At A Glance

24 March 1979 at a glance

Day of the week
24 March 1979 was a Saturday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Tragedy” by Bee Gees.
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 24 March is Aries.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 24 March 1979 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for March is Aquamarine.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 24 March 1979 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 24 March

  • 1972 Direct rule is imposed on Northern Ireland by the Government of the United Kingdom under Edward Heath.
  • 1976 In Argentina, the armed forces overthrow the constitutional government of President Isabel Perón and start a seven-year dictatorial period self-styled the National Reorganization Process.
  • 1977 Morarji Desai becomes the prime minister of India, the first prime minister not to belong to Indian National Congress.
  • 1982 Bangladeshi President Abdus Sattar is deposed in a bloodless coup led by Army Chief Lieutenant general Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who suspends the Constitution and imposes martial law.
  • 1986 The Loscoe gas explosion leads to new UK laws on landfill gas migration and gas protection on landfill sites.

Famous people born on March 24

  • Bob Mackie, American fashion designer (1940–2026)
  • Steve McQueen, American actor and producer (1930–1980)
  • Jim Parsons, American actor (born 1973)
  • Steve Ballmer, American businessman (born 1956)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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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

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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)

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