Editing 1979 (section)

==Events==

===January===
{{main|January 1979}}
* [[January 1]]
** [[United Nations Secretary-General]] [[Kurt Waldheim]] heralds the start of the ''[[International Year of the Child]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author=United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Regional Centre for Culture and Book Development in Asia|title=Newsletter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LH6ezAgKysQC|year=1979|page=3}}</ref> Many musicians donate to the ''[[Music for UNICEF Concert]]'' fund, among them [[ABBA]], who write the song ''[[Chiquitita]]'' to commemorate the event.
** In 1979, the United States officially severed diplomatic ties with the [[Republic of China]] ([[Taiwan]]). This decision marked a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, turning to view the People's Republic of [[China]] as the sole legitimate representative of China.
** The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full [[Sino-American relations|diplomatic relations]].
** Following a deal agreed during 1978, [[France|French]] carmaker [[Peugeot]] completes a takeover of American manufacturer [[Chrysler]]'s [[Chrysler Europe|European operations]], which are based in [[United Kingdom|Britain]]'s former [[Rootes Group]] factories, as well as the former [[Simca]] factories in [[France]].
* [[January 6]] – [[Geylang Bahru family murders]]: Four children, aged five to ten, are brutally killed in [[Geylang Bahru]], [[Singapore]].
* [[January 7]] – [[Cambodian–Vietnamese War]]: The [[People's Army of Vietnam]] and Vietnamese-backed [[Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation|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 [[Thailand|Thai]] border, ending large-scale fighting. 
* [[January 8]] – [[Whiddy Island Disaster]]: The French tanker ''Betelgeuse'' explodes at the Gulf Oil terminal at [[Bantry]], Ireland; 50 people are killed.
* [[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.
* [[January 16]] – Shah [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] flees [[Iran]] with his family, relocating to [[Egypt]] after a year of turmoil.
* [[January 19]] – Former U.S. Attorney General [[John N. Mitchell]] is released on [[parole]] after 19 months at a federal prison in Alabama.
* [[January 22]] – [[Uganda–Tanzania War]]: [[Battle of Mutukula]]: The [[Tanzania]]n military captures the [[Uganda]]n border town of [[Mutukula, Uganda|Mutukula]] after a short battle.
* [[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]].
* [[January 28]] – [[Deng Xiaoping]] arrives in Washington, D.C., for the [[State visit by Deng Xiaoping to the United States|first visit]] of a [[paramount leader]] of the People's Republic of China to the United States.

=== February ===
{{Main|February 1979}}
[[File:Flag of Saint Lucia.svg|thumb|[[22 February]]: Saint Lucia becomes independent]]
[[File:Flag of Iran.svg|thumb|Restored flag of Iran]]
* [[February 1]] – [[Ayatollah]] [[Ruhollah Khomeini]] returns to [[Tehran]], [[Iran]] after nearly 15 years of [[exile]].<ref>{{cite book|author=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|title=Fundamentalisms Observed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qd5yzP5hdiEC&pg=PA403|date=July 1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-50878-8|pages=403}}</ref>
* [[February 3]] – Ayatollah Khomeini creates the [[Council of the Islamic Revolution]].
* [[February 7]]
** [[Iranian Revolution]]: Supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini take over the Iranian law enforcement, courts, and government administration; the final session of the Iranian [[Islamic Consultative Assembly|National Consultative Assembly]] is held.
** [[Pluto]] moves inside [[Neptune]]'s orbit for the first time since either was known to science.
** Nazi criminal [[Josef Mengele]] suffers a fatal stroke and drowns while swimming in [[Bertioga]], [[Brazilian military government|Brazil]]. His remains are found in [[1985]].
* [[February 10]]–[[February 11|11]] – The Iranian Revolution ends with the Iranian army withdrawing to its barracks leaving power in the hands of Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Khomeini]], ending the [[Pahlavi dynasty]].
* [[February 11]] – Uganda–Tanzania War: [[Battle of Simba Hills]]: The Tanzanian military began its assault on the Simba Hills near the town of [[Kakuuto, Uganda|Kakuuto]].
* [[February 12]] – Prime Minister [[Hissène Habré]] starts the Battle of N'Djamena in an attempt to overthrow [[Chad]]'s President [[Félix Malloum]].
* [[February 13]] 
** An intense [[February 13, 1979 windstorm|windstorm]] strikes western [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and sinks a {{convert|1.3|km|mi|abbr=on}} long section of the [[Hood Canal Bridge]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-14 |title=The windstorm that sank the Hood Canal Bridge exactly 44 years ago |url=https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/windstorm-that-sank-hood-canal-bridge-exactly-44-years-ago/OTNCVFYQTJHRLEPYOP4AJ77VZA/ |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=KIRO 7 News Seattle}}</ref>
** The [[Guardian Angels]] are formed in [[New York City]] as an unarmed organization of young crime fighters.
* [[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.<ref>J. Robert Moskin, ''American Statecraft: The Story of the U.S. Foreign Service'' (Thomas Dunne Books, 2013), p. 594.</ref>
* [[February 15]] – A [[1979 Warsaw gas explosion|suspected gas explosion]] in a [[Warsaw]] bank kills 49 people.
