UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
20 January 1979 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 20 January 1979 was a Saturday.
- Kent Music Report No. 1
- The Kent Music Report No. 1 was “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People.
- Top Film of 1979
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1979 was Moonraker.
- Best-Selling Vehicle of 1979
- Australia's top-selling new vehicle in 1979 was the Holden Commodore.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 20 January is Aquarius.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 20 January 1979 fell in the Year of the Horse.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for January is Garnet.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 20 January 1979 was Last Quarter.
On this day: 20 January
- 1972 Pakistan launches its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
- 1974 China gains control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam.
- 1986 In the United States, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
- 1986 Leabua Jonathan, Prime Minister of Lesotho, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Justin Lekhanya.
- 1990 Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Famous people born on 20 January
- J. J. McCarthy, American football player (born 2003)
- David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter (1946–2025)
- Evan Peters, American actor (born 1987)
- Sid Wilson, American musician (born 1977)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Events of 1979 in Australia
A selection from Wikipedia's '1979 in Australia'. Not a complete list.
- 9 January – Deputy Prime Minister Doug Anthony signs a pact to allow uranium mining to begin at the Ranger Uranium Mine in the Northern Territory.
- 9 February – Associated Securities Limited, Australia's fourth-largest finance company, is placed into receivership.
- 9 March – The Arbitration Commission awards Australian women the right to six weeks' compulsory unpaid maternity leave with the option of extending the leave to one year.
Life in Australia in 1979
Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser
Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II
Petrol (per litre)
$0.13
Loaf of Bread
$0.54
Average House
$40,000
Weekly Wage
$200.00
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Famous Faces Born in the 1970s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Heath Ledger4 April 1979ActorView their day →Patrick Brammall30 March 1976ActorView their day →Rose Byrne24 July 1979ActressView their day →Isla Fisher3 February 1976Actress & authorView their day →Sam Worthington2 August 1976ActorView their day →Toni Collette1 November 1972Actress & musicianView their day →Joel Edgerton23 June 1974ActorView their day →Natalie Imbruglia4 February 1975Singer & actressView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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