On this day

April 1, 1979

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from April 1, 1979

Prior Restraint Becomes a Fact

By Unknown Author

A door to press censorship has been opened that some fear may never be closed. In prohibiting The Progressive magazine from publishing an article about how hydrogen bombs are made, Federal District Court Judge Robert W. Warren became last week the first Federal judge ever to issue an injunction imposing prior restraint in a national security case. The judge acknowledged that the case involved “a basic confrontation between the First Amendment right to freedom of the press and national security,” but said he believed the Government had shown that publication would violate sections of the Atomic Energy Act. (The Judge Has Ruled, Page 9.)

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The Undoing of L.I. Shopping Centers

By Jonathan Steinberg

Yards away from a busy shopping center, home buyers debate the pros and cons of condominium living at an unusual redevelopment effort nearing completion in Massapequa Park, L.I. The shopping center is a pareddown version of one that used to cover 30 acres — now reduced to make way for the complex of condominiums.

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Watson Leith by 8 With 69‐199

By John S. Radosta; Special to The New York Times

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C., March 31 — With Tom Watson sitting on a strong eight‐stroke lead, the finale of the 11th Heritage Golf Classic tomorrow should be a mere formality to complete the regulation 72 holes and determine the order of those trailing him.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of March 28, 1979, covering April 1, 1979.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Spirits Having Flown by Bee Gees

    Spirits Having Flown

    Bee Gees

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    7
  2. 2
    Album cover for Minute By Minute by The Doobie Brothers

    Minute By Minute

    The Doobie Brothers

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    15
  3. 3
    Album cover for Dire Straits by Dire Straits

    Dire Straits

    Dire Straits

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    13
  4. 4
    Album cover for Love Tracks by Gloria Gaynor

    Love Tracks

    Gloria Gaynor

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    13
  5. 5
    Album cover for Blondes Have More Fun by Rod Stewart

    Blondes Have More Fun

    Rod Stewart

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    15

Notable Births

Ruth Beitia

1979Ruth Beitia, Spanish high jumper[†]

Ruth Beitia Vila is a retired high jumper who was the 2016 Olympic champion in the women's high jump. She was also a politician in the Partido Popular and a member of the Parliament of Cantabria.

Historical Events

Iran

1979Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.[†]

Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. With a multi-ethnic population of over 92 million in an area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), Iran ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population. It is the sixth-largest country entirely in Asia and one of the world's most mountainous countries. Iran is officially an Islamic republic, divided into five regions with 31 provinces. Tehran is the nation's capital, largest city and financial centre.

Historical Context for April 1, 1979

In 1979, the world population was approximately 4,368,539,528 people[†]