* [[February 17]] – The People's Republic of China invades northern [[Vietnam]], launching the [[Sino-Vietnamese War]].
* [[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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Columnist |first=Al Pearce Sports |title=The most important race in NASCAR history |url=https://www.rockymounttelegram.com/sports/professional/the-most-important-race-in-nascar-history/article_7ba1fcb8-e8b1-5e4d-9ddb-f8538b4f2b84.html |access-date=2022-07-10 |website=RockyMount Telegram |date=June 18, 2022}}</ref>
** The Khomeini government in Iran cuts [[Iran-Israel relations|diplomatic relations]] with [[Israel]].
* [[February 21]] –  Uganda–Tanzania War: [[Battle of Gayaza Hills]]: A Tanzanian brigade successfully dislodged Ugandan forces from the Gayaza Hills. The battle is hard-fought, and the Tanzanians suffer their largest number of casualties in a single engagement of the war.
* [[February 22]] – [[Saint Lucia]] becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
* [[February 26]]
** A [[Solar eclipse of February 26, 1979|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eclipse.org.uk/eclipse/0111979/|title=Total Eclipse of the Sun: 1979 February 26|publisher=[[HM Nautical Almanac Office]]|date=2011-04-11|access-date=2013-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060328051052/http://www.eclipse.org.uk/eclipse/0111979/|archive-date=March 28, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** The [[Superliner (railcar)|Superliner]] railcar enters revenue service with [[Amtrak]].
* [[February 27]]
**The annual [[Mardi Gras]] celebration in [[New Orleans]] is cancelled due to a strike called by the [[New Orleans Police Department]].
**The Soviet oil tanker [[Antonio Gramsci (ship)|''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]].<ref>{{cite web | url= https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11652270| title= "Tämmöinen öljyhomma merellä on laitoksen sisäinen asia, eikä siitä tiedoteta" – Itämeren pahin öljyturma pysyi pimennossa lähes kuukauden | website = [[Yle]] | date = 2020-11-27 | access-date = 2021-11-04 }}</ref>

=== March ===
{{Main|March 1979}}
* [[March 1]]
** [[1979 Scottish devolution referendum|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 [[1979 Welsh devolution referendum|Welsh devolution referendum]], [[Wales]] votes against devolution.
** [[Philips]] publicly demonstrate a prototype of an [[Compact disc|optical digital audio disc]] at a press conference in [[Eindhoven]], Netherlands.
* [[March 2]] – Uganda–Tanzania War: [[Battle of Tororo]]: Ugandan rebels attack and capture the town of [[Tororo]].
* [[March 4]]
** The U.S. ''[[Voyager 1]]'' spaceprobe photos reveal [[Jupiter's rings]].
** Uganda–Tanzania War: Battle of Tororo: The Ugandan military retakes Tororo from rebels.
* [[March 5]] – ''Voyager 1'' makes its closest approach to [[Jupiter]] at {{convert|277000|km|mi}}.
* [[March 7]] – The largest [[Magnetar]] ([[Soft gamma repeater]]) event is recorded.
* [[March 8]]
**[[Philips]] demonstrates the [[compact disc]] publicly for the first time.
** Thousands of women participate in the [[International Women's Day Protests in Tehran, 1979]] against the introduction of mandatory veiling during the [[Iranian revolution]].
** Images taken by ''Voyager 1'' prove the [[Volcanism on Io|existence of volcanoes]] on [[Io (moon)|Io]], a [[moon of Jupiter]].<ref name="Morabito1979">{{cite journal |title=Discovery of currently active extraterrestrial volcanism |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |last1=Morabito |first1=L. A. |pages=972 |volume=204 |issue=4396 |date=1979 |doi=10.1126/science.204.4396.972 |pmid=17800432 |bibcode=1979Sci...204..972M |display-authors=1 |last2=Synnott |first2=S. P. |last3=Kupferman |first3=P. N. |last4=Collins |first4=S. A.|s2cid=45693338 }}</ref>
* [[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, Uganda|Lukaya]] after a short clash with the Tanzanian military.
* [[March 11]] – Uganda–Tanzania War: Battle of Lukaya: The Tanzanian military counter-attacks at Lukaya, completely defeating the Ugandan-led alliance. This defeat permanently cripples the Ugandan military.
* [[March 13]] – [[Maurice Bishop]] leads a successful coup in [[Grenada]]. His government will be crushed by [[Invasion of Grenada|American intervention]] in [[1983]].
* [[March 14]] – In China, a [[Hawker Siddeley Trident]] crashes into a factory near Beijing, killing 31 people on the ground and injuring 200.
* [[March 16]]
**End of major hostilities in the [[Sino-Vietnamese War]].
** In his letter to the United Nations, [[Elísio de Figueiredo|Elisio De Figueiredo]], the People's Republic of Angola's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, requests an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the question of [[South African Border War|South Africa's continuous acts of aggression in Angola]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Angola |date=1979-03-16 |title=Letter dated 79/03/16 from the Permanent Representative of Angola to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council. |url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/2225|publisher=United Nations Digital Library}}</ref>
* [[March 17]] – The [[Penmanshiel Tunnel]] in the UK collapses, killing two workers.
