The following events occurred in November 1979:
November 1, 1979 (Thursday) A military coup led by Bolivian Army Colonel Alberto Natusch overthrew the government of Bolivian President Wálter Guevara."A Bolivian Colonel Stages a Rebellion— Troops Seize Public Buildings and Announce Regime's Ouster", The New York Times, November 2, 1979, p.A1 Soon after the takeover of the presidential residence in La Paz, the Palacio Quemado, rebel soldiers fired into a crowd of protesters, killing six of them after Natusch went on the radio and proclaimed himself the new President of Bolivia. The coup, and Colonel Natusch's presidency, ended after 16 days with the selection by the Bolivian Congress of a new civilian president to replace Guevara. Thirty-one people on board the oil tanker Burmah Agate were killed when the ship was rammed by the Mimosa, an abandoned, drifting freighter, about offshore from Galveston, Texas."Freighter Hits Tanker Off Texas, Spilling Oil; 31 Are Believed Dead", by John M. Crewdson, The New York Times, November 2, 1979, p.A1 In the United States, the United Auto Workers called a strike against the International Harvester Company as 35,000 employees walked off the job following a breakdown in negotiations, shutting down plants in eight states."Harvester's Plants Shut in Eight States", The New York Times, November 2, 1979, p.A14 The action came a day after chief executive officer Archie McCardell was given a $1,800,000 bonus by the company after the layoff of numerous IH employees. The strike would ultimately cost IH $600 million."The Strike That Rained on Archie McCardell's Parade", by Carol J. Loomis, Fortune magazine, May 19, 1980 Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini delivered a radio address and urged Iranian students to assemble for a massive protest in Tehran, to take place on Sunday, November 4 to observe the first anniversary of the massacre of 56 Tehran University students by the Army of the Shah of Iran. Khomeini urged students to "expand with all their might their attacks against the United States and Israel, so they may force the United States to return the deposed and cruel Shah", who was in the U.S. for medical treatment. The Iranian government provided security for the Embassy that day in response to rumors of a planned rally at the U.S. Embassy, but would fail to do the same on November 4."U.S. Decision to Admit the Shah; Key Events in 8 Months of Debate", by Bernard Gwertzman, The New York Times, November 18, 1979, p. A1, A14 Video Concert Hall, the first music video program on television, was launched at 11:00 o'clock p.m.TV Listings, November 1, "The Tube", Orlando (FL) Sentinel-Star, October 28, 1979, p. 11 as an offering of cable's Madison Square Garden Sports Network (renamed in 1980 as the USA Network) and described as a show that would run on weeknights, featuring "well-known popular artists performing music ranging from rock to middle-of-the-road"."Cablevision Channel 4 will air new programs", Decatur (IL) Daily Review, October 22, 1979, p. 16 Died: Mamie Eisenhower (Mary Geneva Doud Eisenhower), 82, First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 as the wife of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower "Mamie Eisenhower Dies in Sleep At 82 in Hospital in Washington", by Albin Krebs, The New York Times, November 2, 1979, p.A1 Albert Préjean, 85, French film actor
November 2, 1979 (Friday) A team of gendarmes tracked down and killed France's most-wanted fugitive, Jacques Mesrine, wanted for murder, kidnapping and bank robbery, after following him to Porte de Clignancourt on the outskirts of Paris. Mesrine, nicknamed l'homme aux mille visages (the man of a thousand faces) for his many disguises, was hit by 15 bullets and died at the scene."France's Top Criminal Is Trapped and Killed By 80 Paris Policemen", The New York Times, November 3, 1979, p.A5 Ecuador's President Jaime Roldós Aguilera signed a decree raising the national minimum wage from 2,000 to 4,000 sucres per month, the equivalent of $160 in 1979 Assata Shakur (née Joanne Chesimard), a former member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, escaped from the New Jersey State Prison for Women near Clinton after three African-American men came for a visit, seized two guards as hostages at gunpoint, and then commandeered a prison van for their escape."Miss Chesimard Flees New Jersey Prison, Helped By 3 Armed 'Visitors'", The New York Times, November 3, 1979, p.A1"No Checking Was Done On Chesimard 'Visitors", by Robert Hanley, The New York Times, November 6, 1979, p.B2 Chesimard/Shakur fled to Cuba and would remain there more than 40 years.
