On this day

December 18, 1980

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

Historical Context for December 18, 1980

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

Notable Births

1980Christina Aguilera, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress^[†]

Christina María Aguilera is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as an influential figure in music and having received widespread public interest, she is noted for her four-octave vocal range extending into the whistle register, artistic reinventions, and incorporating controversial themes into her music. Referred to as the "Voice of a Generation", she was also named a Disney Legend, in recognition of her contributions to the Walt Disney Company.

1980Neil Fingleton, English actor and basketball player, one of the tallest 25 men in the world (died 2017)^[†]

Neil Fingleton was an English actor and basketball player. Neil became the tallest living British-born man and the tallest man in the European Union at 7 ft 7.56 in (232.6 cm) and among the 25 tallest men in the world.

1980Benjamin Watson, American football player^[†]

Benjamin Seth Watson is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils and Georgia Bulldogs. Watson was selected by the New England Patriots with the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft and won Super Bowl XXXIX with the Patriots over the Philadelphia Eagles in his rookie year. He has also played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and New Orleans Saints.

Notable Deaths

1980Dobriša Cesarić, Croatian poet and translator (born 1902)^[†]

Dobriša Cesarić was a Croatian poet and translator. In 1951, he became a member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts.

1980Alexei Kosygin, Russian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of the Soviet Union (born 1904)^[†]

Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin was a Soviet statesman during the Cold War. He served as the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1980 and, alongside General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, was one of its most influential policymakers during the mid-1960s.

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Headlines from December 18, 1980

E.P.A. Calls Toxic Wastes a Threat to Atlantic City's Major Water Source; Compensation May Be Asked E.P.A. Calls Toxic Wastes a Threat To Water Source for Atlantic City Quick Absorption in Sand

By Irvin Molotsky Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17--The Environmental Protection Agency has found evidence that the major source of Atlantic City's water is threatened by pollution from toxic wastes at a nearby dumping site, a Congressman disclosed today.

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Castro Says Reagan Foreign Policy Will Pose a Threat to World Peace

By Jo Thomas Special To the New York Times

HAVANA, Dec. 17--Fidel Castro, the Cuban President, said today that he was ready to accept "the olive branch" from the United States, but expressed deep concern that Ronald Reagan's foreign policy as President would be a threat to Latin America and world peace.

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But Dispute Remains as Ex-Medical Chief Maps New Moves; A Question of Damages Controversy Still Clouds Medical Examiner's Office

By Ronald Sullivan

For more than a year, Dr. Elliot M. Gross has not known from one day to the next whether the courts would allow him to stay on as New York City's Chief Medical Examiner, the job Mayor Koch appointed him to on Aug. 9, 1979. Yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled, in effect, that he could keep his post.

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Chrysler Expects $1.7 Billion Loss; Seeks Another $400 Million in Aid; $1.7 Billion Loss Seen By Chrysler $1.6 Billion in Savings Seen

By Winston Williams Special To the New York Times

DETROIT, Dec. 17--The embattled Chrysler Corporation, seeking more Government aid to survive, said today that it expects to lose more than $200 million in the final quarter of this year, bringing its 1980 deficit to about $1.7 billion, the largest one-year loss ever for an American corporation.

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Yamani Warns of New Oil Rise to $50; Yamani Sees Oil Rising to $50 Strong Reasons for Optimism U.S. Petroleum Data

By Douglas Martin

In the wake of this week's decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to allow oil prices to increase by roughly 10 percent, Saudi Arabia's oil minister, Ahmed Zaki Yamani, warned yesterday that prices could rise still further, to $50 a barrel by next spring.

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FAMILY FINANCE The Rising Costs Of Having a Baby; The Rising Costs Of Having a Baby

By Deborah Rankin

NOTHING is immune from inflation these days, not even having a child. The costs of prenatal care and normal delivery have risen dramatically; in Manhattan they now range from $2,250 to $5,000. A Caesarean delivery, which requires a much longer hospital stay for the mother, can double the bill.

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The Name Game: 20th Century Furniture Styles; 20th Century Furniture: A Name Game

By Rita Reif

THIS is Bauhaus and that's Art Moderne, right? And over there are some Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau pieces. Or are they Art Deco? Or Wiener Werkstatte? Perhaps they're traditionalist, with just a touch of the modernist spirit. When it comes to defining these furniture styles, not even the experts can agree. Controversy seems inevitable when late 19th-and early 20th-century furniture is being discussed.

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Birk Is Named to Merrill Helm; Not Much May Change Birk Is Named to Merrill Helm At a Cost Started as a Margin Clerk Tightly Managed

By Karen W. Arenson

Roger E. Birk, the 50-year-old president and chief operating officer of Merrill Lynch Company, will also become its chairman and chief executive officer, following the departure of Donald T. Regan, the company announced yesterday.

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BUSINESS Digest; The Economy Companies Markets Today's Columns

By Unknown Author

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U.S. Report On Conrail Is Gloomy; COMPANY NEWS U.S. Agency Gloomy on Conrail Costs

By Ernest Holsendolph Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17--Operating costs of Conrail are so great that the company will most likely require Federal financial assistance indefinitely, and may cost the Government up to $2.1 billion in the next five years, a Federal agency reported today.

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Many Cubans Remain Hard to Place in U.S.; Cubans Keep the Faith, Though Early Hopes Wane Withdrawal of Support From a House to a Car

By Paul L. Montgomery Special To the New York Times

MIAMI--Juan Cerillo remembers that as he walked off the trawler in Key West, Fla., in May with the boatloads of other refugees from Cuba, his mind was full of thoughts of the opportunity offered by his new country. Seven months later, all the opportunity he has is to eat take-out meals on the street, tar roofs at $3.50 an hour and sleep in a car parked near the Miami River.

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Key Personnel and Policy Problems Awaiting Haig at State Department; Haig to Face a Flood of Policy and Personnel Problems

By Bernard Gwertzman Special To the New York Times

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17--Alexander M. Haig Jr., the secretary of state-designate, will come to Washington not only when an unusual number of foreign policy problems demand immediate attention but also at a time of impending personnel crisis that many State Department officials say could endanger the integrity of the career Foreign Service.

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