What Happened in 1978 | 1979 1980 | 1981

Top News of 1980 [ Top News ][ Top 100 Songs ][ Top Movies ] Date Event JANUARY 02 President Jimmy Carter tells the Senate it should not ratify the SALT nuclear arms treaty with the USSR until the Soviets withdraw from Afghanistan 02 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission reports that 38 of the 68 functioning nuclear power plants in the US have failed to meet the January 1 deadlines for changes in equipment and procedures. These improvements were mandated in response to the accident at Three Mile Island 02 Early Rock and Roll artist Larry Williams is the victim of a single gunshot through his right temple. Police say Williams committed suicide, but friends think he was murdered (b. May 10 1935) 03 Author of Born Free & naturalist Joy Adamson is murdered at a game park near Nairobi, Kenya 04 President Carter responds to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan by reneging on a deal to send 17,000,000 metric tons of grain to Russia 07 Indira Gandhi is re-elected in India 08 Soviet troops reportedly in control of most of Afghanistan 14 Two hijackers hold hostages aboard an Alitalia airliner in Palermo 16 Paul McCartney begins ten days in a Japanese prison after half a pound of marijuana was found in his suitcase at Tokyo airport. After the ten days behind bars he is deported back to Britain 17 IRA claims responsibility for the bombing of a commuter train near Belfast 19 On trial for printing $1 million in counterfeit $100 US bills, Sunny Brunson swears he intended to wallpaper his bathroom walls with the funny money, not spend it 20 The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl XIV. Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw is named MVP 20 President Carter announces a US boycott of the Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 20 Yugoslav President Tito has left leg amputated 22 Dissident Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov is stripped of honours and exiled from Moscow after criticising the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 23 Yuri Stefanov of the Soviet Gitilis Academic Ballet defects during performance in Italy 25 Several men claiming to be Black Muslims hijack Delta Flight 1116 from Atlanta to New York City and reroute plane to Cuba, where they are arrested 26 Frank Sinatra performs in Rio de Janeiro to crowd of 175,000 29 After hiding for three months, six Americans escape Tehran, Iran. The US Embassy had been seized leaving the Americans trapped in Iran. In collaboration with the Canadian Embassy, the Americans were able to leave posing as Canadian diplomats 29 Comedian Jimmy Durante dies at age 86 30 Professor Longhair, King of New Orleans piano, dies (b. December 19 1918) 31 Terrorists seize the Spanish embassy in Guatamala City. 41 are killed when police storm the compound and fire sweeps through building FEBRUARY 01 After a drug overdose, Ann Beverly (mother of Sid Vicious) is hospitalised 02 A Senator from New Jersey, a representative from Pennsylvania, and the governor-elect of Louisiana are among the politicians accused of accepting bribes in two FBI undercover operations known as Abscam and Brilab 04 Studio 54 owners Rubell and Schrager enjoy a big farewell bash before surrendering to authorities to begin 3½ year prison sentences for tax evasion 05 An avalanche buries the Italian alpine village of Cervinia 06 Bolshoi Ballet teacher Sulamith Messener and son Mikhail defect while on tour in Japan 07 Already convicted of two murders, Ted Bundy is convicted today of murder of Kimberly Diane Leach 08 Two small planes collide in midair over LAX 08 David Bowie and his wife Angie are granted a divorce under Swiss law after 10 years of marriage. Angie's settlement is $750,000 over ten years 10 Police raid the Queen's Hotel in Southsea (UK) where The Clash are staying. They take away various 'substances' for analysis. Joe Strummer is found in bed reading The bible! 