* [[March 19]] – [[C-SPAN]], an American television channel focusing on government and public affairs, is launched.
* [[March 18]] – Ten miners die in a [[methane]] gas explosion at [[Golborne Colliery]] near [[Wigan]], [[Greater Manchester]], England.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/18/newsid_4226000/4226271.stm|publisher=BBC|work=On This Day|title=1979: Three die in Golborne mine blast|access-date=2013-03-18}}</ref>
* [[March 22]] – The [[National Hockey League]] votes to approve its [[NHL–WHA merger|merger]] with the [[World Hockey Association]], to take effect in three months, following the leagues' respective postseasons.
* [[March 25]] – The first fully functional [[Space Shuttle]] orbiter, [[Space Shuttle Columbia|''Columbia'']], is delivered to the [[Kennedy Space Center]], to be prepared for its first launch.
* [[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]].
** [[Michigan State Spartans men's basketball|Michigan State University]], led by [[Magic Johnson|Earvin "Magic" Johnson]], defeats [[Larry Bird]]-led [[Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball|Indiana State]] 75–64 in the [[1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|NCAA tournament]] [[1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game|championship game]] at [[Salt Lake City]]. 
* [[March 28]]
** In Britain, [[James Callaghan]]'s minority [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government loses a [[motion of confidence]] by one vote, forcing a general election which is to be held on 3 May.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/28/newsid_2531000/2531007.stm|publisher=BBC|work=On This Day|title=1979: Early election as Callaghan defeated|access-date=2013-03-18}}</ref>
** America's most serious [[nuclear power plant]] accident occurs, at [[Three Mile Island accident|Three Mile Island]], Pennsylvania.
* [[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]].
* [[March 30]] – [[Airey Neave]], Conservative M.P. in the [[British House of Commons]], is killed, presumably by an [[Irish National Liberation Army]] bomb in the car park for the Houses of Parliament.
* [[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).
** [[Milk and Honey (Israeli group)|Milk and Honey]] win the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1979]] for [[Israel]], with the song ''[[Hallelujah (Milk and Honey song)|Hallelujah]]''.

===April===
{{Main|April 1979}}
* [[April 1]]
** [[Iran]]'s government becomes an [[Islamic Republic]] by a 98% vote, overthrowing the [[Shah]] officially.
** [[Nickelodeon]] launches from [[QUBE]]'s [[Pinwheel (TV series)|Pinwheel]] experiment and begins airing on various Warner Cable systems beginning in Buffalo, New York, expanding its audience reach.
**[[Dale Earnhardt|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.
* [[April 1]]–[[April 18|18]] – Police lock [[Andreas Mihavecz]] in a holding cell in [[Bregenz]], Austria and forget about him, leaving him there without food or drink.
* [[April 2]] – [[Sverdlovsk anthrax leak]]: A [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[biowarfare]] laboratory at [[Yekaterinburg|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]].
* [[April 2]] – In [[Japan]], the channel of [[TV Asahi]] premieres ''[[Doraemon]]''.
* [[April 4]] – [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Pakistani Prime Minister]] [[Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto]] is executed by hanging for the murder of a political opponent.
* [[April 6]] – [[1979 Nepalese student protests|Student protests]] break out in [[Nepal]].
* [[April 7]] – In Japan, [[Yoshiyuki Tomino]] directs ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', the first series of the metaseries of the same name.
* [[April 10]] – A tornado hits [[Wichita Falls, Texas]], killing 42 people (the most notable of [[1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak|26 tornadoes that day]]).
* [[April 11]] – Uganda–Tanzania War: [[Fall of Kampala]]: Tanzanian troops take [[Kampala]], the capital of Uganda; [[Idi Amin]] flees.
* [[April 13]] – The [[La Soufrière (volcano)|La Soufrière]] volcano erupts in [[St. Vincent and the Grenadines]].
* [[April 14]] – The [[Progressive Alliance of Liberia]] stages a protest, without a permit, against an increase in rice prices proposed by the government, with clashes between protestors and the police resulting over 70 deaths and over 500 injured.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dunn|first1= Elwood D.|last2=Beyan|first2=Amos J.|last3=Burrowes|first3=Carl Patrick|date=2000|title=Historical Dictionary of Liberia |trans-title=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qt0_RrW8ghkC|isbn=9781461659310|pages=23–24|publisher= Scarecrow Press}}</ref>
* [[April 15]] – [[1979 Montenegro earthquake]]: A 6.9 {{M|w|link=y}} shock affects [[Montenegro]] (then part of [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]) and parts of [[Albania]], causing extensive damage to coastal areas and taking 136 lives; the old town of [[Budva]] is devastated.
* [[April 17]] – Schoolchildren in the [[Central African Republic]] are arrested (and around 100 killed) for protesting against compulsory [[school uniform]]s. An African judicial commission later determines that Emperor [[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]] "almost certainly" took part in the massacre.
* [[April 22]] – The [[Albert Einstein Memorial]] is unveiled at the [[National Academy of Sciences]] in Washington, D.C.
* [[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.

