The following events occurred in June 1979:
June 1, 1979 (Friday)
The Republic of "Zimbabwe Rhodesia" was proclaimed, with the first black-led government of the former Rhodesia, which had been ruled by the white minority for 90 years. Abel Muzorewa, a Methodist Bishop and black African, became the Prime Minister while the white Rhodesian former Prime Minister, Ian Smith, served as the third most senior official as Minister of Portfolio."Muzorewa Urges Black Guerrillas To Accept His 'Hand of Fellowship', The New York Times, June 2, 1979, p. A3 The Seattle SuperSonics won the NBA Championship against the Washington Bullets, winning 97 to 93 to win the best-4-of-7 series, four games to one."Sonics Triumph, Win N.B.A. Title", Sam Goldpaper, The New York Times, June 2, 1979, p. A13 Born: Markus Persson, Swedish video game programmer and co-creator of the Minecraft game; in Stockholm Rhea Santos, Philippine and Canadian TV news anchor; in San Mateo, Rizal Died: Werner Forssmann, 74, German physician and 1956 Nobel Prize in Medicine winner who developed the cardiac catheterization procedure"Surgeon Werner Fossman, 74", Miami Herald, June 7, 1979, p. 8-C Ján Kadár, 61, Slovak filmmaker and Academy Award winner"Obituary: Jan Kadar", Daily News (New York), June 3, 1979, p. 98 Jack Mulhall, 91, American film actor who appeared in 430 films over fifty years"Jack Mulhall, 91, Movie, Stage, TV Actor, Dies", by Dorothy Townsend, Los Angeles Times, June 7, 1979, p. II-6 Eric Partridge, 85, New Zealand-born British lexicographer and expert on slang."Eric Partridge, Expert on English And Lover of Its Quirks, Is Dead", by Israel Shenker, The New York Times, June 2, 1979, p. A1
June 2, 1979 (Saturday)
Pope John Paul II arrived in his native Poland on his first official, nine-day stay, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country. The former Archbishop of Krakow landed at the Warsaw airport at 10:05 a.m. where he was welcomed by a crowd of 20,000 and was cheered by hundreds of thousands of supporters who lined the route of his motorcade, before holding a nationally televised mass at Victory Square before a crowd of 200,000. Officially, the occasion for the visit by Karol Wojtyla, who had become Pope less than a year earlier, was the 900th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów,"Pope Gets Big Welcome in Poland, Offers Challenge to the Authorities", by David A. Andelman, The New York Times, June 3, 1979, p. A1 who had been killed by King Boleslaw II of Poland on April 11, 1079. The visit, later known as "nine days that changed the world", would bring about the solidarity of the Polish people against Communism, ultimately leading to the rise of the Solidarity movement. Ariel 6, the last of the British Ariel satellite program, was launched from the United States Wallops Island launch site. On April 26, 1962, Ariel 1 had been the first British satellite."Britain's satellite on track", The Guardian (London), June 4, 1979, p. 3 Twenty people were killed near Samcheok in South Korea, and more were injured, after the bus they were in toppled over a cliff after colliding with a truck."South Korean Accident Kills 20", The New York Times, June 3, 1979, p. A6 Born: Choirul Huda, Indonesian soccer football goalkeeper known for being fatally injured during a Liga 1 game; in Lamongan, East Java (d. 2017)"Indonesian Muslim GoalKeeper, Choirul Huda Dies During Live Match", The Islamic Information, October 16, 2017"Goalie dies after collision in Indonesian soccer match, reportedly of head and neck trauma", Washington Post, October 15, 2017 Morena Baccarin, Brazilian-born U.S. TV actress and Emmy Award nominee; in Rio de Janeiro Died: Jim Hutton, 45, American film and television actor known for the title role in the Ellery Queen, TV detective series"Actor Jim Hutton dies of liver cancer at age 45", Chicago Tribune, June 4, 1979, p. 15 P. V. H. Weems, 90, U.S. Navy officer, inventor and navigational expert who invented the Weems Plotter and the Second Setting Watch, and founded the Weems School of Navigation."Capt. Philip Van H. Weems dies at 91; noted navigator aided Lindbergh, Byrd", Baltimore Sun, June 4, 1979, p. A10
June 3, 1979 (Sunday) A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico"Well Blows Out Off the Yucatan; Oil Find Hinted", by William K. Stevens, The New York Times, June 9, 1979, p. A1"Mexico Continues Effort to Save Oil From Well Blowout in the Gulf", The New York Times, June 10, 1979, p. A11 caused at least 600,000 tons (130 million U.S. gallons) of oil to be spilled into the waters until it was brought under control on March 23, 1980. The disaster would be the largest accidental oil spill in history until it was surpassed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Parliamentary voting was held in Italy for the 630-seat Chamber of Deputies and the 315-seat Senate of the Republic. The Democrazia Cristiana Party continued its plurality in both houses (262 in the Chamber and 138 in the Senate) and Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti formed a new government."Both Major Parties Lose Some Strength in Italian Election", The New York Times, June 5, 1979, p. A1 The Uganda–Tanzania War, which had started on October 9, 1978, came to an end as the Tanzania People's Defence Force secured Uganda's western border to prevent the supporters of Idi Amin from attempting a counterinvasion.Tony Avirgan and Martha Honey, War in Uganda: The Legacy of Idi Amin (Tanzania Publishing House, 1983) pp. 195-196 Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly became the new President of Mauritania after the ruling Military Committee for National Salvation decided to replace President Mustafa Ould Salek. A former Mauritanian Army officer, Colonel Salek had led the bloodless coup that had overthrown President Moktar Ould Daddah on July 10, 1978."Mauritanian President Resigns 11 Months After Coup", The New York Times, June 4, 1979, p. A3 Fifty-two people were burned to death in Thailand, and 11 seriously injured, when a bus crowded with 68 partygoers collided head-on with a fully loaded gasoline truck on a mountain road in Phang Nga Province"52 Thais Are Killed as Bus Crashes Into Gasoline Truck", The New York Times, June 4, 1979, p. A7 Born: Pierre Poilievre, Canadian politician, Leader of the Opposition, in Calgary Tábata Jalil, Mexican TV hostess; in Mexico City Died: Arno Schmidt, 65, German author"Schmidt, Arno", by Arne Klawitter, in The Facts on File Companion to the World Novel 1900 to the Present, ed. by Michael D. Sollars (Facts on File, Inc. 2008) p. 710"Writers No One Reads: Arno Schmidt"
June 4, 1979 (Monday) Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings took power in the West African nation of Ghana in a military coup d'état, overthrowing General Fred Akuffo and ending the rule of the Supreme Military Council."Ghana Rebels Say Coup Is Under Way", The New York Times, June 5, 1979, p. A3 Ghana Army Major General Neville Alexander Odartey-Wellington, Chief of Staff of the Army, died during the defense of the Council headquarters."Rebel Officers in Ghana Say They Are in Firm Control", by Carey Winfrey, The New York Times, June 6, 1979, p. A3 Most of the members of the council, including four former heads of state, would be executed in the next few weeks. South Africa's State President and former Prime Minister, John Vorster, resigned after being accused by a government board of inquiry of attempting to cover up the "Muldergate" scandal and perjury in his testimony to the board. Vorster was replaced in the largely ceremonial position by Marais Viljoen, the president of the South African Senate."Vorster, Accused of Role in Scandal, Quits as President; He Is Charged With Cover-up", The New York Times, June 5, 1979, p. A1Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1961–1994. Accessed 14 April 2017. Joe Clark took office as Canada's 16th and youngest Prime Minister at the age 39, the day before his 40th birthday."Clark Is Sworn