12 US Serial killer Ted Bundy is given a third death sentence by an Orlando judge 12 In Italy, the Red Brigade murder Judge Vittorio Bachelet after he gives a lecture on terrorism 12 Actress Christina Ricci is born 13 Thin Lizzy leader Phil Lynott marries Caroline Crowther, daughter of entertainer Leslie Crowther 13 Actor David Janssen, star of The Fugitive and Harry O , dies 13 The Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, NY, formally open 13 Kristy Powell, American Olympic gymnast, is born 14 Vocalist Lou Reed marries Sylvia Morales in Greenwich Village, NY  17 Buddy Baker wins the Daytona 500 17 Composer Jerry Fielding dies 18 PM Pierre Trudeau retains power in Canada 18 Alison Rachel Fitch, New Zealand Olympic swimmer, is born 19 AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott, dies in London. He had spent the night on a drinking spree at a Camden Town Music Machine gig and had fallen asleep in a car in Dulwich. Cause of death was given as "acute alcoholic poisoning". Scott was flown back to Australia and cremated 20 Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt, dies at age 96 21 13 killed in crash at Sydney Airport 22 Martial law is declared in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan , following protests against the Soviet invasion 23 Canadian Olympic gymnast Yvonne Tousek is born 24 Greek tanker explodes and sinks in the Aeolian Sea, spilling 37 million gallons of oil 27 A Boeing 707 crashes and explodes at Manila airport 27 Chelsea Clinton, daughter of future President Bill Clinton, is born 29 Buddy Holly's glasses, worn when his plane crashed in 1959, are discovered in old police files by the sheriff of Mason City, Iowa MARCH 04 Robert Mugabe elected PM of Zimbabwe 10 "Scarsdale Diet" doctor, Herman Tarnower is murdered 20 The boat from which Radio Caroline, Britain's first pirate radio station in the 1960s, transmitted its illegal programs, sinks 24 Archbishop Oscar Romero, a vocal defender of human rights in strife-torn El Salvador is assassinated while saying mass in a San Salvador church.  Thirty people are killed by bombs and sniper fire during his funeral six days later 25 Jean Harris, headmistress of a US private school, is indicted for murder of Scarsdale Diet Dr. Herman Tarnower 27 100 die in North Sea oil rig tragedy off the coat of Norway 27 British Royal family receives increases in income 31 Olympic gold medallist Jesse Owens dies, age 66 APRIL 07 President Carter breaks off diplomatic relations with Iran and bans trade between the two countries 07 A flood of Cuban refugees leave their homeland, with Fidel Castro's blessing. Over the next two months, over 100,000 enter the US, most of them through Florida. The US initially welcomes them, then - fearing Castro is using the exodus as a means to empty out his prisons - takes steps to screen the refugees 10 Soviet cosmonauts dock Soyuz 35 with Salyut 6 space station 18 Britain's last colony in Africa, Southern Rhodesia, becomes independent as Zimbabwe led by prime minister Robert Mugabe 21 Rosie Ruiz breaks marathon record for women in Boston Marathon 24 Desert fiasco ends failed hostage rescue bid in Iran as a helicopter collides with a C-130 troop transport. Eight troops die in the accident, and five are injured 26 US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigns in opposition to the military rescue attempt of the hostages. Senator Edmund Muskie takes his place 29 Rosie Ruiz stripped of her Boston Marathon title after investigation shows she did not run entire race. Jacqueline Gereau is named the new winner 29 A "Washington for Jesus" rally brings 200,000 evangelical Christians to the nations capital 29 Alfred Hitchcock, master of suspense, dies aged 88 30 Princess Beatrix is crowned Queen of the Netherlands 30 Terrorists seize the Iranian embassy in London, demanding the release of political prisoners in Iran MAY 03 Richard Carter attempts robbery across street from a Detroit police station and is promptly arrested 03 'Genuine Risk' wins the 106th Kentucky Derby 04 Yugoslav President marshal Tito dies at the age of 87 05 SAS successfully storm Iranian embassy in London to free hostages 11 Two men arrested after climbing the Statue of Liberty in protest of convicted murderer Black Panther Geronimo Pratt 13 A military coup in Ugancda ousts President Godfrey Binaisa 16 L.A. Lakers win NBA Championship over Philadelphia 76ers, 4 games to 2 17 EPA says some residents of Love Canal, NY may have suffered chromosome damage (and higher risk of birth defects and cancer) due to toxic waste dumping there. 17 Drummer Peter Criss leaves Kiss (of which he was a founder-member). He is replaced by Eric Carr 17/19 Race riots in the Liberty City area of Miami, Florida leave 14 dead, 300 injured, and cause $100 million in damages. The riopts erupt after an all-white jury aquits 4 former Miami policemen in the fatal beating of a black man. 18 Mount St. Helens, a Washington State volcano, dormant since 1857 erupts. The blast blows the top of the mountain completely off, and sets off a series of fires, mudslides and floods in the 120 square mile area surrounding the volcano. 15 people are killed, and at least 40 are listed as missing. 