The following events occurred in January 1979:
January 1, 1979 (Monday) The United States and the People's Republic of China established full diplomatic relations in a ceremony held in Beijing with Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping leading the Chinese dignitaries, and the new liaison to China, Leonard Woodcock on behalf of the United States."U.S. and China Mark Resumption of Ties in Peking Ceremony", by Fox Butterfield, The New York Times, January 2, 1979, p. 1 At the same time, U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance welcomed the new Chinese liaison to the U.S., Chai Tse-min, in Washington. Thirty-one of the 35 crew of the American-owned, Cyprus-registered tanker ship Master Michael died when the ship sank in the Caribbean Sea after catching fire during a storm. Four survivors were able to jump ship and swim to a nearby Italian vessel, the tanker Ilici, but a fifth crewmember drowned. Many of those killed had leapt into the ocean without life jackets and drowned. The Master Michael was not carrying an emergency life raft."One Dead, 30 Missing As Caribbean Tanker Catches Fire in Storm", The New York Times, January 3, 1979, p. A11 The University of Alabama Crimson Tide, second-ranked team in American college football, defeated the #1-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, 14 to 7, in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, in a rare #1 vs. #2 postseason matchup whose winner was likely to be recognized by the NCAA as the national champion of the 1978 season. At the time, the NCAA had no playoff to determine a champion and relied upon the "polls and bowls" system, recognizing the results of surveys of sportswriters (by the Associated Press) and of coaches of major college football programs (for United Press International). Unbeaten (11-0-0) and independent of a college athletic conference, Penn State had accepted the invitation to the Sugar Bowl to meet once-beaten Alabama, champions of the Southeastern Conference. A successful defense by Alabama on fourth down prevented Penn State from tying the game, and likely retaining its #1 ranking, when the Nittany Lions were stopped only from the goal line.Lions miss national crown by six inches", by Russ Franke, Pittsburgh Press, January 2, 1979, p. B3 Switzerland's Canton of Jura, the 26th of the European nation's independent cantons, came into existence being carved from the northern section of the Canton of Bern. Bern had a majority population of German-speaking Protestants, and the French-speaking Roman Catholic residents of Bern voted on September 24 for separation. Following a deal agreed to during 1978, French carmaker Peugeot completed a takeover of Chrysler Europe, the overseas subsidiary of the U.S. manufacturer Chrysler. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, made his first public appearance in more than two months and said in an interview that he had no intention of leaving the country, but that he would take a vacation after a new civilian government was formed."Shah Now Willing to Take 'Vacation'", by Nicholas Gage, The New York Times, January 2, 1979, p. 1 Marion Barry, Jr., the first national chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was sworn in as the new Mayor of Washington D.C."Ex Rights Activist Sworn In As New Washington Mayor", by Ben A. Franklin, The New York Times, January 3, 1979, p. A13 Born: Vidya Balan, Indian film actress and six-time Filmfare Award winner; in Palghat (now Palakkad)
January 2, 1979 (Tuesday) A draft constitution for the creation of a biracial government in Rhodesia to make the transition from white minority rule to a government of the African majority was published, declaring that name for the independent nation would be "Zimbabwe Rhodesia"."Rhodesia Charter Proposes Compromise National Name", The New York Times, January 3, 1979, p. A5 Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers running back is chosen both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the American Football Conference by the Sporting News, a weekly publication. He was the first player to win both awards since Jim Brown of Cleveland in 1957. Born: Jagmeet Singh, Canadian political leader and president of the New Democratic Party since 2017; in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario"Punjab village celebrates its son Jagmeet Singh's success in Canadian politics", Hindustan Times, October 3, 2017
January 3, 1979 (Wednesday) The Chinese Communist Party and the government of the People's Republic officially endorsed the right of disgruntled citizens to put up "big-character posters" (dàzìbào) that had been appearing in five Chinese cities since December, in the form of an editorial in the CCP newspaper Jenmin Jih Pao (People's Daily). "Let the people say what they wish," the newspaper declared. "The heavens will not fall. A range of opinions from people are good for a revolutionary party leading the Government. If people become unwilling to say anything, that would be bad. When people are free to speak, it means the Party and the Government have strength and confidence.""China Backs Poster as Citizens' Forum", by Fox Butterfield, The New York Times, January 4, 1979, p. A1 Spanish Army General Constantino Ortin Gil, the military governor of the Madrid Province, was assassinated by two gunmen of the Basque separatist group E.T.A. General Ortin was preparing to enter the apartment building where he lived when he was shot by two men. The killing came a day after Basque terrorists had killed Major Jose Maria Herrera Hernandez, an assistant to the military governor of the Basque province of Guipúzcoa."Military Governor of Madrid Slain; 2d Murder of Army Man in 2 Days", The New York Times, January 4, 1979, p. A3 Nancy Lopez who earned a record $189,813 as a rookie on the LPGA tour, is selected as the Associated Press female athlete of the year award. Died: Conrad N. Hilton, 91, American hotelier who built the Hilton Hotels chain worldwide"Conrad Hilton, Founder of Hotel Chain, Dies at 91", by Joan Cook, The New York Times, January 4, 1979, p. B5
