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1979
Events
January
January 1
United Nations Secretary-General
Kurt Waldheim
heralds the start of the
International Year of the Child
. Many musicians donate to the
Music for UNICEF Concert
fund including
ABBA
, who wrote the song "
Chiquitita
" to commemorate the event.
The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full
diplomatic relations
.
The
Canton of Jura
comes into existence as the 26th
canton of Switzerland
, being formed from the predominantly French-speaking
Catholic
part of the
Canton of Bern
.
Following a deal agreed during 1978,
French
carmaker
Peugeot
completes a takeover of American manufacturer
Chrysler
's
European operations
, which are based in
Britain's
former
Rootes Group
factories as well as the former
Simca
factories in
France
.
January 4
– The State of
Ohio
agrees to pay $675,000 to families of the dead and injured in the
Kent State shootings
.
January 5
–
Queen
releases "
Don't Stop Me Now
". It becomes one of their most popular singles.
January 7
–
Vietnam
and Vietnam-backed
Cambodian insurgents
announce the fall of
Phnom Penh
,
Cambodia
, and the collapse of the
Pol Pot
regime. Pol Pot and the
Khmer Rouge
retreat west to an area along the
Thai
border.
January 8
–
Whiddy Island Disaster
: The French tanker
Betelgeuse
explodes at the Gulf Oil terminal at
Bantry
, Ireland; 50 are killed.
January 9
– 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. It is broadcast the following day in the United States and around the world. Hosted by the
Bee Gees
, other performers include
Donna Summer
,
ABBA
,
Rod Stewart
and
Earth, Wind & Fire
. A soundtrack album is later released.
January 16
– Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
flees
Iran
with his family, relocating to
Egypt
after a year of turmoil.
January 19
– Former U.S. Attorney General
John N. Mitchell
is released on
parole
after 19 months at a federal prison in Alabama.
January 25
–
Pope John Paul II
arrives in Mexico City for his first visit to Mexico, mainly for 1979's
Latin American Episcopal Conference
(CELAM) or Conference of
Puebla
.
January 26
–
The Dukes of Hazzard
debuts on
CBS
January 29
–
Brenda Ann Spencer opens fire at a school in San Diego
, killing 2 faculty members and wounding 8 students and a police officer. Her justification for the action, "I don't like Mondays", inspires
the Boomtown Rats
to make a
song of the same name
.
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