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1980Goran Bezina, Swiss ice hockey player[†]
Goran Bezina is a Swiss former professional ice hockey defenseman who played most of his career with Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL). He also played with the Arizona Coyotes in the National Hockey League (NHL), Medveščak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the NL and HC Sierre of the Swiss League (SL).
1980Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian skier[†]
Marit Bjørgen is a former Norwegian cross-country skier. She is ranked first in the all-time Cross-Country World Cup rankings with 114 individual victories. Bjørgen is also the most successful sprinter in Cross-Country World Cup history, with 29 victories. She headed the medal table at the 2010 Winter Olympics by winning five medals, including three gold. A five-time Olympian, her five Olympic medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games brought her total number of medals up to a record 15, making her the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time and the third-most decorated Olympian of all time.
1980Lee Jin, South Korean singer and actress[†]
Lee Jin is a South Korean singer and actress. She made her entertainment debut as a member of the K-pop girl group Fin.K.L, along with Lee Hyori, Ock Joo-hyun, and Sung Yu-ri. After Fin.K.L came to an unofficial end in 2002, Lee became an actress.
1980Ronaldinho, Brazilian footballer[†]
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or. He is the only player ever to have won a World Cup, a Copa América, a Confederations Cup, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores and a Ballon d'Or. A global icon of the sport, Ronaldinho was renowned for his dribbling abilities, free-kick accuracy, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes, and overhead kicks, as well as his ability to score and create goals. During his career he was one of the most valuable footballers in the world. He is also known by the nickname "O Bruxo".
1980Deryck Whibley, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer[†]
Deryck Jason Whibley, also known by the stage name Bizzy D, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, main songwriter, producer, founder, and only constant member of the rock band Sum 41.
1980Peter Stoner, American mathematician and astronomer (born 1888)[†]
Peter Stoner was a Christian writer and Chairman of the departments of mathematics and astronomy at Pasadena City College until 1953; Chairman of the science division, Westmont College, 1953–57; Professor Emeritus of Science, Westmont College; and Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Astronomy, Pasadena City College.
1980Cold War: American President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet–Afghan War.[†]
The Cold War was a period of global geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The term cold war is used because there was no direct fighting between the two superpowers, though each supported opposing sides in regional conflicts known as proxy wars. In addition to the struggle for ideological and economic influence and an arms race in both conventional and nuclear weapons, the Cold War was expressed through technological rivalries such as the Space Race, espionage, propaganda campaigns, embargoes, and sports diplomacy.
WASHINGTON, March 20--The Soviet Union told the United States today that an outbreak of anthrax disease occurred in Sverdlovsk last year, but that it was due to natural causes and not to accidental contamination by biological-warfare agents, State Department officials said.
Sharp differences developed yesterday between New York City and taxi industry officials over the way fares for medallion taxis would be computed during a possi ble strike by bus and subway workers.
Interest rates soared yesterday while prices in the credit markets sank under the weight of a heavy schedule of borrowing by the Federal Government. The Treasury sold two-year notes at a record yield of 15.01 percent, and this week's fragile recovery in the fixed-income securities market disappeared.
WASHINGTON, March 20 In Congress's first step toward achieving a balanced budget next year, the House Budget Committee tonight approved and sent to the full House a plan for the fiscal year 1981 that shows a $2 billion surplus and calls for a possible $20 billion in tax cuts to spur business productivity.
George Bush Campaigning in Connecticut, Mr. Bush held a news conference in New Haven, attended rallies in Colchester and Old Saybrook and sought to sharpen differences with his Republican rivals.
WALLACE, Idaho Two years ago, the Hecla Mining Company, battered by the longest copper-industry slump in history, low silver prices and a hefty bank debt that overwhelmed its balance sheet, faced bankruptcy. Over the past year, however, the roller-coaster movement in metals prices has fattened Hecla's coffers.
THE HAGUE, March 20--The United States said today that it now appeared Iran might hold the American hostages indefinitely.
"I WAS describing my schedule to a lumberjack in Florida the other day," said Yehudi Menuhin, the youthful-looking, 63 year-old violinist. "He told me he thought I was the first person he'd met who worked harder than he did. I was inclined to agree with him, although he gets a lot more fresh air than I do."
RENATA Scotto is a fixture in New York's operatic life; in recent years she has become almost the Metropolitan Opera's "house soprano," so frequently does the company mount new productions for her. Most recently it has been Puccini's "Manon Lescaut," which received its premiere Monday night.
I was wondering if anything interesting on the news was going on when I was born, and decided to create this website for fun. The purpose is to show people what was going on when they were born. With this website I've found out that it was a pretty slow news day on my birthday, but I bet it would feel cool to know a historical event happened on your birthday.
The data used in this project is provided by the New York Times API. They have by far the best API I was able to find, with articles dating back to the 1950s. There weren't any other major newspapers that had an API with close to as much data. The closest was the Guardian API, but theirs only went back to the 1990s. I decided to only use articles from the New York Times because their API was by far the best. This tool works if you have a birthday after the 1950s or so.
Some important dates in history I'd recommend looking up on this website are:
These historical events are just a few examples of the fascinating moments in history you can explore through this tool. Whether you're interested in your own birthday, significant historical dates, or just curious about what was making headlines on any given day, this website offers a unique window into the past through the lens of contemporary news coverage.
You can read more on our blog.