The following events happened in October 1980:
October 1, 1980 (Wednesday) In London, Associated Newspapers announced that The Evening News would merge with the Evening Standard, with the Evening News folding later in the month after being published for 99 years."Two London Dailies Plan Merger", The New York Times, October 2, 1980, pA4 All corporate stock of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., was transferred from the Benton Foundation to the University of Chicago."Encyclopaedia Britannica's Stock To Go to the University of Chicago", by Edwin McDowell, The New York Times, October 2, 1980, pA1 Born: Sarah Drew, American TV actress, in Stony Brook, New York
October 2, 1980 (Thursday) The World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title bout, Larry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali, took place in Las Vegas and was estimated to have been watched by a record two billion viewers worldwide.Nevada Magazine (1981) Holmes scored a technical knockout (TKO) when Ali failed to answer the bell to begin the 11th round."Holmes Stops Ali and Keeps Heavyweight Title— Bell for 11th Ends Bid by Ex-Champ", The New York Times, October 3, 1980, pA25
Michael "Ozzie" Myers, U.S. representative from Pennsylvania, was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 376 to 30, becoming the first U.S. Congressman to be expelled since 1861."Myers Is Ousted From the House In Abscam Case", by Martin Tolchin, The New York Times, October 3, 1980, pA1 In 1861, U.S. Congressmen John B. Clark and John W. Reid of Missouri, and Henry C. Burnett of Kentucky, had been expelled by the House in absentia after joining the Confederate Army."Myers Is First Member of the House To Be Expelled Since Civil War", by Marjorie Hunter, The New York Times, October 3, 1980, pA16 The move came after surveillance showed him accepting a $50,000 bribe in the Abscam operation. The videotape also showed Myers telling the offerer of the bribe, "Money talks and bullshit walks!". Former foreign minister Arnaldo Forlani agreed to attempt to form a new coalition government as the new prime minister of Italy, after a meeting with President Sandro Pertini."Forlani, Party Leader, Will Attempt to Form A Government in Italy", The New York Times, October 3, 1980, pA7 Died: John Kotelawala, 85, Prime Minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), from 1953 to 1956 Eric Hass, 75, U.S. activist and the presidential nominee of the Socialist Labor Party of America in the presidential elections of 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964.
October 3, 1980 (Friday) Roberto Viola, the former Argentine Army commander, was selected as the new President of Argentina by the South American nation's ruling three-member military junta."Ex-Commander of Argentine Army Is Named President by Military Junta", by Edward Schumacher, The New York Times, October 4, 1980, pA3 A terrorist bomb injured 50 people, four fatally, in a Jewish synagogue in Paris, shortly after the Sabbath started at sunset. Outrage over the attack and against other acts of anti-Semitism brought more than 100,000 protest marchers in Paris four days later."100,000 hit anti-Semitism in Paris", Chicago Tribune, October 8, 1980, p1 The Housing Act 1980 was given royal assent, wherein the five million English and Welsh residents of public housing council houses were eligible to purchase their homes under a "Right to Buy" program. Families that had rented a government-built house or a flat (an apartment) for at least three years were eligible to buy the homes, many of which had been defective, at a discount of at least one-third of fair market value for a house and 44% for a flat. The discount for 20-year tenants was 50 percent. Died: Gustav Wagner, 69, Austrian-born Nazi German officer and deputy commander of the Sobibor extermination camp, committed suicide in Brazil, two years after efforts began to have him extradited.
October 4, 1980 (Saturday) The ocean liner MS Prinsendam was sailing through the Gulf of Alaska and was away from the nearest rescue base, located in the Alaskan airstrip at Yakutat, when a fire broke out in the engine room."510 Flee Luxury Liner as It Burns In Gale-Force Wind in Alaska Gulf", The New York Times, October 4, 1980, pA1 Despite the distance that rescuers had to travel to reach the Dutch cruise ship, all 520 passengers and crew were rescued without a loss of life or serious injury."Top Ten Coast Guard Rescues", Coast Guard News (July 31, 2007) The supertanker Williamsburgh brought 380 evacuees and paramedics to safety, while U.S. and Canadian coast guard cutters were able to bring in other passengers, including 20 who had been missing after their lifeboat had been drifting during the night in the Gulf of Alaska. The safe evacuation of everyone on Prinsendam "brought to a close one of the most dramatic air and sea rescues in modern times.""20 Missing in Sea Rescue Are Found", by Robert D. McFadden, The New York Times, October 6, 1980, pA1 With one month left before the November 4 U.S. presidential election, a survey of politicians and opinion pollsters in the 50 U.S. states was released, concluding that Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan had a clear lead in enough states to garner 314 electoral votes, far more than the 270 needed to win, and that the incumbent, Democrat and U.S. president Jimmy Carter would get only 136. There were nine "swing states" where the race was too close to call. third party challenger John B. Anderson did not have a lead in any of the states."With a Month to Go, Reagan Is Given Lead In the Electoral Vote", The New York Times, October 4, 1980, pA1
