On this day

October 1, 1979

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

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Headlines from October 1, 1979

Utility Dropping Plan to Ship Gas To Staten Island

By Michael Goodwin

New Jersey's largest utility company has dropped a plan to ship imported liquefied natural gas through Arthur Kill for storage on Staten Island, saying that Federal officials had not acted to approve the plan since applications were filed seven years ago.

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Soaring Price of Silver Rouses Mining Industry

By Unknown Author

Price of silver, now over $16 an oz, has nearly tripled since beginning of year; Bernard Rohe, chief executive officer of Industrias Penoles, world's largest silver producer, sees continuing upward trend; recently told members of Silver Institute, association of silver companies, that silver was statistically stronger than gold because of demand for industrial use; Sunshine Mining Co chief operating officer David J Wagnon says company is expanding production; Spokane Stock Exchange secretary Ben Harrison comments on flurry of trading in shares of smaller silver mining companies on exchange; illus of Idaho mine; graph of silver prices, '78‐79 (M)

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Americans in Canal Zone Sadly Witness End of an Era

By Alan Riding Special to The New York Times

Americans who long operated Panama Canal sadly mark demise of Canal Zone as Panama gains jurisdiction over strip for 1st time in 76 years; American enclave, as well as entire way of life, will disappear; Canal Zone community leader Dr Richard Cheville comments; transfer ceremonies begin; Lt Gen Wallace H Nutting assumes command of US Southern Command from Lt Gen Dennis P McAuliffe, who will become administrator of new Panama Canal Commission, which will operate waterway; Harold P Parfitt, last of 17 Canal Zone governors, lowers US flag in front of canal company's administration building for last time; Marcos McGrath, Panama's Roman Catholic Archbishop, celebrates mass at church in Fort Clayton army base; illus (L)

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of September 26, 1979, covering October 1, 1979.

  1. 1
    Album cover for In Through The Out Door by Led Zeppelin

    In Through The Out Door

    Led Zeppelin

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    4
  2. 2
    Album cover for Get The Knack by The Knack

    Get The Knack

    The Knack

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    14
  3. 3
    Album cover for Slow Train Coming by Bob Dylan

    Slow Train Coming

    Bob Dylan

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    4
  4. 4
    Album cover for Breakfast In America by Supertramp

    Breakfast In America

    Supertramp

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    27
  5. 5
    Album cover for Risque by Chic

    Risque

    Chic

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    6

Notable Births

Curtis Axel

1979Curtis Axel, American wrestler[†]

Joseph Curtis Hennig is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel.

Rudi Johnson

1979Rudi Johnson, American football player[†]

Burudi Ali Johnson is an American former professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL draft.

Gilberto MartĂ­nez

1979Gilberto Martínez, Costa Rican footballer[†]

Gilberto MartĂ­nez Vidal is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Ryan Pontbriand

1979Ryan Pontbriand, American football player[†]

Ryan David Pontbriand is an American former professional football player who was a long snapper and center in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rice Owls and was selected in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. He has the distinction of being the highest-drafted pure long snapper in the history of the NFL draft.

Marko Stanojevic

1979Marko Stanojevic, English-Italian rugby player[†]

Marko Peter Stanojevic is an Italian rugby union footballer. He last played on the wing for Italian Top12 club Rovigo. Before his move to Italy, he had played four seasons with Bristol in England.

Historical Events

Pope John Paul II

1979Pope John Paul II begins his first pastoral visit to the United States.[†]

Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005.

MTR

1979The MTR, Hong Kong's rapid transit railway system, opens.[†]

The Mass Transit Railway system, known locally by the initialism MTR, is a rapid transit system in Hong Kong and the territory's principal mode of railway transportation. Operated by the MTR Corporation (MTRCL), it consists of heavy rail, light rail and feeder bus services, centred around a 10-line rapid transit network, serving the urbanised areas of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. The system encompasses 245.3 km (152.4 mi) of railways, as of December 2022, with 179 stations—including 99 heavy rail stations, 68 light rail stops and 1 high-speed rail terminus.

Historical Context for October 1, 1979

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