Science & Discovery

January - The One Child Policy is announced and implemented (est.)China source
January - Go-slow at Subang Airport.Malaysia source
February 7 – Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was known to science.source
February 26 – A total solar eclipse, the last visible from the continental United States until 2017, arcs over northwestern conterminous US and central Canada ending in Greenland. A partial solar eclipse is visible over almost all of North America and Central America including the eastern half of Alaska and the western half of the UK.source
March 4 – The U.S. Voyager 1 spaceprobe photos reveal Jupiter's rings.source
March 5 – Voyager 1 makes its closest approach to Jupiter at 277,000 km.source
March 7 – The largest Magnetar (Soft gamma repeater) event is recorded.source
March 25 – The first fully functional Space Shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the Kennedy Space Center, to be prepared for its first launch.source
31 March – Representing Luxembourg, Jeane Manson finishes thirteenth in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 with the song J'ai déjà vu ça dans tes yeux.Luxembourg source
April 22 – The Albert Einstein Memorial is unveiled at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.source
June 12 – Bryan Allen flies the man-powered Gossamer Albatross across the English Channel.source
June 15 – The ecological horror-thriller Prophecy is released in the United States by Paramount Pictures.source
July 11 – NASA's first orbiting space station, Skylab, begins falling back Earth as its orbit decays after more than six years.source
September 1 – The U.S. Pioneer 11 becomes the first spacecraft to visit Saturn when it passes the planet at a distance of 21,000 km.source
September 3 - Aeroflot Flight A-513Soviet Union source
November 9 – Nuclear false alarm: the NORAD computers and the Alternate National Military Command Center in Fort Ritchie, Maryland, detect an apparent massive Soviet nuclear strike. After reviewing the raw data from satellites and checking the early-warning radars, the alert is cancelled.source
30 November-1 December – 1979 Chilean telethonChile source
December 24 – The first European Ariane rocket is launched.source
Full date unknown – Abraham Schalit (born 1898), Austro-Hungarian (Galicia)-born Israeli historian.Israel source
1979 Summer Universiade in Mexico City.Mexico source
Singapore becomes the world's second busiest port in terms of shipping tonnage.Singapore source

Health & Medicine

February 7: Nazi criminal Josef Mengele suffers a stroke and drowns while swimming in Bertioga. His remains are found six years later.Brazil source
7 April – Bangladesh started the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) to reduce child deaths from vaccine preventable diseases.Bangladesh source
April 10 – Presidential Decree No. 1616, an act to create an Intramuros Administration for the purpose of restoring and developing Intramuros is enacted.Philippines source
June 15 – McDonald's introduces the Happy Meal in the United States in a nationwide advertising campaign after testing the product since February in franchises in the U.S. state of Missouri.source
July 1 – Sweden becomes the first country to outlaw corporal punishment in the home.source
July 4 – Psychiatrist and leader of the global anti-asylum movement Franco Basaglia visits the Colônia de Barbacena Psychiatric Hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and compares the facility to Nazi concentration camps, a move that momentum to psychiatric reform in the country that same year.source
30 July – The carless days scheme is introduced, restricting private motor vehicles from driving on one day of the week.New Zealand source
7 September – The first Speak Mandarin Campaign is launched to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to speak Mandarin instead of dialects.Singapore source
October 26 – The eradication of the smallpox virus is announced by the World Health Organization, making smallpox the first of only two human diseases that have been driven to extinction (rinderpest in 2011 being the other).source
10 November – Mahmud Al-Nashaf (born 1906), Israeli Arab politician.Israel source
November 29 - The latest edition of El Tarapacá de Iquique circulates.Chile source
undated: Neue Deutsche Welle, a pop musical genre, spreads throughout the land.Germany source

