1980 Explained
1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar).
Events of 1980
January
- January 1 - Changes to the Swedish Act of Succession make Victoria of Sweden Crown Princess and therefore next in line to the throne, ahead of her younger brother.
- January 4 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
- January 6 - Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
- January 6 - The president of Sicily, Piersanti Mattarella, is assassinated by the Mafia.
- January 7 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation approving $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
- January 9 - In Saudi Arabia, 63 Muslim fanatics are beheaded for their part in the siege of the Great Mosque in Mecca in November, 1979.
- January 11 - Nigel Short, 14, becomes the youngest chess player to be awarded the degree of International Master.
- January 20 - Super Bowl XIV: The Pittsburgh Steelers become the first NFL franchise to win 4 Super Bowls, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
- January 21 - The London Gold Fixing hits its highest price ever (adjusted for inflation), at US$850 a troy ounce.
- January 21 - The MS Athina B is beached at Brighton, becoming a temporary tourist attraction.
- January 22 - Andrei Sakharov, Soviet scientist and human rights activist, is arrested in Moscow.
- January 24 - The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad is ordered liquidated due to bankruptcy, and debt owed to creditors.
- January 26 - Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations.
- January 27 - Canadian caper: Six United States diplomats, posing as Canadians, manage to escape from Tehran, Iran as they board a flight to Zürich, Switzerland.
- January 31 - The Spanish Embassy in Guatemala is invaded and set on fire, killing 36 people
February
March
- March 1 - The Voyager 1 probe confirms the existence of Janus, a moon of Saturn.
- March 3 - Pierre Trudeau returns to office as Prime Minister of Canada.
- March 4 - Robert Mugabe is elected Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
- March 8 - The first rock music festival kicks off in the Soviet Union.
- March 14 - In Poland, a plane crashes during an emergency landing near Warsaw, killing a 14-man American boxing team and 73 others.
- March 18 - Fifty people are killed at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, when a Vostok-2M rocket explodes on its launch pad during a fueling operation.
- March 20 - The Mi Amigo, the ship that housed pirate radio station Radio Caroline, sinks (Radio Caroline returns aboard a new ship in 1983).
- March 21 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
- March 21 - Mafioso Angelo Bruno is assassinated in Philadelphia.
- March 22 - The Georgia Guidestones are erected in Elbert County, Georgia.
- March 24 - The Australia Olympic Committee announces it will send an Olympic delegation to Moscow, despite objections by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser.
- March 24 - Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed by gunmen while celebrating Mass in San Salvador. At his funeral 6 days later, 42 people are killed amid gunfire and bombs.
- March 26 - A mine lift cage at the Vaal Reef gold mine in South Africa falls 1.2 miles, killing 23.
- March 27 - The Norwegian oil platform Alexander Kielland collapses in the North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212.
- March 27 - The Silver Thursday market crash occurs.
- March 28 - Talpiot Tomb is found in Jerusalem.
- March 31 - Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train.
April
- April 1 - The Mariel boatlift from Cuba begins.
- April 1 - New York City's Transport Works Union Local 100 goes on strike, which continues for 11 days.
- April 2 - The St. Pauls riot breaks out in Bristol.
- April 7 - The United States severs diplomatic relations with Iran and imposes economic sanctions, following the taking of American hostages on November 4, 1979.
- April 10 - Spain and the United Kingdom agree to reopen the border between Gibraltar and Spain, closed since 1969.
- April 12 - Samuel Kanyon Doe takes over Liberia in a coup d'etat, ending over 130 years of democratic presidential succession in that country.
- April 12 - Terry Fox begins his Marathon of Hope from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada.
- April 14 - Iron Maiden's debut self titled album Iron Maiden is released.
- April 18 - Zimbabwe gains independence from the United Kingdom; Robert Mugabe becomes Prime Minister.
- April 19 - Johnny Logan wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 with the song, What's Another Year.
- April 21 - Rosie Ruiz wins the Boston Marathon, but is later exposed as a fraud and stripped of her award.
- April 24 - Pennsylvania Lottery Scandal: the Pennsylvania Lottery is rigged by 6 men including the host of the live TV drawing, Nick Perry.
- April 24–25 - Operation Eagle Claw, a commando mission in Iran to rescue American embassy hostages, is aborted after mechanical problems ground the rescue helicopters. Eight United States troops are killed in a mid-air collision during the failed operation.
- April 25 - A Dan-Air Boeing 727 in crashes in Tenerife, killing all 146 occupants and marking the worst air disaster involving a British-registered aircraft in terms of loss of life.
- April 26 - Louise and Charmian Faulkner disappear from outside their flat in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia.
- April 27 - The Dominican embassy siege ends with all hostages released and the guerrillas flying to Cuba.
- April 30 - Iranian Embassy Siege: Six Iranian-born terrorists take over the Iranian embassy in London, UK. SAS retakes the Embassy on May 5; 1 terrorist survives.
