The following events took place in May 1980:
May 1, 1980 (Thursday) The first U.S. government shutdown for lack of funding took place as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ceased operations."Shutdown Rattles FTC Workers— Agency Grinds to Halt; Closure May Only Last a Day", Los Angeles Times, May 2, 1980, pIV-1 A total of 1,600 workers were furloughed, and meetings and court dates were canceled."A Complete Guide To Every Government Shutdown In History" , by Connie Cass, Business Insider, September 30, 2013 The shutdown ended that evening, with the House approving a $7.6 million extension of funding 284–96, and the Senate 71–10."Congress Revives FTC With an Injection of Funds", Washington Post, May 2, 1980 The shutdown was estimated to cost $700,000, of which $600,000 was for salaries. "About that urban renaissance.... there'll be a slight delay", an article by journalist Dan Rottenberg in Chicago magazine, contained the first recorded use of the word "yuppie" to refer to a "young urban professional". Referring to the migration of renters and buyers to Chicago from its suburbs, Rottenberg wrote "Some 20,000 new dwelling units have been built within two miles of the Loop over the past ten years to accommodate the rising tide of “Yuppies"—young urban professionals rebelling against the stodgy suburban lifestyles of their parents." Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 818 was hijacked shortly after taking off from Stockton, California for Los Angeles."Gunman takes over PSA jetliner", Tampa Bay Times, May 2, 1980, p1 The hijacker, from Ceres scaled a fence at the Stockton Municipal Airport, then ran across the grounds to where stairs had been lowered for the outside boarding of the Boeing 727. He then held one hostage, PSA flight engineer Alan Romatowski, at gunpoint for six hours until Romatowski overpowered and disarmed him."Hostage Thwarts Hijack Attempt", Cincinnati Enquirer, May 3, 1980, p4 The hijacker's father said that his 25-year old son had written a screenplay about "a young man hijacking an airplane, kidnapping a senator, flying to Iran and kidnapping the Ayatollah in order to get the hostages back to the U.S. safely"."PSA Hijack Suspect Acts Our Iranian Hostage Script", Sacramento (CA) Bee, May 3, 1980, p4 After being convicted in November by a jury that rejected his defense of temporary insanity, the hijacker was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, with the provision that he would receive psychiatric treatment until federal parole officers determined that he could be released."Dropout Gets Jail", Santa Clarita (CA) Signal, November 5, 1980, p17 "Pick Six" betting, the first large-jackpot wagering game in the United States, was introduced for horse race betting, based on the daily races at the Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California."Hollypark Pick Six Betting Is Approved", Los Angeles Times, April 26, 1980, pIII-8 Under a format similar to a long-operating program at Mexico's Agua Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana, a bettor could by a Pick Six betting card for two-dollars to choose the winners for six consecutive races (the third through eighth races at Hollypark), or pay $128 for picking two possibilities for the winners of six races, with all combinations priced under formula of $2 x n, with n being the number of possibilities."Track to offer Pick Six betting", South Bend (IN) Tribune, April 27, 1980, p72 The people who picked the most winners out of six races would split 75% of the pool of Pick Six purchases. Seventeen bettors received $8,491 apiece for picking all six winners in the first day of Pick Six."Hollypark's Pick Six Proves Easy Pickings for 17 Bettors", by Shelia Moran, Los Angeles Times, May 2, 1980, pIII-1 Died: Henry Levin, 70, American film director, died of a heart attack while directing the television film, Scout's Honor.
May 2, 1980 (Friday) A referendum on system of government was held in Nepal, the first voting in 22 years. Voters decided to keep the panchayat political system that had prevailed since 1962, when an indirectly elected legislature, the Rastriya Panchayat, was created to advise King Mahendra. Votes were made by stamping the ballot blue (for the restoration of political parties) or yellow (for retaining the panchayat system). The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision in Amstar Corp. v. Domino's Pizza, Inc, 617 F.2d 295, reversing a lower court decision that had ruled that Domino's Pizza would have to change its name so as not to infringe the trademark of Domino Sugar.Amstar Corp. v. Domino's Pizza, Inc, 617 F.2d 295 (5th Cir., 1980), in CourtListener.com While the suit was in progress, new franchises for the pizza restaurant carried the name "Pizza Dispatch". One-quarter of Sweden's workers went on strike, or were locked out by employers, after the 2,200,000 member Trade Unions Confederation (Landsorganisationen i Sverige or LO) was unable to reach an agreement with the Swedish Employers Association (Svenska Arbetsgivareföreningen) on wage increases. Died: Special Air Service Captain Herbert Westmacott, 28, was shot and killed while he and seven other SAS members were capturing a unit of four members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, Paul Magee, Joe Doherty, Angelo Fusco, and Robert Campbell, who had taken over a house on Antrim Road. On June 11, 1981, the four IRA gunmen would escape from Crumlin Road Jail and perpetrate additional crimes.
