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What Happened In History Year 1980

Historical Events for the Year 1980

  • 1st January » Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden e.g Victoria is crowned princess of Sweden.
  • 7th January » U.S. President Jimmy Carter authorizes legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
  • 26th January » Israel and Egypt establish diplomacy or diplomatic relations.
  • 27th January » Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escape Iran hostage crisis named hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian Caper.
  • 28th January » USCGC Blackthorn WLB-391 6 collides with the tanker Capricorn while leaving Tampa Florida and capsizes killing 23 Coast Guard crewmembers.
  • 2nd February » Reports surface that the Federal Bureau of Investigation e.g FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congress of the United States named Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
  • 4th February » Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini names Abolhassan Banisadr as president of Iran.
  • 17th February » Mount Everest, 1st Winter Ascent by Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy.
  • 22nd February » Miracle on Ice: In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union hockey team 4–3.
  • 24th February » The United States Ice hockey at the Olympic Games named Olympic Hockey team completes their Miracle on Ice by defeating Finland 4-2 to win the gold medal.
  • 26th February » Egypt and Israel establish full Egypt–Israel relations called diplomatic relations.
  • 28th February » Andalusia approves its Autonomous communities of Spain e.g statute of autonomy through a referendum.
  • 29th February » Gordie Howe of the then Carolina Hurricanes known as Hartford Whalers makes National Hockey League known as NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.
  • 3rd March » The USS Nautilus SSN-571 6 is Ship decommissioning decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.
  • 10th March » Madeira School headmistress Jean Harris shoots and kills Scarsdale diet doctor Herman Tarnower
  • 10th March » Formation of the Irish Army Ranger Wing.
  • 14th March » In Poland, a LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 e.g plane crashes during final approach (aviation) e.g final approach near Warsaw, killing 87 people, including a 14-man American boxing team.
  • 18th March » At Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, 50 people are killed by an explosion of a Vostok rocket e.g Vostok-2M rocket on its launch pad during a fueling operation.
  • 20th March » The Radio Caroline ship, Mi Amigo founders in a gale off the England e.g English coast.
  • 21st March » President of the United States named US President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
  • 21st March » 'Dallas (1978 TV series) known as Dallas' aired its "A House Divided (Dallas) e.g A House Divided" episode, which led to eight months of international intrigue regarding Who shot J.R.?
  • 23rd March » Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador gives his famous speech appealing to men of the El Salvadoran armed forces to stop killing the Salvadorans.
  • 24th March » Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed while celebrating Mass (Catholic Church) known as Mass in San Salvador.
  • 27th March » The Norwegian oil platform Alexander L. Kielland (platform) called Alexander L. Kielland collapses in the North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212.
  • 27th March » Silver Thursday: A steep fall in silver prices, resulting from Nelson Bunker Hunt e.g the Hunt Brothers attempting to corner the market in silver, led to panic on commodity and futures exchanges.
  • 31st March » The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.
  • 2nd April » United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act in an effort to help the U.S. economy rebound.
  • 7th April » The United States severs relations with the Iran called Islamic Republic of Iran.
  • 9th April » The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein kills philosopher Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda after three days of torture.
  • 20th April » Climax of Berber Spring in Algeria as hundreds of Berber people called Berber political activists are arrested.
  • 24th April » Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis.
  • 30th April » Beatrix of the Netherlands or Beatrix becomes Queen of the Netherlands.
  • 30th April » The Iranian Embassy siege begins in London.
  • 5th May » Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
  • 8th May » The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
  • 9th May » In Florida, Liberian freighter 'MV Summit Venture' collides with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, making a 1,400-ft. section of the southbound span collapse. Thirty-five people in six cars and a Greyhound bus fall 150 ft. into the water an
  • 9th May » In Norco, California, five masked gunmen hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to Norco shootout named a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in History of California known as California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer ar
  • 13th May » An Fujita Scale named F3 tornado Kalamazoo Tornado of 1980 known as hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.
  • 17th May » On the eve of presidential elections, Maoism or Maoist guerrilla warfare called guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho, starting the Internal conflict in Peru.
  • 18th May » 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens: Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington (state) known as Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.
  • 18th May » Gwangju Massacre: students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations calling for democratic reforms.
  • 20th May » In a 1980 Quebec referendum named referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada.
  • 22nd May » Namco releases the highly influential arcade game 'Pac-Man'.
  • 27th May » The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more.
