1979 is a crucial year in the history of the world, having many ups and downs.The year 1979 was prominent in pop culture history when the youthful Michael Jackson began his performance. In August, in the same year, he released his quantum leap album “Off the Wall.“The same album helped Michael Jackson climb the ladder in the music industry, an important event in pop culture history. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher became the Prime Minister in 1979. Russia was invaded by Afghanistan, which had put an end to the Soviet rule in Russia, also happened in 1979. In China, Xiaoping’s economic reforms, which put China in good stead economically, took place in the same year.Pope John Paul II had adopted some brave steps by defying communism. Pope John Paul II revived the Catholic Church in 1979. Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussain became the President in the same year. Moreover, the year has also witnessed the emergence of Microsoft and the starting of the income balance in the United States. The most popular Canadian actress Sarah Polley was born on January 8,1979. Sarah was also a notable leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party. The year also saw the world premiere of a prominent TV series ‘Star Trek’ into a motion picture. It consisted of six different movies telecasted from the years 1979 - 1991.Simon John Ritchie, also known as Sid Vicious (1957-1979), was an English musician. Sid Vicious was a drug addict and had been hospitalized on many occasions. Some terrorists confiscated the Majid-al-haram in Saudi Arabia. The army of Saudi Arabia, with the help of France, fought to reclaim the grand mosque.If you had liked the fun facts given above, read on to find more interesting facts at 1977 fun facts and 1950s facts.Margaret Thatcher: Prime Minister Of United KingdomThe year 1979 has witnessed many important events internationally, in politics, and various other sectors. The Soviet Union had attempted to capture the backwaters of Afghanistan, which triggered an Islamic rebellion, thereby putting an end to the communist rule in the Soviet Union. Specific rules made by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Britain had played a vital role in the drastic changes in the market-driven globalization methods. Pope John Paul II had visited his Polish homeland made many freedom-loving people set out journeys. In 1979, Deng Xiaoping of China had taken the maiden step towards China’s growth to success.Margaret Hilda Thatcher, associated with her unrelenting political style, was nicknamed as ’the iron lady. She was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1975 - 1990, and she represented the Conservative party. Ms.Thatcher was the first woman to hold such an esteemed position. Her style of political rule is called ‘Thatcherism.‘Margaret Thatcher was a Chemistry graduate; later, she became a chemist and barrister. In 1959, Ms Thatcher became a member of Parliament and was the Secretary of State for Education and Science, and in 1975, she became the opposition leader. She set a sequence of economic reform policies in motion after becoming the Prime Minister in the 1979 general elections. These policies helped Britain to recover from the wake of an economic downturn. Other facts of 1979 are listed below.James Frawley directed a musical, road comedy film named ‘Muppet Movie’ in 1979. This movie was co-produced by the United Kingdom and the United States. The Muppet Movie depicted the story of Muppets who wanted to become successful professionals in show business. A significant flight tragedy also happened in 1979. On November 28, 1979, Air New Zealand Flight 901 smashed in Antarctica, eliminating all the 237 travelers who were on board.Robert John is an English singer and songwriter from America. He has popularly known for his 1979 hit ‘Sad Eyes,’ which reached greater heights in the American music industry. Significant changes and trends have emerged in the ’70s. Bold designs and patterns dominated the industry. Boutiques that sell ready-made clothes became popular. The fashion icons were Bianca and Mick Jagger.‘Three’s Company’ is an American comedy TV series that began broadcasting from 1977 - 1984. The story moves around three single roommates and their neighbors. Matthew Knight Arena is a large theatre in America, having a seating capacity of 12,354, and it is the most extravagant on-campus arena in the United States. Donna Summer was an American singer, composer, and famous American actress. The American actress lived during the disco music era in the ’70s, and Donna Summer came to be known as the ‘Queen of Disco.‘Carter Doctrine: The United States Foreign Policy InitiativeThe period between 1979 - 1985 witnessed the fiercest war in world history. The Cold War increased the animosity between the Soviet Union and the Western countries. The Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan in December 1979, leading to the massacre of around one million soldiers. Many Afghans were given shelter in Pakistan and Iran. Muslim volunteers from another part of the globe also joined the war. The cold war is an important event in world history. The Soviet power was neutralized with the shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles provided by Soviet Union’s enemy, the United States. The time between January 1978 and February 1979 has also seen another famous battle known as the Iranian revolution or Islam revolution in world history. Walter Mondale was elected as the 42nd Vice President of the United States from 1977 - 1981.President Jimmy Carter formulated the carter Doctrine on January 23, 1980. Carter doctrine was proclaimed in reaction to Soviet Union’s attack on Afghanistan. It declared that the United States would deploy the military on any nation that tried to dominate the Gulf territory. Carter’s policy on international human rights was slightly deterred through this law. Carter administration suspected that the Soviet Union was trying to end the Muslim revolts that started in Iran and other parts of Gulf countries. They also feared that the Soviet Union’s move would conquer the endless acres of oil resources in the Middle East.The American population was upset over the Carter Doctrine, and Carter responded well to the public’s opinion. He decided that he should take a more friendly approach with the Soviet Union to win the next general elections in 1980.The Doctrine contained the following measures.USA decided not to participate in the Summer Olympic Games, Moscow, in 1980. It shelved the sale of grains to The Soviet Union. It avoided discussions on the SALT II treaty in the Senate assembly. It decided to increase the defense budget by 6%. It formulated a Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force, which can be used for combat at any time. It issued orders to develop small nuclear weapons.The Doctrine failed to support him in the election. The majority of the public was against his rules on foreign policy, and he failed miserably in the elections.Other important events that happened during the year 1979 are listed below.1979 had seen the birth of the famous American singer Alecia Beth Moore known as ‘Pink’ in Pennsylvania, United States. She was the most famous pop singer, comes next to Madonna. Jens Lehmann, the prominent German footballer, was born in Essen, Germany, on November 10, 1969. He was nominated as the UEFA club goalkeeper in the years 1996-97 and 2005-2006.Everyone would have heard of Sony Walkman. Sony walkman was designed and launched in the year 1979. This electronic equipment helped people to carry music wherever they went. MP3 players have replaced the walkman. Strawberry shortcake also became popular in the same year, which is the all-time favorite of kids. Railway locomotives, some high-profile cars, and motorcycles were also introduced in 1979.Hale Irwin, born in 1945, was a professional golf player from America. He was one of the few golf players who won the US opens three times. Open golf Hale Irwin was the oldest to achieve this victory at the age of 45. General Conference of the church was held regularly in New York. The only conference held outside was in Preston, Britain.Zbigniew Brzezinski: United States Statesman And ScholarSome significant events also took place in 1978. To secure tranquility between the two nations, Egypt and Israel signed the Camp David Accords. The leaders of Egypt, Israel, and the United States took part in the meeting. NASA unraveled the names of the first set of women astronauts. The world’s first test-tube baby was born in the United Kingdom in the same year. The Caribbean island Dominica became free from Britain. Spain ended its forty-year-old dictator rule and started the following democracy.Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski (1928-2017) came from a Polish family who had seen the cruelties of Hitler and fought against it. He could not go back to his homeland Poland due to the carnage by Nazis and the subsequent Soviet Occupation. Later, he became an intellectual in the United States embassy who carefully examined totalitarian rules and methods. He worked as a consultant to both Republicans and Democrats.During his tenure as security advisor to President Jimmy Carter, he helped improve Transatlantic relationships and bindings with China. All the Presidents of the United States and the military scout relied upon him and his advice on every domestic and foreign policy. He had implemented his strategies strictly and ignored the criticisms unless it was a logical one. Though his family resided in Canada, he moved to Boston because he loved the nation’s vigor, vitality, and loyalty.Other significant developments in 1979 are listed below.On September 22, 1979, an unrecognized double flash of light was suspected in the Indian ocean by the American Vela hotel satellite, and the flash was called the South Atlantic Flash. Though the actual cause of the flash is still unknown, scientists believe it was caused due to a nuclear explosion conducted by South Africa and Israel. The 76th episode of the World Series, known as the 1979 world series, was played between Pittsburgh Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates became the world series champions.A treaty of peace was signed in Washington DC on March 26, 1979 between Israel and Egypt. This peace treaty was signed by the Egyptian President and Israeli Prime Minister in the presence of the American President. The American wrestler Terry Eugene Bollea, known as Hulk Hogan, is a TV star and retired professional wrestler. His professional wrestling career began in 1977. Ep hard Skool is a musical recording having more tracks that can be extended. It was tuned by the hard rock band Guns N’ Roses.A nuclear test explosion occurred in the Indian Ocean in September 1979. South Africa conducted it with the help of Israel. A severe nuclear power plant accident was the melting of the three-mile island unit on March 28, 1979. Even though no causalities were reported, this accident warned the authorities to tighten up the procedures. 1979 also saw the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the domination of western Australia. It is referred to as WAY 79.Political Developments: TurkeyOn December 3, 1979, a major disaster occurred in Cincinnati, when several people died in a stampede in connection with the rock concert of the British rock band ‘The Who.’ The death of eleven fans was an important one in the pop culture news. The song titled ‘1979’ written by Corgan became the hot stuff of that period. The hot stuff was a celebration of youth who were in the transition stage from childhood to adulthood.The brand came to be known as ‘smashing pumpkins.’ People played music on their musical instruments, especially on guitar. To play along with the band, tune down 1/2 step (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb). Be simple at first. Then take step by step movements in droning the sixth string. The strumming also should be kept simple. Do several rounds of repetitions till you become perfect.In the late ’70s, Turkey faced a series of political violence problems. The political violence in Turkey is also called ’low-level war.’ Right-wing activists fought with left-wing activists leading to the death of many left-wing activists, and the violent activities came to a halt in 1980 until they began again in 1984.The death toll caused by the violent events in the ’70s was almost 5,000, with ten murders every day. Conservative politicians ruled the following two years with the help of the army. The army tried to bring back law and order in the country. But in 1973, again, they withdrew from the rule. Between 1973 and 1980, Turkey was ruled by smaller minority parties who were not capable enough to curtail the revolutions. In 1980, they revived Islamic law. Elections were suspended till 1977. CHP came out as the major party in the 1977 elections. Unemployment and several political atrocities followed it. Turkey was getting weak economically also. In 1979, Prime Minister Ecevit resigned, and the rule continued with the leadership of President Demirel. Some important rules were formulated to curb terrorism. Now Turkey has grown economically and is self-reliant that can meet all the aspirations of different industries.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1979 facts, then why not take a look at 2000 facts or 1980 fun facts?
1979 is a crucial year in the history of the world, having many ups and downs.
