At A Glance

12 October 1979 at a glance

Day of the week
12 October 1979 was a Friday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Sad Eyes” by Robert John.
Top Film of 1979
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1979 was Moonraker.
Bestselling Novel of 1979
“The Matarese Circle” by Robert Ludlum was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1979.
Top-Rated TV Show
“60 Minutes” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1979–80 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 12 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 12 October 1979 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 12 October 1979 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 12 October

  • 1971 The 2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire begins.
  • 1973 President Nixon nominates House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford as the successor to Vice President Spiro T. Agnew.
  • 1977 Hua Guofeng succeeds Mao Zedong as paramount leader of China.
  • 1979 Typhoon Tip becomes the largest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded.
  • 1983 Japan's former Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei is found guilty of taking a $2 million bribe from the Lockheed Corporation, and is sentenced to four years in jail.

Famous people born on October 12

  • Hugh Jackman, Australian actor, singer, and producer (born 1968)
  • Edward VI, king of England (1537–1553)
  • Doris Miller, American cook and soldier (1919–1943)
  • Josh Hutcherson, American actor and producer (born 1992)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1979 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1979 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 20 – This Old House premieres on PBS.
  • March 29 – America's most serious nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania.
  • April 1 – Nickelodeon debuts on cable television, playing children's television shows 24 hours a day. Pinwheel, which first premiered on the channel C-3 in 1977, was one of the first shows to be broadcast on the channel.

Life in the US in 1979

President

Jimmy Carter

Gas (per gallon)

$0.86

Loaf of Bread

$0.43

Average House

$62,900

Weekly Wage

$250

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →