Stories from 1979
Browse a timeline of top world events from 1979. Or, use Proust to tell your life story and share personal
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January 26, 1979
Bo, Luke, and their daisy dukes-wearing cousin charmed audiences with their crazy antics in the premiere of The Dukes of Hazzard.
March 28, 1979
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Harrisburg, PA
Nuclear power plant Three Mile Island overheated and had a core meltdown, becoming the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.
April 1, 1979
Children's cable channel Pinwheel re-launched as Nickelodeon and would dominate children's programming for the next quarter century.
April 11, 1979
Tyrannical Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, responsible for nearly 300,000 deaths and so nicknamed the "Butcher of Uganda," was overthrown and fleed to Saudi Arabia.
June 20, 1979
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Washington, D.C.
President Jimmy Carter, an advocate of renewable energy resources, had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House to provide solar water heating. President Ronald Reagan would remove the panels in 1986.
June 22, 1979
Sony introduced the Walkman, a personal cassette player for those who want to listen to music on the go.
July 16, 1979
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Iraq
Iraqi President Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr resigned and Saddam Hussein usurped power, intending to achieve regional dominance.
August 10, 1979
Michael Jackson's solo album Off the Wall went platinum. One of the album's songs, "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough," won Jackson a Grammy Award.
August 15, 1979
Director Francis Ford Coppola released Apocalypse Now in theaters across the country. The Vietnam War film earned Coppola two Academy Awards and six Oscar nominations.
September 7, 1979
Entertainment Sports Programming Network (ESPN), along with its first and premiere show Sportscenter, was broadcasted on television for the first time.