18 Ian Curtis, vocalist with Joy Division, hangs himself in his Manchester (UK) home 20 Irate residents fo Love Canal, NY briefly take two federal officials hostage 21 President Carter declares Love Canal, NY a distaster area and EPA proceeds with the evacuation of residents. 21 New government headed by Park Choong Hoon named in South Korea, as violence continues 22 Phil Donahue marries Marlo Thomas 23 Mount St. Helens erupts again, an explosion compared to a hydrogen bomb blast 23 Four men break into prison at Lorton, VA and kill inmate Douglas Boney 24 New York Islanders defeat Philadelphia Flyers to win the pro hockey's Stanley Cup, 4 games to 2 25 Johnny Rutherford wins the Indianapolis 500 for the third time. JUNE 07 US writer Henry Miller dies 10 Comedian Richard Pryor almost dies in a freebasing accident after a mixture of cocaine and ether explodes in his face 12 Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira dies 13 Mt. St. Helens in Washington state erupts for third time 17 US Cruise Missiles are to be based at a US Air Force airfield at Greenham Common, near Newbury in Berkshire and at Molesworth  17 Tennis star Venus Williams is born 21 Bert Kaempfert dies 23 Sanjay Gandhi (son and heir of Indira Gandhi) dies in an air crash in India 27 President Carter signs a law requiring draft registration by men nineteen to twenty years of age, although no draft is actually contemplated. 28 Fred Astaire weds jockey Robyn Smith JULY 04 Evonne Goolagong Cawley defeats Chris Evert Lloyd to win Wimbledon women's singles title 05 Bjorn Borg of Sweden becomes the first tennis player to win five successive men's singles titles at Wimbledon 05 John and Tracy Austin become first brother-sister team to win Wimbledon mixed doubles title 14 The Republican National Convention nominates Ronald Reagan for president, and George Bush for vice-president 14 President Carter 's brother Billy becomes a registered foreign agent of the Libyan government after receiving a $220,000 "loan" from the Libyans.  Two weeks later the president admits having given Billy classified information dealing with Libya 17 Zenko Suzuki is new Japanese prime minister 19 XXII Olympic games open in Moscow. The games are boycotted by the USA and 64 other nations in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 21 Heat wave blankets much of USA from New York City to the Southwest 22 Delta Airlines jet hijacked to Cuba, then proceeds to Puerto Rico 24 Peter Sellers dies a fortnight after his latest film Being There was hailed as one of his finest comedy performances 25 Violinist Helen Mintiks, a member of the Berlin Symphony, is murdered while leaving New York City's Metropolitan Opera House 26 Deadly fire breaks out in Chicago's Union Station 27 Deposed Shah of Iran dies in Cairo 29 USS Midway and Panamanian freighter collide near Philippines 30 Israeli Knesset formally declares all of Jerusalem the nation's capital 30 Vanuatu (New Hebrides) gains independence from Britain and France AUGUST 01 Passenger train derails enroute from Dublin to Cork, Ireland. 17 people are killed 02 Terrorist bomb blast kills 84 at Bologna Station, Italy 04 Queen Mother is 80 years old 04 Hurricane Allen hits Haiti and Puerto Rico 04 Senate subcommittee hearings on Billy Carter's ties with Libya begin 07 Hurricane Allen, second strongest hurricane since record-keeping began, heads across Gulf of Mexico for Texas coast 09 Hurricane Allen hits Texas coast north of Brownsville, tornados and flooding reported 10 Air Florida airliner hijacked to Cuba 11 Carter and Mondale are nominated for re-election by the Democratic National Convention 11 Reggie Jackson hits his 400th home run 12 Ted Kennedy withdraws from presidential race 13 Air Florida jet hijacked to Cuba by refugees, second hijacking in four days 14 National Airlines jet hijacked to Cuba, third such hijacking this week 14 Polish workers seize Gdansk shipyard, fighting for the right to have free trade unions 14 Playboy centerfold Dorothy Stratten murdered by estranged husband Paul Snider, who kills himself 16 Cuban refugees hijack Delta, Eastern and Republic passenger jets 16 USAF F-4 plane crashes near Cairo 17 Baby Azaria Chamberlain disappears at Ayers Rock in Australia. Parents claim a dingo took their baby 19 Riot breaks out in Amsterdam when police evict urban squatters 20 Father of Anne Frank, last surviving member of family, dies in Switzerland 20 Italy's Reinhold Messner makes first solo ascent of Mt. Everest 21 Soviet nuclear submarine catches fire near Okinawa, Japan 26 Actor Macauley Culkin is born 27 Gen. Chun Doo Kwan named president of South Korea 27 Another jetl is hijacked to Cuba, the seventh in three weeks 30 Lech Walesa signs an agreement with the Polish government allowing the formation