On this day

May 18, 1980

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

Historical Context for May 18, 1980

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

Notable Births

Reggie Evans

1980Reggie Evans, American basketball player[†]

Reginald Jamaal Evans is an American former professional basketball player who last played in the Big3 League. A Power forward, Evans played 13 seasons in the NBA with seven teams. While limited in his offensive game, Evans was known for his rebounding, tenacity and hustle on the defensive end.

Michaël Llodra

1980Michaël Llodra, French tennis player[†]

Michaël Llodra is a French former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 3 in men's doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), winning 26 career doubles titles, including three majors and an Olympic silver medal. Llodra also had success in singles, winning five career titles and with victories over Novak Djokovic, Juan Martín del Potro, Tomáš Berdych, Robin Söderling, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nikolay Davydenko, Janko Tipsarević and John Isner. Llodra has been called "the best volleyer on tour."

Diego Pérez (footballer)

1980Diego Pérez, Uruguayan footballer[†]

Diego Fernando Pérez Aguado, nicknamed "Ruso", is a Uruguayan football manager and former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He has played 89 matches for the Uruguay national football team, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2011 editions of the Copa América. He is currently the manager of Uruguay A' and Uruguay under-18 national teams.

Notable Deaths

Reid Blackburn

1980Victims of Mount St. Helens eruption:[†]

Reid Turner Blackburn was an American photographer killed in the 1980 volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens. A photojournalist covering the eruption for a local newspaper—the Vancouver, Washington The Columbian—as well as National Geographic magazine and the United States Geological Survey, he was caught at Coldwater Camp in the blast.

David A. Johnston

1980Victims of Mount St. Helens eruption:[†]

David Alexander Johnston was an American United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist who was killed by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington. A principal scientist on the USGS monitoring team, Johnston was killed in the eruption while manning an observation post six miles (10 km) away on the morning of May 18, 1980. He was the first to report the eruption, transmitting "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!" before he was swept away by a lateral blast; despite a thorough search, Johnston's body was never found, but state highway workers discovered remnants of his USGS trailer in 1993.

Ian Curtis

1980Ian Curtis, English singer-songwriter (born 1956)[†]

Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, lyricist and occasional guitarist of the band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980). He was noted for his on-stage behaviour and dancing style influenced by his experiences with epilepsy, as well as his dark baritone voice.

Historical Events

Mount St. Helens

1980Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.[†]

Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It lies 52 miles (83 km) northeast of Portland, Oregon, and 98 miles (158 km) south of Seattle. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from that of the British diplomat Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens, a friend of explorer George Vancouver who surveyed the area in the late 18th century. The volcano is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Gwangju Uprising

1980Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations calling for democratic reforms.[†]

The Gwangju Democratization Movement, also known in South Korea as May 18 Democratization Movement, was a series of student-led demonstrations that took place in Gwangju, South Korea, in May 1980, against the coup of Chun Doo-hwan. The uprising was violently suppressed by the South Korean military.

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Headlines from May 18, 1980

TOUGH STEPS TAKEN BY SEOUL TO QUELL STUDENTS' PROTESTS; MARTIAL LAW POWER WIDENED Campuses Are Closed, Censorship Set and Gatherings Curbed -- Critics of Regime Seized Meeting Stormed by Riot Police South Korea Acts to Curb Protests

By James P. Sterba Special To the New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea, Sunday, May 18 -- Faced with the most serious student political unrest in 20 years, the South Korear Government announced this morning that it was closing the universities, prohibiting political gatherings and labor strikes, imposing rigorous press censorship and extending martial law to the entire country.

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Music by Starlight At Wolf Trap Farm; Picnics and Music by Starlight at Wolf Trap Park, Near the If You Go ... Nation's Capital

By Mary Z. Gray

LAST night I dreamed I went to Wolf Trap Farm again. In the dream, the romantic strains of "Wunderbar" from Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate" drifted over our lace-covered picnic table. My escort was filling Waterford glasses with champagne and the couple with us were lighting candles and setting out our dinner of roast chicken.

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