May 3, 1980 (Saturday) Genuine Risk became the second female winner in the history of the Kentucky Derby, and the first since Regret won in 1915, as the filly finished in first place against a field of 12 colts."It's Ladies Day at the Derby! Genuine Risk is first filly to triumph in 65 years", Tampa Bay Times, May 4, 1980, pC-1 An explosion at a fireworks factory killed at least 40 of the workers, mostly women and children, and severely injured 11 more, at the city of Mandir Hasod in the Madhya Pradesh state of India."Blast At Fireworks Factory Kills At Least 40", Sacramento (CA) Bee, May 4, 1980, p2 Cari Lightner, a 13-year-old girl, was killed by a drunken driver while walking in a bike lane along Sunset Boulevard and New York Avenues in Fair Oaks, California."5 Killed in Traffic Accidents, 1 Sought After Bridge Plunge", Sacramento Bee, May 4, 1980, pA32 The driver was soon released, leading her mother to found Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The 46-year-old driver, who had recently been arrested for another DUI hit-and-run, left Cari's body at the scene. Cari's mother, Candace (Candy) Lightner, organized Mothers Against Drunk Driving and subsequently served as its founding president."Mothers' Group Assails Drunken Drivers' Liberty", Sacramento Bee, August 27, 1980, pA21 A 1983 television movie about Lightner garnered publicity for the group, which grew rapidly. The Irving, Texas–based organization was founded on September 5, 1980. The Helsinki Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, signed in 1974, entered into force (after having been signed by East Germany, Poland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden) with an agreement not to allow pollution of the Baltic."The New Helsinki Convention and the Joint Comprehensive Environmental Action Programme", by Dagmara Berbalk, in The Baltic Sea: New Developments in National Policies and International Cooperation ed. by Renate Platzöder and Philomène Verlaan (Martinus Nijhoff, 1996) p330 Annie Wu Suk-ching established Beijing Air Catering Ltd, the first joint venture company to be set up in the People's Republic of China since 1954. "Annie Wu Suk-ching: Originator of China's First Joint Venture", by Zhao Chenxi, Women of China (March 14, 2011) A group of 3,000 protesters set up a camp at Gorleben, in Lüchow-Dannenberg (Wendland), in the Lower Saxony state of West Germany, to protest against the establishment of a nuclear waste dump,"3000 protest N-dump site test", Boston Sunday Globe, May 4, 1980, p74 and declared the occupied area as the Free Republic of Wendland (Freie Republik Wendland). The "Free Republic" lasted for 32 days, until police moved in on June 4 to evict the protesters.Ullrich Kockel, Re-Visioning Europe: Frontiers, Place Identities and Journeys in Debatable Lands (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) p172"German Police Break Up Nuclear Protest", Cincinnati Enquirer, June 5, 1980, pC-12 Died: George P. Elliott, 61, American poet and novelist
May 4, 1980 (Sunday)
Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito died at 3:05 in the afternoon at the University of Ljubljana Medical Center."Tito Dies; Last World War II Leader", Los Angeles Times, May 5, 1980, p1 Vice President Lazar Koliševski, the Communist leader of the Yugoslavian state of Macedonia, temporarily became president until the scheduled expiration of his one-year vice presidency on May 15. Pope John Paul II issued a decree barring Roman Catholic priests from serving in political offices. Among those affected by the ruling was U.S. Representative Robert F. Drinan of Massachusetts, a Jesuit priest and "the only Roman Catholic cleric in Congress". Drinan, a Democrat, was running for a sixth term of office and withdrew from the race in accordance with the papal order."Priests Ordered Out of Politics; Rep. Drinan Agrees to Accept Pope's Edict", Los Angeles Times, May 5, 1980, p1 In a rush to see the Pope during his visit to Zaire, nine people were killed in Kinshasa and 72 others injured when the gates were opened to the grounds of the People's Palace."9 Trampled to Death in Rush to See Pope", Los Angeles Times, May 5, 1980, p1 The United States Department of Education began operations in Washington, DC, after separating from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare."Education Department Begins Operation", Los Angeles Times, May 5, 1980, p2 Shirley Hufstedler took office as the first cabinet level Secretary of Education.
May 5, 1980 (Monday) The Declaration on Euthanasia was issued by Pope John Paul II.William E. May, Catholic Bioethics and the Gift of Human Life (Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2000) p42 Commandos from Britain's 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) rescued the 19 of the remaining 21 hostages in the siege of the Iranian Embassy in London. The attack was ordered after the occupying terrorists executed two of the hostages following Iran's refusal to release political prisoners. Three of the five terrorists were killed, and the other two were captured."Commandos Storm London Embassy, Rescue Hostages— 3 Iranian Terrorists Killed; 19 Captives Safe, 2 Die", Los Angeles Times, May 6, 1980, p1 The bodies of the eight U.S. servicemen who had been killed during the Desert One attempt to rescue the American hostages at the U.S. Embassy, were flown out of Iran from the Mehrabad International Airport to Zürich."U.S. Dead Start Journey Home From Tehran", Los Angeles Times, May 6, 1980, p1 A U.S. Air Force C-130 then transported the nine caskets (which included the remains of another person whom the Iranian government insisted was one of the American raiders) to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware the next day."American Dead Returned to U.S. From Tehran", Los Angeles Times, May 7, 1980, p1 On Sunday, Iranian government had allowed the remains to be removed from the city morgue in Tehran, after an agreement was signed with Syrian Catholic Archbishop Hilarion Capucci, Roman Catholic nuncio Annibale Bugnini, and Switzerland's Ambassador to Iran, Erik Lang."Iran Turns Over 8 Americans' Bodies to Bishop", Los Angeles Times, May 5, 1980, p1 Konstantinos Karamanlis was elected as the new President of Greece, after the Parliament voted, 183 to 117, for him to succeed President Konstantinos Tsatsos in June. Karmanalis had served as prime minister since 1974."Greek Elevated to Presidency", Los Angeles Times, May 6, 1980, p2