1979
Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran and begins Islamic Revolution; Shah is overthrown
November 4: Iran Hostage Crisis begins
December 24: Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
Saddam Hussein takes control in Iraq
Idi Amin overthrow after 8 years as dictator of Uganda, killing 500,000 people
Federal Reserve changes from interest rate target policy to a money supply policy; inflation soars
Pioneer 11 visits Saturn
3 Mile Island Nuclear Reactor accident near Harrisburg, PA on March 28 trigger several protests
Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Dallas Cowboys to win the Super Bowl
Alabama 12-0 wins NCAA Football Championship; Charles White wins Heisman Trophy
Seattle Supersonics defeat the Washington Bullets for NBA title
Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Baltimore Orioles in the 1979 World Series
Willie Stargell and Tracy Austin (tennis) win the AP Athletes of the Year
Rick Mears wins the Indianapolis 500
Tom Watson is PGA Tour winner with $462,000 and winning 5 events
Mark Churella threepeats, and this time wins the 167 lbs. NCAA Wrestling Championship
Michigan State and Earvin Magic Johnson Defeat Evansville and Larry Bird for 1979 NCAA Basketball title
Michigan begins Women’s Cross Country program
Michigan loses third Rose Bowl in a row, this time to USC 17-10
Spectacular Bid wins Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but Coastal wins Belmont
Unabomber kills a graduate student at Northwestern University
Solar Eclipse
Sony Walkman introduced
Inflation rate hits 13.3%
McDonald’s introduces Happy Meal in June
The Deer Hunter wins Best Picture at the 1979 Academy Awards over Coming Home
Nelson Rockefeller dies
James Bond in Moonraker
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon raises over $30 million
Pope John Paul II visits the United States, first Pope to do so
Palimony suits become popular; Actor Lee Marvin sued by a former companion
Mother Teresa wins Nobel Peace Prize
J.R. Ewing appears on Dallas as it begins on TV; 60 minutes is most popular TV Show
Women surpass men in U.S. College enrollment
Doc Counsilman, Legendary Olympic and Indiana (1957-1990)Swimming Coach, becomes the oldest man to swim across the English Channel (21 miles) at the age of 58
1979 in Television (1979-1980 TV Schedule)
| 1-Jan-79 | Iowa City, Iowa | Bump Elliot hires Hayden Fry to be Head Football Coach |
| 1-Jan-79 | Rose Bowl | #5 Big Ten Co-Champ Michigan loses Rose Bowl to #3 USC, 10-17 in Rick Leach's final season with Charles White's phantom TD awarded after fumble at 3 yard line |
| 7-Feb-79 | Hill Auditorium | Harry Chapin |
| 15-Feb-79 | Grammy's | Barry Manilow (Copacabana), Billy Joel (Just The Way You Are), The Bee Gees (Saturday Night Fever), John Williams (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Al Jarreau, Steely Dan, George Benson (On Broadway), Carly Simon, Earth, Wind & Fire (Runnin), Anne Murray (You Needed Me) and Donna Summer (Last Dance) win at Grammy's |
| 1-Apr-79 | n/a | The Shah of Iran is overthrown |
| 1-Apr-79 | n/a | Mark Churella wins his 3rd NCAA Wrestling Championship in a row; the only Michigan wrestler ever to accomplish this achievement and the second 4 time All-American. |
| 19-Apr-79 | Hill Auditorium | Johnny Cash |
| 21-Apr-79 | Hill Auditorium | Dan Fogelberg |
| 24-Apr-79 | Crisler Arena | The New Barbarians |
| 17-May-79 | n/a | Patti Smith |
| 1-Jun-79 | n/a | McDonald's introduces The Happy Meal |
| 19-Sep-79 | Crisler Arena | Bad Company |
| 13-Oct-79 | Crisler Arena | The Eagles |
| 16-Oct-79 | n/a | Kenny Loggins |
| 22-Oct-79 | n/a | Hillside strangler, Kenneth Bianchi, is captured |
| 1-Nov-79 | n/a | Iran hostage crisis begins; 90 hostages including 54 Americans suffer 444 days of captivity |
| 10-Nov-79 | Crisler Arena | Grateful Dead |
| 17-Nov-79 | Ann Arbor Armory | Sonic's Rendezvous Band/Steve Newhouse |
| 29-Nov-79 | Crisler Arena | Fleetwood Mac |
| 3-Dec-79 | Cincinnati, OH | 11 rock fans die stampeding for seats at Riverfront stadium during The Who concert |
| 24-Dec-79 | n/a | The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan |