List of events
Events from the year 1980 in the United States .
January 27: The Canadian Caper rescues six hostages from Iran
February 13: The Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid
April 15: The Mariel boatlift begins
April 24–25: Operation Eagle Claw fails to rescue the hostages in Iran
April 1
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 14 – The 52nd Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Johnny Carson , is held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles . Robert Benton 's Kramer vs. Kramer wins five awards, including Best Picture and Best Director . The film is tied with Bob Fosse 's All That Jazz in receiving nine nominations. 8-year-old Justin Henry , nominated for Best Supporting Actor , notably becomes the youngest Oscar nominee in any category.
April 15 – A mass exodus of Cubans to the United States known as the Mariel boatlift begins. It ends on October 31 by agreement between the two countries.
April 21 – Rosie Ruiz wins the Boston Marathon , but is later exposed as a fraud and stripped of her award.
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 24 – Pennsylvania Lottery Scandal : the Pennsylvania Lottery is rigged by six men including the host of the live TV drawing, Nick Perry .
May 18: Mount St. Helens erupts
May 3 – Cari Lightner, a 13-year-old girl, is killed by a drunk driver in Fair Oaks, California . Her mother, Candy, forms the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving .
May 4 – The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare splits into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services .
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
James Alexander George Smith "Jags" McCartney , the Turks and Caicos Islands ' first Chief Minister , is killed in a plane crash over New Jersey .
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.
In Norco, California, 5 men robbed a bank, leading to a shootout and pursuit that left 2 of the robbers dead, 1 sheriff deputy killed, 33 police vehicles destroyed, and 11 people, consisting of 8 officers, a civilian, and 2 other perpetrators wounded.[ 5]
May 11 – Mobster Henry Hill is arrested for drug possession .
May 16
May 17 – A Miami, Florida court acquits four white police officers of killing Arthur McDuffie , a black insurance executive, provoking three days of race riots.
May 18 – Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington , killing 57 and causing US$3 billion in damage.
May 21 – The Empire Strikes Back is released.
May 22 – Pac-Man , the best-selling arcade game of all time, is released.
May 23 – Stanley Kubrick 's horror film , The Shining , based on the 1977 novel of the same name , is released.
May 24
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 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 ).
July 16: Reagan is nominated as the Republican candidate for President
October 2 – Congressman Michael Myers is expelled from the House of Representatives by a vote of 376–30, the first congressional expulsion since the Civil War .
October 14 – The Staggers Rail Act is enacted, deregulating American railroads.
October 15 – James Hoskins murdered his girlfriend earlier that morning and forced his way into WCPO 's television studio in Cincinnati , holding nine employees hostage for several hours before releasing them and taking his own life.
October 21 – 1980 World Series : The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals , 4 games to 2, to win their first World Series Title.
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.
November 4: Reagan defeats Carter in a landslide
December 8: The Dakota , where John Lennon was shot
Recent or Ongoing events [ edit ]
Ivan Moody
Rachel Nichols
Sarah Shahi
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Zooey Deschanel
Jason Segel
Nick Carter
Wilmer Valderrama
Lee Zeldin
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
January 6 – Pascual Romero , musician
January 7
January 8
January 9 – Clark Barwick , mathematician and college professor
January 10 – Sarah Shahi , actress
January 11
January 12 – Amerie , singer
January 13 – LaKisha Jones , singer
January 14
January 15
January 16
January 17
January 18
January 19 – Blake Burdette , rugby player and coach
January 20
January 21
January 22
January 23 – Marcus Arroyo , football player and coach
January 24
January 25
January 26
January 28
January 29 – Jason James Richter , actor
January 30
January 31
Matthew Lawrence
Enver Gjokaj
Gucci Mane
Christina Ricci
Chelsea Clinton
Tayshaun Prince
February 1 – Kevin Cooke , politician
February 3
February 4
February 5 – Paul DelVecchio , reality show personality
February 6
February 7
February 8 – William Jackson Harper , actor
February 9
February 11
February 12
