Directory

1979 CE

A year transformed by the Iranian Revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Camp David peace treaty, and the Three Mile Island nuclear accident.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • The Iranian Revolution toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in January, and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile in February to establish an Islamic republic.
  • The Camp David Accords led to the signing of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty in March, making Egypt the first Arab country to recognize Israel, at the cost of Egypt's isolation in the Arab world.
  • The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December, deploying tens of thousands of troops to support a communist government, beginning a decade-long occupation that would have far-reaching consequences.
  • Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November, taking 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage in a crisis that would last 444 days.
  • Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in May, beginning an era of economic liberalization and political transformation.
  • China and the United States formally established diplomatic relations on January 1, with the U.S. recognizing the People's Republic as the sole legal government of China.
  • Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq in July, consolidating absolute power and embarking on a course of military aggression and internal repression.
  • The SALT II arms limitation treaty was signed by President Carter and General Secretary Brezhnev in June, though it was never ratified by the U.S. Senate.
  • Rhodesia held its first universal suffrage elections in April, though the internationally unrecognized result was replaced by the Lancaster House Agreement in December.
  • The Sandinista National Liberation Front overthrew the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua in July, establishing a revolutionary government that would clash with the United States.

Conflict & Security

  • The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December marked the beginning of a devastating nine-year war that would kill over a million Afghans and contribute to the Soviet Union's eventual collapse.
  • The Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis created a fundamental shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics, establishing the Islamic Republic as a major regional power hostile to the United States.
  • The Sino-Vietnamese War erupted in February when China invaded Vietnam in response to Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia, with fighting lasting approximately one month.
  • Vietnamese forces and Cambodian rebels captured Phnom Penh in January, ending the Khmer Rouge regime's genocidal rule and installing a Vietnamese-backed government.
  • The civil war in El Salvador intensified as leftist guerrilla groups strengthened their coordination, forming the Coordinadora Politico-Militar, while the government's repression escalated.
  • Idi Amin's regime in Uganda was overthrown in April when Tanzanian forces and Ugandan exile groups captured Kampala, ending eight years of brutal dictatorship.
  • The siege of the Grand Mosque in Mecca in November saw hundreds of armed Islamist militants seize Islam's holiest site, with the siege lasting two weeks before being suppressed.
  • Equatorial Guinea's dictator Francisco Macias Nguema was overthrown and executed in August following a coup by his nephew Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
  • The conflict between Eritrean liberation movements and the Ethiopian government continued, with guerrilla warfare across the region.
  • South Africa continued its military operations in Angola and Namibia, supporting UNITA rebels and maintaining its occupation of South West Africa.

Economy & Finance

  • The second oil crisis was triggered by the Iranian Revolution, causing oil prices to more than double and reaching approximately $40 per barrel by year's end.
  • Inflation surged in the United States and other oil-importing nations, with the U.S. consumer price index rising over 11% during the year.
  • Paul Volcker was appointed chairman of the Federal Reserve in August and immediately began raising interest rates aggressively to combat inflation.
  • The European Monetary System and its Exchange Rate Mechanism began operating in March, establishing a framework for currency coordination among European nations.
  • The second oil shock hit the global economy, with higher energy costs contributing to recession in many industrialized nations.
  • China began implementing its economic reform program under Deng Xiaoping, introducing market mechanisms and opening select areas to foreign investment.
  • The World Bank and IMF continued to provide development financing, with the oil crisis straining the economies of many oil-importing developing nations.
  • Oil-producing nations, particularly Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, experienced massive revenue increases from the price spike.
  • Japan's economy proved relatively resilient to the oil shock, with the country's energy-efficient industries gaining competitive advantage.
  • Chrysler Corporation's financial difficulties led to negotiations with the U.S. government for a federal bailout, which Congress approved in December 1979.

Technology & Infrastructure

  • The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania experienced a partial meltdown in March, the most serious nuclear accident in U.S. history.
  • The Sony Walkman was introduced in Japan in July, creating the portable personal music player market and transforming how people listened to music.
  • Voyager 1 flew past Jupiter in March, returning detailed images of the planet's cloud systems, the Great Red Spot, and the volcanic activity on the moon Io.
  • Voyager 2 flew past Jupiter in July, complementing Voyager 1's observations and continuing on its trajectory toward Saturn.
  • The first cellular phone networks were tested, with experimental systems operating in Japan and Chicago.
  • VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet program, was released for the Apple II computer in October, establishing a transformative application for personal computing.
  • CompuServe launched one of the first consumer online information services, offering email and other electronic communication tools to subscribers.
  • The European Space Agency launched its first Ariane rocket in December, establishing Europe as an independent force in space launch capability.
  • Personal computer development continued, with Apple, Commodore, and Tandy competing in the growing home and small business market.
  • The development of fiber-optic communication technology advanced, with commercial deployment beginning in telephone networks.