Crime & Justice

January 6 – Geylang Bahru family murders: Four children, aged five to ten, are brutally killed in Geylang Bahru, Singapore.source
January 19 – Former U.S. Attorney General John N. Mitchell is released on parole after 19 months at a federal prison in Alabama.source
January 20 – Capital punishment in Peru: Following a hasty conviction on espionage and treason charges, Air Force member Julio Vargas Garayar became the last person to be executed by Peru.source
February 7 – Nazi criminal Josef Mengele suffers a fatal stroke and drowns while swimming in Bertioga, Brazil. His remains are found in 1985.source
February 13 – The Guardian Angels are formed in New York City as an unarmed organization of young crime fighters.source
20 February – Eleven Loyalists, known as the Shankill Butchers, are sentenced to life imprisonment for 112 offences, including nineteen sectarian murders.Northern Ireland source
February 27 – The annual Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans is cancelled due to a strike called by the New Orleans Police Department.source
11 March – 1979 North Korean local electionsNorth Korea source
14 March - 1979–80 Balkans Cup: Albania is defeated by Yugoslavia 3-0 at Stadion Kantrida, RijekaAlbania source
April 1–18 – Police lock Andreas Mihavecz in a holding cell in Bregenz, Austria and forget about him, leaving him there without food or drink.source
April 18 - Relatives of disappeared detainees are chained in the building of the former National Congress, where the Ministry of Justice worked. Again they get no response.Chile source
22 April – 1979 Nahariya attack: A group of four Palestinian Liberation Front militants, including the 16-year-old Samir Kuntar, enter Israel from Lebanon by boat and infiltrate the Israeli town of Nahariya, located ten kilometers south of the Lebanese border. The squad murder four Israeli civilians, including three members of one family: Danny Haran and his children, Einat Haran (age four) and Yael Haran (age two).Israel source
May 21 – Dan White is convicted of manslaughter, rather than murder, for the assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, after using what would become known as the "Twinkie defense" and persuading a jury that the crime was not premeditated. The maximum sentence is seven years imprisonment, with eligibility for early parole, prompting the "White Night riots" in the gay community.source
May 25 – Etan Patz, six years old, is kidnapped in New York. He is often referred to as the "Boy on the Milk Carton" and the investigation later sprouts into one of the most famous child abduction cases of all time. This is a cold case until 2010 when it is re-opened. In April 2017, Pedro Hernandez is convicted of the murder and kidnapping and sentenced to life imprisonment.source
June 20 – A Nicaraguan National Guard soldier kills ABC TV news correspondent Bill Stewart and his interpreter Juan Espinosa. Other members of the news crew capture the killing on tape.source
June 22 – Former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe was acquitted of conspiracy to murder Norman Scott, who had accused Thorpe of having a relationship with him.source
10 July – Mehmet Ali Ağca, charged with the murder of Abdi İpekçi, is arrested.Turkey source
July 21 – The disco music genre dominates and peaks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the first six spots (beginning with Donna Summer's Bad Girls), and seven of the chart's top ten songs ending that week.source
July 22 – 1979 Ba'ath Party Purge: Iraqi president Saddam Hussein arranges the arrest and later execution of nearly seventy members of his ruling Ba'ath Party.source
September 9 – The long-running comic strip For Better or For Worse begins its run, in Canada, before becoming syndicated elsewhere in North America and the world.source
September 16 – The Sugarhill Gang release Rapper's Delight in the United States, the first rap single to become a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.source
September 29 – The overthrown dictator Francisco Macías Nguema of Equatorial Guinea is convicted of genocide and executed by firing squad.source
November 2 – French police shoot gangster Jacques Mesrine in Paris.source
November 9 – The Carl Bridgewater murder trial ends in England 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.source
November 15 – British art historian and former Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures Anthony Blunt's role as the "fourth man" of the 'Cambridge Five' double agents for the Soviet NKVD during World War II is revealed by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom; she gives further details on November 21.source
November 23 – The Troubles: In Dublin, Ireland, Provisional Irish Republican Army member Thomas McMahon is sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of Lord Mountbatten of Burma in August. He was released in 1998 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.source
Sultan of Selangor: Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz ShahMalaysia source
1978–79 Mexican Primera División season.Mexico source