- April 30 - Queen Juliana of the Netherlands abdicates, and her daughter Beatrix ascends to the throne.
May
- May 4 - Yugoslav President Tito dies. The funeral ceremony later becomes the world's biggest diplomatic meeting and media event ever, with more than 140 state delegations in Belgrade from all over the world (only the funeral of Pope John Paul II in April 2005 will have more news coverage and a higher number of delegations).
- May 7 - Paul Geidel, convicted of second-degree murder in 1911, is released from prison in Beacon, New York, after 68 years and 245 days (the longest-ever time served by an inmate).
- May 9 - In Florida, the Liberian freighter Summit Venture hits the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, sending 35 people (most of whom were in a bus) to a watery death as a 1,400-foot section of the bridge collapses.
- May 9 - The Norco shootout takes place.
- May 11 - Mobster Henry Hill is arrested for drug possession.
- May 17 - A Miami, Florida court acquits 4 white police officers of killing Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance executive, provoking 3 days of race riots.
- May 17 - Internal conflict in Peru: On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho.
- May 18 - Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing 57 and causing US$3 billion in damage.
- May 18–27 - Gwangju Massacre: Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations, calling for democratic reforms.
- May 20 - 1980 Quebec referendum: Voters in Quebec reject by a vote of 60% a proposal to seek independence from Canada.
- May 21 - is released.
- May 22 - Pac-Man (the best-selling arcade game of all time) is released.
- May 24 - The International Court of Justice calls for the release of U.S. Embassy hostages in Tehran.
- May 24 - The New York Islanders win their first Stanley Cup, from a goal by Bobby Nystrom in overtime of game six of the Stanley Cup playoffs's final round.
- May 25 - Indianapolis 500: Johnny Rutherford wins for a third time in car owner Jim Hall's revolutionary ground effect Chaparral car; the victory is Hall's second as an owner.
- May 26 - John Frum supporters in Vanuatu storm government offices on the island of Tanna. Vanuatu government troops land the next day and drive them away.
- May 26 - In South Korea, military government forces and pro-democracy protesters clash; 2,000 protesters die.
- May 29 - Vernon Jordan is shot and critically injured in an assassination attempt in Fort Wayne, Indiana by Joseph Paul Franklin (the first major news story for CNN).
June
- June 1 - The Cable News Network (CNN) is officially launched.
- June 1 - In Los Angeles, comedian Richard Pryor is badly burned trying to freebase cocaine.
- June 3 - A series of deadly tornadoes strikes Grand Island, Nebraska, causing over $300m in damage, killing 5 people and injuring over 250.
- June 3 - U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy wins several primaries, including California, on 'Super Tuesday', but not enough to overtake President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic Party nomination.
- June 10 - Apartheid: The African National Congress in South Africa publishes a statement by their imprisoned leader Nelson Mandela, which says in part: 'UNITE! MOBILISE! FIGHT ON! BETWEEN THE ANVIL OF UNITED MASS ACTION AND THE HAMMER OF THE ARMED STRUGGLE WE SHALL CRUSH APARTHEID!'http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/mandela/64-90/anvil.html
- June 10 - A Unabomber bomb injures United Airlines president Percy Wood in Lake Forest, Illinois.
- June 19 - Iraqi security forces shoot dead 3 gunmen who attacked the British Embassy in Baghdad. The unknown attackers are killed in the embassy gardens by Iraqi security men, sent at the urgent request of the British ambassador, Alex Stirling.
- June 20 - Augusta AVA becomes the first federally recognized American Viticultural Area.
- June 22 - West Germany beats Belgium 2-1 to win the Euro 80.
- June 23 – September 6 - The 1980 United States heat wave claims 1,700 lives.
- June 25 - A Muslim Brotherhood assassination attempt against Syrian president Hafez al-Assad fails. Assad retaliates by sending the army against them.
- June 26 - A McDonnell Douglas DC-9 belonging to the Italian Airline Itavia crashes into the sea near Palermo after an explosion occurs in the air; 81 people die. A bomb or a missile is suspected to be the cause of the accident but no culprits are ever found.
- June 27 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs Proclamation 4771, requiring 19- and 20-year-old males to register for a peacetime military draft, in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
- June 29 - Vigdis Finnbogadottir is elected president of Iceland.
July
- July 8 - a wave of strikes begins in Lublin, Poland
- July 9 - Pope John Paul II visits Brazil; 7 people are crushed to death in a crowd meeting him.
- July 10 - Alexandra Palace in London is destroyed by fire.
- July 15 - A severe and destructive thunderstorm strikes 4 counties in western Wisconsin, including the city of Eau Claire. It causes over $250m in damage, and 1 person is killed.
- July 16 - Former California Governor and actor Ronald Reagan is nominated for U.S. President, at the Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan. Influenced by the Religious Right, the convention also drops its long standing support for the Equal Rights Amendment, dismaying moderate Republicans.