Science & Discovery

  • Voyager 1's flyby of Jupiter in March revealed active volcanoes on the moon Io, the first discovery of extraterrestrial volcanism, and provided detailed views of Europa's icy surface.
  • The Pioneer 11 spacecraft became the first probe to fly past Saturn in September, returning images and data about the ringed planet before Voyager's arrival.
  • The Three Mile Island accident prompted widespread reassessment of nuclear power safety, leading to enhanced regulatory oversight and design improvements.
  • A complete skeleton of the early human ancestor Australopithecus afarensis, nicknamed 'Lucy,' continued to reshape understanding of human evolution after its 1974 discovery.
  • The rings of Jupiter were discovered by Voyager 1 in March, revealing that ring systems were more common in the outer solar system than previously thought.
  • Research on genetic engineering advanced, with scientists developing new techniques for manipulating DNA and creating recombinant proteins.
  • The Cray-1 supercomputer continued to push the boundaries of computational power, enabling complex simulations in weather forecasting, nuclear physics, and other fields.
  • Research on plate tectonics continued to advance understanding of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the geological history of the Earth's surface.
  • Climate science progressed with the publication of the Charney Report, which estimated that a doubling of atmospheric CO2 would likely increase global temperatures by 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius.
  • The discovery of hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor near the Galapagos Islands in previous years continued to reshape understanding of the limits of life.

Health & Medicine

  • The Global Commission certified the eradication of smallpox in December, following the last known natural case in Somalia in 1977, with the formal WHO declaration to follow in May 1980.
  • The first test-tube baby, born in 1978, generated continued ethical debate about in vitro fertilization and reproductive technology.
  • The WHO and UNICEF jointly organized the International Conference on Primary Health Care follow-up, advancing efforts to improve maternal and child health in developing nations.
  • Global childhood immunization campaigns expanded, though coverage in many developing nations remained far below targets.
  • Tuberculosis continued to be a major cause of death in developing nations, with an estimated 3 million deaths annually.
  • Research on cancer treatment advanced, with chemotherapy protocols improving survival rates for several types of cancer.
  • The health effects of Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War began to receive attention, with veterans reporting elevated rates of cancer and birth defects.
  • Malaria remained a devastating disease in tropical regions, with an estimated 1 to 2 million deaths annually.
  • The development of coronary artery bypass surgery and angioplasty advanced the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
  • Mental health treatment continued to evolve, with deinstitutionalization accelerating in many Western nations and community-based care expanding.

Climate & Environment

  • The Three Mile Island accident in March raised serious concerns about nuclear power safety and its potential environmental and health consequences.
  • A major earthquake struck northeastern Iran in November, killing approximately 200 people in the Khorasan region.
  • Hurricane David struck the Caribbean and the eastern United States in August and September, killing over 2,000 people, primarily in the Dominican Republic.
  • Typhoon Tip, the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded, formed in the Pacific in October with record low atmospheric pressure.
  • The Ixtoc I oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in June became one of the largest oil spills in history, releasing millions of barrels of crude oil before being capped in March 1980.
  • Global atmospheric CO2 concentrations continued to rise, reaching approximately 337 parts per million at the Mauna Loa Observatory.
  • The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals was signed in Bonn, establishing an international framework for protecting migratory species.
  • Deforestation in tropical regions continued to accelerate, with satellite imagery beginning to document the scale of forest loss.
  • The anti-nuclear power movement gained significant momentum following the Three Mile Island accident, with large demonstrations in the United States and Europe.
  • The Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution was signed in November, the first international treaty to address air pollution across national borders.

Culture & Society

  • The Iranian Revolution transformed not only Iran but the broader Middle East, establishing political Islam as a major force in international affairs.
  • The Sony Walkman's introduction revolutionized personal entertainment, enabling people to listen to music privately while on the move.
  • Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for her humanitarian work among the poor in India.
  • The global population reached approximately 4.4 billion, with rapid growth continuing in developing regions.
  • Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, was released in August, becoming one of the most acclaimed films about the Vietnam War.
  • The Deer Hunter won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the ceremony held in April.
  • Kramer vs. Kramer, starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, was released and addressed themes of divorce and child custody.
  • ESPN launched as the first 24-hour sports television network in September, creating a new model for sports media coverage.
  • The Sugar Hill Gang released Rapper's Delight in September, one of the first hip-hop songs to achieve mainstream commercial success.
  • The first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights reflected the growing visibility of LGBTQ rights movements.
  • Disco music peaked in popularity before a cultural backlash, epitomized by the Disco Demolition Night event at Comiskey Park in Chicago in July.