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Historical Context for June 16, 1980

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

Notable Births

1980Brandon Armstrong, American basketball player[†]

Brandon Simone Armstrong is an American former professional basketball player. Born in San Francisco, California, he played college basketball for the Pepperdine Waves and was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 23rd overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft. He was traded to the New Jersey Nets, where he played three seasons in the NBA. He later played in Italy, Spain, Poland and Ukraine, and spent a season in the NBA D-League.

1980Phil Christophers, German-English rugby player[†]

Philip Derek Christophers is a former rugby union footballer, who played on the wing for Castres and, briefly, England.

1980Henry Perenara, New Zealand rugby league player and referee[†]

Henry Edward Perenara is a New Zealand rugby league former referee and professional footballer who represented New Zealand. He played as a lock, though he could also play in the second-row. He is also the first NRL referee in history to send off a player for an alleged bite, he sent Kevin Proctor off in the Round 14 match of 2020, when Cronulla-Sutherland played against the Gold Coast.

1980Martin Stranzl, Austrian footballer[†]

Martin Stranzl is an Austrian professional football coach and a former player who played as a defender. He played for German clubs 1860 Munich, Stuttgart and Borussia Mönchengladbach, as well as Russian club Spartak Moscow during his career, and also represented the Austria national football team at UEFA Euro 2008.

1980Joey Yung, Hong Kong singer[†]

Joey Yung Tso-Yi is a Hong Kong singer signed to Emperor Entertainment Group. Since her debut in 1996, Yung has won numerous awards, including the JSG Most Popular Female Singer and Ultimate Best Female Singer – Gold awards a record-breaking nine times. She was ranked 63rd on the 2014 Forbes China Celebrity 100, making her the most influential Hong Kong–based female singer that year. In 2014, she reportedly earned HK$80 million (US$10.3 million).

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Headlines from June 16, 1980

Casino Plans Sometimes Backed By Officials With Vested Interest; Atlantic City Officials With an Interest Figuring in Casino Deals Obvious Alternative Rejected Stricter Ethics Code Sought Master Plan at Stake Corporate Finances Questioned City Officials Switch Jobs Circumvention Tactic Defended Record of Meeting Disputed

By Special to The New York Times

ATLANTIC CITY Early last year Robert Maheu, a former aide to the late Howard Hughes, and his associates were having problems getting city approval to build a $60 million hotel-casino project on an undersized lot until the director of ...

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Bengali Immigrants in Indian Town Are Massacred by Tribal Attackers; Army Contingent Finds at Least 350 Bodies and No Survivors After Raid No One Found Alive Similar Campaign in Assam Bengali Immigrants in Indian Town Are Massacred by Tribal Attackers Many Had Fled Moslem Attacks

By Kasturi Rangan Special To the New York Times

MANDAI, India, June 14 In two days of carnage last Saturday and Sunday, nearly all of the Bengali residents of this village were killed in a raid by the indigenous tribal residents of the area. Today, the stench of death hangs in the air amid charred ruins of houses, stores and a tiny temple.

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An Illegal Gun Dealer: Businessman Thrives In Flourishing Market; 2 Million Handguns Businessman Thriving in a Sideline: Illegal Handguns Dealing With the Dealer 'Missing' Shipments Gangs Prove Effective Outlets Unknown Customers Avoided Dealers Flout Variety of Laws

By Unknown Author

Once a month, an inconspicuous latemodel rented station wagon drives into Manhattan loaded with neatly stacked cardboard boxes. In the boxes, according to Sam Yang, a gun dealer, are brandnew revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.

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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.