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1980Grant Hackett, Australian swimmer[†]
Grant George Hackett OAM is an Australian swimmer, most famous for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle race at both the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This achievement has led him to be regarded as one of the greatest distance swimmers in history. He also collected a gold medal in Sydney for swimming in the heats of the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. He was well regarded for his versatility, and has held the long course world records in the 200 m, 800 m, and 1500 m freestyle events. He dominated the 1500 m event for a decade, being undefeated in the event in finals from 1996 until the 2007 World Aquatics Championships. In total, he won 10 long-course world championship gold medals.
1980Kate Molale, South African activist (born 1928)[†]
Kate Molale OMSS was a South African political activist, between 1970 and 1975 she represented the ANC Women's League/Women's Section in the Women's International Democratic Federation.
1980In Florida, United States, Liberian freighter MV Summit Venture collides with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, making a 430-meter (1,400 ft) section of the southbound span collapse. Thirty-five people in six cars and a Greyhound bus fall 46 metres (150 ft) into the water and die.[†]
Florida is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Straits of Florida to the south, and The Bahamas to the southeast. About two-thirds of Florida occupies a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, spanning approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km), not including its many barrier islands. It is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of over 23 million, it is the third-most populous state in the United States and ranks seventh in population density as of 2020. Florida spans 65,758 square miles (170,310 km2), ranking 22nd in area among the states. The Miami metropolitan area, anchored by the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, is the state's largest metropolitan area, with a population of 6.138 million; the most populous city is Jacksonville. Florida's other major population centers include Tampa Bay, Orlando, Cape Coral, and the state capital of Tallahassee.
1980In Norco, California, United States, five masked gunmen hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer are killed and thirty-three police and civilian vehicles are destroyed in the chase.[†]
Norco is a city in northwestern Riverside County, California, United States. Located roughly 40 miles (64 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean, Norco is known as "Horsetown, USA" and prides itself on being a "horse community". The area is dotted with corrals, farms, hitching posts, ranches, riding trails, and tack-and-feed supply stores; there are also city ordinances in-place requiring new construction to have a "traditional, rustic ... Western flavor".
TAIF, Saudi Arabia, May 8 The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Coutries closed an extraordinary twoday ministerial meeting here today with only a partial agreement on longterm plans.
WASHINGTON, Friday, May 9 The Senate voted yesterday to give $700 million in general revenue-sharing funds to the states in the fiscal year 1981 and to reduce grants for specific programs by that amount.
ALBANY, May 8 Stanley Steingut, former Speaker of the Assembly, today turned down a $15,000-a-year part-time state job as a consultant.
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., May 8 The United States abstained today as the 14 other members of the Security Council approved a resolution calling on Israel to undo an "illegal" deportation of three West Bank Arab leaders.
Alan I. Goldman surveys the confluence of dreary economic forecasts and free-falling interest rates and, in a way, gives thanks.
PARIS, May 8 Falling American interest rates and obstinately high European rates have combined to scale back much of the spectacular gain the dollar made earlier this year when the Federal Reserve pushed American rates up, attracting money from all over the world.
The red and white signs on the road barriers at the upper end of Sandy Hook have been up all winter and into the spring, warning that the beaches are closed because of "emergency conditions." Ammunition, some of it dating to before World War I, was found last fall in the sands near the old Army base there.
MANILA, May 8 Former Senator Benigno S. Aquino, the Philippine opposition leader, who has been kept under detention for seven and a half years by President Ferdinand E. Marcos, was allowed to fly to the United States today for what he said was a coronary bypass operation necessary to save his life.
DETROIT, May 8 The Ford Motor Company announced today that it would offer customers rebates on every new Ford and Lincoln Mercury car on the market. The rebates will range from $100 on subcompacts to $500 on full-size models.
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia, May 8 Josip Broz Tito, the Croatian peasant's son who created modern Yugoslavia, was buried today in a simple white marble tomb in a garden pavilion overlooking Belgrade. A vast assembly of world leaders was in attendance.
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.