Disasters & Accidents

26 January – Near Chuadanga, a train derails and overturns, killing at least 70 and injuring at least 300.Bangladesh source
February 15 – A suspected gas explosion in a Warsaw bank kills 49 people.source
February 27 – The Soviet oil tanker Antonio Gramsci suffers a minor shipwreck in shallow waters shortly after leaving shore in Ventspils, resulting in a 5,000 ton oil spill, the largest that has ever occurred on the Baltic Sea.source
March 14 – In China, a Hawker Siddeley Trident crashes into a factory near Beijing, killing 31 people on the ground and injuring 200.source
March 14 – In China, a Hawker Siddeley Trident crashes into a factory near Beijing, killing at least 260.China source
March 18 – Ten miners die in a methane gas explosion at Golborne Colliery near Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.source
March 28 – America's most serious nuclear power plant accident occurs, at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania.source
April 2 – Sverdlovsk anthrax leak: A Soviet biowarfare laboratory at Sverdlovsk accidentally releases airborne anthrax spores, killing 66 plus an unknown amount of livestock. It is a violation of the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972.source
May 8 – Ten shoppers die in a fire at the Woolworths department store in Manchester city centre in the UK.source
May 9 – The Unabomber bomb injures Northwestern University graduate student John Harris.source
9 May - Monsanto Company closes its production facility at Echternach after 13 years of operation, with the loss of 750 jobs.Luxembourg source
May 25 – American Airlines Flight 191: In Chicago, a DC-10 crashes during takeoff at O'Hare International Airport, killing all 271 on board and 2 people on the ground in the deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history.source
June 3 – Ixtoc I oil spill: A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico 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 oil spill until it is surpassed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.source
July 12 – A fire at a hotel in Zaragoza, Spain, leaves 72 dead, the worst hotel fire in Europe in decades.source
July 12 – A Disco Demolition Night publicity stunt goes awry at Comiskey Park, forcing the Chicago White Sox to forfeit their game against the Detroit Tigers.source
August 8 – Two American commercial divers, Richard Walker and Victor Guiel, die of hypothermia after their diving bell becomes stranded at a depth of over 160 m in the East Shetland Basin. The legal repercussions of the accident will lead to important safety changes in the diving industry.source
August 14 – A freak storm during the Fastnet Race results in the deaths of 15 sailors.source
October 23 - Coihuín tragedy: intense rains cause the collapse of a hill in the coastal town of Coihuín, in the commune of Puerto Montt, crushing ten people, all algae collectors.Chile source
October 31 – Western Airlines Flight 2605 crashes upon landing at Mexico City International Airport, killing 72 occupants plus one on the ground; 16 people on board survive.source
October 31: Western Airlines Flight 2605Mexico source
November 10 – 1979 Mississauga train derailment: A 106-car Canadian Pacific freight train carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals from Windsor, Ontario, Canada derails in Mississauga, just west of Toronto, causing a massive explosion and the largest peacetime evacuation in Canadian history and one of the largest in North American history.source
November 28 – Air New Zealand Flight 901: an Air New Zealand DC-10 crashes into Mount Erebus in Antarctica on a sightseeing trip, killing all 257 people on board.source
2 December - The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli is burned during protests.Libya source
December 20 – A bus plunges into a river in Isabela, killing at least 50 persons.Philippines source
A bomb explodes at the Sasol Oil Refineries and cause massive structural damage.South Africa source
Worldwide per capita oil production reaches a historic peak.source

Climate & Environment

March 8 – Images taken by Voyager 1 prove the existence of volcanoes on Io, a moon of Jupiter.source
April 10 – A tornado hits Wichita Falls, Texas, killing 42 people (the most notable of 26 tornadoes that day).source
April 13 – The La Soufrière volcano erupts in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.source
April 15 – 1979 Montenegro earthquake: A 6.9 Mw shock affects Montenegro (then part of Yugoslavia) and parts of Albania, causing extensive damage to coastal areas and taking 136 lives; the old town of Budva is devastated.source
April 18 – A typhoon kills at least 12 persons, left hundreds homeless, and caused property damage estimated at $3.5 million.Philippines source
19 April – Andreas Mihavecz unintentionally breaks the record for surviving the longest without any food or liquids, after being mistakenly put into custody in a holding cell in Bregenz, and left there for 18 days.Austria source
13 May – a tropical cyclone hits Coastal Andhra and destroys 7 lakh homes and affects 40 lakh people.India source
July 18 – Over 500 people die after a tsunami occurs on Lembata Island, triggered by a landslide on the Iliwerung volcano.source
Unknown date - UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross are granted permission by the Vietnamese and PRK governments to deliver aid to quell famine in Cambodia.Cambodia source
September 12 – Hurricane Frederic makes landfall at 10:00 p.m. on Alabama's Gulf Coast.source
September 14–21: Hurricane Henri (1979)Mexico source
October 12 – Near Guam, Typhoon Tip reaches a record intensity of 870 millibars, the lowest pressure recorded at sea level. This makes Tip the most powerful tropical cyclone in known world history.source
October 16 – A tsunami in Nice, France, kills 23 people.source
October 19 – 13 U.S. Marines die in a fire at Camp Fuji, Japan, as a result of Typhoon Tip.source
October 19 – 13 US Marines die in fire at Camp Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, caused by Typhoon Tip.Japan source
November 25 – The last cargo of phosphate was shipped from Banaba Island in Kiribati in the South Pacific Ocean, bringing an end to the island's chief industry.source
December 12 – The 8.2 Mw Tumaco earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 300–600, and generating a large tsunami.source
Karula Landscape Protection Area (nowadays Karula National Park) was established.Estonia source
Sultan of Johor: Sultan IsmailMalaysia source