- July 19 - Former Turkish Prime Minister Nihat Erim is killed by 2 gunmen in Istanbul, Turkey.
- July 19 – August 3 - The 1980 Summer Olympics are held in Moscow, Soviet Union.
- July 25 - The album Back in Black is released by the Australian band AC/DC.
- July 27 - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, deposed shah of Iran, dies in Cairo.
- July 30 - Vanuatu gains independence.
August
September
- September 2 - Ford Europe launches the Escort MK3, which ditches the traditional rear-wheel drive saloon in favour of a more practical and modern front-wheel drive hatchback.
- September 5 - The St. Gotthard Tunnel opens in Switzerland as the world's longest highway tunnel at 10.14 miles (16.32 km), stretching from Goschenen to Airolo.
- September 12 - Kenan Evren stages a military coup in Turkey. It stops political gang violence, but begins stronger state violence leading to the execution of many young activists.
- September 17 - After weeks of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, the nationwide independent trade union Solidarity is established.
- September 17 - Former Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle is killed in Asunción, Paraguay.
- September 19 - The Robert Redford-directed film Ordinary People, based on the novel by Judith Guest, premieres. Redford's directorial debut later wins him his first Oscar, and wins three other Academy Awards, and five Golden Globe awards.
- September 22 - The command council of Iraq orders its army to "deliver its fatal blow on Iranian military targets," initiating the Iran–Iraq War.
- September 22 - Youth riots in the capital of the Soviet Republic of Estonia are quickly forced down.
- September 26 - The Mariel Boatlift officially ends.
- September 29 - The Washington Post publishes Janet Cooke's story of Jimmy, an 8-year-old heroin addict (later proven to be fabricated).
- September 30 - Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel and Xerox introduce the DIX standard for Ethernet, which is the first implementation outside of Xerox, and the first to support 10 Mbit/s speeds.
October
- October 1 - Associated Newspapers announces that The Evening News will close and merge with the Evening Standard.
- October 5 - British Leyland launches its new Metro, a three-door entry-level hatchback which is designed as the eventual replacement for the Mini. It gives BL a long-awaited modern competitor for the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Chevette.
- October 10 - Margaret Thatcher tells the Conservative Party conference "U-turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning."
- October 10 - El Asnam, Algeria is destroyed by an earthquake, which claims more than 2,600 lives. After the quake, El Asnam is rebuilt and changes its name to the city of Chlef.
- October 14 - The Staggers Rail Act is enacted, deregulating American railroads.
- October 15 - James Callaghan announces his resignation as Leader of the British Labour Party.
- October 15 - James Hoskins forces his way into WCPO's television studio in Cincinnati, holding 9 employees hostage for several hours before releasing them and taking his own life.
- October 18 - The Fraser Government is re-elected for a third consecutive term in Australia with a reduced majority.
- October 21 - World Series: The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 in game 6.
- October 22 - The Thomson Corporation says that The Times and all associated supplements will close in March 1981 if no buyer can be found.
- October 25 - Proceedings on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction conclude at The Hague.
- October 27 - Six Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoners in Maze prison refuse food and demand status as political prisoners; the hunger strike lasts until December.
- October 28 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan debate in Cleveland, Ohio. Reagan's genial, witty performance causes him to overtake Carter in the polls.
- October 30 - El Salvador and Honduras sign a peace treaty to put the border dispute fought over in 1969's Football War before the International Court of Justice.
- October 31 - The Polish government recognizes Solidarity.
- October 31 - Reza Pahlavi, eldest son of the shah of Iran, proclaims himself the rightful successor to the Peacock Throne.