February 14 – Santonio Beard , football player (d. 2022)
February 15 – Conor Oberst , singer/songwriter
February 16
February 17 – Jason Ritter , actor and producer
February 18
February 19 – Mike Miller , basketball player
February 20 – Matt Behncke , soccer player and attorney
February 21
February 22
February 25
February 26
February 27
February 28
February 29
Carlos Curbelo
Laura Prepon
Matthew Gray Gubler
Chingy
Caron Butler
Katie Morgan
Greg Puciato
Luke Walton
Kate Micucci
Randy Orton
Yung Joc
Trevor Moore
Nicholas D'Agosto
Tony Romo
Malcolm Barrett
Jordana Brewster
Channing Tatum
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 5
April 7
April 8
April 9
April 10
April 11 – Mark Teixeira , baseball player
April 12 – Elliot Ackerman , author and former Marine Corps Special Operations Team Leader
April 13
April 14
April 15 – Aida Mollencamp , cook, food writer, and television personality
April 16
April 17
April 18
April 19 – Jeremy Bridges , football player
April 20
April 21
April 22
April 23
April 24
Katherine Bailess , actress, singer, and dancer
Danielle Borgman , soccer player
Jamie Broadnax , film critic, podcaster, and writer
Danny Gokey , 3rd place finalist on American Idol (season 8)
Reagan Gomez-Preston , actress and voice actress
Gavin Hickie , Irish-born rugby player and coach
Austin Nichols , actor
April 25
April 26
April 28
April 29
April 30
Ellie Kemper
Hank Green
Zach McGowan
Sharice Davids
Ben Feldman
Andy Hurley
May 1 – Jay Reatard , musician (died 2010 )
May 2
May 3 – Marcel Vigneron , chef
May 4 – Greg Brown , baseball coach
May 5
Sandra Beasley , poet and writer
Chad Bentz , baseball player
Lara Berman , Israeli-born on-air news correspondent, journalist, actress, entrepreneur, and Pro-Israel activist
Fasil Bizuneh , German-born long-distance runner
Hank Green , entrepreneur, musician, educator, producer and vlogger
Zach McGowan , actor
Ike Taylor , football player
May 6
May 7 – Saeed Abedini , Iranian-born pastor
May 9
May 10 – Craig Brazell , baseball player
May 11
May 12
May 14
May 15
May 17 – Jerome Beasley , basketball player
May 18 – Barrett Baber , country, alternative, and rock musician
May 19
May 20 – Chris Bagley , soccer player
May 22 – Sharice Davids , politician, lawyer and mixed martial artist
May 23
May 24
May 26 – Sean Barker , baseball player
May 27
May 28
May 29 – Cha-seung Baek , South Korean-born baseball player
May 30
May 31 – Andy Hurley , drummer of Fall Out Boy
Chris Pappas
Udonis Haslem
Jason Smith
Venus Williams
David Giuntoli
Melissa Rauch
Minka Kelly
Michael Vick
June 1
June 2 – Daniel Breaker , actor and comedian
June 3 – The Blade , wrestler
June 4
June 5
June 6
June 7
June 8 – Erin Mendenhall , politician, mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah (2020–present)
June 9
June 10
June 11
June 12
June 15
June 16
June 17
June 18
June 19
June 20
June 21
June 22
June 23
June 24
June 26
June 28 – Johntá Austin , singer/songwriter, arranger, producer, vocalist, and rapper
June 29
June 30 – Gary Buchanan , basketball player
Olivia Munn
Pauly D
Michelle Kwan
Brian Mast
Angry Video Game Nerd
Jessica Simpson
Kristen Bell
Gisele Bündchen
Dolph Ziggler
July 1
July 2
July 3
July 4
July 5
July 6 – DJ Babey Drew , DJ, Grammy winning record producer, actor, radio and television personality
July 7
July 9 – Jodi Arias , convicted murderer
July 10
Sally Barkow , Olympic sailor
Brian Mast , politician
Thomas Ian Nicholas , actor, singer, musician, producer, director and writer
Adam Petty , racing driver (died 2000 )
James Rolfe , actor, director, and producer
Nick Schifrin , journalist
Jessica Simpson , singer
Bret Taylor , computer programmer and entrepreneur, co-creator of Google Maps
Adande Thorne , Trinidadian-American YouTuber
Jeremy Ray Valdez , actor and musician
July 11
July 12
July 13
July 15
July 16
July 17
July 18
July 19
July 20
July 21
July 22 – Rick Brattin , politician
July 23
July 24 – Joel Stroetzel , guitarist for Killswitch Engage
July 25 – Erik Bickerstaff , football player
July 26 – Jason Botts , baseball player
July 27
July 28
July 29
July 30
Nadia Bjorlin
Will Pan
Shayna Baszler
Maggie Lawson
Matthew Thiessen
Vanessa Carlton
Macaulay Culkin
Chris Pine
David West
August 1 – Nadia Bjorlin , actress, singer, and model
August 2 – Diandra Asbaty , bowler
August 3
August 4
August 6
August 8
August 9 – Texas Battle , actor
August 10 – Aaron Staton , actor
August 11
August 12
August 13
August 14
August 15
August 16
August 17
August 18
August 19 – B. J. Askew , football player
August 21
August 23
August 24 – Zac Alcorn , football player
August 25
August 26
August 27 – Derrick Strait , football player
August 28
August 29
August 30
August 31 – Joe Budden , media personality and rapper
J.D. Pardo
Michelle Williams
Ben Savage
Autumn Reeser
T.I.
