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Historical Context for July 21, 1980

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

In 1980, the average yearly tuition was $738 for public universities and $3,225 for private universities. Today, these costs have risen to $9,750 and $35,248 respectively[†]

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Headlines from July 21, 1980

Draft Registration Is Beginning Amid Controversy; Difficulties Enforcing Law Draft Registration to Start Amid Wide Controversy; Protests Are Planned Factors Hampering Registration No Plans to Add Employees Variety of Views Are Expressed

By Richard Halloran Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, July 20 About four million young men are scheduled to begin registering tomorrow morning for a possible military draft amid signs of widespread active and passive resistance that may cause the Government problems of enforcement.

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Poor and Elderly People in Sun Belt Cities Suffer an Unremitting Misery; 75,000 Without Fans in Houston Nearly 1,100 Deaths Attributed to Heat Looking for a Cool Breeze Heat Wave Toll Is 1,098 in Nation

By William K. Stevens Special To the New York Times

HOUSTON, July 20 The Galleria, a spectacular four-tiered shopping mall on Houston's West Side, is like one of those self-contained, hermetically sealed, climate-controlled domed cities that science-fiction writers invent to protect their fictional civilizations from the hostile environments of alien planets.

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Watson, on 271, Takes British Open a 3d Time; A Peerage of Golf 'The Second Greatest' Watson, With 271, Takes British Open for a Third Time Disturbing Dreams Weather Is a Factor

By John S. Radosta Special To the New York Times

MUIRFIELD, Scotland, July 20 Tom Watson appeared relaxed and confident today as he rode a four-stroke lead to his third British Open golf championship, but by his own account he was nervous until the 16th hole, when there could be no doubt of the outcome.

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Small, High-Technology Vehicles Will Be Tomorrow's Luxury Cars; Cars for the 80's Small, High-Technology Cars Called Best U.S. Hope A Cadillac Compact? Lessons From BMW The Weight-Price Formula Legions of Import Fighters Further Battles on Mileage

By John Holusha

As the American automobile industry looks beyond the era of big cars, one of its chief problems has as much to do with marketing as design or engineering: how to sell a full line of cars in a time when ...

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Heat Wave Threatens Soybean Crop; Heat Wave Menaces U.S. Soybean Crop Carryover of Corn How Wheat Is Doing

By H.j. Maidenberg

This year's harvest of soybeans, the nation's second most important crop after corn, may have been seriously damaged by the heat wave that has been searing the middle third of the country this month. The effects of a sharply reduced harvest will be felt on grocers' shelves because the pea-sized, buff-colored beans are used in a broad variety of foods such as margarine and cooking and salad oils, as well as in meat production.

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Used-Car Volume and Prices Up; Eased Credit And Gasoline Behind Swing Reasons for Upswing Used-Car Sales Volume And Prices Swing Up Indicator of New-Car Sales Sales by Renters Are Up

By Steve Lohr

Robert Limpp, president of 270 Auto Sales, a used-car dealer in downtown Denver, has noticed a substantial change in the pace of his business in the last few weeks. The demand for used cars in his area has increased so much, he said, that prices on some models had increased by several hundred dollars.

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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.