Born: Tomáš Rosický, Czech footballer and captain of the Czech Republic national team; in Prague, Czechoslovakia Joe Kennedy III, U.S. Congressman since 2013; in Boston Jason Samuels Smith, American choreographer, in Shreveport, Louisiana Died: Pyotr Masherov, 62, Belarusian Soviet politician and the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Byelorussian SSR, was killed in an automobile accident in Minsk. Masherov, the de facto leader of the Byelorussians as Communist Party leader and a non-voting member of the Soviet Communist Party's Politburo, was being driven with a police escort when his GAZ-13 Chaika limousine was struck by a truck. He was succeeded by Tikhon Kiselyov. Reportedly, he "had been regarded as one of the relatively younger members" of the Communist Party "likely to be chosen when the time came for a new Prime Minister or Communist Party Chief.""Soviet Reports Pyotr Masherov, A Party Leader, Dies in Accident", by Anthony Austin, The New York Times, October 6, 1980, pA32
October 5, 1980 (Sunday)
Voting took place for West Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. With 224 seats, Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) party combined with 54 seats of its coalition partner, the Freie Demokratische Partei (FPD) to continue the exiting majority, with 278 of the 519 seats."Schmidt's Coalition Wins German Vote, Increases Majority", The New York Times, October 6, 1980, pA1 Voting took place for Portugal's parliament, the Assembleia da República. Prime Minister Francisco Sá Carneiro's Partido Social Democrata (PSD) increased its majority to 134 of the 250 seats."Conservatives Win Majority in Portuguese Election", The New York Times, October 6, 1980, pA3 At the age of 54, Cuban-born U.S. baseball star Minnie Miñoso appeared at bat for a second and final game as a pinch hitter for the Chicago White Sox, becoming the second major leaguer to play in five different decades (the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s). The Elisabeth blast furnace was demolished at Bilston Steelworks marking the end of iron and steel production in the Black Country of England. Gail Tate, a woman in the United States Air Force, survived a fall of after her parachute and reserve chute became tangled. Despite striking the ground at , Tate sustained non-life-threatening injuries"'I'm alive!' Chutist survives 4,500-foot plunge with minor injuries", Arizona Republic (Phoenix), October 10, 1980, p1 and later returned to work at Fort Fisher."Woman who survived 4,000-foot fall is back on duty", Charlotte (NC) News, December 16, 1980, p6 Born: James Toseland, English motorcycle racer and 2007 World Superbike Champion, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire Ti West, American horror film director, in Wilmington, Delaware Died: Tobin Sorenson, 25, American rock climber who had made the first ascents on vertical walls of several mountains around the world, fell to his death while trying to climb the North Face of Mount Alberta.
October 6, 1980 (Monday)
U.S. representative John B. Anderson of Illinois achieved his goal as a third-party candidate for President of the United States of being on the election ballots in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to abate a district court decision to require that Anderson's name be placed on all ballots in the state of Georgia, clearing the way for ballots to be sent to the printers the next day."Anderson on ballot in all states"], Chicago Tribune, October 8, 1980, p1-5 Forbes Burnham, Prime Minister of Guyana and head of the nation's government since before the 1966 independence of British Guiana, became the South American nation's second president, replacing President Arthur Chung, who had served as a ceremonial head of state since 1970, when Burnham had proclaimed the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. The new constitution had taken effect, confirming the nation's status as a "co-operative republic" and giving the president the powers formerly exercised by Burnham as prime minister."Guyana Premier Becomes President With New Powers", The New York Times, October 7, 1980, p5 Sweden's armed forces ended their 19-day search for an elusive foreign submarine that had sailed into the Scandinavian kingdom's territorial waters on September 19. The sub, believed to be from the Soviet Union navy, had apparently navigated to safety in international waters."Sweden Calls Off Search For Foreign Submarine", The New York Times, October 7, 1980, pA5 After the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros both finished regular play with 92 wins and 70 losses, the two teams played a tiebreaker game, only the seventh in MLB history. The Astros won, 7 to 1, to finish 93-70 and the National League West pennant."Astros Beat Dodgers in Playoff, 7-1", The New York Times, October 7, 1980, pB19 They lost the best-of-five National League championship series to the Philadelphia Phillies. Died: Hattie Jacques, 58, English comedian and film actress
October 7, 1980 (Tuesday) Iraq announced the territorial waters of Iran were a "prohibited war zone" and that any vessel inside the zone was subject to destruction—including the ships of other countries besides Iran.Craig L. Symonds, Decision at Sea: Five Naval Battles that Shaped American History (Oxford University Press, 2006) The next day, Iranian troops defending Khurramshahr fired shells that sank three foreign cargo ships (registered in China, Panama and Dubai) and set two others on fire, killing at least 20 crewmen."Iran's Troops Sink 3 Foreign Vessels; At Least 20 Killed", The New York Times, October 9, 1980, pA1 U.S. representative John Jenrette (D-South Carolina) became the second member of Congress to be convicted of accepting an offer of a bribe in the FBI's Abscam investigation."Jenrette guilty in Abscam"], Daily News (New York), Oct 8, 1980, p2 He was defeated for re-election four weeks later and resigned his seat on December 10, 24 days before the expiration of his term.
October 8, 1980 (Wednesday)