November
December
Undated
Ongoing
World population
| World population |
|---|
| 1980 | 1975 | 1985 |
|---|
| World | 4,434,682,000 | 4,068,109,000 | | 4,830,979,000 | 396,297,000 |
|---|
| Africa | 469,618,000 | 408,160,000 | 61,458,000 | 541,814,000 | 72,196,000 |
|---|
| Asia | 2,632,335,000 | 2,397,512,000 | 234,823,000 | 2,887,552,000 | 255,217,000 |
|---|
| Europe | 692,431,000 | 675,542,000 | 16,889,000 | 706,009,000 | 13,578,000 |
|---|
| 361,401,000 | 321,906,000 | 39,495,000 | 401,469,000 | 40,068,000 |
| 256,068,000 | 243,425,000 | 12,643,000 | 269,456,000 | 13,388,000 |
| Oceania | 22,828,000 | 21,564,000 | 1,264,000 | 24,678,000 | 1,850,000 |
|---|
Births
January
- January 1 - Elin Nordegren, Swedish model
- January 1 - Mark Nichols, Canadian curler
- January 2 - Rebekah Teasdale, British model and journalist
- January 4 - Erin Cahill, American actress
- January 7 - Gabriela Bazan, Peruvian activist
- January 8 - Rachel Nichols, American actress
- January 9 - Sergio García, Spanish golfer
- January 10 - Janelle Pierzina, American reality star
- January 11 - Lovieanne Jung, American softball player
- January 12 - Amerie, American singer
- January 13 - LaKisha Jones, American singer
- January 14 - Ossama Haidar, Lebanese footballer
- January 14 - Hiroshi Tamaki, Japanese actor, model, and singer
- January 14 - Cory Gibbs, American footballer
- January 14 - Sosuke Sumitani, Japanese announcer
- January 16 - Albert Pujols, Dominican Major League Baseball player
- January 16 - Michelle Wild, Hungarian actress
- January 17 - Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ukrainian dance champion, choreographer, and instructor
- January 17 - Zooey Deschanel, American actress
- January 18 - Julius Peppers, American football player
- January 18 - Jason Segel, American actor
- January 20 - Jenson Button, British racecar driver
- January 21 - Kevin McKenna, Canadian footballer
- January 21 - Nana Mizuki, Japanese voice actress and singer
- January 22 - Christopher Masterson, American actor
- January 22 - Jake Grove, American football player
- January 24 - Nyncke Beekhuyzen, Dutch actress
- January 25 - Christian Olsson, Swedish athlete
- January 25 - Alicia Keys, American musician
- January 25 - Xavi, Spanish footballer
- January 25 - Michelle McCool-Alexander, American professional wrestler
- January 27 - Marat Safin, Russian tennis player
- January 28 - Nick Carter, American pop singer (Backstreet Boys)
- January 29 - Yael Bar-Zohar, Israeli actress and model
- January 30 - Wilmer Valderrama, Venezuelan/Colombian-American comedian
February
- February 5 - Jo Swinson, British MP
- February 5 - Robin Vik, Czech tennis player
- February 6 - Mamiko Noto, Japanese seiyu (voice actress)
- February 6 - Kim Poirier, Canadian actress
- February 6 - Luke Ravenstahl, American mayor of Pittsburgh
- February 7 - Dionne Quan, Chinese-American voice actress
- February 10 - César Izturis, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
- February 10 - Steve Tully, English footballer
- February 11 - Matthew Lawrence, American actor (Boy Meets World)
- February 12 - Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish tennis player
- February 12 - Christina Ricci, American actress
- February 14 - Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress
- February 15 - Conor Oberst, American singer/songwriter
- February 16 - Ashley Lelie, American football player
- February 17 - Jason Ritter, American actor
- February 18 - Regina Spektor, Russian-born American singer-songwriter
- February 19 - Mike Miller, American basketball player
- February 19 - Ma Lin, Chinese table-tennis player
- February 20 - Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby player
- February 20 - Artur Boruc, Polish football (soccer) goalkeeper
- February 21 - Brad Fast, Canadian ice hockey player
- February 24 - Emma Johnson, Australian swimmer
- February 26 - Júlio César da Silva e Souza, Brazilian footballer
- February 27 - Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
- February 28 - Tayshaun Prince, American basketball player
- February 28 - Piotr Giza, Polish footballer
- February 29 - Simon Gagné, Canadian hockey player
March
- March 2 - Karl Dominik, China-based foreign actor
- March 2 - Chris Barker, English footballer
- March 2 - Lance Cade, American professional wrestler
- March 2 - Vince Walker, American rock singer (Suburban Legends)
- March 4 - Jung Da Bin, Korean actress (d. 2007)
- March 4 - Omar Bravo, Mexican footballer
- March 4 - Jack Hannahan, American baseball infielder
- March 7 - Laura Prepon, American actress
- March 14 - Aaron Brown, English footballer
- March 16 - Todd Heap, American football player
- March 18 - Alexei Yagudin, Russian figure skater
- March 19 - Agnes Pihlava, Finnish pop singer
- March 19 - Johan Olsson, Swedish cross country skier
- March 20 - Jamal Crawford, American basketball player
