On this day

July 19, 1979

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

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Headlines from July 19, 1979

BUSINESS Digest

By Unknown Author

Gold closed above $300 an ounce for the first time and the dollar tumbled as the world's financial markets reacted to uncertainties over President Carter's energy program and potential Cabinet changes. Gold was fixed at a record $303.85 an ounce in London in the morning and closed at $301. [Page A1.] Treasury Secretary W. Michael Blumenthal, in Congressional testimony about gold's rise and the dollar's fall, stopped short of relating the activity to his resignation offer or those of other Cabinet members, saying, “I wouldn't want to personalize it in any way.” [D3.]

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Koch Puts Price On City Support For Casino Vote

By Frank Lynn

Mayor Koch says that he wants city to receive 12% of profits on table games and 50% of slot machine profits as its price for support of constitutional amendment legalizing gambling casinos in NYS; holds city would need such income to compensate for crime and 'social' ills that casinos would bring to area as well as anticipated decline in offtrack betting revenues (M)

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Housing Starts Rose 5.7% in June

By Unknown Author

Commerce Dept reports that new construction of homes and apartments was at annual rate of 1.94 million units in June, up 5.7%, from May level but 7.5% below June '78; National Home Builders Assn chief economist Michael Sumichrast comments (M)

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of July 18, 1979, covering July 19, 1979.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Bad Girls by Donna Summer

    Bad Girls

    Donna Summer

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    11
  2. 2
    Album cover for Breakfast In America by Supertramp

    Breakfast In America

    Supertramp

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    17
  3. 3
    Album cover for I Am by Earth| Wind & Fire

    I Am

    Earth| Wind & Fire

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    6
  4. 4
    Album cover for Cheap Trick At Budokan by Cheap Trick

    Cheap Trick At Budokan

    Cheap Trick

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    22
  5. 5
    Album cover for Discovery by Electric Light Orchestra

    Discovery

    Electric Light Orchestra

    Last week
    6
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    5

Notable Births

Rick Ankiel

1979Rick Ankiel, American baseball player[†]

Richard Alexander Ankiel is an American former professional baseball center fielder and pitcher. He spent most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals, but also played for the Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, and New York Mets.

Josué (footballer, born 1979)

1979JosuĂ© Anunciado de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer[†]

Josué Anunciado de Oliveira, or simply Josué, is a former Brazilian defensive midfielder.

Dilhara Fernando

1979Dilhara Fernando, Sri Lankan cricketer[†]

Congenige Randhi Dilhara Fernando is a former professional Sri Lankan international cricketer. He played as a right-handed pace bowler and was a key member of the Sri Lankan teams which finished as runners-up in the 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cups.

Luke Young (footballer, born 1979)

1979Luke Young, English footballer[†]

Luke Paul Young is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Historical Events

Sandinista National Liberation Front

1979The Sandinista rebels overthrow the government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua.[†]

The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto CĂ©sar Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistance against the United States occupation of Nicaragua in the 1930s.

1979The oil tanker SS Atlantic Empress collides with another oil tanker, causing the largest ever ship-borne oil spill.[†]

SS Atlantic Empress was a Greek oil tanker that in 1979 collided with the oil tanker Aegean Captain in the Caribbean, and eventually sank, having created the fifth largest oil spill on record and the largest ship-based spill having spilled 287,000 metric tonnes of crude oil into the Caribbean Sea. It was built at the Odense StaalskibsvĂŠrft shipyard in Odense, Denmark, and launched on 16 February 1974.

Historical Context for July 19, 1979

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