- January 9
- Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to WS Merwin. [1]
- 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. Hosted by The Bee Gees, other performers include Donna Summer, ABBA, Rod Stewart and Earth, Wind & Fire. [840]
- January 16
- In Iran, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. [53]
- Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran flees Iran with his family, relocating to Egypt after a year of turmoil. [840] (January 17 [1])
- January 17
- USSR performs underground nuclear test. [1]
- January 22
- Ali Hassan Salameh [Abu Hassan], killed by car bomb; believed to have helped mastermind massacre of 1972 Munich Olympics athletes. [1]
- January 25
- 22.2-km Oshimizu railroad tunnel holed through, central Honshu, Japan. [1]
- Pope John Paul II's first overseas trip as supreme pontiff. [1]
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- January 26
- Music Center Vredenburg opens in Utrecht, Netherlands. [1]
- January 29
- Brenda Ann Spencer opens fire at a school in San Diego, California, killing two faculty members and wounding eight students. Her justification for the action is "I don't like Mondays." [1] [840]
- Chinese vice-premier Deng Xiaoping visits Washington DC. [1]
- January 30
- Rhodesia agrees to new constitution. [1]
- February 1
- Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 15 years in exile. [1] [840]
- USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. [1]
- February 3
- Ayatollah Khomeini creates the Council of the Islamic Revolution. [840]
- February 6
- Supreme court of Lahore Pakistan affirms death sentence against premier Bhutto. [1]
- February 7
- Colonel Benjedid Chadli succeeds President Boumédienne in Algeria. [1]
- Supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini take over Iranian law enforcement, courts and government administration; the final session of the Iranian National Consultative Assembly is held. [840]
- February 9
- Nigeria amends constitution. [1]
- February 10
- (to February 11) The Iranian army mutinies and joins the Islamic Revolution. [840]
- February 11
- Iran's premier Bakhtiar resigns, Ayatollah Khomeini seizes power. [1] [840]
- Musical They're Playing Our Song premieres at Imperial theater in New York City for 1082 performances. [1]
- February 12
- Kosmos 1076, first Soviet oceanographic satellite, launched. [1]
- Prime Minister Hissène Habré starts the Battle of N'Djamena in an attempt to overthrow Chad's President Félix Malloum. [840]
- February 13
- Intense windstorm strikes western Washington State and sinks a 1/2-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge. [1] [840]
- February 14
- In Kabul, Muslim extremists kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs. (He is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.) [1] [840]
- February 15
- Mehdi Rahimi, Iran General/military Governor of Tehran, executed. [1]
- US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. [1]
- A suspected gas explosion in a Warsaw bank in Poland kills 49. [840]
- February 16
- Near the coast of Peru, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. [53]
- Nematullah Nassiri, Iran General/head of Savak, executed. [1]
- USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. [1]
- February 17
- Troops of the People's Republic of China invades northern Vietnam, launching the Sino-Vietnamese War. [1] [840]
- February 18
- President Zia ur-Rahmans National Party wins elections in Bangladesh. [1]
- The African Sahara Desert experiences snow for 30 minutes. [1] [840]
- February 21
- Japan launches Hakucho x-ray satellite and Corsa-B (550/580 km). [1]
- February 22
- Saint Lucia gains independence from Britain. [1] [840]
- February 24
- War between North and South Yemen begins. [1]
- Ethiopia recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). [840]
- February 25
- Soyuz 32 carries two cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station. [1]
- February 26
- A total solar eclipse arcs over northern Canada, and a partial solar eclipse is visible over almost all of North America and Central America. [1] [840] [1588.15]
- February 28
- In Mt. Saint Elias, Alaska, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs. [53]
- March 1
- The German Constitutional Court upholds the Codetermination Law of 1976. (Worker participation in corporate decision making.) [37]
- Scotland votes narrowly for home rule, which is not implemented, and Wales votes against it. [840]
- March 2
- Sir Richard Sykes, British ambassador, is assassinated in Holland. [1]
- March 4
- The U.S. Voyager I space probe photos reveal Jupiter's rings. [1] [840]
- March 8
- China withdraws invasion troops from Vietnam. [1]
- Philips demonstrates Compact Disc publicly for the first time. [840]
- March 9
- France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island. [1]
