January 1982

The following events occurred in January 1982:

January 1, 1982 (Friday) Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru, took office for a five-year term as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations, succeeding Kurt Waldheim of Austria. On the same day, the nations of Togo, Zaire, Jordan, Guyana and Poland became the new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council to begin a two-year term and replacing Niger, Tunisia, the Philippines, Mexico and East Germany. After the 1980 launch of Cable News Network, a second cable television network, CNN2, began telecasting, originally as a format of national news shown live every 30 minutes. Seven months later, it would be renamed Headline News. Denise LeClair anchored the first newscast. In American college football, with the championship of the top teams determined by rankings a poll of sports writers by the Associated Press (AP), a poll of coaches by United Press International (UPI), and the results of postseason college bowl games, the #1-ranked Clemson University Tigers (11–0–0) defeated the #4-ranked University of Nebraska Cornhuskers (9–2–0), 22 to 15, in the Orange Bowl game in Miami before a crowd of 72,748 fans. The #2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs were upset, 24–20 in the Sugar Bowl game in New Orleans by the #10-ranked Pitt Panthers (who had been ranked No. 1 until the last game of the regular season), and the #3 Alabama Crimson tide lost, 14–12, to the #6 Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl game in Dallas."Clemson Finishes Unbeaten; Pitt Rally Tops Georgia; Tigers Defeat Nebraska for 12-0 Record", by Michael Moran, The New York Times, January 2, 1982, p.II-23 The Provisional Act on Lawyers of the People's Republic of China went into effect, easing the requirements for a Chinese citizen to represent a client in a trial court or an appellate court.Albert H.Y. Chen, "An Introduction to the Legal System of the People's Republic of China", Hong Kong: Lexis Nexis, 2004 In the Netherlands, a merger took place between the two largest trade unions for transportation workers, the Nederlandse Bond van Vervoerspersoneel (NBV) of 49,000 members, and the Katholieke Bond van Vervoerspersoneel (KBV) of 20,000. The NBV-KBV combination became the Vervoersbond, or "VB". Nippon Kokan (based in the Tokyo suburb of Kawasaki defeated Tokyo's Yomiuri FC soccer football team, 2 to 0, to win the Emperor's Cup Malaysia change it's time zone to UTC:8:00 from its former time zone UTC:7:30 Died: Victor Buono, 43, American character actor on film and television, was found dead in his home.Victor Buono Dies on Coast at 43; Known for Portrayals of Villains, by Dorothy J. Gaiter, The New York Times, January 3, 1982, p.I-28

January 2, 1982 (Saturday) The Army of Guatemala, in a campaign by President Fernando Lucas Garcia, killed 35 civilians in the village of Pichec, in the Baja Verapaz Department near Rabinal, for their support of the Guerrilla Army of the Poor (Ejército Guerrillero de los Pobres). The killing was the third of the mostly Maya residents of Pichec, in less than nine weeks, with 32 men killed on November 1 and 30 more on November 22. Ahmad Fuad Mohieddin was selected to become the new Prime Minister of Egypt at the request of President Hosni Mubarak, who had held the position of both president and premier since the October 6 assassination of Anwar Sadat."Mubarak, Installing Cabinet, Stresses Stability", by William E. Farrell, The New York Times, January 5, 1982, p.3 In Denmark, the popular television series Matador broadcast its final episode, watched by 3.5 million viewers in a nation of 5.1 million people. The Clemson University Tigers football team finished in first place in both polls recognized by the NCAA for determining the U.S. major university football championship. In the AP poll of 49 sportswriters, Clemson received 977 points (based on 20 points for a first place vote, 19 for second place, etc.) and the Texas Longhorns 862 points. In the UPI poll of 37 coaches, Clemson had 547 points and the Pitt Panthers 472."Clemson gets nod as No. 1 in both polls", Detroit Free Press, January 3, 1982, p.3D, 4D"Clemson Has Top Ranking in Final Polls", by Gordon S. White Jr., The New York Times, January 3, 1982, p.V-1 In an NFL playoff game nicknamed the "Epic in Miami" as well as "The Game No One Should Have Lost", and ranked in a 2020 survey as the fourth greatest NFL game in the 20th century, the San Diego Chargers defeated the Miami Dolphins, 41 to 38, in overtime, after blowing a 24 to 0 lead in the first quarter."Chargers Win in Overtime; Benirschke Kick Gives San Diego 41-38 Decision", by Malcolm Moran, The New York Times, January 3, 1982, p.V-1 The highest-scoring playoff game in NFL history (79 total points) featured ten touchdowns and extra points, as well two field goals, with Rolf Benirschke making the winning kick after 73 minutes and 52 seconds of play. Born: Zhang Juanjuan, Chinese archer Olympic gold medalist and winner of the 2008 women's individual archery competition; in Qingdao, Shandong province. Kim Ji-hyun, South Korean television actress known for Thirty-Nine; in Ulsan Died: Fred Harman, 79, American cartoonist known for drawing the Red Ryder comic strip for its entire run from 1938 to 1965 Jill McDonald, 54, New Zealand-born English children's book illustrator for Puffin Books Jim Seiler, 65, U.S. market researcher, statistician, and founder in 1949 of Arbitron, the first service for measuring the popularity of radio programs and later of television programs

January 3, 1982 (Sunday) In Ghana, where Flight Lieutenant Jerry J. Rawlings had overthrown the government on December 31 and installed himself as the leader of a new executive government, the Provisional National Defense Council, the Council directed that former Vice President William de Graft Johnson and all officials of former President Hilla Limann's government were required to go to police stations and turn themselves in for trial by noon on Monday. By midnight, 27 former officials, "including four former ministers and eight former deputy ministers", surrendered to police."Ghana's ex-leaders told to turn themselves in", The Courier-Journal (Louisville KY), January 4, 1982, p.A 4 South Korea's president, Chun Doo Hwan, fired Prime Minister Nam Duck Woo along with five other cabinet ministers."South Korean Cabinet Shuffled to Spur Economy", The New York Times, January 4, 1982, p.I-10 Italia 1, a new television network in Italy, went on the air, broadcasting on 18 stations throughout Italy, competing for viewers against the established RAI (Radiotelevisione italiana) network.