- March 21 - Deryck Whibley, Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician (Sum 41)
- March 21 - Ronaldinho, Brazilian footballer
- March 21 - Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian cross-country skier
- March 25 - Natasha Yi, Korean-American actress and model
- March 30 - Yalin, Turkish pop music singer and songwriter
- March 31 - Chien-Ming Wang, Taiwanese Major League Baseball player
April
- April 1 - Bijou Phillips, American actress and socialite
- April 1 - Randy Orton, American professional wrestler
- April 1 - Yūko Takeuchi, Japanese actress
- April 4 - Björn Wirdheim, Swedish race car driver
- April 8 - Ben Freeman, British actor
- April 10 - Sean Avery, Canadian ice hockey player
- April 10 - Kasey Kahne, American race car driver
- April 10 - Bryce Soderberg, Canadian musician (Lifehouse)
- April 12 - Brian McFadden, Irish rock singer (Westlife)
- April 14 - Win Butler, American/Canadian musician
- April 16 - Paul London, American professional wrestler
- April 17 - Brenda Villa, American water polo player
- April 17 - Lee Hyun-il, South Korean badminton player
- April 20 - Jasmin Wagner, German singer
- April 21 - Vincent Lecavalier, Canadian hockey player
- April 22 - Nicolas Douchez, French footballer
- April 24 - Austin Nichols, American actor
- April 24 - Reagan Gomez-Preston, American actress
- April 25 - Daniel McPherson, Australian actor and TV personality
- April 25 - Kazuhito Tadano, Japanese baseball player
- April 26 - Channing Tatum, American actor and model
- April 26 - Jordana Brewster, American actress
- April 26 - Stana Katic, American film actress
- April 27 - Zayed Khan, Indian actor
- April 29 - Kian Egan, Irish rock singer (Westlife)
May
- May 2 - Tim Borowski, German footballer
- May 2 - Zat Knight, English footballer
- May 3 - Marcel Vigneron, American chef
- May 5 - Maia Hirasawa, Swedish pop singer
- May 6 - Taebin, Korean hip-hop artist (1TYM)
- May 6 - Kate Lawler, English reality TV show star
- May 6 - Kelly van der Veer, Dutch reality TV star
- May 7 - Johan Kenkhuis, Dutch swimmer
- May 8 - Benny Yau, Canadian entertainer
- May 9 - Grant Hackett, Australian swimmer
- May 9 - Norihiro Nishi, Japanese footballer
- May 15 - Josh Beckett, American baseball player
- May 15 - Rocky Marquette, American actor
- May 16 - Melanie Lofton, American journalist
- May 19 - Dean Heffernan, Australian footballer
- May 19 - Drew Fuller, American actor
- May 24 - Cecilia Cheung, Hong Kong actress
- May 28 - Mark Feehily, Irish singer (Westlife)
- May 29 - Michael Stasko, Canadian actor
- May 30 - Steven Gerrard, English footballer
June
- June 1 - Oliver James, British actor
- June 2 - Lindsey Yamasaki, Japanese-American basketball player
- June 2 - Orish Grinstead, American R&B singer (d. 2008)
- June 5 - Mike Fisher, Canadian hockey player
- June 5 - Yasser Latif Hamdani, Pakistani constitutional lawyer and historian
- June 10 - Francelino Matuzalem, Brazilian footballer
- June 10 - Wang Yuegu, Singaporean Olympic table tennis player
- June 13 - Sarah Connor, German singer
- June 16 - Brad Gushue, Canadian curler
- June 16 - Joey Yung, Hong Kong singer
- June 17 - Kimeru, Japanese singer
- June 17 - Venus Williams, American tennis player
- June 19 - Jason White, American football player
- June 22 - Ilya Bryzgalov, Russian ice hockey player
- June 23 - Ramnaresh Sarwan, West Indian cricketer
- June 23 - Manus Boonjumnong, Thai boxer
- June 25 - Nozomi Takeuchi, Japanese actress
- June 26 - Michael Vick, American football player
- June 26 - Jason Schwartzman, American actor
- June 29 - Melissa Peachey, British TV presenter
- June 29 - Katherine Jenkins, Welsh soprano
- June 29 - Martin Truex Jr, American race car driver
July
- July 1 - Patrick Aufiero, American ice hockey player
- July 3 - Roland Mark Schoeman, South African swimmer
- July 4 - Max Elliott Slade, American actor
- July 5 - Eva Green, French actress and composer
- July 6 - Pau Gasol, Spanish basketball player
- July 7 - Michelle Kwan, American figure skater
- July 8 - Robbie Keane, Irish footballer
- July 8 - Yang Tae-Young, South Korean gymnast
- July 9 - Kathia Rodriguez, Puerto Rican actress
- July 10 - Adam Petty, American race car driver (d. 2000)
- July 10 - Jessica Simpson, American singer
- July 15 - Jasper Pääkkönen, Finnish actor and film producer
- July 15 - Reggie Abercrombie, American baseball player
- July 15 - JW-Jones, Canadian blues artist
- July 16 - Adam Scott, Australian golfer
- July 16 - Jesse Jane, American porn actress
- July 18 - Kristen Bell, American actress
- July 20 - Mike Kennerty, American rock guitarist (The All-American Rejects)
- July 20 - Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian supermodel
- July 22 - Kate Ryan, Belgian singer
- July 23 - Michelle Williams, American singer, actress, (Destiny's Child)
- July 27 - Julia Haworth, British actress
