On this day

October 4, 1980

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

Portrait 1080 × 1920 PNG · created on your device

Filter by:

Headlines from October 4, 1980

Iraq and Iran Battle for Key Cities; A War of Attrition Appears Likely; Iraq Consolidates Positions Iranians Are Tenacious Iraq Battles for Key Cities; War of Attrition Emerging Iranians Have Good Maps Stalemate Prevails

By Youssef M. Ibrahim Special To the New York Timesby Henry Tanner Special To the New York Times

SHALAMSHEH, Iran, Oct. 3--Iraqi forces, apparently resigned to a long and hard war of attrition with Iran, battled today for control of the major oil port of Khurramshahr.

None0 words

WORKERS OF POLAND DEFY REGIME'S PLEA, STRIKE NATIONWIDE; Hundreds of Thousands Walk Out for Hour to Back Up Demands That Warsaw Honor Pact Mild Criticism of Strikers WORKERS OF POLAND STRIKE NATIONWIDE

By John Darnton Special To the New York Times

WARSAW, Poland, Oct. 3--Defying the Government, the new independent trade unions mounted an impressive show of strength today by calling hundreds of thousands of workers out on a one-hour nationwide protest strike.

None0 words

Iraq's Dream: War Victim?; Faltering Attack Mars Aim of Dominating Gulf News Analysis Iraqi Dream: Bid to Become a Leading Gulf Power May Be a Victim of a Faltering War Hussein Critical of Iranians Iraq Claims Lands to East

By John Kifner Special To the New York Times

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 3--Diplomats here say that the border war between Iraq and Iran appears to have as much to do with President Saddam Hussein's ambitions to be the leader of the Arab world as it does with the few miles of disputed territory.

None0 words

PRODUCERS' PRICES SHOW SLIGHT DROP, FIRST IN 4 YEARS; SEPTEMBER JOBLESS RATE OFF White House Says Data for Recent Months Indicate That Carter's Policies Are Succeeding Restrained Statement Issued Interest Rates May Have Effect Producer Prices Down First Time in 4 Year Two-Year Review on Autos Meat and Fish Prices Drop Usually Affect Retail Costs

By Edward Cowan Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3--The Government reported today that its Producer Price Index for goods ready to sell to retailers slipped by two-tenths of 1 percent in September, the first decline for any month in four and a half years.

None0 words

New York City Seeks Way to Tap Funds of Tax-Exempt Properties; Koch Efforts Noted Straitened New York Tries to Cut Tax Exemptions A Difficult Task Ahead Fallout-Shelter Owners Exempt Concentration in Manhattan Why Exempt the Land?

By Clyde Haberman

From sprawling Van Cortlandt Park in the North Bronx to the Art Deco splendor of Rockefeller Center, New York City land has an assessed valuation of more than $65 billion. Yet it is a legacy of wealth that to a large degree cannot be tapped by the money-pressed city.

None0 words

Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of October 1, 1980, covering October 4, 1980.

1
The Game
Queen
Last week
1
Peak
1
Weeks
12
2
Diana
Diana Ross
Last week
3
Peak
2
Weeks
32
3
Give Me The Night
George Benson
Last week
6
Peak
3
Weeks
9
4
Xanadu (Soundtrack)
Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra
Last week
7
Peak
4
Weeks
13
5
Panorama
The Cars
Last week
5
Peak
5
Weeks
5

Notable Births

1980Sarah Fisher, American race car driver^[†]

Sarah Marie Fisher is an American retired professional race car driver who competed in the Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis 500 intermittently from 1999 to 2010. She also raced in the NASCAR West Series in 2004 and 2005. Fisher took part in 81 IndyCar Series events, achieving a career-best finish of second at the 2001 Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami—the highest placing for a woman in the IRL until Danica Patrick's victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300. In 2002, Fisher was the first female driver to win a pole position in a major American open-wheel race and competed in the Indianapolis 500 nine times, more than any other woman.

1980James Jones, American basketball player^[†]

James Andrew Jones is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He is the senior advisor for the Phoenix Suns. He was previously the general manager and president of basketball operations for the Suns. Jones played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

1980Tomáš Rosický, Czech footballer^[†]

Tomáš Rosický is a Czech former professional footballer who was the captain of the Czech Republic national team for a ten-year period. He played club football for Sparta Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal. Currently, he serves as the sports director of Sparta Prague.

Notable Deaths

1980Pyotr Masherov, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Byelorussia (born 1918)^[†]

Pyotr Mironovich Masherov was a Soviet partisan, statesman, and one of the leaders of the Belarusian resistance during World War II who governed the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Byelorussia from 1965 until his death in 1980. Under Masherov's rule, Belarus was transformed from an agrarian, undeveloped nation which had not yet recovered from the Second World War into an industrial powerhouse; Minsk, the capital and largest city of Belarus, became one of the fastest-growing cities on the planet. Masherov ruled until his sudden death in 1980, after his vehicle was hit by a potato truck.

Historical Context for October 4, 1980

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

Headlines from October 4, 1980

Iraq and Iran Battle for Key Cities; A War of Attrition Appears Likely; Iraq Consolidates Positions Iranians Are Tenacious Iraq Battles for Key Cities; War of Attrition Emerging Iranians Have Good Maps Stalemate Prevails

WORKERS OF POLAND DEFY REGIME'S PLEA, STRIKE NATIONWIDE; Hundreds of Thousands Walk Out for Hour to Back Up Demands That Warsaw Honor Pact Mild Criticism of Strikers WORKERS OF POLAND STRIKE NATIONWIDE

Iraq's Dream: War Victim?; Faltering Attack Mars Aim of Dominating Gulf News Analysis Iraqi Dream: Bid to Become a Leading Gulf Power May Be a Victim of a Faltering War Hussein Critical of Iranians Iraq Claims Lands to East

New York City Seeks Way to Tap Funds of Tax-Exempt Properties; Koch Efforts Noted Straitened New York Tries to Cut Tax Exemptions A Difficult Task Ahead Fallout-Shelter Owners Exempt Concentration in Manhattan Why Exempt the Land?

The Game

Diana

Give Me The Night

Xanadu (Soundtrack)

Panorama

Notable Births

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for October 4, 1980