The following events occurred in December 1979:
December 1, 1979 (Saturday) The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Cougars won the NCAA Division I college soccer championship in the U.S., defeating the Clemson Tigers, 3 to 2, in Tampa. Danny Shouse, an American basketball player in the Icelandic professional basketball league scored 100 points for his Ármann team of Reykjavík in a game against Skallagrímur in the city of Borgarnes. Born: Richard James, Jamaican sprinter; in Boston Beach, Jamaica
December 2, 1979 (Sunday) The U.S. Embassy in Libya was stormed by a crowd of 2,000 demonstrators in Tripoli, who knocked down the doors and set fires that caused damage to lower floors, but the American personnel inside were able to escape safely."Embassy of the U.S. in Libya Is Stormed by a Crowd of 2,000", The New York Times, December 3, 1979, p. A1 Elections were held in Portugal for the 250 seats of the unicameral Assembly of the Republic. Led by Francisco de Sá Carneiro, the Aliança Democrática, a coalition of three conservative parties, captured 115 seats and soon added more from other parties for a 128-seat majority."Democratic Alliance Scores Victory in Portugal's Voting", by James M. Markham, The New York Times, December 3, 1979, p. A1"Center-Right Lisbon Party Has 3-Seat Parliament Edge", The New York Times, December 14, 1979, p. A15 Two days of voting began in Iran in a referendum on approval of the new Islamic constitution."Iran Charter Gets Expected Landslide", by John Kifner, The New York Times, December 4, 1979, p. A1 Two days of voting began in Iceland for the 40 seats of the lower house and the 20 seats of the upper house of Iceland's parliament, the Althing, with participation by about 127,000 voters."Icelandic Voting Leaves Fight on Inflation Unresolved", The New York Times, December 5, 1979, p. A3 The result was rejection of the minority government of Prime Minister Benedikt Gröndal and a new government would be formed by Gunnar Thoroddsen of the Progressive Party. Born: Yvonne Catterfeld, German singer and actress; in Erfurt, East Germany
December 3, 1979 (Monday) Eleven people attending a rock concert were trampled to death during a crowd rush for unreserved seats before The Who rock concert at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati."Stampede Kills 11 Persons At Coliseum Rock Concert", Cincinnati Enquirer, December 4, 1979, p.1"11 Killed and 8 Badly Hurt in Crush Before Rock Concert in Cincinnati", The New York Times, December 4, 1979, p. A1 The concert took place as scheduled, 45 minutes later, after coliseum officials determined that the stampede— of people forced up against a locked door— had taken place outside of the arena seating area. Those killed ranged in age from 15 to 24 years old. Lead singer Roger Daltrey said in an interview afterward, "I don't think you can point any fingers. They just tried to funnel 17,000 people into three doorways and that was mad.""Who's Daltrey Feels Helpless, Guiltless", by Tom Brinkmoeller, Cincinnati Enquirer, December 5, 1979, p.1 The United States dollar exchange rate with the Deutsche Mark fell to 1.7079 DM, the all-time low so far; this record would not broken until November 5, 1987. The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini became the first Supreme Leader of Iran. Born: Robert "Robby" Mook, American political strategist and campaign manager for Hillary's Clinton's 2016 campaign; in Sharon, Vermont Daniel Bedingfield, New Zealand born British singer; in Auckland Tiffany Haddish, American comedian and Grammy Award winner; in Los Angeles Died: Dhyan Chand, 74, Indian field hockey champion and Olympic gold medalist
December 4, 1979 (Tuesday) U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced his intent to run for re-election in the 1980 U.S. presidential elections, and stated that Vice President Walter Mondale would again be his running mate."Carter, Without Fanfare, Declares He Is Candidate for a Second Term", by Terence Smith, The New York Times, December 5, 1979, p. A1 The Hastie fire in Kingston upon Hull in England, killed three boys and began the hunt for Bruce George Peter Lee, the UK's most prolific killer.