===May===
{{main|May 1979}}
* [[May 1]] – [[Greenland]] is granted limited autonomy from Denmark, with its own [[Parliament of Greenland|Parliament]] sitting in [[Nuuk]].
* [[May 3]] – The [[1979 United Kingdom general election]] for the House of Commons takes place, giving the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] a majority, and designating [[Margaret Thatcher]] the nation's first woman prime minister, ending the rule of [[James Callaghan]]'s [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/basics/4393311.stm|title=1979: Thatcher wins Tory landslide|work=Election 2005|publisher=BBC News|date=2005-04-05|access-date=2013-03-18}}</ref>
* [[May 4]] – Thatcher is appointed the [[prime minister of the United Kingdom]].
* [[May 8]] – Ten shoppers die in [[Woolworths fire|a fire at the Woolworths department store]] in [[Manchester]] city centre in England.
* [[May 9]]
** The [[Salvadoran Civil War]] begins.
** The [[Unabomber]] bomb injures [[Northwestern University]] graduate student John Harris.
* [[May 10]] – The [[Federated States of Micronesia]] becomes self-governing.
* [[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]].
* [[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.  
** The [[Montreal Canadiens]] defeat the [[New York Rangers]] four games to one to win their fourth consecutive [[Stanley Cup]].
*[[May 24]]
**[[Thorpe Park]]: Opens its doors having attractions such as [[Phantom Fantasia]] also next door had a farm called Thorpe Farm
* [[May 25]]
** [[American Airlines Flight 191]]: In Chicago, a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|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.
** [[John Spenkelink]] is executed in [[Florida]], in the first use of the [[electric chair]] in America after the reintroduction of the [[death penalty]] in [[1976]].
** [[Disappearance of Etan Patz|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.
* [[May 27]] – [[1979 Indianapolis 500|Indianapolis 500]]: [[Rick Mears]] wins the race for the first time, and car owner [[Roger Penske]] for the second time.

=== June ===
{{main|June 1979}}
* [[June 1]]
** The [[Vizianagaram district]] is formed in [[Andhra Pradesh]], India.
** 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]].
** The [[Seattle SuperSonics]] win the NBA Championship against the [[Washington Bullets]].
* [[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 (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement.
** [[Los Angeles]]' city council passes the city's first [[homosexual rights]] bill signed without fanfare by mayor [[Tom Bradley (American politician)|Tom Bradley]].
* [[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&nbsp;million gallons, making it the largest unintentional [[oil spill]] until it is surpassed by the [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill|''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill]] in 2010.
** [[1979 Italian general election]]: The [[Italian Communist Party]] loses a significant number of seats.
* [[June 4]]
** [[Joe Clark]] becomes Canada's 16th and youngest Prime Minister.
** [[Flight Lieutenant]] [[Jerry Rawlings]] takes power in [[Ghana]] after a military [[coup d'état|coup]] in which [[General officer|General]] [[Fred Akuffo]] is overthrown.
** Following the "[[Muldergate]]" Information Scandal, [[John Vorster]] resigns as [[State President of South Africa]].<ref name="RSA">[http://www.archontology.org/nations/south_africa/sa_pres1/ Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1961–1994]. Accessed 14 April 2017.</ref>
* [[June 7]] – [[1979 European Parliament election]]: The first direct elections to the [[European Parliament]] begin, allowing citizens from across all nine (at this time) [[European Communities#Members|member states of the European Communities]] to elect 410 [[Member of the European Parliament|MEP]]s. It is also the first international election in history.
* [[June 9]]–[[June 23|23]] – The [[1979 Cricket World Cup]] is held in England with West Indies defeating England in the final.
* [[June 12]] – [[Bryan Allen (hang glider)|Bryan Allen]] flies the man-powered ''[[Gossamer Albatross]]'' across the [[English Channel]].
* [[June 13]] – The [[1979 NHL Expansion Draft]] takes place, restocking the franchises from [[Edmonton Oilers|Edmonton]], [[Hartford Whalers|Hartford]], [[Quebec Nordiques|Quebec]], and [[Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996)|Winnipeg]], which are being admitted from the [[World Hockey Association|WHA]] as expansion teams.
* [[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]].<ref>''Wausau (WI) Daily Herald'', June 15, 1979, p. 9; ''Helena (MT) Independent-Record'', June 19, 1979, p. 31; ''Grand Junction (CO) Daily Sentinel'', June 19, 1979, p. 3; ''Seymour (IN) Tribune'', June 20, 1979, p. 15</ref>
** The ecological horror-thriller ''[[Prophecy (film)|Prophecy]]'' is [[theatrical release|released]] in the United States by [[Paramount Pictures]].
* [[June 18]] – [[Jimmy Carter]] and [[Leonid Brezhnev]] sign the [[SALT II]] agreement in [[Vienna]].
* [[June 19]] – [[Marais Viljoen]] becomes [[State President of South Africa]].<ref name="RSA"/>
* [[June 20]] – A [[Nicaragua]]n National Guard soldier kills [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC TV]] news correspondent [[Bill Stewart (television journalist)|Bill Stewart]] and his interpreter Juan Espinosa. Other members of the news crew capture the killing on tape.