  • 1st June » CNN named Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.
  • 3rd June » The 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak. Seven tornadoes hit Grand Island, Nebraska, which take five lives, 357 single-family homes, 33 mobile homes, 85 apartments, 49 businesses and cause $300 million in damages all told, according to statistics compiled
  • 10th June » The African National Congress in South Africa publishes a call to fight from their imprisoned leader Nelson Mandela.
  • 27th June » Italy e.g Italian Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 mysteriously explodes in mid air while in route from Bologna to Palermo, killing all 81 on board. Also known in Italy as the Ustica disaster
  • 1st July » "O Canada" officially becomes the national anthem of Canada.
  • 7th July » Institution of sharia in Iran.
  • 7th July » During the Lebanese Civil War, 83 Tigers Militia e.g Tiger militants are killed during what will be known as the Safra massacre.
  • 10th July » Alexandra Palace burns down for a second time.
  • 15th July » A Western Wisconsin Derecho called massive storm tears through western Wisconsin, causing US$160 million in damage.
  • 29th July » Iran adopts a new Flag of Iran named "holy" flag after the Islamic Revolution.
  • 30th July » Vanuatu gains independence.
  • 1st August » A Buttevant Rail Disaster named train crash kills 18 people in County Cork, Republic of Ireland named Ireland.
  • 1st August » Patrick Depailler, French Grand Prix driver was killed in a crash at Hockenheim during a private test session.
  • 8th August » The Central Hotel Fire, Bundoran e.g Central Hotel Fire occurs in Bundoran, Ireland.
  • 12th August » The Latin American Integration Association called Montevideo Treaty, establishing the Latin American Integration Association, is signed.
  • 14th August » Lech Wałęsa leads strikes at the Gdańsk, Poland shipyards.
  • 17th August » Death of Azaria Chamberlain Azaria Chamberlain disappears, at Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, probably taken by a dingo, leading to what was then the most trial by media publicized trial in History of Australia Australian history.
  • 19th August » Saudia Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar burns after making an emergency landing at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing 301 people.
  • 25th August » Zimbabwe joins the United Nations.
  • 31st August » After two weeks of nationwide strike action called strikes, the Polish government was forced to sign the Gdańsk Agreement, allowing for the creation of the trade union Solidarity (Polish trade union) called Solidarity.
  • 31st August » Ogunpa River called Flood in Ibadan after 12 hours of heavy downpour killed over 300 people and properties worth million destroyed.
  • 1st September » Major General Chun Doo-hwan becomes President of South Korea, following the resignation of Choi Kyu-hah.
  • 11th September » Voters approve a new Constitution of Chile, later amended after the departure of president Pinochet.
  • 16th September » Saint Vincent and the Grenadines join the United Nations.
  • 17th September » After weeks of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, the nationwide independent trade union Solidarity (Polish trade union) called Solidarity is established.
  • 17th September » Former Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle is killed in Asunción, Paraguay.
  • 18th September » Soyuz 38 carries two cosmonauts (including one Cubans known as Cuban) to Salyut 6 called Salyut 6 space station.
  • 22nd September » Iran–Iraq War e.g Iraq invades Iran.
  • 26th September » At the Oktoberfest terror attack in Munich 13 people died and 211 were injured.
  • 30th September » Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation.
  • 2nd October » Michael Myers (politician) Michael Myers becomes the first member of either chamber of Congress to be Expulsion from the United States Congress expelled since the American Civil War Civil War.
  • 9th October » Pope John Paul II shakes hands with the Dalai Lama during a private audience in Vatican City.
  • 9th October » Princess Caroline of Monaco divorces Philippe Junot.
  • 10th October » A magnitude 7.3 1980 El Asnam earthquake or earthquake occurs in the Algerian town of Chlef e.g El Asnam. 3,500 die and 300,000 are left homeless.
  • 10th October » FMLN was founded in El Salvador.
  • 17th October » As part of the Holy See – United Kingdom relations a British monarch makes the first state visit to the Vatican
  • 24th October » The government of Poland legalizes the Solidarity (Polish trade union) named Solidarity trade union.
  • 25th October » Proceedings on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction conclude at The Hague.
  • 12th November » The NASA space probe 'Voyager I' makes its closest approach to Saturn and takes the first images of its Rings of Saturn called rings.
  • 20th November » Lake Peigneur drains into an underlying salt deposit. A misplaced Texaco oil probe had been drilled into the Diamond Crystal Salt Mine, causing water to flow down into the mine, eroding the edges of the hole.
  • 23rd November » 1980 Irpinia earthquake or A series of earthquakes in southern Italy kills approximately 3,000 people.
  • 28th November » Iran–Iraq War: Operation Morvarid The bulk of the Iraqi Navy is destroyed by the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy e.g Iranian Navy in the Persian Gulf. (Commemorated in Iran as Navy Day Iran e.g Navy Day.)
  • 2nd December » Salvadoran Civil War: Four U.S. nuns and churchwomen, Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Jean Donovan, and Dorothy Kazel, are murdered by a Death squads El Salvador named military death squad.
  • 4th December » English people called English rock group Led Zeppelin officially disbands, following the death of drummer John Bonham on September 25.
  • 8th December » John Lennon Death of John Lennon or is murdered by Mark David Chapman in front of The Dakota in New York City.
  • 11th December » The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund) is enacted by the United States Congress known as U.S. Congress.

Historical events for the year 1980 by month