January 4, 1982 (Monday) The United States Postal Service inaugurated its new "electronic mail service", "E-COM" (Electronic Computer Originated Service)at 25 specially equipped U.S. post office locations. According to the USPS description, "a company's computer will send a message via a communications common carrier— such as long-distance telephone" to one of the 25 offices and "There, the message will be printed on paper, put in a distinctive blue-and-white E-COM envelope and delivered with regular mail.""Electronic letters are latest effort to keep mail moving", The Lexington Leader, AP report on January 4, 1982, p.1 The service would be discontinued less than four years later, on September 2, 1985. U.S. National Security Adviser Richard V. Allen was fired by President Ronald Reagan in the wake of a report by a Japanese newspaper on November 13 that Allen had accepted a $1,000 payment from a Japanese magazine in return for arranging an interview of First Lady Nancy Reagan. Allen was replaced by deputy U.S. secretary of state William P. Clark."Allen Quits Security Post; Reagan Hails His 'Integrity'; Haig's Deputy Is Successor", The New York Times, January 5, 1982, p.1 The nation of Brazil elevated its territory of Rondônia to statehood as its 23rd unidades federativa, with Porto Velho as its capital."Rondônia: História", in Nova Enciclopédia Barsa, volume 12 (São Paulo: Encyclopædia Britannica do Brasil Publicações, 1998) A mudslide in the U.S. state of California killed at least 31 people, most of whom had been in homes buried in the town of Ben Lomond."Mudslides hamper rescue efforts as death toll in California mounts", by Jack Schreibman, The Courier-Journal (Louisville KY), January 7, 1982, p.2A President Reagan announced in a statement from the White House that the U.S. had submitted a draft of a treaty for the elimination of all medium-range American and Soviet nuclear missiles from Europe. In a statement, Reagan said "Such a treaty would be a major contribution to security, stability and peace. I call on President Brezhnev to join us in this important first step to reduce the nuclear shadow that hangs over the peoples of the world.""U.S. unveils its plan to cut nuclear missiles", The Courier-Journal (Louisville KY), January 7, 1982, p.A4, by Lou Cannon, The Washington Post Ghana's former president, Hilla Limann, who had been overthrown on December 31 in a military coup, was arrested at a roadblock near Koforidua after an unsuccessful attempt to flee the African nation, northeast of the capital, Accra."Ex-president is arrested in Ghana", The Courier-Journal (Louisville KY), January 5, 1982, p.A-4 President Reagan signed NSDD-17, a top secret directive granting the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) $19 million to support the Contras, anti-communist right-wing rebels seeking to overthrow the Marxist Sandinistas government of Nicaragua. By 1984, Congress would outlaw the use of any funds to the Contras or to U.S. government agencies for the overthrow of the Nicaraguan government. In Sudan, 21 leading members of the parliament, including the Speaker of the Assembly, Samuel Aru Bol, were arrested in Juba by order of President Gaafar Nimeiry for forming an outlawed party, the Council for Unity of Southern Sudan. They would be freed after Nimeiry's overthrow in 1985. Òscar Ribas Reig took office as the first Prime Minister of the Principality of Andorra, located in the Pyrennes Mountains on the border between France and Spain, and officially ruled by the Spanish Bishop of Urgel and the President of France as co-Princes, and the 28-members of the General Council of the Valleys. Died: Gorilla Jones (William Landon Jones), 75, African-American boxer who held the world middleweight championship from January to June, 1932"Gorilla Jones, Fighter and Gentleman", by Pat Morrison, Los Angeles Times, January 6, 1982, p.I-25 Margaret Culkin Banning, 90, American novelist and author of 36 novels, four non-fiction books and 90 short stories between 1920 and 1979, including The Vine and the Olive (1964) and Mesabi (1968)"Author Banning dies at 90", The Minneapolis Star, January 7, 1982, p.10

January 5, 1982 (Tuesday) The U.N. General Assembly voted, 86 to 21 with 34 abstentions, to approve a non-binding resolution calling all members of the United Nations to end aid, trade, and diplomatic ties with Israel to punish it for annexing the Golan Heights.UN vote asks members to cut all ties with Israel, AP report in The Courier-Journal, January 6, 1982, p.2 The U.S. used its power, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and vetoed the resolution on January 20."U.S. Vetos U.N. Resolution on Golan Annexation", The New York Times, January 21, 1982, p.13 South Korea ended a nationwide curfew that had been in place since 1945, and permitted citizens the freedom to be outside from midnight to 4:00 in the morning, a period previously off limits. The curfew remained in effect, however, for areas bordering North Korea. President Chun Doo-hwan said in a statement that South Koreans were "more mature" and that the curfew was no longer necessary."South Korea Lifts Its 36-Year-Old Curfew", The New York Times, January 6, 1982, p.5