* [[June 22]] 
** Former [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] leader [[Jeremy Thorpe]] was acquitted of [[Thorpe affair|conspiracy to murder]] [[Norman Josiffe|Norman Scott]], who had accused Thorpe of having a relationship with him.<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Auberon Waugh |last= Waugh |first= Auberon |title= The Last Word |location= London |publisher= Michael Joseph |year= 1980 |isbn= 0-7181-1799-9|pages=236&ndash;238}}</ref> 
** The [[World Hockey Association|WHA]] formally ceases operations, completing the [[1979 NHL expansion|merger]] with the [[National Hockey League|NHL]].
* [[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. 
* [[June 24]] – The [[Permanent Peoples' Tribunal]], an international opinion tribunal, is founded in [[Bologna]] at the initiative of Senator [[Lelio Basso]].
* [[June 25]] – [[NATO]] [[Supreme Allied Commander]] [[Alexander Haig]] escapes an assassination attempt in Belgium by the [[Red Army Faction|Baader-Meinhof terrorist organization]].

===July===
{{main|July 1979}}
[[File:Flag of Kiribati.svg|thumb|[[12 July]]: Kiribati becomes independent]]
* [[July 1]]
** [[Sweden]] becomes the first country to outlaw [[corporal punishment in the home]].
** The [[Sony Walkman]] goes on sale for the first time in Japan.
* [[July 3]] – U.S. President [[Jimmy Carter]] signs the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in [[Afghanistan]].
* [[July 5]] – Queen [[Elizabeth II]] attends the millennium celebrations of the [[Isle of Man]]'s Parliament, [[Tynwald]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/5/newsid_2494000/2494861.stm|title=1979: Queen oversees Manx millennium|work=On This Day|publisher=BBC|access-date=2008-01-27|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131708/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/5/newsid_2494000/2494861.stm|archive-date=March 7, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[July 8]] – Los Angeles passes its gay and lesbian civil rights bill.
* [[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.
* [[July 11]] – [[NASA]]'s first orbiting space station, ''[[Skylab]]'', begins falling back [[Earth]] as its orbit decays after more than six years.
* [[July 12]]
** The [[Gilbert Islands]] become fully independent of the United Kingdom as [[Kiribati]].
** A ''[[Disco Demolition Night]]'' publicity stunt goes awry at [[Comiskey Park]], forcing the [[Chicago White Sox]] to [[Forfeit (baseball)|forfeit]] their game against the [[Detroit Tigers]].
** [[Carmine Galante]], boss of the [[Bonanno crime family]], is assassinated in [[Brooklyn]].
** A [[Hotel Corona de Aragón fire|fire at a hotel]] in [[Zaragoza]], Spain, leaves 72 dead, the worst hotel fire in Europe in decades.
* [[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.
* [[July 16]] – [[Iraq]]i 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.
* [[July 17]] – [[Nicaragua]]n president General [[Anastasio Somoza Debayle]] resigns and flees to [[Miami]].
* [[July 18]] – Over 500 people die after a [[1979 Lembata tsunami|tsunami occurs on Lembata Island]], triggered by a landslide on the Iliwerung volcano.<ref name="ngdcTS1">{{cite web |title=Tsunami Event Information |url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/tsunami/event-more-info/2115 |publisher=National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information|doi=10.7289/V5PN93H7 |access-date=29 June 2024 |author1=National Geophysical Data Center }}</ref>
* [[July 21]]
** The [[Sandinista National Liberation Front]] concludes a successful revolutionary campaign against the Somoza dynasty and assumes power in [[Nicaragua]].
** [[Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo]] becomes prime minister of Portugal.
** [[Maritza Sayalero]] of [[Venezuela]] wins the [[Miss Universe 1979|Miss Universe]] pageant; the stage collapses after contestants and news photographers rush to her throne.
** The [[disco]] music genre dominates and peaks on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, with the first six spots (beginning with [[Donna Summer]]'s ''[[Bad Girls (Donna Summer song)|Bad Girls]]''), and seven of the chart's top ten songs ending that week.
* [[July 22]] – [[1979 Ba'ath Party Purge]]: [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraqi]] president [[Saddam Hussein]] arranges the arrest and later execution of nearly seventy members of his ruling [[Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-dominated faction)|Ba'ath Party]].
* [[July 28]] – [[Morarji Desai]] resigns as India's prime minister and [[Charan Singh]] succeeds him.

===August===
{{main|August 1979}}
* [[August 3]] – Dictator [[Francisco Macías Nguema]] of [[Equatorial Guinea]] is overthrown in a bloody [[coup d'état]] led by [[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]].
* [[August 4]] – Opening game of the ''[[German Football League|American Football Bundesliga]]'' played between [[Frankfurter Löwen]] and [[Düsseldorf Panther]], first-ever league game of [[American football]] in Germany.<ref name="Turn" >{{cite book|author=Annette R. Hofmann|title=Turnen and Sport|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q__8CmcZBZMC&pg=PA224|publisher=Waxmann Verlag|isbn=978-3-8309-6381-3|page=224}}</ref>
* [[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]].
