On this day

March 21, 1980

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

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Headlines from March 21, 1980

HOUSE PANEL CLEARS A BUDGET INCLUDING A $2 BILLION SURPLUS; MAJOR STEP TOWARD BALANCE Military Spending and City Aid Cut $20 Billion Tax Reduction to Aid Business Planned A First for Republicans 'Last Gasp of Liberalism' House Panel Approves a Budget That Includes a $2 Billion Surplus Oil Import Fee Expectation Pennsylvanian Is 'Ashamed' Carter Vows Stringency

By Judith Miller Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, March 20 In Congress's first step toward achieving a balanced budget next year, the House Budget Committee tonight approved and sent to the full House a plan for the fiscal year 1981 that shows a $2 billion surplus and calls for a possible $20 billion in tax cuts to spur business productivity.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of March 19, 1980, covering March 21, 1980.

  1. 1
    Album cover for The Wall by Pink Floyd

    The Wall

    Pink Floyd

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    15
  2. 2
    Album cover for Damn The Torpedoes by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

    Damn The Torpedoes

    Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    20
  3. 3
    Album cover for Mad Love by Linda Ronstadt

    Mad Love

    Linda Ronstadt

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    2
  4. 4
    Album cover for Permanent Waves by Rush

    Permanent Waves

    Rush

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    8
  5. 5
    Album cover for Bebe Le Strange by Heart

    Bebe Le Strange

    Heart

    Last week
    6
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    3

Notable Births

Goran Bezina

1980Goran Bezina, Swiss ice hockey player[†]

Goran Bezina is a Swiss former professional ice hockey defenseman who played most of his career with Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL). He also played with the Arizona Coyotes in the National Hockey League (NHL), Medveščak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the NL and HC Sierre of the Swiss League (SL).

Marit Bjørgen

1980Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian skier[†]

Marit Bjørgen is a former Norwegian cross-country skier. She is ranked first in the all-time Cross-Country World Cup rankings with 114 individual victories. Bjørgen is also the most successful sprinter in Cross-Country World Cup history, with 29 victories. She headed the medal table at the 2010 Winter Olympics by winning five medals, including three gold. A five-time Olympian, her five Olympic medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games brought her total number of medals up to a record 15, making her the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time and the third-most decorated Olympian of all time.

Lee Jin

1980Lee Jin, South Korean singer and actress[†]

Lee Jin is a South Korean singer and actress. She made her entertainment debut as a member of the K-pop girl group Fin.K.L, along with Lee Hyori, Ock Joo-hyun, and Sung Yu-ri. After Fin.K.L came to an unofficial end in 2002, Lee became an actress.

Ronaldinho

1980Ronaldinho, Brazilian footballer[†]

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or. He is the only player ever to have won a World Cup, a Copa América, a Confederations Cup, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores and a Ballon d'Or. A global icon of the sport, Ronaldinho was renowned for his dribbling abilities, free-kick accuracy, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes, and overhead kicks, as well as his ability to score and create goals. During his career he was one of the most valuable footballers in the world. He is also known by the nickname "O Bruxo".

Deryck Whibley

1980Deryck Whibley, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer[†]

Deryck Jason Whibley, also known by the stage name Bizzy D, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, main songwriter, producer, founder, and only constant member of the rock band Sum 41.

Notable Deaths

1980Peter Stoner, American mathematician and astronomer (born 1888)[†]

Peter Stoner was a Christian writer and Chairman of the departments of mathematics and astronomy at Pasadena City College until 1953; Chairman of the science division, Westmont College, 1953–57; Professor Emeritus of Science, Westmont College; and Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Astronomy, Pasadena City College.

Historical Events

Cold War

1980Cold War: American President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet–Afghan War.[†]

The Cold War was a period of global geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The term cold war is used because there was no direct fighting between the two superpowers, though each supported opposing sides in regional conflicts known as proxy wars. In addition to the struggle for ideological and economic influence and an arms race in both conventional and nuclear weapons, the Cold War was expressed through technological rivalries such as the Space Race, espionage, propaganda campaigns, embargoes, and sports diplomacy.

Historical Context for March 21, 1980

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