The Year 1979 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historic events from the year 1979. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, the cost of living, erratic weather patterns, entertainment trivia, and much more.

1. In 1979, Jimmy Carter (D-Georgia) was the president of the United States, and Walter Mondale (D-Minnesota) was the nation’s vice president.
2. The 95th Congress was in session, and both chambers had a Democratic majority.
3. A dozen eggs: 85 cents
4. A gallon of milk: $1.62
5. Average cost of a new house: $58,100
6. Average household income in the United States: $17,500
7. Average monthly rent: $280.00.
8. Consumer price index: 72.6
9. Cost of a first-class stamp: 15 cents
10. Cost of a gallon of regular gas: 86 cents
11. Dow Jones high for the year: 885.84
12. Dow Jones low for the year: 796.67
13. Inflation rate: 11.2%
14. Movie ticket: $2.57
15. Potatoes: 89 cents for a 10-pound bag
16. Property crime in the U.S. per 1,000 people: 50.2
17. Soda (Pepsi): $1.39 for six 12-ounce cans
18. SPAM (Hormel): $1.09 for a 12-ounce can
19. Unemployment: 6.0%
20. Violent crime in the U.S. per 1,000 people: 55.7
21. In 1979, the price of oil reached a record $25 per barrel. One of the key elements that led to the 1980 recession was the 1979 energy crisis, which was mainly caused by the Iranian Revolution and a subsequent disruption of the global oil supply. As a result, “Oil prices began to rise rapidly in mid-1979, more than doubling between April 1979 and April 1980.”
22. Consumer products launched during the year included the Black & Decker Dustbuster, the Erasermate pen, Hubba Bubba bubble gum, McDonald’s Happy Meals, Honey Nut Cheerios, the personal stereo, and the Sony Walkman.
23. On January 1, the United States and the People’s Republic of China established full diplomatic relations.
24. On January 4, Ohio agreed to pay $675,000 to the families of those who died or were injured in the Kent State shootings, which occurred on May 4, 1970.
25. On January 14, President Carter proposed that the birthday of Martin Luther King become a federal holiday.
26. With an average temperature of 21.90°F (-5.61°C), January 1979 was the coldest month in the U.S. since 1880.
27. On February 11, about 43 million people watched Elvis, a “made-for-television” biographical film that aired on ABC.
28. On February 13, an intense windstorm struck western Washington state and sank a ½-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.
29. On February 18, snow fell in the Sahara Desert town of Ain Sefra for 30 minutes.
30. On February 26, a total solar eclipse took place in North America.
31. February was Alaska’s driest month since recordkeeping began in 1925.
32. On March 27, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that “the police cannot constitutionally stop a motorist at random to check his license and registration unless there is some reason to believe that the motorist is violating a law.”
33. On March 29, the most serious nuclear power plant accident in American history occurred at Three Mile Island in south-central Pennsylvania. NRC.gov states, “Its aftermath brought about sweeping changes involving emergency response planning, reactor operator training, human factors engineering, radiation protection, and many other areas of nuclear power plant operations. It also caused the NRC to tighten and heighten its regulatory oversight.”
34. On April 2, MLB umpires went on strike from opening day until May 18, forcing replacements from the minor leagues.
35. On April 3, Jane Byrne (D) became the first female mayor of Chicago.
36. At the 51st Academy Awards on April 9, which honored the best films of 1978, The Deer Hunter won an Oscar for Best Picture, and Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter) won an Oscar for Best Director. Jon Voight (Coming Home) won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Jane Fonda (Coming Home) won an Oscar for Best Actress.
37. On April 16, Sam Shepard received the Pulitzer Prize for his play, Buried Child.
38. On April 24, the state of Georgia designated Ray Charles' rendition of Georgia on My Mind as the official state song.
39. On May 4, Margaret Thatcher became the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom.
40. On May 17, at the 6th Daytime Emmy Awards, the soap, Ryan’s Hope, won an Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series. Ryan’s Hope also received Emmys for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Writing and Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Directing. The Hollywood Squares won an Emmy for Outstanding Game Show, and Dick Clark won an Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host (The $20,000 Pyramid).
41. On May 17, the temperature fell to -12°F on top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, setting a state record.
42. On May 25, in the deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history, an American Airlines DC-10 crashed during takeoff at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, killing 271 on board.
43. On June 18, President Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the SALT II Treaty, which “established numerical equality between the two nations in terms of nuclear weapons delivery systems.”
44. On July 24, President Carter named Paul Volcker as the chairman of the Federal Reserve. APNews.com reports that “Working relentlessly to bring prices under control, Volcker raised the Fed's benchmark interest rate from 11% to a record 20% by late 1980 to try to slow the economy's growth and thereby shrink inflation.”
45. On August 29, the Sheridan Broadcasting Company purchased the Mutual Black Network (MBN). BackThen.com tells us that “MBN previously distributed news and public affairs programming to Black-oriented stations around the country, reaching millions of listeners. The merger marked the beginning of the first completely Black-owned radio network in the world.”
46. On September 1, Pioneer 11 became the first spacecraft to visit Saturn.
47. On September 9, at the 31st Primetime Emmy Awards, Taxi (ABC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and Lou Grant (CBS) won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.
48. On September 25, the musical, Evita, opened at the Broadway Theater in New York City for 1,568 performances.
49. On October 17, President Carter signed legislation establishing the Department of Education.
50. On November 4, the Iran hostage crisis began when about 3,000 Iranian college students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took more than 50 American hostages.
51. On November 15, Iran canceled all contracts with U.S. oil companies.
52. On December 8, voters in Louisiana elected U.S. Representative David C. Treen as their governor. He became the Creole State’s first Republican governor in over 100 years.
53. On December 19, the legal drama Kramer vs. Kramer was released. It was directed by Robert Benton and starred Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep.
54. On December 21, the Chrysler Corporation received $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees at the request of CEO Lee Iococca. History.com reminds us that “it was the largest rescue package ever granted by the U.S. government to an American corporation.”
55. In 1979, McDonald’s introduced the Happy Meal, a meal just for kids. Youngsters could choose from four Chicken McNuggets, crispy chicken, grilled chicken, a cheeseburger, a hamburger, or hotcakes.
56. There were about 6,000 KFC restaurants worldwide.
57. General Mills launched Honey Nut Cheerios, and sardines returned to California waters after an absence of 40 years.
58. In 1979, the 205th and final episode of the sitcom, All in the Family, was broadcast on CBS. The show premiered on January 12, 1971, and was the first television program to “genuinely reckon with the cultural upheaval of the 1960s in America.”
59. 60 Minutes was the most popular TV show, Superman was the highest-grossing film, and Arthur Hailey’s Overload was a best-selling book.
60. Conrad Hilton, Donny Hathaway, Joan Blondell, John Wayne, Mamie Eisenhower, Mary Pickford, Nelson Rockefeller, Richard Rogers, and Vivian Vance all passed away.
61. Here are some sports facts from 1979: The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Pirates were the World Series champions, and the Montreal Canadiens clinched the Stanley Cup.
62. Finally, MLB legend Willie Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

References:

1. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1975.html
2. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1979.html
3. https://popculturemadness.com/1979-fun-facts-trivia-and-history/
4. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1979
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_in_the_United_States
6. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1979
7. https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1979.htm
8. https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/most-popular-recipes-1970s/
9. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/1979/
10. https://www.eatthis.com/1970s-nostalgia-foods/

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor