At A Glance

26 July 1979 at a glance

Day of the week
26 July 1979 was a Thursday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer.
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 26 July is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 26 July 1979 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for July is Ruby.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 26 July 1979 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 26 July

  • 1968 Vietnam War: South Vietnamese opposition leader Trương Đình Dzu is sentenced to five years hard labor for advocating the formation of a coalition government as a way to move toward an end to the war.
  • 1971 Apollo program: Launch of Apollo 15 on the first Apollo "J-Mission", and first use of a Lunar Roving Vehicle.
  • 1974 Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis forms the country's first civil government after seven years of military rule.
  • 1977 The National Assembly of Quebec imposes the use of French as the official language of the provincial government.
  • 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is signed into law by President George H. W. Bush.

Famous people born on July 26

  • Sandra Bullock, American actress and producer (born 1964)
  • Jason Statham, English actor (born 1967)
  • Kate Beckinsale, English actress (born 1973)
  • Helen Mirren, English actress (born 1945)

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 →