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Headlines from November 20, 1980

IRANIAN ASSERTS U.S. AGREES IN PRINCIPLE TO MEET CONDITIONS; FIRST REACTION ON HOSTAGES Comment by the Leader of Teheran Assembly Gives Washington Modest Encouragement Four Conditions Set by Iran IRANIAN ASSERTS U.S. AGREES IN PRINCIPLE

By Bernard Gwertzman Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19--The Speaker of Iran's Parliament said today that the United States had accepted "in principle" Iran's four conditions for ending the hostage crisis, but he reaffirmed that until Iran's demands were actually met, the release of the 52 Americans would be delayed.

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Delaware River Water Supply Cut 2d Time in a Month for New York; Conservation Steps Needed Delaware River Water Supply Cut 2d Time in a Month for New York Conservation Meeting Due Concern Over Compliance

By Robert Hanley Special To the New York Times

WEST TRENTON, N.J., Nov. 19--The four-state commission that regulates the use of drinking water from the Delaware River basin today cut New York City's supplies for the second time in about a month and moved toward possible declaration of a "drought emergency" in the region early next month.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of November 19, 1980, covering November 20, 1980.

  1. 1
    Album cover for The River by Bruce Springsteen

    The River

    Bruce Springsteen

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    4
  2. 2
    Album cover for Guilty by Barbra Streisand

    Guilty

    Barbra Streisand

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    7
  3. 3
    Album cover for Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits by Kenny Rogers

    Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits

    Kenny Rogers

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    6
  4. 4
    Album cover for Hotter Than July by Stevie Wonder

    Hotter Than July

    Stevie Wonder

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    2
  5. 5
    Album cover for The Game by Queen

    The Game

    Queen

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    19

Notable Births

Dilnaz Akhmadieva

1980Dilnaz Akhmadieva, Kazakhstani singer and actress[†]

Dilnaz Muratkyzy Akhmadieva is a Kazakhstani pop singer and actress of Uyghur origin, born and raised in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

1980James Chambers, English footballer[†]

James Ashley Chambers is an English professional footballer. Chambers played predominantly as a right-back, although he also played at centre-back, left-back and right-wing during his career. He last played for Worcester City.

1980Eiko Koike, Japanese actress[†]

Eiko Koike is a Japanese actress.

Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym

1980Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym, Thai boxer[†]

Chalermwong Udomna, who boxes as Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym, is a retired professional boxer from Thailand who fought in the Super bantamweight division. He is a former WBA Regular Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight World Champion, and a former PABA regional Bantamweight and Superbantamweight. His manager is Niwat Laosuwanwat who is the manager of the former WBA Junior bantamweight World Champion and legendary Thai boxer Khaosai Galaxy.

1980Marek Krejčí, Slovak footballer (died 2007)[†]

Marek Krejčí was a Slovak footballer who played as a striker.

Ana Caterina Morariu

1980Ana Caterina Morariu, Romanian-Italian actress[†]

Ana Caterina Morariu is a Romanian-born actress Italian naturalized.

Christian Obrist

1980Christian Obrist, Italian middle-distance runner[†]

Christian Obrist is an Italian middle distance runner, who specializes in the 1500 m.

Eoin Reddan

1980Eoin Reddan, Irish rugby union player[†]

Eoin Reddan is a retired Irish rugby union player who played at scrum half. He initially attended the Jesuit boarding school, Clongowes Wood, before moving school to Crescent College Comprehensive where he captained the school side. On leaving school he studied at the University of Limerick.

Notable Deaths

John McEwen

1980John McEwen, Australian lawyer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1900)[†]

Sir John McEwen was an Australian politician and farmer who served as the 18th prime minister of Australia from 1967 to 1968, in a caretaker capacity following the disappearance of prime minister Harold Holt. He was the leader of the Country Party from 1958 to 1971, serving as the inaugural deputy prime minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971.

Historical Events

1980Lake Peigneur in Louisiana drains into an underlying salt deposit. A misplaced Texaco oil probe had been drilled into the Diamond Crystal Salt Mine, causing water to flow down into the mine, eroding the edges of the hole.[†]

Lake Peigneur is a brackish lake in the U.S. state of Louisiana, 1.2 miles north of Delcambre and 9.1 mi (14.6 km) west of New Iberia, near the northernmost tip of Vermilion Bay. With a maximum depth of 200 feet, it is the deepest lake in Louisiana. Its name comes from the French word "peigneur", meaning "one who combs."

Famous People Who Share Your Birthday

Birthday Twins

10 notable people born on November 20, across different years.

Portrait of Joe Biden, born in 1942

Photo: Adam Schultz · Public domain · Commons

Full image credit

Creator: Adam Schultz

Credit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-biden/ ( archive )

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Born 1942

Joe Biden

President of the United States from 2021 to 2025

Portrait of Selma Lagerlöf, born in 1858

Photo: https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1909/lager
 · Public domain · Commons

Full image credit

Credit: https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1909/lagerlof-facts.html

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Born 1858

Selma Lagerlöf

Swedish author (1858–1940)

Portrait of Edwin Hubble, born in 1889

Photo: Johan Hagemeyer · Public domain · Commons

Full image credit

Creator: Johan Hagemeyer

Credit: http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15150coll2/id/129

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Born 1889

Edwin Hubble

American astronomer (1889–1953)

Portrait of Robert F. Kennedy, born in 1925

Photo: Harry Warnecke · Public domain · Commons

Full image credit

Creator: Harry Warnecke

Credit: https://www.newspapers.com/image/406599840/?match=1&terms=%22harry%20warnecke%22%20%22robert%20kennedy%22 , https://www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2023/06/04/4UFULHIMDJECLCA63CT42II7UY.jpg , https://www.nydailynews.com/2022/11/20/remembering-the-life-and-career-of-robert-f-kennedy/

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Born 1925

Robert F. Kennedy

American politician and lawyer (1925–1968)

Portrait of Pope Pius VIII, born in 1761

Photo: Clemente Alberi · Public domain · Commons

Full image credit

Creator: Clemente Alberi

Credit: bbcc.ibc.regione.emilia-romagna.it: Info : Pic

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Born 1761

Pope Pius VIII

Head of the Catholic Church from 1829 to 1830

Weekly No. 1

Box Office

The film reported at No. 1 at the United States box office for November 20, 1980.

Market
United States
Reported period
November 20, 1980
Source
Wikipedia

Reported period gross: $1,016,984

Direct period match: This is the reported box-office period matched to November 20, 1980.

  1. #1

    Private Benjamin

    Historical No. 1 listing.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Source period November 20, 1980–November 26, 1980.

Historical Context for November 20, 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.