- July 28 - Stephen Christian, American Christian rock singer (Anberlin)
- July 29 - Fernando González, Chilean tennis player
- July 30 - Diam's, French rapper
August
- August 3 - Dominic Moore, Canadian ice hockey player
- August 5 - Wayne Bridge, English footballer
- August 9 - Charlie David, Canadian actor
- August 9 - Dominic Tabuna, Nauruan politician
- August 10 - Pua Magasiva, Samoan actor
- August 10 - Roxanne McKee, British actress
- August 14 - Roy Williams, American football player
- August 12 - Maggie Lawson, American actress
- August 12 - Matt Thiessen, Canadian singer/guitarist
- August 16 - Vanessa Carlton, American singer
- August 16 - Julien Absalon, French mountain biker
- August 18 - Damion Stewart, Jamaican footballer
- August 19 - Darius Danesh, Scottish singer-songwriter & actor
- August 23 - Rex Grossman, American football player
- August 26 - Macaulay Culkin, American actor
- August 26 - Chris Pine, American actor
- August 27 - Derrick Strait, American football player
- August 28 - Debra Lafave, American teacher
- August 29 - Nicholas Tse, Hong Kong singer
September
- September 2 - Dany Sabourin, French Canadian ice hockey goaltender
- September 3 - Jennie Finch, American softball player
- September 6 - Joseph Yobo, Nigerian footballer
- September 6 - Samuel Peter, Nigerian boxer & heavyweight champion
- September 6 - Kerry Katona, English TV presenter and former pop star (Atomic Kitten)
- September 7 - Gabriel Milito, Argentine footballer
- September 7 - Mark Prior, American baseball player
- September 9 - Michelle Williams, American actress
- September 10 - Mikey Way, American rock bassist (My Chemical Romance)
- September 11 - Mike Comrie, Canadian ice hockey player
- September 12 - Sean Burroughs, American baseball player
- September 12 - Yao Ming, Chinese basketball player
- September 13 - Ben Savage, American actor (Boy Meets World)
- September 13 - Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japanese baseball player
- September 15 - Jolin Tsai, Taiwanese singer
- September 19 - Tegan Quin, Canadian singer/songwriter
- September 19 - Sara Quin, Canadian singer/songwriter
- September 21 - Kareena Kapoor, Indian actress
- September 21 - Autumn Reeser, American actress
- September 25 - T.I., American rapper
- September 29 - Patrick Agyemang, Ghanaian footballer
- September 29 - Zachary Levi, American actor
- September 29 - Dallas Green (musician), Canadian singer/songwriter
- September 30 - Martina Hingis, Swiss tennis player
October
- October 4 - Kristina Lenko, Canadian champion ice skater
- October 4 - Tomas Rosicky, Czech footballer
- October 4 - Me'Lisa Barber, American athlete
- October 5 - James Toseland, English motorcycle racer
- October 8 - Nick Cannon, American actor and rapper
- October 10 - Sherine, Egyptian singer
- October 13 - Ashanti, American musician
- October 14 - Terrence McGee, American football player
- October 16 - Sue Bird, American basketball player
- October 16 - Timana Tahu, Australian Rugby League player
- October 17 - Ekaterina Gamova, Russian volleyball player
- October 18 - Reetinder Sodhi, Indian cricket player
- October 24 - Monica Arnold, American musician
- October 24 - Casey Wilson, American actress, comedian
- October 28 - Alan Smith, English footballer
- October 28 - Christy Hemme, American professional wrestler
- October 31 - Samaire Armstrong, American actress
November
- November 3 - Dan Marsala, American musician
- November 4 - Sabrina Colie, Jamaican actress
- November 5 - Christoph Metzelder, German footballer
- November 7 - Gervasio Deferr, Spanish gymnast
- November 10 - Calvin Chen, Taiwanese pop singer
- November 11 - Willie Parker, American football player
- November 12 - Ryan Gosling, Canadian actor
- November 13 - Monique Coleman, American actress
- November 15 - Ace Young, American singer and reality show finalist
- November 16 - Kayte Christensen, American basketball player
- November 17 - Isaac Hanson, American musician
- November 19 - Adele Silva, British actress
- November 21 - Hank Blalock, American baseball player
- November 21 - Hiroyuki Tomita, Japanese gymnast
- November 25 - John-Michael Liles, American hockey player
- November 25 - Nick Swisher, American baseball player
- November 28 - Lisa Middelhauve, German singer (Xandria)
December
- December 3 - Anna Chlumsky, American actress
- December 3 - Nadine Jansen, German pornographic model
- December 3 - Jim Sorgi, American football player
- December 5 - Ibrahim Maalouf, Lebanese-born French trumpeter
- December 6 - Steve Lovell, English footballer
- December 6 - Kei Yasuda, Japanese singer
- December 7 - John Terry, English footballer
- December 9 - Ryder Hesjedal, Canadian professional cyclist
- December 10 - Sarah Chang, American violinist
- December 13 - Satoshi Tsumabuki, Japanese actor
- December 13 - Bosco Wong, Hong Kong actor
- December 18 - Christina Aguilera, American singer