* [[August 6]] – [[Bauhaus (band)|Bauhaus]] releases their debut single "[[Bela Lugosi's Dead]]", considered to be the first [[gothic rock]] release. 
* [[August 8]] – Two American [[commercial diver]]s, Richard Walker and Victor Guiel, die of [[hypothermia]] after their [[diving bell]] [[Wildrake diving accident|becomes stranded]] at a depth of over {{Convert|160|m}} in the [[East Shetland Basin]]. The legal repercussions of the accident will lead to important safety changes in the diving industry.<ref name="Limbrick">{{cite book|title=North Sea Divers – a Requiem|last=Limbrick|first=Jim|pages=160–162|location=Hertford|publisher=Authors OnLine|year=2001|isbn=0-7552-0036-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lPp68NAoUF0C&pg=PA160}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Into the Lion's Mouth: The Story of the ''Wildrake'' Diving Accident|last=Smart|first=Michael|location=[[Medford, Oregon]]|publisher=Lion's Mouth Publishing|year=2011|isbn=978-0-615-52838-0}}</ref>
* [[August 9]] – [[Raymond Washington]], co-founder of the [[Crips]], today one of the largest, most notorious gangs in the United States, is killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles; the killers have not yet been identified.
* [[August 10]] – [[Michael Jackson]] releases his breakthrough album ''[[Off the Wall]]''. It sells 7&nbsp;million copies in the United States alone, making it a 7× platinum album.
* [[August 11]]
** The former Mauritanian province of [[Tiris al-Gharbiyya]] in [[Western Sahara]] is annexed by [[Morocco]].
** The [[1979 Machchhu dam failure|Machchu-2 dam]] in [[Morbi]], India, collapses, killing between 1800 and 25000 people in one of the worst ever [[dam failure]]s.
* [[August 14]] – [[1979 Fastnet race|A freak storm during the Fastnet Race]] results in the deaths of 15 sailors.
* [[August 17]] – The controversial religious satirical film ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]'' premieres in the United States.
* [[August 27]] – [[The Troubles]]: [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|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 [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|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.
* [[August 29]] – A national referendum is held in which [[Somalia|Somali]] voters approve a new liberal constitution, promulgated by [[Siad Barre|President Siad Barre]] to placate the United States.

===September===
{{main|September 1979}}
* [[September 1]]
** The U.S. ''[[Pioneer 11]]'' becomes the first spacecraft to visit [[Saturn]] when it passes the [[planet]] at a distance of {{convert|21000|km|mi}}.
** [[Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps]] is formed.
* [[September 7]] – The first cable sports channel, the Entertainment Sports Programming Network (better known as [[ESPN]]), is launched in the United States.
* [[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.
* [[September 12]] – [[Hurricane Frederic]] makes landfall at 10:00&nbsp;p.m. on Alabama's Gulf Coast.
* [[September 13]] – South Africa grants independence to the "homeland" of [[Venda]] (not recognised outside South Africa).
* [[September 16]]
** [[East German balloon escape]]: Two families flee from [[East Germany]] by balloon.
** [[The Sugarhill Gang]] release ''[[Rapper's Delight]]'' in the United States, the first [[rap]] [[Single (music)|single]] to become a [[Top 40]] hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100]].
* [[September 20]] – French [[paratrooper]]s help [[David Dacko]] to overthrow [[Jean-Bédel Bokassa|Emperor Bokassa]] in the [[Central African Empire]].
* [[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]].
* [[September 29]] – The overthrown dictator [[Francisco Macías Nguema]] of [[Equatorial Guinea]] is convicted of [[genocide]] and executed by firing squad.
* [[September 30]] – The [[MTR]] in [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] begins service with the opening of its Modified Initial System, the Kwun Tong Line.

===October===
{{main|October 1979}}
[[File:Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg|thumb|[[27 October]]: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines becomes independent]]
* [[October 1]] – [[Nigeria]] terminates military rule, and the [[Second Nigerian Republic]] is established.
* [[October 1]]–[[October 7|7]] – [[Pope John Paul II]] makes a [[Papal visits to the United States|six-city visit to the United States]], starting in [[Boston]].
* [[October 1]] – The [[MTR]], the [[rapid transit]] railway system in Hong Kong, opens.
* [[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 camp]]s and [[torture]].
* [[October 6]] – [[Federal Reserve System]] changes from an interest rate target policy to a money supply target policy.
* [[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]].
* [[October 9]] – [[Peter Brock]] wins the [[Bathurst 1000]] by a record six laps, with a lap record on the last lap.
* [[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.
** [[Thorbjörn Fälldin]] returns as [[Prime Minister of Sweden]], replacing [[Ola Ullsten]] who is named [[Foreign Minister of Sweden]].
** ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'', the first novel by [[Douglas Adams]], is published in the United Kingdom
* [[October 14]] – [[National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights|National March]] for [[LGBT rights by country or territory|gay rights]] takes place in [[Washington, D.C.]], involving tens of thousands of people.
* [[October 15]] – [[Black Monday (Malta)|Black Monday]] events, in which members of a political group sack a newspaper office, unfold in Malta.
* [[October 16]] – A [[1979 Nice tsunami|tsunami in Nice, France]] kills 23 people.
