On this day

August 17, 1979

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

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Headlines from August 17, 1979

Behind Chrysler's Long Decline: Its Management and Competition

By Edwin McDowell; Special to The New York Times

Article on Chrysler Corp's decline notes that it has long criticized Government's refusal to permit auto makers to pool fuel-efficiency technology; Chrysler contended that sharing arrangement would have eliminated costly duplication and would have diminished disproportionately heavy regulatory burden it has been forced to shoulder; ban was lifted by courts last month (S)

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Sidewalk Cafes: The Best Seats In Town

By Ann Barry

WHILE New York cannot rival Paris and Rome for sidewalk cafes, the city nonetheless has its “cafe society,” dedicated sitters who will stretch a glass of wine. and a salade nicoise or a cappuccino and a cannoli for an hour or more to watch the world go by. To novices who need just a little help to start becoming boulevardiers in repose this weekend, the following selective survey of New York's sidewalk cafes is dedicated. It is also for those who already enjoy the delights of outdoor cafes and want more.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of August 15, 1979, covering August 17, 1979.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Get The Knack by The Knack

    Get The Knack

    The Knack

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    8
  2. 2
    Album cover for Bad Girls by Donna Summer

    Bad Girls

    Donna Summer

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    15
  3. 3
    Album cover for Breakfast In America by Supertramp

    Breakfast In America

    Supertramp

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    21
  4. 4
    Album cover for Candy-O by The Cars

    Candy-O

    The Cars

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    8
  5. 5
    Album cover for Teddy by Teddy Pendergrass

    Teddy

    Teddy Pendergrass

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    9

Notable Births

Antwaan Randle El

1979Antwaan Randle El, American football player and journalist[†]

Antwaan Randle El is an American professional football coach and former player who currently serves as the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers, earning first-team All-American honors in 2001. He also played basketball and baseball for the Hoosiers. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. Playing with the Steelers for four seasons as a wide receiver and return specialist, he was active in all 64 regular season games with 23 starts. He was also instrumental in a number of trick plays, including throwing a touchdown pass as a wide receiver for the Steelers in Super Bowl XL.

1979Nicole Sunitsch, Austrian politician[†]

Nicole Sunitsch is an Austrian politician of the Freedom Party serving as a member of the National Council since 2024. She has been a city councillor of Sankt Michael in Obersteiermark since 2020.

Notable Deaths

1979John C. Allen, American roller coaster designer (born 1907)[†]

John C. Allen was a roller coaster designer who was responsible for the revival of wooden roller coasters which began in the 1960s. He attended Drexel University. He started working for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1934 as a coaster operator and rose to become president of the company by 1954. He designed more than 25 coasters and made significant contributions to roller coaster technology. He once said, "You don't need a degree in engineering to design roller coasters, you need a degree in psychology."

Vivian Vance

1979Vivian Vance, American actress and singer (born 1909)[†]

Vivian Vance was an American actress best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom I Love Lucy (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, among other accolades. She also starred alongside Lucille Ball in The Lucy Show from 1962 until she left the series at the end of its third season in 1965. In 1991, she posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is most commonly identified as Lucille Ball’s longtime comedic foil from 1951 until her death in 1979.

Historical Context for August 17, 1979

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