Editing 1979 (section)

=== 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>