November 3, 1979 (Saturday) In Greensboro, North Carolina, five members of the Communist Workers Party were shot to death and seven were wounded by a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis, during a "Death to the Klan" rally."Four Shot to Death at Anti-Klan March", by Tom Stites, The New York Times, November 4, 1979, p.A-1 Pro football defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones of the Dallas Cowboys made his debut in a new sport, professional boxing, and won his first pro heavyweight bout, going against Abraham Yaqui Meneses in Las Cruces, New Mexico."Too Tall Gains Split Decision", by Jane Gross, The New York Times, November 4, 1979, p.A1 After six bouts and a 6–0 record, he would retire from boxing and return to the Dallas Cowboys for the 1980 season. Born: Pablo Aimar, Argentine soccer football midfielder and national team member; in Río Cuarto, Córdoba
November 4, 1979 (Sunday) The Iran hostage crisis began as several hundred Iranian radicals, mostly students, invaded the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 90 hostages (53 of whom were American)."Tehran Students Seize U.S. Embassy and Hold Hostages— Ask Shah's Return and Trial", The New York Times, November 5, 1979, p.A1 They demanded that the United States send the former Shah of Iran back to stand trial. Roger Mudd's interview with U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy was aired on a CBS Reports special, seen before Senator Kennedy's expected declaration of his candidacy and his challenge to U.S. President Jimmy Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination. In addition to questioning Kennedy about the Chappaquiddick incident, Mudd asked, "Senator, why do you want to be President?" Kennedy's stammering answer, which has been described as "incoherent and repetitive", as well as "vague, unprepared" raised serious questions about his motivation in seeking the office, and marked the beginning of the sharp decline in Kennedy's poll numbers. One commentator, Anthony Lewis of The New York Times, wrote that Kennedy's answers were "stumbling, inarticulate, unconvincing" and "in general seemed to be those of a man unsure of the why's and where's in his life... unsure of who he was." "Policy And Person", by Anthony Lewis, The New York Times, November 8, 1979, p. A23 Kennedy said "The reasons that I would run are because I have great belief in this country, that it is— there's more natural resources than any nation of the world, there's the greatest educated population in the world... and the greatest political system in the world," and closed by saying "And I would basically feel that, that it's imperative for this country to either move forward — that it can't stand still — or otherwise it moves backward." Analyst James R. Dickerson of the Washington Star quoted Kennedy and said that Kennedy "came to his interview... prepared to answer questions about Chappaquiddick and his marital problems but not about why he wants to be president and what he would do if elected.""Kennedy unprepared to tell why he wants to be president", by James R. Dickerson, Washington Star news service, in Des Moines (IA) Tribune, November 5, 1979, p. 11
November 5, 1979 (Monday) Troops supporting Colonel Alberto Natusch's junta in Bolivia initiated a violent crack-down on protesters, firing at them in downtown La Paz with guns and heavy artillery, then pursuing them into the poorer sections of the nation's capital and killing at least 15 in one day. General David Padilla, who had handed over control of the country to a civilian president in August, urged Bolivians to keep fighting against Natusch, saying in a statement "Never more than now, the armed forces, because of some ambitious, disloyal and unpatriotic men, are acting irresponsibly like criminals.""Violence Continues In Bolivian Capital", Kansas City Star, November 6, 1979, p. 15 The radio news program Morning Edition premiered on National Public Radio in the United States at six o'clock in the morning Eastern Time, with updated versions for stations located in other time zones."'Morning Edition' Debuts On NPR", by Mike Feinsilber, Indianapolis News, November 5, 1979, p. 22 The Ayatollah Khomeini first referred to the United States as "The Great Satan"."U.S. is 'great Satan,' Iranian leader says", Tucson (AZ) Citizen, November 5, 1979, p. 1 Born: Leonardo Nam, Argentine-born Australian actor; in Buenos Aires Died: Al Capp (Alfred Caplin), 70, American comic strip cartoonist known for creating Li'l Abner "Al Capp, Creator of Li'l Abner, Is Dead at 70", by Israel Shenker, The New York Times, November 5, 1979, p.D19 Amedeo Nazzari, 71, Italian film star of the 1940s and 1950s "Deaths: Former Italian Film Idol Amedeo Nazzari", Miami Herald, November 6, 1979, p. 5-B
November 6, 1979 (Tuesday) A month after Japanese parliamentary elections had failed to restore the absolute majority that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had once held in Japan's House of Representatives, Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira was challenged for leadership of the LDP (and by extension, leadership of the Japanese government) by his predecessor, Takeo Fukuda. In a vote among the 256 LDP members of the House, Ohira defeated Fukuda, 138 to 121 on the second ballot, after failing to receive a majority of votes from a field of candidates."Ohira Re-Elected Japan Prime Minister Over Fukuda", by Robert Trumbull, The New York Times, November 6, 1979, p. A3 The civilian government of Iran's Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan resigned abruptly, ending hopes of a quick resolution to the Iran hostage crisis and leaving the fate of the imprisoned American Embassy employees under the control of the Ayatollah Khomeini."Iran's Civil Government Out; Hostages Face Death Threat; Oil Exports Believed Halted", by John Kifner, The New York Times, November 7, 1979, p. A1 For the first time ever, the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals was provided information about the details of the financing of the Roman Catholic Church, kept secret by the Pope and his advisers for centuries. A group of 120 cardinals assembled at Vatican City in closed session, under condition that the data not be revealed to the public, and at the direction of Pope John Paul II, heard reports from the Pope's economic advisers, headed by Giuseppe Caprio, Egidio Vagnozzi and Agostino Casaroli."Cardinals Hear Vatican Financial Date for First Time", by Henry Tanner, The New York Times, November 7, 1979, p. A6 Canada's Prime Minister Joe Clark narrowly overcame a vote of no confidence by only two votes (140 to 138), and only after his Progressive Conservative Party members of the House of Commons were joined by five members of the Social Credit Party."Canadian Leader Defeats No-Confidence Motion", The New York Times, November 7, 1979, p. A7 Died: Charles "Chick" Evans, 89, American golfer who won the U.S. Open in 1916 as an amateur.
November 7, 1979 (Wednesday) In Boston, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy announced that he would challenge President Jimmy Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination."Kennedy Declares His Candidacy, Vowing New Leadership for Nation", by Hedrick Smith, The New York Times, November 8, 1979, p. A1 Born: Samin Nosrat, American chef, newspaper columnist and author of the best-selling cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat; in San Diego
November 8, 1979 (Thursday)