On this day

May 20, 1980

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

Historical Context for May 20, 1980

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

Notable Births

Austin Kearns

1980Austin Kearns, American baseball player[†]

Austin Ryan Kearns is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2002 through 2013 for the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins.

Kassim Osgood

1980Kassim Osgood, American football player[†]

Kassim Alexandre Osgood is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and special teamer in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for San Diego State University and Cal Poly, and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He also played for the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers.

Historical Events

1980In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects, with 60% of the vote, a government proposal to move towards independence from Canada.[†]

The 1980 Quebec independence referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois (PQ) government, which advocated secession from Canada.

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Headlines from May 20, 1980

U.S. Stifling Its Irritation; Minister's Visit Awaited U.S. SEEKS TO AVOID STRAINS WITH ALLIES U.S. Lost Its Military Leverage

By Bernard Gwertzman Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, May 19--The United States sought to avoid further public strains in the Western alliance today by stifling its irritation over the FrenchSoviet meeting in Warsaw and by reluctantly accepting the limited economic sanctions adopted yesterday against Iran by Western Europe's Common Market as the best that could be achieved.

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Jersey Revisions On Casino Unit Pass Legislature; Gambling Jobs Restricted for Those in State Posts Cloud of F.B.I. Inquiry What the Measures Do Legislature Passes Casino Measures

By Alfonso A. Narvaez Special To the New York Times

TRENTON, May 19--The Legislature gave final approval today to a long-delayed proposal to revamp the Casino Control Commission and to measures to impose strict ethical standards on legislators and state officials to prohibit their working for the casino industry for two years after leaving government service.

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Recreational Vehicles Mired in Sales Slump

By Special to The New York Times

DETROIT, May 19--The recreational vehicle industry, which should be in the peak of its spring selling season, instead is trapped in a slump. Manufacturers are reporting losses and layoffs and, as in the case of the big automotive industry, no turnabout is in sight for the industry, which has suffered a three-year sales decline.

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Kites: A Toy Thrives As a Tool Of Technology; The aerodynamics of a kite Basic Configurations Kites: A Tool of Technology A Boon to Inventors Parafoils Aid Meteorologists A Favorite of Stunt Performers

By John Noble Wilford

"WITH a kite," Buckminster Fuller once said, "a child can reach the sky." This is the season when many children, and not a few older folk wise enough to resist acting their age, take to lawns and parks, beaches and fields and reach the sky with kites of all sizes and shapes.

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Pension Funds' Flow to Sun Belt Spurs Shift of Investment Capital; The Pension Tangle Pension Funds' Flow to the Sun Belt Spurring Major Shift of Investment Capital Migration of Elderly Billions in Assets Impact of Retirement Pay Rising Capital Investment 'Shift in Emphasis' Seeking Maxiumum Return

By William K. Stevens Special To the New York Times

GREEN VALLEY, Ariz.--In a propounced shift of wealth and capital between regions of the United States, billions of dollars in pension benefits and pension-fund investments are flowing from North to South and East to West.

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Auto Aid Study and 'Industrial Policy'; Limited Steel Policy in 1978 Auto Study Called a Step To an 'Industrial Policy' Turned to a 'Planned Strategy' Approaching Need for Funds

By Edward Cowan Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, May 19--In an exercise that has large implications for the American economy in the 1980's, the Carter Administration has been appraising the vitality of the entire American automobile industry and whether it can prosper without Government assistance.

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MT. ST. HELENS POURS ITS CLOUD OF ASHES ACROSS NORTHWEST; Fallout Threatens Crops and Water Supplies as Search Goes On for 29 Missing Persons Ash Drifts 560 Miles Ash From Mount St. Helens Pouring Across Northwest Elections in Idaho Delayed 6 Found Dead in Vehicles

By Robert D. McFadden

A gray cloud of volcanic ash spread a gritty fallout across large areas of the Pacific Northwest yesterday as the eruption of Mount St. Helens disrupted lives, endangered crops and water supplies, and upset business, education and government activity on a widening scale in four states.

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