In as Canadian Leader", by Andrew H. Malcolm, The New York Times, June 5, 1979, p. A3 Iran reversed its agreement to receive a new U.S. Ambassador, rejecting career diplomat Walter L. Cutler."Iran, in Shift, Bars Envoy U.S. Selected", The New York Times, June 5, 1979, p. A1 The post had been vacant since the April 6 resignation of William H. Sullivan. With Cutler's rejection by the Iranian government, and the refusal by the U.S. Department of State to nominate a different diplomat, U.S. Embassy chargé d'affaires Bruce Laingen remained the senior U.S. official in Iran. The Iranian Foreign Minister later stated that Cutler had been refused because of American intervention in African politics when Cutler had been the Ambassador to Zaire."Iran Aide Explains Rejection of Envoy; Foreign Minister Says Cutler, Last Stationed in Zaire, Is Tainted by American Role There", The New York Times, June 7, 1979, pA7 The roof of Kemper Arena, the 19,500 sports facility for the NBA's Kansas City Kings and the site of the 1976 Republican National Convention less than three years earlier, collapsed in a storm at 6:45 p.m."Kansas City Arena Loses Roof in Storm— Few Are Inside and All Are Unhurt at Award-Winning Structure", by Paul Goldberger, The New York Times, June 6, 1979; the Times account mistakenly listed the collapse has happening the day after a rock concert; in fact, the concert, the most recent event at the Arena, had been a week before the collapse Fortunately, no events were scheduled at the time, and the most recent event had been a week earlier, a Memorial Day concert by the Village People. Coincidentally, the American Institute of Architects was holding its national convention in Kansas City the same day, at Bartle Hall at the Kansas City Convention Center half a mile away."Storm Caves In Roof of Kemper; Damage Is Estimated at $1 Million", Kansas City Times, June 5, 1979, p. 1A The song "Tusk" was recorded by Fleetwood Mac along with the 112-member University of Southern California Marching Band, setting a record for the most musicians on a rock music single."Fleetwood Mac's 'Tusk': 10 Things You Didn't Know", by Ryan Reed, Rolling Stone, October 11, 2019 Born: Hanieh Tavassoli, Iranian film actress, in Hamedan Died: Hans Mauch, 60, Swiss ice skater and slapstick comedian who was "Frack" in the famous Ice Follies duo of Frick and Frack."Hans Mauch, 'Frack' of Ice Follies Frick and Frack, Dies", Los Angeles Times, June 5, 1979, p. I-8 Gilda de Abreu, 74, Brazilian actress and film director Seamus O'Donovan, 82, Irish Republican Army explosives expert and Nazi collaborator.
June 5, 1979 (Tuesday) Sandinista National Liberation Front guerrillas captured León, Nicaragua's second-largest city as the Guardia Nacional abandoned the barracks."Rebels Control City in Nicaragua", The New York Times, June 6, 1979, pA13 More provinces fell to the Sandinist National Liberation Front as Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle declared a national siege, with rebel rule in the departamentos of Matagalpa, Ocotal and Chichigalpa in the north, Diriamba and Granada in the south, and Masaya near the capital."Nicaraguan Towns Fall to Rebels" by Alan Riding, The New York Times, June 8, 1979, pA8 The University of Rio de Janeiro was founded. Officially referred to as the "Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro", it is commonly known as "Unirio". "Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro— Historia" (translation available) Unirio.br Died: Heinz Erhardt, 70, West German comedian and radio and TV actor"Heinz Erhardt", Internet Movie Database
June 6, 1979 (Wednesday) The Kola Superdeep Borehole broke the world record for greatest depth drilled into the Earth, reaching to break the mark set in the U.S. in 1974 by the "Bertha Rogers hole" in Washita County, Oklahoma. Drilling would cease in 1989 at a depth of which has not been exceeded since.Yevgeny A. Kozlovsky, "The Superdeep Well of the Kola Peninsula" (Springer Berlin, 2012)