On this day

December 27, 1979

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

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Headlines from December 27, 1979

Reactor Closings Asked if Utilities Lack Evacuation Plans for Locales

By David Burnham; Special to The New York Times

Draft report of Nuclear Regulatory Commission panel on 3 Mile Island accident recommends that serious consideration be given to dosing of any reactor whose operator is unable to develop plans to evacuate everybody living with 30-mile radius of reactor and that construction of new reactors be halted until far-reaching changes have been made in Federal regulation of nuclear power; recommends that present 5-member commission be abolished and replaced by agency within executive branch that would be headed by single administrator; is particularly critical of how commission goes about granting approval for construction and operation of new reactors; Mitchell Rogovin, who headed study, says there have been very substantial changes and revisions in panel's conclusions and recommendations since draft was written; draft was written by George T Framton; map showing proximity of Indian Point nuclear reactors to population centers in Westchester County and NYC; Rogovin por (M)

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Becton After Sun Co.'s Siege

By Steve Lohr

profile of Becton focuses on co's expansion plans; portrait; illus; chart depicts company's profits, '70 to '79; financial table for 3 months ended Sept 30 er '78 and '79 (L)

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Rhodesia Rebels Get Tumultuous Welcome Home

By John F. Burns; Special to The New York Times

Top military officers of Patriotic Front, after 7 years of being among Rhodesia's most wanted men, return to Rhodesia from Zambia and Mozambique; are greeted by tens of thousands of blacks; front spokesman predicts even larger crowds when Mugabe and Nkomo return from their years directing insurgent effort abroad; guerrilla delegations are headed by Lookout Masuku, commander of Nkomo's Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army, and Rex Nhongo, 2d in command of Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army; illus (L)

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City's Comqiercial‐Loft Dwellers Win a Key Tenant Rights Ruling

By Joseph B. Treaster

Tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have been living in commercial lofts without protection against eviction or arbitrary rent increase will now be covered by city's rent stabilization laws as result of ruling by NYS Appellate Division; while decision provides new protection for tenants in their relationship with landlords, it does not deal directly with question of whether city may evict tenant in illegally occupied loft; case was brought by loft tenants Leonard Pitkowsky and Ulrich Niemeyer against landlord Joseph Mandel (M)

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of December 26, 1979, covering December 27, 1979.

  1. 1
    Album cover for The Long Run by Eagles

    The Long Run

    Eagles

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    11
  2. 2
    Album cover for On The Radio: Greatest Hits: Volumes I & II by Donna Summer

    On The Radio: Greatest Hits: Volumes I & II

    Donna Summer

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    9
  3. 3
    Album cover for Cornerstone by Styx

    Cornerstone

    Styx

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    12
  4. 4
    Album cover for Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants by Stevie Wonder

    Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants

    Stevie Wonder

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    6
  5. 5
    Album cover for Greatest by Bee Gees

    Greatest

    Bee Gees

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    7

Notable Births

1979Pascale Dorcelus, Canadian weightlifter[†]

Pascale Dorcelus is a Canadian weightlifter.

David Dunn

1979David Dunn, English footballer and manager[†]

David John Ian Dunn is an English former professional football player, manager and coach.

Carson Palmer

1979Carson Palmer, American football player[†]

Carson Hilton Palmer is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 2002 and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL draft.

Notable Deaths

Hafizullah Amin

1979Hafizullah Amin, Afghan educator and politician, 2nd General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (born 1929)[†]

Hafizullah Amin was an Afghan communist head of state, who served in that position for a little over three months, from September 1979 until his assassination. He organized the Saur Revolution of 1978 and co-founded the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA), ruling Afghanistan as General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party.

Historical Context for December 27, 1979

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