January 4, 1979 (Thursday) The U.S. state of Ohio agreed to pay $675,000 to families of four people killed and nine wounded by the Ohio National Guard in the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970. The estates of the four dead students were paid $15,000 apiece, while wounded students (including Dean Kahler, who was permanently paralyzed) received payments ranging from $22,500 to $350,000."Ohio Approves $675,000 to Settle Suits in 1970 Kent State Shootings— Governor Rhodes and 27 National Guardsmen Offer Their Regrets for Deaths of 4 and Injuries to 9", The New York Times, January 4, 1979, p. A12 The collision of two express trains in Turkey killed at least 56 people, and critically injured 32 after a blizzard caused automatic switches to freeze and malfunction, putting both trains on the same east-west railroad track between Ankara and Istanbul. The accident occurred at 11:00 at night "in an isolated Anatolian village 40 miles west of Ankara"."56 Turks Are Feared Dead In Express Train Collision", The New York Times, January 6, 1979, p. A4 Ron Guidry the slender New York Yankees left-hander authored one of the most remarkable pitching seasons in Major League Baseball history, was named Male Athlete of the Year for 1978 by the Associated Press. Born: Kevin Kuske, German bobsledder with four Olympic gold medals and five world championships; in Potsdam, East Germany
January 5, 1979 (Friday) Future U.S. President George H. W. Bush, who had retired as the Director of Central Intelligence in 1977 and previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, filed papers with the Federal Election Commission to declare himself a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 1980."Bush Files With Election Panel But Delays Entrance Into Race", by Adam Clymer, The New York Times, January 6, 1979, p. A11 Died: Pyotr Vtorov, 40, Soviet environmental scientist and pioneer in biogeography; from leukemia Les Lear, 60, Canadian football player and head coach, as well as the first Canadian-trained player to play American football in the National Football League, later an inductee into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame Billy Bletcher, 79, American voice actor, who voiced Pete in Walt Disney's cartoons.
January 6, 1979 (Saturday)
Shapour Bakhtiar was sworn into office, along with a cabinet of ministers, as the new Prime Minister of Iran, providing the first civilian government for Iran in more than a year."Bakhtiar Installed and Shah Declares He'll 'Take a Rest'", The New York Times, by Nicholas Gage, January 7, 1979, p. A1 An attack by the Zimbabwe African People's Union on a Rhodesian Security Forces ammunition stockpile set off explosions that killed 19 soldiers and wounded 13."Guerrillas Tell of Killing 19 Soldiers in Rhodesia", The New York Times, January 9, 1979, p. A7 4 children were brutally murdered in their home in Geylang Bahru, Singapore. The children's ages ranged from 5 to 10 years old.
January 7, 1979 (Sunday)
Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, fell to the Vietnamese Army and the Vietnamese-backed Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation, bringing an end to the Cambodian–Vietnamese War and the nationwide genocide of the rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. A radio announcement broadcast from Hanoi declared "The regime of dictatorial, militarist domination of the Pol Pot—Ieng Sary clique has completely collapsed."Hanoi Reports Cambodian Capital Conquered by 'Insurgent Forces; Long Guerrilla Conflict Feared", by Henry Kamm, The New York Times, January 8, 1979, p. A1 Pol Pot and about 700 of members of his government retreated westward to an area along the Thai border, ending large-scale fighting and the Cambodian Genocide of almost four years."Cambodia's Regime Reported in Flight", by Fox Butterfield, The New York Times, January 8, 1979, p. A1 The next day, the new government announced that United Front had installed a 14-member People's Revolutionary Council of Cambodia, led by the Council's president, Heng Samrin."'Liberation' Group Says It Has Formed Regime in Cambodia", The New York Times, January 9, 1979, p. A1 Born: Bipasha Basu, Indian film actress; in New Delhi"Bipashu Basu to marry by end of 2012?", The Times of India, January 6, 2012 Christian Lindner, German politician and leader of the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP); in Wuppertal, West Germany
January 8, 1979 (Monday) An explosion at Whiddy Island killed 50 people in Ireland's Bantry Bay when the French tanker Betelgeuse blew up at the Gulf Oil terminal at Bantry. The blast killed all 41 crewmen on the Betelgeuse and nine dockworkers."Blast Wrecks Tanker Unloading in Ireland; 47 Are Feared Killed", The New York Times, January 8, 1979, p. A5"50 Die in Tanker Blasts in Ireland", The New York Times, January 9, 1979, p. A3 Emergency teams with hoses quickly acted to keep two storage tanks at the terminal, containing three and a half million barrels of crude oil, from being set afire by lumps of hot metal from the ship, preventing what would have been a much larger explosion. "Appalling though it was," the London Observer noted later, "last week's disaster at Bantry Bay, which cost 50 lives, could have been much, much worse.""Bantry: The grim lesson", The Observer (London), January 14, 1979, p. 9 Born: Sarah Polley, Canadian TV and film actress and director; in Toronto Stipe Pletikosa, Croatian soccer football goalkeeper with 114 appearances for the national team; in Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia Seol Ki-hyeon, South Korean soccer football winger and South Korean national team member; in Jeongseon-eup, Gangwon Province
January 9, 1979 (Tuesday)