Chrissy Metz
Zachary Levi
Mike Donehey
September 1 – Bruno Agra , Brazilian-born heavy metal drummer
September 2 – Gerry Rosenthal , actor
September 3
September 4
September 6
September 7
September 8
September 9
September 10
September 11 – Tanisha Brito , beauty pageant titleholder
September 12
September 13
September 14 – Nicole Abusharif , convicted murderer
September 15
September 16
September 18 – Jonathan Biss , pianist, teacher, and writer
September 19
September 20
September 21
September 22 – Sandra Smith , news reporter
September 25
September 26 – J. P. Blecksmith , Marine Corp 2nd Lieutenant (d. 2004)
September 27 – Paul Arnold , football player
September 28
September 29
September 30
Joe Kennedy III
Nick Cannon
The Miz
Ashanti
Kim Kardashian
Monica
Mehcad Brooks
Ben Foster
Eddie Kaye Thomas
October 1
October 2 – Shane Andrus , football player
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6 – Rod Babers , football player
October 8
October 9 – Justin Cronin , politician (died 2020 )
October 10
October 11 – Meghann Burke , soccer player
October 13
October 14
October 15 – Jamie Burke , rugby player
October 16
October 17
October 18
October 19 – Barrington Bartley , Jamaican-born cricketer
October 20 – Mike Brown , producer, engineer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of Temperamental Recordings
October 21
October 22 – D. Bryant , football player
October 23 – Robert Belushi , actor
October 24
October 25
October 26 – Ifeoma Ajunwa , Nigerian-born legal scholar, writer, and tenured professor of law at the University of North Carolina School of Law
October 28
October 29
October 30
October 31
Karamo Brown
Vanessa Minnillo
Nicole Malliotakis
Monique Coleman
Eric Swalwell
Dustin Kensrue
Tim Lambesis
Beth Phoenix
Janina Gavankar
November 2
November 3 – Joey Allcorn , country singer/songwriter
November 4
November 5 – James Burchett , politician
November 6 – Brad Baker , baseball player
November 7
Shea Arender , symphony producer, entrepreneur, Broadway producer, and CEO/owner of Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra
Shannon Bahrke , Olympic freestyle skier and entrepreneur
Miles Bonny , record producer, singer/songwriter, trumpeter, and DJ
Timothy Brindle , Christian hip hop lyricist
November 9 – Vanessa Lachey , model
November 10
November 11
November 12
November 13
November 14
November 15 – Ace Young , singer/songwriter and actor
November 16
November 17
November 18
November 19
November 20
November 21
November 22 – Tim Anderson , football player
November 23
November 24
November 25
November 26 – Jessica Bowman , actress
November 28
November 29
November 30
Simon Helberg
Jake Gyllenhaal
Marla Sokoloff
Jason "Mayhem" Miller
Eliza Dushku
December 1 – Angelique Bates , actress, comedian, and rapper
December 2
December 3
December 7 – Dan Bilzerian , poker player, businessman, and social media influencer
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 12 – Donny Boaz , actor
December 13
December 14 – Sam Aiken , football player
December 15
December 16
December 18
December 19
December 21
December 22 – Chris Carmack , actor
December 23
December 24
December 27
December 30
Zainab Ahmad , lawyer
Indira Allegra , artist and writer
Dmitri Alperovitch , Russian-born computer security industry executive, co-founder and former chief technology officer of CrowdStrike
César Alvarez , composer, lyricist, and playwright
Ahmed Aly , snooker player
Emilie Amundson , educator and government administrator
Joanna Angel , pornographic and mainstream actress, director, and adult film writer
Romina Arena , Italian-born popera singer/songwriter
David Armand , writer and author
Sam Ashworth , songwriter, producer, and recording artist
Imran Awan , Pakistani-born information technology worker
Erica Baker , engineer and Chief Technology Officer for the DCCC
Jimmy Baker , artist and professor
Kelly J. Baker , writer
Emily Balskus , chemical biologist, enzymologist, microbiologist, and biochemist
J. Campbell Barker , judge
Michel Barrera , wanted fugitive
Joe Bartholdi Jr. , poker player
Travis Beacham , screenwriter
Ryan Berman , politician
