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What happened in 1979?

26 events across 10 world regions, each with its sources.

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Europe

  • Cold War

    1945–1991Berlin, Germany

    After World War II, the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union engaged in a nearly half-century-long political, economic, and military confrontation. Although the two superpowers never fought directly, they competed globally through proxy wars, an arms race, and the Space Race. The Cold War began in the late 1940s and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: U.S. Army photo Photo Credit: USAMHI / Public domain ↗

  • Signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR

    1922–1991Moscow

    On December 30, 1922, the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR was signed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, officially establishing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Plenipotentiary delegates from the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian Soviet republics signed the treaty, along with a declaration serving as its preamble. The treaty legally formalized the political union of the Soviet republics that had existed since 1919, creating a new federal government with centralized functions in Moscow. Legislative power was vested in the Congress of Soviets and the Central Executive Committee, while executive power lay with the Council of People's Commissars.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: (неизвестно) / Public domain ↗

  • Second Round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Held

    1979

    In 1979, the United States and the Soviet Union conducted the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II), a key arms control effort between the two Cold War superpowers. The negotiations aimed to reduce their destructive nuclear weapons and led to the signing of an international treaty. Despite differences, the talks continued a consensus since the 1960s to avoid nuclear catastrophe, laying groundwork for subsequent arms limitation processes.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Photo Credit: Bill Fitz-Patrick / Public domain ↗

  • Signing of the Convention on Migratory Species (Bonn Convention)

    1979

    In 1979, several countries signed the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention) in Bonn, Germany. The treaty aims to protect migratory species and their habitats on a global scale, under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

  • 1979 Montenegro earthquake

    1979

    On 15 April 1979, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the Socialist Republic of Montenegro, then part of Yugoslavia, with an epicentre near the southern municipality of Bar. It reached Mercalli intensity X and was the most devastating earthquake in the republic's history, affecting mainly the Montenegrin and Albanian coastline and felt elsewhere in the country.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

Central & South America

Sub-Saharan Africa

West Asia

  • Iranian Revolution

    1978–1979Tehran

    The Iranian Revolution of 1978-1979 overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty, ending the monarchy in Iran. Led by Ruhollah Khomeini, it established an Islamic Republic, replacing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was backed by the United States.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Unknown author Unknown author / GFDL ↗

  • 1970s energy crisis

    1973–1980Kuwait City, Kuwait

    Between 1973 and 1980, the Western world experienced a severe energy crisis characterized by petroleum shortages and soaring prices. The crisis was triggered by two major events: the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1979 Iranian Revolution, both causing interruptions in Middle Eastern oil exports.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Jashuah / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗

  • Launch of Iran's White Revolution

    1963–1979Tehran

    On 26 January 1963, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran launched a series of far-reaching reforms known as the White Revolution. The program included land reform, women's enfranchisement, industrial growth, and public health improvements, aiming to modernize the country. The reform era ended with the Shah's overthrow in 1979.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

South Asia

  • Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

    1979–1989Kabul, Afghanistan

    In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to support the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan mujahideen, who received aid from multiple countries. The war lasted nearly a decade, ending with the Soviet withdrawal in February 1989. American and British support for the mujahideen escalated the Cold War, ending a brief period of relaxed Soviet–US relations.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: LLs / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

  • Outbreak of the Sino-Vietnamese War, 1979

    1979Hanoi

    From 17 February to 16 March 1979, a war broke out between China and Vietnam. China launched a punitive offensive in response to Vietnam's invasion and occupation of Cambodia, which ended the rule of the Khmer Rouge. The conflict lasted about a month, with China withdrawing its troops in March. It was a rare direct hot war between socialist states during the Cold War.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: CC BY-SA 2.5 ↗

  • Outbreak of the Cambodian–Vietnamese War

    1977–1991Phnom Penh

    In December 1978, Vietnam launched a large-scale invasion of Cambodia, toppling the Khmer Rouge regime, which marked the outbreak of the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. Border clashes had occurred in preceding years. The war was part of the Third Indochina War and intertwined with the Sino-Soviet split in the Cold War.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Sebbers10 / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Oceania

Central Asian steppe

  • Sverdlovsk Anthrax Leak

    1979

    On April 2, 1979, an accidental release of anthrax spores occurred at a Soviet military research site in Sverdlovsk, followed by a fatal outbreak. Reported death tolls differ across sources—at least 68 in the English source and around 100 in the Chinese and French sources—and the precise figure remains uncertain.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

North America

  • Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty signed

    1979White House

    On 26 March 1979, the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed at the White House by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, witnessed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Based on the 1978 Camp David Accords, the treaty made Egypt the first Arab state to recognize Israel, setting a precedent for future Arab-Israeli peace efforts.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Warren K. Leffler / Public domain ↗

East Asia

  • Launch of Reform and Opening-up

    1978–1992Beijing, China

    After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in December 1978, China began implementing a policy centered on economic reform, known as 'reform and opening-up'. Proposed under Deng Xiaoping's leadership, it aimed to introduce market mechanisms and expand foreign economic exchanges.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

North Africa

  • Outbreak of the Western Sahara War

    1975–1991Western Sahara

    In 1975, after Spain withdrew from Western Sahara, Morocco and Mauritania took over administration under the Madrid Accords, leading to armed conflict with the Polisario Front. Morocco organized the Green March, with tens of thousands of citizens and around 20,000 troops entering Western Sahara, meeting resistance from the Polisario Front. Fighting was minor at first but evolved into a prolonged guerrilla war. The Polisario Front fought both Morocco and Mauritania, seeking independence. Mauritania withdrew in 1979, but the war persisted until a 1991 ceasefire.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Kmusser / CC BY-SA 2.5 ↗

Around 1979

These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.

  • Beginning of the Digital Revolution

    c. 1947–2000Silicon Valley (Santa Clara Valley), California, USA

  • Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque

    c. 1901–2000

  • Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide

    c. 1893–1979Wellington, New Zealand

  • Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in 'The Centre of Heaven and Earth'

    c. 1901–2000