This day in history. Read about what happened today. A short and interesting account of historical events and facts about this day as well as any other day of the year. Find historical birthdays, deaths, tragedies, war events, disasters and sports events.

This year in history
In the year 1979

	January 1st	The People's Republic of China and the United States of America established formal diplomatic relations for the first time.
	January 7th	Vietnamese troops captured the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, effectively ousting Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
	January 16th	The Shah of Iran was forced to flee Iran along with his family in fear of the Iranian Revolution which had began. Iranian revolution ended the Shah's rule in February of the same year.
	February 1st	Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran after nearly 14 years in exile.
	February 11th	Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran. He was a Shi'a Muslim cleric and marja, and was the political leader of the Iranian Revolution.
	February 17th	China invaded Vietnam. The was lasted approximately one month and was an indirect result of the fallout between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.
	March 13th	A coup d'etat occurred in the island nation of Grenada.
	March 14th	A commercial jet crashed into a factory near Beijing, China, resulting in the death of more than 200 people.
	March 19th	British actor, Richard Beckinsale, died at the age of 31. He died from a massive heart attack at his home. He had become a popular actor after participating in the ever famous BBC sitcom Poridge. He was the father of actress Kate Beckinsale.
	March 28th	The, Three Mile Island, nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, USA, suffered a reactor cooling system failure causing a partial nuclear meltdown. No lives were lost in the incident and the reactor was brought under control before reaching critical levels.
	April 6th	The restricted traffic area in Athens is instituted in an effort to fight traffic jams and pollution.
	April 11th	Ugandan dictator Idi Amin was deposed. A reported (but not confirmed) 300,000 are believed to have been killed during his reign of power. He received asylum in Saudi Arabia, where he remained till his death.
	April 19th	American actress, Kate Hudson, was born in Los Angeles. She is the daughter of famed actress Goldie Hawn.
	May 4th	Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to be elected to the post of Prime Minister in the United Kingdom.
	May 25th	An American Airlines flight crashed during takeoff at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago killing all 271people on board as well as 2 people on the ground.
	June 2nd	Pope John Paul II visited his homeland, Poland, he was the first Pope to ever visit a communist state.
	June 27th	Muhammad Ali announced his retirement from boxing.
	July 1st	Sony introduced the Walkman device.
	July 10th	American conductor, Arthur Fiedler, died at the age of 84. He was the long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specialized in popular music. Boston Pops Orchestra is probably the most financially successful orchestra group of all time.
	July 12th	The island nation of Kiribati declared its independence from Great Britain. The island nation is located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean.
	July 16th	Saddam Hussein assumed the office of the President of Iraq after the resignation of president Hasan al-Bakr.
	July 19th	The Sandinista insurgents overthrew the government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua.
	August 17th	Two Soviet Aeroflot passenger planes collided in mid-air over the Ukraine. All 156 people on board the planes died in the crash.
	August 27th	British statesman, Lord Mountbatten, was killed by an IRA placed bomb while vacationing in Sligo, Ireland. He was the last Viceroy and first Governor-General of independent India.
	October 10th	The Pac-Man arcade game was released in Japan.
	October 14th	A march in support of the rights of Gay people took place in Washington, D.C. Over 200,000 people attended the march, which was the first of its kind.
	October 17th	Missionary, Mother Teresa, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
	November 4th	Iranian radicals, mostly students, invaded the United States embassy in Tehran taking 90 people hostage. The crisis lasted until January 20, 1981.
	November 28th	An Air New Zealand passenger plane crashed while on a sightseeing trip to Mount Erebus, resulting in the death of all 257 people on board. Mount Erebus is in Antarctica is the southernmost (active) volcano on Earth.
	November 29th	American comedian, Zeppo Marx, died at the age of 78. He was part of the Marx Brothers group, that marked the stage with its unique comedy style during the first half of the 20th century.
	November 30th	The music band, Pink Floyd, released their 'The Wall' album.
	December 12th	Rhodesia changed its name to Zimbabwe.
	December 14th	English footballer, Michael Owen, was born in Chester. He has enjoyed a hugely successful and high-profile career, even though he has acquired only a few titles.
	December 24th	The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in an effort to stabilize the country's Marxist government.
	December 27th	The Soviet Union forces assumed control of Afghanistan.

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