What was going on when I was born?

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Explore the headlines, history, and music on your birthday

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Headlines from May 7, 1980

SURCHARGE TO CURB BANK LOANS ENDED BY FEDERAL RESERVE; IMPOSED TO CHECK INFLATION Board Denies Move Is an Easing of Policy Declines in Interest Rates Since March Cited Steadily More Pessimistic Rise in Reserves Included Reserve Ends Surcharge On Bank Discount Rate An Unusually Wide Spread

By Steven Rattner Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, May 6 The Federal Reserve began removing its tight controls on money and credit today. It ended the surcharge on the interest rate for funds it lends to large banks that borrow frequently.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of May 7, 1980, covering May 7, 1980.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Against The Wind by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

    Against The Wind

    Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    9
  2. 2
    Album cover for The Wall by Pink Floyd

    The Wall

    Pink Floyd

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    22
  3. 3
    Album cover for Glass Houses by Billy Joel

    Glass Houses

    Billy Joel

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    8
  4. 4
    Album cover for Mad Love by Linda Ronstadt

    Mad Love

    Linda Ronstadt

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    9
  5. 5
    Album cover for Light Up The Night by The Brothers Johnson

    Light Up The Night

    The Brothers Johnson

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    10

Famous People Who Share Your Birthday

Birthday Twins

10 notable people born on May 7, across different years.

Portrait of Rabindranath Tagore, born in 1861

Photo: Georges Chevalier · CC BY 4.0 · Commons

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Creator: Georges Chevalier

Credit: https://collections.albert-kahn.hauts-de-seine.fr/document/proprit-d-albert-kahn-boulogne-france-rabindranth-tagore/617a7a45cf8b8968b3386442?filtrerParThme%5B0%5D=Personnalit%C3%A9&filtrerParDomaine%5B0%5D=Images%20fixes&s=dateDePriseDeVue&so=desc&pos=640&pgn=41

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Born 1861

Rabindranath Tagore

Indian polymath (1861–1941)

Portrait of Johannes Brahms, born in 1833

Photo: C. Brasch , Berlin ( biography ) · Public domain · Commons

Full image credit

Creator: C. Brasch , Berlin ( biography )

Credit: http://wicr.uindy.edu/Education/Composers/BrahmsJ.html

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Born 1833

Johannes Brahms

German composer and pianist (1833–1897)

Portrait of Josip Broz Tito, born in 1892

Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · Commons

Full image credit

Creator: Unknown author Unknown author

Credit: This image is available from the Digital Library of Slovenia under the reference number MJVNDGTF This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.

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Born 1892

Josip Broz Tito

Leader of Yugoslavia from 1943 to 1980

Portrait of Władysław Reymont, born in 1867

Photo: Nobel Foundation · Public domain · Commons

Full image credit

Creator: Nobel Foundation

Credit: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1924/reymont-autobio.html

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Born 1867

Władysław Reymont

Polish novelist (1867–1925)

Weekly No. 1

Box Office

The film reported at No. 1 at the United States box office for May 7, 1980.

Market
United States
Reported period
May 7, 1980
Source
Wikipedia

Reported period gross: $847,617

Direct period match: This is the reported box-office period matched to May 7, 1980.

  1. #1

    Kramer vs. Kramer

    Historical No. 1 listing.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Source period May 1, 1980–May 7, 1980.

Historical Context for May 7, 1980

In 1980, the world population was approximately 4,447,606,236 people[†]

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:

  • 9/11/2001: The September 11 Attacks happened on this day, the news articles from this date provide great context to the tragedy our nation suffered and the immediate response from the American people. The headlines capture the shock, confusion, and unity that emerged in the aftermath of this devastating event.
  • 7/20/1969: The historic Apollo 11 moon landing, when humans first set foot on another celestial body. The articles from this date showcase humanity's greatest achievement in space exploration and the culmination of the space race.
  • 11/9/1989: The fall of the Berlin Wall, marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War. The coverage provides fascinating insights into this pivotal moment in world history and the emotions of people as decades of division came to an end.
  • 1/20/2009: Barack Obama's inauguration as the first African American President of the United States, a watershed moment in American history that represented a major milestone in the ongoing journey toward racial equality.
  • 8/15/1969: The Woodstock Music Festival began, marking a defining moment in American counterculture and music history. The coverage captures the spirit of the era and the unprecedented gathering of young people.

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.