Culture & Society

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 is later released.source
March 8 – Thousands of women participate in the International Women's Day Protests in Tehran, 1979 against the introduction of mandatory veiling during the Iranian revolution.source
March 26 – Michigan State University, led by Earvin "Magic" Johnson, defeats Larry Bird-led Indiana State 75–64 in the NCAA tournament championship game at Salt Lake City.source
26 March–1 April – The 1979 World Curling Championships take place in Bern.Switzerland source
March 31 – Milk and Honey win the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 for Israel, with the song Hallelujah.source
April 1 – Dale Earnhardt Sr. wins his first career NASCAR race at the 1979 Southeastern 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He would go on to win 76 races and seven championships during his career.source
April 2 – In Japan, the channel of TV Asahi premieres Doraemon.source
30 April – The government acquired land of the Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Teng Cemetery and plans to redeveloped it into the Bishan New Town.Singapore source
June 1 – The Seattle SuperSonics win the NBA Championship against the Washington Bullets.source
June 2 – Los Angeles' city council passes the city's first homosexual rights bill signed without fanfare by mayor Tom Bradley.source
June 9–23 – The 1979 Cricket World Cup is held in England with West Indies defeating England in the final.source
9 June – Native Luxembourger Lucien Didier wins the 1979 Tour de Luxembourg.Luxembourg source
June 13 – The 1979 NHL Expansion Draft takes place, restocking the franchises from Edmonton, Hartford, Quebec, and Winnipeg, which are being admitted from the WHA as expansion teams.source
June 24 – The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal, an international opinion tribunal, is founded in Bologna at the initiative of Senator Lelio Basso.source
June 28: Escola de Formação de Professores (EFPES), Cape Verde's first college established, it is now part of the University of Cape VerdeCape Verde source
1 July – Upgrade of Kaohsiung City from provincial city to special municipality.Taiwan source
July 5 – Queen Elizabeth II attends the millennium celebrations of the Isle of Man's Parliament, Tynwald.source
July 21 – Maritza Sayalero of Venezuela wins the Miss Universe pageant; the stage collapses after contestants and news photographers rush to her throne.source
July 30 – Eat Bulaga!, the longest running noon-time variety show in the Philippines, premiered on RPN. It was also aired on ABS-CBN from 1989 to 1995, GMA Network from 1995 to 2023 and the TV5 since 2023.Philippines source
August 4 – Opening game of the American Football Bundesliga played between Frankfurter Löwen and Düsseldorf Panther, first-ever league game of American football in Germany.source
August 6 – Bauhaus releases their debut single "Bela Lugosi's Dead", considered to be the first gothic rock release.source
August 10 – Michael Jackson releases his breakthrough album Off the Wall. It sells 7 million copies in the United States alone, making it a 7× platinum album.source
August 17 – The controversial religious satirical film Monty Python's Life of Brian premieres in the United States.source
October 12 – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the first novel by Douglas Adams, is published in the United Kingdomsource
October 17 – The Pittsburgh Pirates become only the fourth MLB team (as well as the only MLB franchise to accomplish the feat twice) to recover from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to win the 1979 World Series.source
November 5 – The radio news program Morning Edition premieres on National Public Radio in the United States.source
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 Olympic Games and international sports tournaments and championships.source
November 30 – The Wall, a rock opera concept album by Pink Floyd, is first released.source
December 6 – The world premiere of Star Trek: The Motion Picture is held at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.source
December 15 – The directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki, The Castle of Cagliostro, is released in Japan.source
Sultan of Pahang: Tengku Abdullah (Regent from 29 March)Malaysia source
Sri Lanka defeated India in the ICC World Cup. They were the winners of the inaugural ICC Trophy, ahead of the cricket World Cup.Sri Lanka source