- December 19 - Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor
- December 19 - Marla Sokoloff, American actress
- December 20 - Ashley Cole, English footballer
- December 20 - Fitz Hall, English footballer
- December 22 - Chris Carmack, American actor
- December 24 - Tomas Kalnoky, American musician (Streetlight Manifesto)
- December 25 - Laura Sadler, British TV actress (d. 2003)
- December 26 - Hal Scardino, American actor
- December 30 - Eliza Dushku, American actress
- December 31 - Richie McCaw, New Zealand rugby player
Deaths
January
- January 3 - Joy Adamson, Austrian-born conservationist and author (murdered) (b. 1910)
- January 8 - John Mauchly, American physicist and inventor (b. 1907)
- January 10 - George Meany, American labor leader (b. 1894)
- January 11 - Barbara Pym, English novelist (b. 1913)
- January 18 - Sir Cecil Beaton, English photographer (b. 1904)
- January 21 - Georges Painvin, French cryptographer (b. 1886)
- January 25 - Roland Barthes, French literary critic, and philosopher (b. 1915)
- January 28 - Franco Evangelisti, Italian composer (b. 1926)
- January 29 - Jimmy Durante, American actor, singer, and comedian (b. 1893)
- January 30 - Professor Longhair, American musician (b. 1918)
February
- February 2 - William Howard Stein, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- February 6 - Albert Kotin, American abstract expressionist painter (b. 1907)
- February 9 - Tom Macdonald, Welsh journalist and novelist (b. 1900)
- February 12 - Muriel Rukeyser, American poet (b. 1913)
- February 13 - David Janssen, American actor (b. 1931)
- February 14 - Luitkonwar Rudra Baruah, Assamese composer and actor
- February 19 - Bon Scott, Scottish-born rock singer (AC/DC) (b. 1946)
- February 20 - J.B. Rhine, American parapsychologist (b. 1895)
- February 20 - Alice Longworth, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter, wife of Nicholas Longworth (b. 1884)
- February 24 - Clement Martyn Doke, South African linguist
- February 27 - George Tobias, American actor (b. 1901)
March
- March 1 - Dixie Dean, English football player (b. 1907)
- March 1 - Wilhelmina, Dutch-born American high-fashion model and owner of model agency (b. 1940)
- March 1 - Daniil Khrabrovitsky, Soviet film director (b. 1923)
- March 5 - Jay Silverheels, Native American actor (b. 1912)
- March 5 - Winifred Wagner, German daughter-in-law of Richard Wagner, close friend of Adolf Hitler (b. 1897)
- March 10 - Herman Tarnower, American doctor and murder victim (b. 1910)
- March 11 - Maud Hart Lovelace, American author (b. 1892)
- March 14 - Anna Jantar, Polish singer (LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 crash) (b. 1950)
- March 14 - Mohammad Hatta, Indonesia's first vice president
- March 16 - Tamara de Lempicka, Polish-born painter (b. 1898)
- March 18 - Erich Fromm, German-born psychologist and philosopher (b. 1900)
- March 21 - Peter Stoner, American mathematician, astronomer and Christian apologist (b. 1888)
- March 24 - Oscar Romero, El Salvador Roman Catholic archbishop (b. 1917)
- March 24 - Pierre Etchebaster, French real tennis player (b. 1893)
- March 25 - Roland Barthes, French literary critic and writer (b. 1915)
- March 25 - Walter Susskind, Czech conductor (b. 1913)
- March 25 - James Wright, American poet (b. 1927)
- March 29 - Mantovani, Italian-born conductor and arranger (b. 1905)
- March 31 - Vladimír Holan, Czech poet (b. 1905)
- March 31 - Jesse Owens, African-American athlete (b. 1913)
April
- April 4 - Red Sovine, American country & folk singer & songwriter (b. 1917)
- April 6 - John Collier, English writer (b. 1901)
- April 11 - Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Turkish writer (b. 1935)
- April 12 - Clark McConachy, New Zealand snooker and billiards player (b. 1895)
- April 15 - Marshall Reed, American film and television actor (b. 1917)
- April 15 - Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
- April 20 - Katherine K. Davis, American composer (b. 1892)
- April 21 - Sohrab Sepehri, Persian poet and painter (b. 1928)
- April 24 - Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer (b. 1904)
- April 27 - John Culshaw, British recording producer and musicologist (b. 1924)
- April 29 - Alfred Hitchcock, British suspense film director (b. 1899)
- April 30 - Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician (b. 1898)
May
June
- June 7 - Henry Miller, American writer (b. 1891)
- June 7 - Elizabeth Craig, British writer (b. 1883)
- June 12 - Masayoshi Ohira, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1910)
- June 12 - Billy Butlin, South African-born Canadian founder of Butlins Holiday Camps (b. 1899)
- June 12 - Milburn Stone, American actor (b. 1904)
- June 13 - Walter Rodney, Guyanese historian and political figure (b. 1942)
- June 20 - Amy Key Clarke, English mystical poet (b. 1892)
- June 21 - Bert Kaempfert, German orchestra leader and songwriter (b. 1923)
