On this day

January 2, 1980

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

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Headlines from January 2, 1980

Front Page 1 -- No Title; Arkansas Defeated by 24-9 as Ogilvie Stars for Tide Tide Awaits Final Polls Ogilvie Scores Two Touchdowns Undefeated Alabama Victor in Sugar Bowl Victory No. 296 for Bryant Alabama Loses Fumble Alabama Recovers Fumble Nine Wishbone Runners Sugar Bowl Statistics Sugar Bowl Scoring

By Gordon S. White Jr. Special To the New York Times

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 1--The University of Alabama's undefeated and untied football team earned the right to claim the mythical national collegiate championship today.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of January 2, 1980, covering January 2, 1980.

  1. 1
    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
    1
    Weeks
    10
  2. 2
    Album cover for Greatest by Bee Gees

    Greatest

    Bee Gees

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    8
  3. 3
    Album cover for Cornerstone by Styx

    Cornerstone

    Styx

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    13
  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
    7
  5. 5
    Album cover for The Long Run by Eagles

    The Long Run

    Eagles

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    12

Notable Births

1980David Gyasi, British actor[†]

David Kwaku Asamoah Gyasi is a British actor. His films include Cloud Atlas (2012) and Interstellar (2014). On television, he is known for his roles in the BBC series White Heat (2012) and Troy: Fall of a City (2018), the CW miniseries Containment (2016), the Amazon Prime series Carnival Row (2019–2023), and the Netflix political thriller The Diplomat (2023).

Historical Context for January 2, 1980

In 1980, the world population was approximately 4,447,606,236 people[†]