* [[October 17]] – The [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] become only the fourth [[Major League Baseball|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]].
* [[October 19]] – 13 U.S. Marines die in a fire at [[Camp Fuji]], Japan as a result of Typhoon Tip.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225121316/http://www.fuji.usmc.mil/about/fire.html |archive-date=2008-02-25|title=US Marine Corps |url=http://www.fuji.usmc.mil/about/fire.html|access-date=2016-03-03}}</ref>
* [[October 20]] – The first [[McDonald's]] in [[Singapore]] opens at [[Liat Towers]] in [[Orchard Road]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19801008&id=JqErAAAAIBAJ&pg=3142,1413251|title=U.S. fast food hits Singapore|date=1980-10-08|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2014-11-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19900411&id=Eg0bAAAAIBAJ&pg=7007,31308571|title=Singapore's Orchard Road: You Can Shop Until You Drop|date=1990-04-11|work=Daily News|access-date=2014-11-13}}</ref>
* [[October 26]] – 
**[[Park Chung Hee]], the [[President of South Korea]], is assassinated by [[National Intelligence Service (South Korea)|KCIA]] director [[Kim Jae-gyu]].
**The eradication of the [[smallpox]] [[virus]] is announced by the [[World Health Organization]],<ref>"Smallpox Has Been Eradicated", Associated Press Report in ''Santa Cruz (CA) Sentinel'', October 26, 1979, p. 1</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=djft3U1LymYC&dat=19791011&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Smallpox: Mankind Says Goodbye To A Ruthless Killer"], by David Zinman, ''Pittsburgh Press'', October 11, 1979, p. B-1</ref> making smallpox the first of only two human diseases that have been driven to extinction ([[rinderpest]] in 2011 being the other).
* [[October 27]] – [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]] gains independence from the UK.
* [[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.

===November===
{{main|November 1979}}
* [[November 1]]
** Military coup in [[Bolivia]].
** [[Iran hostage crisis]]: [[Iran]]ian Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini]] urges his people to demonstrate on [[November 4]] and to expand attacks on United States and [[Israel]]i interests.
* [[November 2]]
** French police shoot gangster [[Jacques Mesrine]] in Paris.
** [[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.
* [[November 3]] – In [[Greensboro, North Carolina]], five members of the [[Communist Workers' Party (United States)|Communist Workers Party]] are shot to death and seven are wounded by a group of [[Ku Klux Klan|Klansmen]] and [[neo-Nazis]], during a "Death to the Klan" rally.
* [[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 [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah of Iran]] back to stand trial.
* [[November 5]]
** [[All Saints' Massacre]]: The military junta in [[Bolivia]] initiates a violent crack-down on its opponents.
** The radio news program ''[[Morning Edition]]'' premieres on [[National Public Radio]] in the United States.
* [[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.
* [[November 7]] – U.S. Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] announces that he will challenge President [[Jimmy Carter]] for the 1980 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] presidential nomination.
* [[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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/9/newsid_2516000/2516015.stm|title=1979: Paperboy's killers convicted|publisher=BBC|work=On This Day|access-date=2013-03-18}}</ref>
** Nuclear [[false alarm]]: the [[NORAD]] computers and the Alternate National Military Command Center in [[Fort Ritchie, Maryland]], detect an apparent massive [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear strike]]. After reviewing the raw data from satellites and checking the [[early-warning radar]]s, the alert is cancelled.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/missileers/falsealarms.html |title=False Alarms on the Nuclear Front |publisher=PBS |date=2001-05-03 |access-date=2014-04-29}}</ref>
* [[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.
* [[November 12]]
** [[Iran hostage crisis]]: In response to the hostage situation in [[Tehran]], U.S. President Jimmy Carter orders a halt to all [[Petroleum|oil]] imports into the United States from Iran.
** [[Süleyman Demirel]], of the [[Justice Party (Turkey)|Justice Party]] (AP) forms the new government of [[Turkey]] (43rd government, a minority government).
* November 13 – [[Ronald Reagan]] announces his candidacy for President of the United States, 9 days after the beginning of the Iran hostage crisis.
* [[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.
* [[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 agent]]s for the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[NKVD]] during [[World War II]] is revealed by [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]] in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]];<ref>{{cite news|title=Professor Blunt named as spy|first1=Stewart|last1=Tendler|first2=Ian|last2=Bradley|newspaper=[[The Times]]|location=London|date=1979-11-16|page=1|issue=60476}}</ref> she gives further details on November 21.<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1979/nov/21/mr-anthony-blunt Mr. Anthony Blunt]. ''[[Hansard]]'' HC Deb (November 21, 1979) '''974'''/402-520.</ref>
* [[November 16]] – [[Bucharest Metro]] Line One is opened, in [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]] (from Timpuri Noi to Semanatoarea stations, {{convert|8.63|km|mi}}).
* [[November 17]] – [[Iran hostage crisis]]: Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini orders the release of 13 female and [[African American]] hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
* [[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.
* [[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]].
* [[November 23]] – [[The Troubles]]: In [[Dublin]], Ireland, [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] member [[Thomas McMahon (Irish republican)|Thomas McMahon]] is sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Mountbatten of Burma]] in August. He was released in 1998 under the terms of the [[Good Friday Agreement]].