- June 23 - Clyfford Still, American painter (b. 1904)
- June 23 - John Laurie, British actor (b. 1897)
- June 23 - Sanjay Gandhi, Indian son of Indira Gandhi (air crash) (b. 1946)
- June 27 - Carey McWilliams, American author, editor, and lawyer (b. 1905)
July
- July - Robert Brackman, American painter (b. 1898)
- July 4 - Gregory Bateson, British anthropologist, anthropologist, social scientist, linguist, semiotician and cyberneticist (b. 1904)
- July 7 - Dore Schary, American film writer, director, and producer (b. 1905)
- July 9 - Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian writer, poet and diplomat (b. 1913)
- July 15 - Ben Selvin, American orchestra leader & recording artist (b. 1898)
- July 17 - Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician (b. 1890)
- July 24 - Uttam Kumar (Arun Kumar Chatterjee), Bengali actor (b. 1926)
- July 24 - Peter Sellers, English actor (b. 1925)
- July 25 - Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian singer-songwriter, poet, actor (b. 1938)
- July 26 - Kenneth Tynan, English theatre critic (b. 1927)
- July 27 - Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran (b. 1919)
- July 31 - Pascual Jordan, German physicist (b. 1902)
- July 31 - Mohammed Rafi, Indian singer (b. 1924)
August
- August 1 - Strother Martin, American actor (b. 1919)
- August 7 - Jackie Cochran, American pilot (b. 1906)
- August 10 - Yahya Khan, President of Pakistan (b. 1917)
- August 14 - Dorothy Stratten, Canadian model (murdered) (b. 1960)
- August 19 - Otto Frank, German father of Jewish diarist Anne Frank (b. 1889)
- August 20 - Joe Dassin, French singer (b. 1938)
- August 24 - Yootha Joyce, British actress (b. 1927)
- August 25 - Gower Champion, American theatre director, choreographer, and dancer (b. 1919)
- August 26 - Tex Avery, American cartoonist (b. 1908)
September
October
- October 6 - Hattie Jacques, British actress (b. 1922)
- October 7 - Sydney Gordon Russell, English designer and craftsman (b. 1892)
- October 20 - Lady Isobel Barnett, British television personality (suicide following shoplifting conviction) (b. 1918)
- October 21 - Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician after whom Asperger syndrome was named (b. 1906)
- October 25 - Sahir Ludhianvi, Urdu/Hindustani poet and Hindi film lyricist (b. March 8, 1921)
- October 25 - Virgil Fox, American organist (b. 1912)
- October 25 - Victor Galindez, Argentine boxer (race car accident) (b. 1948)
- October 27 - Steve Peregrin Took, British rock musician (T. Rex) (b. 1949)
- October 27 - John Hasbrouck van Vleck, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
November
- November 4 - Elsie MacGill, Canadian aeronautical engineer (b. 1904)
- November 7 - Steve McQueen, American actor (b. 1930)
- November 9 - Gloria Guinness, Mexican-born American ashion icon (b. 1912)
- November 16 - Boris Aronson, Russian set designer (b. 1898)
- November 18 - Conn Smythe, Canadian NHL coach (b. 1895)
- November 20 - John McEwen, 18th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1900)
- November 22 - Norah McGuinness, Northern Irish painter and illustrator (b. 1901)
- November 22 - Mae West, American actress (b. 1893)
- November 24 - George Raft, American actor (b. 1895)
- November 26 - Rachel Roberts, British actress (suicide) (b. 1927)
- November 27 - F. Burrall Hoffman, American architect (b. 1882)
- November 29 - Dorothy Day, American social progressive (b. 1897)
December
- December 2 - Romain Gary, Lithuanian-born writer (b. 1914)
- December 3 - Sir Oswald Mosley, British fascist leader (b. 1896)
- December 4 - Francisco Sá Carneiro, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1934)
- December 4 - Stanislawa Walasiewicz, Polish-born runner (b. 1911)
- December 7 - Darby Crash, American rock songwriter, singer (The Germs) (heroin overdose) (b. 1958)
- December 8 - John Lennon, British singer, songwriter, and guitarist (The Beatles) (assassinated) (b. 1940)
- December 16 - Colonel Sanders, American fast food entrepreneur (b. 1890)
- December 16 - Hellmuth Walter, German engineer and inventor (b. 1900)
- December 23 - Frank Norman, English novelist, playwright and autobiographer (b. 1930)
- December 24 - Karl Dönitz, German admiral and briefly President of Germany (b. 1891)
- December 24 - Siggie Nordstrom, American model, actress, entertainer, socialite and lead singer (The Nordstrom Sisters) (b. 1893)
- December 25 - Victoria Drummond, first woman marine engineer in Britain (b. 1894)
- December 26 - Richard Chase, American serial killer (b. 1950)
- December 29 - Tim Hardin, American musician (b. 1941)
- December 31 - Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author and professor (b. 1911)
Ship events
Nobel Prizes
Templeton Prize
Right Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award was founded in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull.