December 5, 1979 (Wednesday) The government of Israel released Bassam Shakaa, the Palestinian mayor of the city of Nablus, 24 days after arresting him on November 11 and ordering his deportation."Move to Oust Mayor Reversed by Israel— Freed Leader of Nablus Returns to West Bank Town in Triumph", by David K. Shipler, The New York Times, December 6, 1979, p. A1 In the wake of the arrest, the other mayors of Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip had resigned in protest and begun a campaign of civil disobedience against the Israeli government. "Never before in the 12 years of Israeli occupation have Palestinian leaders acted in such unison," a reporter for The New York Times wrote, "and never before have they been able to effect such a dramatic reversal by the Israeli military authorities.""West Bank Arabs, Exultant About Mayor, See New Power", by David K. Shipler, The New York Times, December 7, 1979, p. A2 A tentative agreement on the future of the white-ruled southern African nation of Rhodesia was reached between the British Government and representatives of the Patriotic Front, an alliance of anti-government rebel groups."British and Rebels Agree on Cease-Fire in the Rhodesia War", by R. W. Apple, Jr., The New York Times, December 6, 1979, p. A1 Jack Lynch announced his resignation as Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland."Irish Prime Minister Will Resign Monday", The New York Times, December 6, 1979, p. A22 Died: Sonia Delaunay, 94, French design artist and co-founder of the Orphism movement
December 6, 1979 (Thursday) Choi Kyu-hah was overwhelmingly approved as President of South Korea by a vote of 2,465 to 84 in a special electoral college assembled in Seoul to name a successor to Park Chung Hee, who had been assassinated on October 26. Choi, a former prime minister, had been serving as acting president until an election could be held. At least 14 people were killed and 60 others injured in Spain when an unmanned train crashed into a passenger train that had been halted near Les Franqueses del Vallès. Officials of the state-owned company Renfe Operadora had switched off the electrical power to prevent the passenger train from getting closer, while trying to stop the crewless train that had rolled out of a station and down a steep grade, and "efforts to stop the runaway train by blocking the line or switching it to a siding failed." Sixteen people were killed and 10 injured in Argentina in an early morning fire at the Rilke II nightclub in Rosario. The first elections for the House of Assembly of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since the Caribbean nation's independence took place, as the Saint Vincent Labour Party of Prime Minister Milton Cato won 11 of 13 seats. The next day, Cato declared a state of emergency after a group of armed rebels temporarily seized the airport and the police station on one of the Grenadines, Union Island. The world premiere of Star Trek: The Motion Picture was held at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., before going into nationwide release in the U.S. and Canada the next day. New York Times critic Vincent Canby commented that the title was superfluous because "I doubt anyone who sees it could possibly confuse this film with those shards of an earlier, simpler, cheaper television era." Born: Stephenie LaGrossa, American reality show contestant, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
December 7, 1979 (Friday) South Korea's President Choi Kyu-hah revoked "Presidential Emergency Decree Number 9", which had been in place since 1974 when it was implemented by then-president Park Chung Hee. Later in the day, the South Korean government released 68 dissidents who had been imprisoned for violating the decree against criticism of the Park government. Foremost among the dissidents released was Kim Dae-jung, who would later become President of South Korea in 1998. The Satcom III communications satellite became useless, 12 hours after its launch the night before, when an attempt to place it into a permanent geosynchronous orbit failed. At 1:57 p.m. Eastern time (1857 UTC), technicians at the RCA Corporation sent the command to fire a small engine to place the $20,000,000 Satcom III to a point above the Pacific Ocean, then lost communication with the craft. With capacity for 24 relay channels, Satcom III was set to receive and forward transmissions from various companies to cable service providers. Born: Sara Bareilles, American singer-songwriter; in Eureka, California Eric Bauza, Canadian voice actor; in Scarborough, Ontario Jennifer Carpenter, American TV actress; in Louisville, Kentucky Died: Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, 79, British-born American astronomer known for her discovery of the composition of stars Shahriar Shafiq, 34, Iranian prince and former Iranian Navy captain, was shot and killed in Paris while walking along the Rue de la Villa Dupont. Shafiq, a nephew of the recently deposed Shah of Iran and son of the Shah's twin sister, Princess Ashraf, was returning home from grocery shopping when a gunman walked up to him and fired two 9mm bullets into his head. The Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal, which had sentenced Shafiq to death in absentia, took responsibility for the assassination.
December 8, 1979 (Saturday) The government of Indonesia released 2,045 prisoners who had been detained since an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt in 1965 against the regime of President Sukarno. Another 61 political prisoners, described as by the Indonesian government as "hard core Communists", were held for trial to take place in 1980."Indonesia Frees 2,045 Held Since 1965 Coup Plot", The New York Times, December 9, 1979, p. I-19 The U.S. state of Louisiana elected their first Republican governor in more than a century, as U.S. Representative David C. Treen defeated Democrat Louis Lambert in a runoff election. At the time, registered Democratic Party voters outnumbered registered Republicans by a ratio of 22 to 1, but Lambert's opponents in the Democratic primary had endorsed Treen in the runoff election."Republican Treen Apparent Victor In Runoff for Louisiana Governor", The New York Times, December 9, 1979, p. I-26 Born: Ingrid Michaelson, American singer-songwriter, in New York City Died: Robert Hocq, 62, French business executive who purchased and revived the ailing Cartier jewelry firm, was killed while crossing the street outside of his office in Paris."Car kills executive", Chicago Tribune, December 10, 1979, p. 1-9
December 9, 1979 (Sunday) The Arab nation of Libya, led by Muammar Gaddafi, broke relations with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and closed its bureau in Tripoli, after PLO officials resisted Gaddafi's insistence that the Palestinian representatives rely predominantly on guerrilla warfare to achieve their goals against Israel."Libya Reportedly Expels PLO Official— Seals Off Bureau in Capital, Guerrilla Spokesman Says", Los Angeles Times, December 10, 1979, p. I-7 The break came after Gaddafi had called on Palestinian commandos in the more radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to destroy the Suez Canal in Egypt and to wreck Egyptian oil fields in retaliation for Egypt's peace accords with Israel.
Died: Fulton J. Sheen, 84, American Roman Catholic Archbishop and television evangelist "Archbishop Sheen, Who Preached To Millions Over TV, Is Dead at 84", by George Dugan, The New York Times, December 10, 1979, p. A1
December 10, 1979 (Monday)