Births

January 15 – Drew Brees, American football playersource
January 16 – Aaliyah, American R&B singer and actress (died 2001)source
January 18 – Leo Varadkar, 14th Taoiseach of Irelandsource
1 February – Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, cross-country skierFinland source
February 13 – Anders Behring Breivik, Norwegian far-right terrorist responsible for the 2011 Norway attackssource
February 16 – Valentino Rossi, Italian seven-time MotoGP world championsource
March 17 – Samoa Joe, American professional wrestlersource
March 28 – Shakib Khan, Bangladeshi film actor, producer, singer, film organiser and media personalitiessource
30 March – Malaka Dewapriya, film maker.Sri Lanka source
June 3 – Pierre Poilievre, Canadian politiciansource
June 23 – LaDainian Tomlinson, American football playersource
August 31 – Mickie James, American professional wrestlersource
9 September – Vasileios Tsolakidis, artistic gymnastGreece source
9 September - Phoutlamphay ThiamphasoneLaos source
September 25 – Michele Scarponi, Italian road bicycle racer (died 2017)source
October 3 – John Morrison, American professional wrestlersource
October 17 – Kimi Räikkönen, Finnish 2007 Formula 1 world championsource
December 31 – Josh Hawley, American politician, U.S. Senator (R-MO) from 2019source

Deaths

February 14 – In Kabul, Muslim extremists kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs, who is killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.source
March 29 – Sultan Yahya Petra of Kelantan, the 6th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Head of State) of Malaysia, dies in office. He is replaced by Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang.source
3 April – Syed Mahbub Murshed, lawyer and jurist (born 1911)Bangladesh source
April 4 – Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is executed by hanging for the murder of a political opponent.source
April 4 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, 51, Pakistani politician, president (1971–1973) and prime minister (1973–1977), execution by hanging.source
June 11 – John Wayne, 72, American actor (True Grit, The Searchers) and film producer (The Alamo, Bullfighter and the Lady), stomach cancer.source
14 August – N. M. Perera, politician (born 1905).Sri Lanka source
August 16 – John Diefenbaker, 83, Canadian politician, prime minister (1957–1963), heart attack.source
26 August – Mika Waltari, author (born 1908)Finland source
August 27 – The Troubles: Lord Mountbatten of Burma and two others are killed in a bombing on his boat in the Republic of Ireland by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). Mountbatten was a British fleet admiral, statesman and an uncle of The Duke of Edinburgh. On the same day, the Warrenpoint ambush occurs, killing 18 British soldiers. Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne would die in a hospital the following day from injuries sustained in the bombing.source
August 27 – Louis Mountbatten, Lord Mountbatten, 79, British naval admiral and royal, bomb explosion.source
September 22 – Abul A'la Maududi, 75, Pakistani Islamic scholar, heart attack.source
October 26 – Park Chung Hee, the President of South Korea, is assassinated by KCIA director Kim Jae-gyu.source
October 26 – Park Chung Hee, 61, South Korean politician, president (since 1963), shot.source
October 26 - President Park Chung Hee, 61 (assassinated)South Korea source
December 3 – The Who concert disaster: Eleven fans are killed during a crowd crush for unreserved seats before The Who rock concert at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.source
December 4 – The Hastie fire in Kingston upon Hull, England, leads to the deaths of 3 boys and begins the hunt for Bruce George Peter Lee, the UK's most prolific killer.source
December 24 – The Soviet Union covertly launches its invasion of Afghanistan – 3 days later, PDPA general secretary Hafizullah Amin is executed in Operation Storm-333 and Babrak Karmal replaces him, beginning the war.source