James S. Bielo , socio-cultural anthropologist
Christophe Bisciglia , entrepreneur
Seth Bogart , artist and musician
Leydy Bonilla , bachata singer
David Tai Bornoff , writer, advertising creative director, photographer, film director, and multimedia artist
Martha Bowen , swimmer
Michele Boyd , actress, producer, and host
Thomas Bradshaw , playwright
Josh Brand , artist
Marie Brennan , fantasy author
Steve Brinster , disc golfer
Dan Bronoske , politician
Adrien Broom , art photographer
Aaron Brown , Australian-born violinist, composer, and teacher
Box Brown , cartoonist
Jesse Brune , chef, personal trainer and lifestyle coach
Caleb Burhans , composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist
Gregory Burks , basketball player
Justin Busch , politician
Lilly McElroy , photographer
David McRae , politician
Sarah Sokolovic , actress
William O. Douglas
Jimmy Durante
January 1 – Frank Wykoff , relay sprinter (b. 1909)[ 8]
January 6 – Georgeanna Tillman , singer, member of The Marvelettes (born 1944 )
January 8 – John Mauchly , physicist and inventor (born 1907 )[ 9]
January 10
Hughie Critz , baseball player and scout (born 1900)
George Meany , plumber and trade union leader (born 1894)
Bo Rein , American football player and coach (b. 1945)
January 17 – Barbara Britton , actress (born 1919 )[ 10]
January 19 – William O. Douglas , Supreme Court Justice (born 1898 )
January 23 – Leonard Strong , actor (born 1908 )
January 25 – David Newell , actor (born 1905 )
January 29 – Jimmy Durante , actor, singer and comedian (born 1893 )[ 11]
January 30
David Janssen
Mike Monroney
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
February 1 – Jack Bailey , television host (Queen for a Day ) (born 1907)
February 2 – William Howard Stein , chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911 )[ 13]
February 6 – Albert Kotin , abstract expressionist painter (born 1907 )
February 8 – Isadora Bennett , publicity agent (born 1900 )
February 12 – Muriel Rukeyser , poet (born 1913 )
February 13
February 17 – Jerry Fielding , conductor and music director (born 1922 )[ 15]
February 18 – Gale Robbins , singer and actress (born 1921 )[ 16]
February 20
February 23 – Robert Hayden , poet and essayist, first African-American Poet Laureate (born 1913 )[ 18]
February 27 – George Tobias , actor (born 1901 ).[ 19]
February 28 – James Goff , American football and basketball head coach (born 1912 )
February 29 – Gil Elvgren , pin-up artist (born 1914 )
Jesse Owens
March 3 – Roger Davis , actor (born 1884 )[ 20]
March 5 – Jay Silverheels , Indigenous Canadian actor and athlete (b. 1912 )
March 10 – Herman Tarnower , medical doctor and diet guru (born 1910 ; murdered)[ 21]
March 11 – Maud Hart Lovelace , author (born 1892 )
March 18 – Jessica Dragonette , singer (born 1900 )[ 22]
March 21 – Peter Stoner , mathematician, astronomer and Christian apologist (born 1888 )[ 23]
March 25
March 28 – James Hayes , American-born Filipino Roman Catholic , Jesuit archbishop, missionary and servant of God (born 1889 )
March 30 – David Sharpe , actor (born 1910 )
March 31 – Jesse Owens , track and field athlete (born 1913 )
Thomas G. W. Settle
Alfred Hitchcock
Henry Miller
Helen Gahagan Douglas
Bobby Van
William Hood Simpson
Barbara Loden
Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas
Steve McQueen
Dorothy Day
John Lennon
December 4 – Stanisława Walasiewicz (Stella Walsh), track and field athlete, born in Poland (born 1911)
December 7 – Darby Crash , musician (born 1958 )
December 8 – John Lennon , British musician, singer, songwriter, and murder victim, died in New York City (born 1940 )
December 11 – Dorothy West , actress (born 1891 )
December 14 – Elston Howard , baseball player (born 1929 )
December 16 – Colonel Sanders , founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (born 1890 )
December 24 – Siggie Nordstrom , model, actress, entertainer, socialite and singer (born 1983 )
December 26 – Richard Chase , serial killer (born 1950 )
December 28 – Sam Levene , actor (born 1905 )
December 29 – Tim Hardin , singer-songwriter (born 1941 )
^ "NBC Flashback: Oscars Edition" . NBC News. February 27, 2014.
^ "Lake Placid 1980 Olympic Winter Games" . Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved 12 June 2018 .
^ Raymond Wiley; KT Prime (10 January 2012). The Georgia Guidestones: America's Most Mysterious Monument . Red Wheel Weiser. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-934708-73-6 .
^ "He Has a Passion for Silver" . TIME Magazine . April 7, 1980. Archived from the original on July 18, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2009 .
^ Erik Auf der Heide (1989). Disaster Response: Principles of Preparation and Coordination . Mosby. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-8016-0385-3 .
^ "John Lennon: I was there the day he died" . BBC News. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2021 .
^ "TRL > Meet The Cast > Damien" . MTV. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2014 .
^ "Frank Wykoff" . US Olympic and Paralympic Museum . 21 July 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2021 .
^ 50 Years of Army Computing: From ENIAC to MSRC . DIANE Publishing. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-4289-1659-3 .
^ Saxon, Wolfgang (January 19, 1980). "Barbara Britton, Film Actress, 59; Was TV Revlon Girl Began in a Western". The New York Times . p. 28.
^ John Parker (1981). Who's who in the Theatre . Pitman. p. 745. ISBN 9780810302358 .
^ Robert Santelli (2001). The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia . Penguin Books. p. 382. ISBN 978-0-14-100145-6 .
^ Biographical Memoirs: V.56 . Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. 1987-01-01. doi :10.17226/897 . ISBN 978-0-309-03693-1 .
^ Seiler, Michael (February 14, 1980). "From the Archives: Massive Heart Attack Kills Actor David Janssen, 48" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 30, 2020 .
^ Redman, Nick. "Fielding, Jerry" . Jackson, Kenneth T.; Markoe, Karen E.; Markoe, Arnold (1995). Dictionary of American Biography; Supplement 10: 1976–1980 . New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 238-239. ISBN 0-684-19399-X .
^ "Gale Robbins, actress, Singer and Pin-Up Girl" . The New York Times . February 22, 1980. pp. D15. Retrieved October 10, 2008 .
^ Journal of Indian Psychology . Andhra University Press. 1981.
^ Poets, Academy of American. "About Robert Hayden | Academy of American Poets" . poets.org . Retrieved August 4, 2019 .
^ "Actor George Tobias Dies" . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Missouri, St. Louis. Associated Press. February 28, 1980. p. 45. Retrieved August 10, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Passings" . Los Angeles Times . March 10, 1980. Retrieved October 17, 2019 .
^ Legal Medicine . W.B. Saunders. 1987. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-275-92595-6 .
^ Fraser, C. Gerald (March 20, 1980). "Jessica Dragonette, Singer, Dies; Popular Early-Radio Performer" . The New York Times . p. B 15. Retrieved May 9, 2021 .
^ "Peter Stoner Dies at 92" . Newsletter of the American Scientific Affiliation and Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation . 22 (3). June–July 1980.
^ Milton H. Erickson; Zeig (1980). Teaching Seminar with Milton H. Erickson, M.D. Psychology Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-87630-247-7 .
^ "Philip Guston | Smithsonian American Art Museum" . americanart.si.edu . Retrieved 2020-10-04 .
^ Jay Parini (2004). The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature: Norman Mailer-Sentimental literature . Oxford University Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-19-516726-9 .
^ Herbie Faye
^ Ware, Susan (2004). Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century . Harvard University Press. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-674-01488-6 .
^ "Barbara O'Neil Dies" . September 4, 1980. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2022 . LA Times Archive
^ Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults . Beacham Pub. 1989. p. 929. ISBN 978-0-933833-11-1 .
^ Flint, Peter (November 8, 1980). "Steve McQueen, 50, Is Dead of a Heart Attack After Surgery for Cancer; Family Was at Bedside Established His Stardom In 'Bullitt' and 'Papillon' Friend Suggested Acting 'Don't Cap Me Up' " . The New York Times . Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2008 .
^ Barbanel, Josh (November 19, 1980). "Carmel Myers, Silent Movie Star Who Played Wicked Women, 80" . The New York Times . p. A 31. ProQuest 121324722 . Retrieved March 14, 2021 – via ProQuest.