- March 13
- European Monetary System is established, ECU created. [1] [37] [482.38]
- Gairy dictatorship in Grenada overthrown by New Jewel Movement led by Maurice Bishop. [1] [840]
- March 14
- Near the coast of Guerrero, Mexico, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurs. Extensive damage in the epicentral and Mexico City areas. [53]
- In China, a Hawker Siddeley Trident crashes into a factory near Beijing, killing at least 200. [840]
- March 17
- The Penmanshiel Tunnel in the U.K. collapses, killing two workers. [840]
- March 18
- Battles between Kurds and Iranians break in Sananday, Iran. [1]
- Ten miners die in a methane gas explosion at Golborne Colliery near Wigan, Lancashire. [840]
- March 21
- Egyptian Parliament unanimously approves peace treaty with Israel. [1]
- March 22
- Israeli parliament approves peace treaty with Egypt. [1]
- March 25
- The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter (Columbia) is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch. [1] [5] [840]
- March 26
- Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat sign a peace treaty in Washington DC. [1] [129] [840]
- March 28
- In Britain, Prime Minister Jim Callaghan's minority Labour government loses a motion of confidence by one vote, forcing a general election, to be held on May 3. [1] [840]
- In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, a nuclear energy reactor at Three Mile Island overheats to 4000 degrees, due to a failed drainage valve. Cooling water contaminated with radiation drains into adjoining buildings, releasing radioactive gases throughout the plant and into the atmosphere. By the end of the day, cooling water is restarted, reducing temperature and averting a meltdown. [1] [129] [840]
- March 29
- Sultan Yahya Petra ibni Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim 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. [840]
- March 30
- Airey Neave, World War II veteran and Conservative Northern Ireland spokesman, is killed by an Irish National Liberation Army bomb in the British House of Commons car park. [1] [840]
- March 31
- Gali Atari and Milk and Honey win the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 for Israel, with the song "Hallelujah". [840]
- 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). [840]
- April 1
- Iran's government becomes an Islamic Republic by a 98 percent vote, overthrowing the Shah officially. [1] [840]
- Tanzanian troops and Ugandan exiles storm Kampala and oust Idi Amin. [870.14]
- April 2
- Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin visits Cairo, Egypt; meets President Anwar Sadat. [1]
- A Soviet biowarfare laboratory at Sverdlovsk accidentally releases airborne anthrax spores, killing 66 people plus an unknown amount of livestock. [840]
- April 3
- Belgium's Martens government forms. [1]
- April 4
- Death of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by hanging at age 51, former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan (born 1928). [1] [840]
- April 5
- Ex-premier Pol Jar flees out of Cambodia. [1]
- Pioneer 11 launched towards Jupiter. [1]
- April 10
- Soyuz 33 launched with a Russian and a Bulgarian. [1]
- A tornado hits Wichita Falls, Texas, killing 42 people (the most notable of 26 tornadoes that day). [840]
- Cambodia recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). [840]
- April 11
- Tanzanian troops take Kampala, the capital of Uganda; Idi Amin flees. [1] [840]
- April 12
- Soyuz 33 returns to Earth. [1]
- April 13
- Christian Turks occupy Saint Jansbasiliek. [1]
- Yusuf Lule becomes premier of Uganda. [1]
- The La Soufrière volcano erupts in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. [840]
- April 15
- In Yugoslavia, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. At least 156 people killed, more than 1,400 injured, 100,000 homeless, and extensive damage along the southwestern coast of Yugoslavia and in northern Albania. Also felt over a wide area of Europe. [53] [840]
- April 16
- Failed Palestinian attack on Zaventem Airport in Belgium. [1]
- Pulitzer prize awarded to Sam Shepard for Buried Child. [1]
- April 17
- Schoolchildren in the Central African Empire are arrested (and around 100 killed) for protesting against compulsory school uniforms. (An African judicial commission later determines that Emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa "almost certainly" took part in the massacre.) [840]
- April 18
- Major Haddad declares South-Lebanon independent. [1]
- April 23
- Fighting in London between the Anti-Nazi League and the Metropolitan Police's Special Patrol Group results in the death of New Zealand-born protestor Blair Peach. [840]
- April 24
- Rhodesian bishop Muzorewa wins general election. [1]
- April 25
- Peace treaty between Israel and Egypt goes into effect. [1]
- May 1