* [[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.
* [[November 28]] – [[Air New Zealand Flight 901]]: an [[Air New Zealand]] [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|DC-10]] crashes into [[Mount Erebus]] in Antarctica on a sightseeing trip, killing all 257 people on board.
* [[November 29]] – After 12 years of environmental controversy and legal action, the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]]'s [[Tellico Dam]] project is completed.<ref name="watery">{{cite news |title=A watery end: Tellico Dam fueled debate, lawsuits, tears |url=https://archive.knoxnews.com/news/local/a-watery-end-tellico-dam-fueled-debate-lawsuits-tears-ep-360218761-356724041.html/ |access-date=July 26, 2022 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=August 26, 2012 |archive-date=July 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727011257/https://archive.knoxnews.com/news/local/a-watery-end-tellico-dam-fueled-debate-lawsuits-tears-ep-360218761-356724041.html/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It remains the last dam to be built by the agency as of 2023.<ref name="udtrs">{{cite web |title=Building a Better Life for the Tennessee Valley |url=https://www.tva.com/About-TVA/Our-History/Built-for-the-People/Building-a-Better-Life-for-the-Tennessee-Valley |website=[[Tennessee Valley Authority]] |access-date=July 25, 2022 |archive-date=July 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726011354/https://www.tva.com/About-TVA/Our-History/Built-for-the-People/Building-a-Better-Life-for-the-Tennessee-Valley |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[November 30]] – ''[[The Wall]]'', a [[rock opera]] [[concept album]] by [[Pink Floyd]], is first released.

=== December ===
{{main|December 1979}}
* [[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]].
** 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]].
** Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini]] becomes the first Supreme Leader of Iran.
* [[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.
* [[December 5]] – [[Jack Lynch]] resigns as [[Taoiseach]] of Ireland; he is succeeded by [[Charles Haughey]].
* [[December 6]] – The world premiere of ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]'' is held at the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in Washington, D.C.
* [[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]]". 
** The 8.2 {{M|w|link=y}} [[1979 Tumaco earthquake|Tumaco earthquake]] shakes [[Colombia]] and [[Ecuador]] with a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] of IX (''Violent''), killing 300–600, and generating a large tsunami.
** [[Coup d'état of December Twelfth]]: [[South Korean Army]] Major General [[Chun Doo-hwan]] orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General [[Jeong Seung-hwa]] without authorization from President [[Choi Kyu-hah]], alleging involvement in the assassination of ex-President [[Park Chung Hee]].
** The unrecognised state of [[Zimbabwe Rhodesia]] returns to British control and resumes using the name [[Southern Rhodesia]].
* [[December 13]] – The Canadian [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] minority government of Prime Minister [[Joe Clark]], falls in a non-confidence motion.
* [[December 15]] – The directorial debut of [[Hayao Miyazaki]], ''[[The Castle of Cagliostro]]'' based on the [[manga]] series ''[[Lupin III]]'' is released in Japan.
* [[December 21]] – A [[ceasefire]] for [[Rhodesia]] is signed at London.
* [[December 23]] – The highest aerial tramway in Europe, the [[Klein Matterhorn]], opens.
* [[December 24]]
** The [[Soviet Union]] covertly launches its [[Soviet–Afghan War|invasion of Afghanistan]] – 3 days later, [[People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan|PDPA]] general secretary [[Hafizullah Amin]] is executed in [[Operation Storm-333]] and [[Babrak Karmal]] replaces him, beginning the war.
** The first European [[Ariane 1|Ariane]] rocket is launched.
* [[December 26]] – In [[Rhodesia]], 96 Patriotic Front guerrillas enter the capital [[Harare|Salisbury]] to monitor a ceasefire that begins [[December 28]].

=== Date unknown ===
* The [[One-child policy]] is introduced in China – it contributes to [[Sex-ratio imbalance in China|the country's sex-ratio imbalance]]. It was loosened in [[2013]].
* [[Hànyǔ Pīnyīn]] is widely adopted as the official [[romanization]] system for [[Standard Chinese]], leading to changes in Western spelling of Chinese toponyms.
* [[VisiCalc]] becomes the first [[Commerce|commercial]] [[Spreadsheet#Autoplan/Autotab spreadsheet programming language|spreadsheet program]].
* The first [[usenet]] experiments are conducted by [[Tom Truscott]] and [[Jim Ellis (computing)|Jim Ellis]] of [[Duke University]].
* Worldwide [[per capita]] oil production reaches a historic [[peak oil|peak]].
* The remains of [[Tsar Nicholas II]] and some of the [[Romanovs]] are discovered and exhumed near Sverdlovsk (now [[Yekaterinburg]]).
* [[NBC]] introduces a new version of its famous peacock, used in conjunction with the 1975-style N, for the [[1979 in American television|Fall season]].
*''[[Onde Tem Bruxa Tem Fada]]'', book is published.
* [[Citic Group|China International Trust Investment Group (CITIC)]] founded.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rong Yiren {{!}} Chinese official |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rong-Yiren#ref86404 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=4 December 2020}}</ref>