The almanac
The 1979 Edition
Limited to about 125 million copies: the babies born worldwide in 1979. About 99 million are still in circulation.
Estimates from the UN World Population Prospects 2024. How we count
What happened in 1979
- Soccer's first million-pound transferNottingham Forest signed Trevor Francis in Britain's first transfer worth one million pounds.February 9 · Source: BBC On This Day
- Voyager 1 swings past JupiterThe NASA probe made its closest approach to the giant planet and sent back close-up views.March 5 · Source: Astronomy
- Alien opens in theatersRidley Scott's science fiction horror film first opened in US theaters.May 25 · Source: Box Office Mojo
- Sony Walkman goes on saleThe pocket cassette player that made music portable first went on sale in Japan.July 1 · Source: Network World
- Skylab falls back to EarthThe empty US space station reentered, scattering debris over the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.July 11 · Source: BBC On This Day
- ESPN goes on the airThe all-sports cable network launched from Bristol, Connecticut, reaching 1.4 million homes.September 7 · Source: ESPN Press Room
- Europe launches its first rocketAriane 1 completed its maiden flight from French Guiana on the third attempt.December 24 · Source: BBC On This Day
Famous people born in 1979
- Chris PrattAmerican actor · born June 21
- Heath LedgerAustralian actor · born April 4
- PinkAmerican singer, songwriter, and actress · born September 8
- Anders Behring BreivikNorwegian neo-Nazi terrorist and mass murderer · born February 13
- Kate HudsonAmerican actress and singer · born April 19
- Andrea PirloItalian association football player and manager · born May 19
- Michael OwenEnglish association football player · born December 14
- Evangeline LillyCanadian actress · born August 3
From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages write about them. Spotted a mistake?
No. 1 songs of 1979
- Too Much HeavenBee Gees · first week at No. 1: January 6, 1979
- Le FreakChic · first week at No. 1: January 20, 1979
- Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?Rod Stewart · first week at No. 1: February 10, 1979
- I Will SurviveGloria Gaynor · first week at No. 1: March 10, 1979
- TragedyBee Gees · first week at No. 1: March 24, 1979
- What A Fool BelievesThe Doobie Brothers · first week at No. 1: April 14, 1979
- Knock On WoodAmii Stewart · first week at No. 1: April 21, 1979
- Heart Of GlassBlondie · first week at No. 1: April 28, 1979
- ReunitedPeaches & Herb · first week at No. 1: May 5, 1979
- Hot StuffDonna Summer · first week at No. 1: June 2, 1979
- Love You Inside OutBee Gees · first week at No. 1: June 9, 1979
- Ring My BellAnita Ward · first week at No. 1: June 30, 1979
- Bad GirlsDonna Summer · first week at No. 1: July 14, 1979
- Good TimesChic · first week at No. 1: August 18, 1979
- My SharonaThe Knack · first week at No. 1: August 25, 1979
- Sad EyesRobert John · first week at No. 1: October 6, 1979
- Don't Stop 'til You Get EnoughMichael Jackson · first week at No. 1: October 13, 1979
- RiseHerb Alpert · first week at No. 1: October 20, 1979
- Pop MuzikM · first week at No. 1: November 3, 1979
- Heartache TonightEagles · first week at No. 1: November 10, 1979
- StillCommodores · first week at No. 1: November 17, 1979
- No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer · first week at No. 1: November 24, 1979
- BabeStyx · first week at No. 1: December 8, 1979
- Escape (The Pina Colada Song)Rupert Holmes · first week at No. 1: December 22, 1979
Billboard Hot 100, chart weeks of 1979. Spotted a mistake?
If you were born in 1979
- Older than CNNCNN, the first 24-hour all-news cable network, went on the air on June 1, 1980.
- Older than Pac-ManPac-Man was released to the public in Japan (month only; the day is not given by the source) on July 1, 1980.
- Older than the Space ShuttleThe first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1 with Columbia, launched on April 12, 1981.
- Older than the IBM PCIBM unveiled the IBM Personal Computer in New York on August 12, 1981.
- Younger than the first IVF babyLouise Brown, the first baby conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF), was born on July 25, 1978.
- Younger than Voyager 1NASA launched the Voyager 1 space probe on September 5, 1977.
- Younger than Star WarsStar Wars opened in US movie theaters on May 25, 1977.