- Elton John becomes first pop star to perform in Israel. [1]
- Home rule introduced to Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). [1] [840]
- Marshall Islands (in the Pacific) become self-governing. [1]
- Silver passes $8 per ounce in London for first time. [639.25]
- May 4
- Margaret Thatcher is elected prime minister of Great Britain. [1] [840]
- May 5
- Masterpiece Radio Theater begins broadcasting. [1]
- May 6
- USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. [1]
- May 7
- 5th UNCTAD-conference opens in Manila, Philippines. [1]
- May 8
- The Woolworth's store in Manchester city centre in England is seriously damaged by fire; 10 shoppers die. [840]
- May 9
- Laos recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). [840]
- US and USSR sign Salt 2 treaty, limiting nuclear weapons. [1]
- May 10
- The Federated States of Micronesia becomes self-governing. [1] [840]
- May 13
- Shah and family sentenced to death in Teheran, Iran. [1]
- May 21
- Elton John becomes first western rocker to perform live in the USSR. [1]
- National Volksraad installed in Namibia. [1]
- May 22
- Canadians elect conservatives, Joseph Clark replaces Pierre Trudeau. [1]
- May 23
- Afganistan recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). [840]
- Federal Republic of Germany elects Carl Carstens president. [1] [37]
- May 24
- USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. [1]
- May 25
- John Spenkelink is executed in Florida, in the first use of the electric chair in America after the reintroduction of death penalty in 1976. [840]
- In Chicago, Illinois, USA, American Airlines Flight 191 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. [1] [840]
- Israel begins to return Sinai to Egypt. [1]
- May 27
- Pope John Paul ordains John J O'Conner as a bishop. [1]
- May 28
- European Market accepts Greece as member. [1]
- May 29
- Bishop Abel Muzorewa is sworn in as Zimbabwe's Prime Minister. [1]
- May 30
- In the Sumbawa Island region, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurs. At least 22 people killed, 70 injured, and extensive damage and landslides on Lombok Island. [53]
- May 31
- Zimbabwe proclaims independence. [1]
- June 1
- Intel introduces the 4.77 MHz 8088 microprocessor. It was created as a stepping stone to the 8086, as it operates on 16 bits internally, but supports an 8-bit data bus, to use existing 8-bit device-controlling chips. It contains 29,000 transistors, using 3-micron technology, and can directly address 1 MB of memory. Speed is 0.33 MIPS. [4]
- The Vizianagaram district is formed in Andhra Pradesh, India. [840]
- The first black-led government of Rhodesia in 90 years takes power, in succession to Ian Smith and under his power-sharing deal. [840]
- 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, brought about the solidarity of the Polish peoples against communism, ultimately leading to the rise of the Solidarity movement.) [1] [840]
- In Western Australia, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs. [53]
- June 3
- The Mexican Ixtoc I exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico (80km northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche) explodes, spilling an estimated 530 million litres of oil. [1] [522] [840]
- General elections are held in Italy. [840]
- June 4
- Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings takes power in Ghana after a military coup in which General Fred Akuffo is overthrown. [840]
- Joe Clark becomes Canada's 16th and youngest Prime Minister. [840]
- June 7
- The first direct elections to the European Parliament begin, allowing citizens from across all nine European Community member states to elect 410 MEPs. It is also the first international election in history. [37] [840]
- Bhaskara 1, Indian Earth resources/meteorology satellite, launched. [1]
- In Cilimus, Indonesia, a meteorite falls in a garden. [521]
- June 8
- The Source, first computer public information service, goes online. [1]
- June 12
- Bryan Allen flies man-powered Gossamer Albatross over English Channel in 2 hours, 49 minutes, winning the second Kremer prize. [1] [5] [840]
- June 18
- Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev sign the SALT II agreement in Vienna. [840]
- June 20
- A Nicaraguan National Guard soldier kills ABC TV news correspondent Bill Stewart and his interpreter Juan Espinosa. Other members of the news crew capture the killing on tape. [457] [467] [840]
- June 24
- In Bologna, Italy, the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal is founded, an international opinion tribunal, at the initiative of Senator Lelio Basso. [840]
- June 25
- In Belgium, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Alexander Haig escapes an assassination attempt by the Baader-Meinhof terrorist organization. [840]
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