of independent trade unions SEPTEMBER 05 Australia defeats France and earns right to face USA in America's Cup yacht race 06 Chris Evert Lloyd defeats Hana Mandlikova to win US Tennis Open 07 John McEnroe defeats Bjorn Borg to win US Open in five sets 08 An Eastern Airlines flight bound for Florida from New York is hijacked to Cuba 11 Drug raid in San Francisco involves seizure of Franklin Roosevelt's yacht Potomac 12 Passengers and stewardess of Eastern Airlines flight foil another hijacking attempt 12 Following a military coup in Turkey, General Evren takes power 13 Actor Ben Savage is born 17 Delta Airlines jet hijacked to Cuba 21 Crash occurs at airbase at Biggin Hill in the UK during air show celebrating the RAF's role in Battle of Britain 22 Creation of Solidarnosc ( Solidarity) union in Poland, with Lech Walesa , the Gdansk shipyard worker, as its leader 24 Iraq invades Iran to gain control of the Shatt-al-Arab waterway  25 Led Zeppelin drummer, John Bonham, dies 25 USA wins America's Cup yacht race, defeating Australia 26 Terrorist bombing at Munich's Oktoberfest kills 12 26 First Cuban cosmonaut returns to Earth after visit to Salyut 6 space station 30 Martina Hingis, tennis star, is born OCTOBER 02 Actor Steve McQueen diagnosed with rare form of lung cancer 02 Larry Holmes defeats Mohammad Ali in Las Vegas boxing match. It is the first time Ali has been knocked out in a fight 05 Peter Brock becomes the first driver to win the Australian Hardie Ferodo 1000 motor race at Bathurst five times 10 Algerian earthquake toll may be 20,000 18 Malcolm Fraser scrapes in with Liberal victory in Australia 24 SBS Television starts in Sydney & Melbourne 26 Paul Kantner of Jefferson Starship suffers a stroke during recording sessions for Modern Times . He recovers completely after some time in hospital NOVEMBER 04 Republican Ronald Reagan defeats Carter and is elected as the 40th president 07 Amtrak and Conrail trains collide near Dobbs Ferry station, New York 07 Actor Steve McQueen dies of cancer at age 50 10 Michael Foot named new head of British Labour Party 12 Voyager I space probe passes within 77,000 miles of Saturn 15 Two members of Harlem Globetrotters arrested in Sao Paulo, Brazil on drug charges 19 Yorkshire Ripper claims 13th victim, Jacqueline Hill, in Leeds (England) 19 The Brooke Shields "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins"  jeans ad is banned by CBS 20 In China, the trial begins of the "Gang of Four" 21 84 die in huge fire at the MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas 22 Actress Mae West dies aged 87 23 Severe earthquake hits southern Italy killing 3,000 DECEMBER 01 Female IRA prisoners in Northern Ireland begin hunger strike 02 Police and urban squatters clash in Amsterdam 04 Three US nuns and a lay worker found shot dead in El Salvador 04 Portugal's Premier Francisco Sa Carneiro killed in plane crash 04 Polish airliner hijacked on way to West Berlin 06 Boston's transit system shut down due to lack of funds 06 UN workers perish in plane crash in Tanzania 08 John Lennon is shot dead outside his home in New York City, aged 40 11 NATO warns USSR not to intervene in Poland's affairs 14 Elston Howard, American pro baseball catcher, dies 15 Dave Winfield becomes highest-paid player in US baseball history after signing with New York Yankees 16 Suez Canal, widened and deepened, is reopened to supertanker traffic 16 A sad day for chicken lovers everywhere as Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, leaves for the great chicken shack in the sky. He was aged 90 17 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher rejects appeal to save 43 IRA members on 52-day-long hunger strike 17 Turkish Consul-General shot dead in Sydney, Australia 18 Seven IRA members in Belfast's Maze Prison end hunger strike after one is taken to hospital and given last rites 23 Mark David Chapman indicted for 2nd degree murder in death of John Lennon 24 Dr. Christian Barnard leads medical team transplanting heart of white woman into black man in Cape Town, South Africa 25 Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, head of Nazi Germany's navy during WWII, dies aged 89 26 American figure skater Serena Phillips is born 27 President Carter breaks his collarbone in a skiing accident and is treated at Bethesda Naval Hospital 28 President-Elect Ronald Reagan is named Time 's Man of the Year 29 Four Soviets are shot for collaborating with Nazis at Dachau concentration camp during World War II 29 80 injured in New York City commuter train accident 31 Police General Enrico Calvaligi assassinated in Rome

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