1980

Today in History 03/21/18

Opening ceremonies of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games held in Moscow, featuring the mascot 'Misha the bear' (© AFP/Getty Images)(1980) Carter announces Moscow Olympics boycott
Protesting the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan, US President Jimmy Carter declares that the US won’t be participating in the upcoming Moscow Summer Olympics. In the end, 65 nations won’t participate in the games, but some will do so for economic, rather than political reasons. The USSR will respond in kind, snubbing the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games.
The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics, and other countries would later boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
1980 Summer Olympics (Moscow) boycotting countries (blue)
Countries that boycotted the 1980 Games are shaded blue
wiki/1980_Summer_Olympics_boycott
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Today in History 11/23/17

A man makes his way on a street covered with rubble in the small town of Balvano, near Potenza, southern Italy, November 24, 1980 (© Gianni Foggia/AP)(1980) Southern Italy rocked by devastating quake
Nearly 3,000 people are killed and many more are injured after a massive earthquake strikes southern Italy. Many of the victims are at evening mass when the 6.89-magnitude quake hits. Towns in the province of Avellino suffer the greatest damage and causalities.
The 1980 Irpinia earthquake took place in Southern Italy on November 23 with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X. The shock was centered on the village of Conza and left at least 2,483 people dead, at least 7,700 injured, and left 250,000 homeless.
Date: Nov 23, 1980

Teora 1980
Destruction in the town of Teora

wiki/1980_Irpinia_earthquake
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Today in History 09/22/17

Iraqi forces fire rocket launchers on the outskirts of Khorramshahr, a major Iranian supply port in 1980 (© Zuheir Saade/AP)(1980) Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invades Ayatollah Khomeini’s Iran
Considered the 20th-century’s lengthiest conventional war, the Iran-Iraq War begins as Iraqi forces invade an oil-rich Iranian border area. What will follow is almost eight years of battle that claims hundreds of thousands of lives but leaves the countries’ borders virtually unchanged.
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq lasting from 22 September 1980, when Iraq invaded Iran, to August 1988. The war followed a long history of border disputes, and was motivated by fears that the Iranian Revolution in 1979 would inspire insurgency among Iraq’s Shi’ite majority, as well as Iraq’s desire to replace Iran as the dominant Persian Gulf state. Iraq planned to annex the oil-rich Khuzestan Province and the east bank of the Shatt al-Arab.
Start date: Sep 22, 1980
End date: Aug 20, 1988
Iran-Iraq war-gallery
top left: Military use of children in Iran-Iraq war. top right: Massacre Iranian Civilians by Iraqi Troops at first of Iran-Iraq War. middle left: A port quarter view of the guided missile frigate USS STARK (FFG-31) listing to port after being struck by an Iraqi-launched Exocet missile on the 17th of May 1987 middle right: Mujahedin was killed in Operation Mersad by Pasdaran in Kermanshah below left: In re-taking Khorramshahr, the Iranians captured some 19,000 soldiers from a demoralized Iraqi Army in 1982 below right: Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution & Islamic Republic of Iran Army used many zu-23 in Iran-Iraq war.

wiki/Iran–Iraq_War
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Today in History 05/22/17

Illustrated map of the westward trail from Missouri to Oregon, circa 1840 (© MPI/Getty Images)(1843) The Great Emigration wagon trains head west
Some 1,000 pioneers begin their journey to America’s West Coast via the Oregon Trail, a 2,200-mile wagon road spanning half a continent from the Missouri River to the Willamette Valley in the future state of Oregon. Upwards of 400,000 more emigrants will follow its wheel ruts west in the coming decades.
The Oregon Trail is a 2,170-mile historic east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of the future state of Kansas, and nearly all of what are now the states of Nebraska and Wyoming. The western half of the trail spanned most of the future states of Idaho and Oregon.
Established: 1843
Managed by: National Park Service
Oregon Trail 1907

wiki/Oregon_Trail
People looking at an enormous crack on a street due to the earthquake that struck Valdivia, Chile, on May 22, 1960 (© STF/AFP/Getty Images)(1960) Strongest earthquake ever recorded slams Chile
A magnitude 9.5 earthquake, the most powerful in recorded history, rocks the southern coast of Chile for more than 10 minutes, killing thousands, causing massive landslides, triggering volcanic eruptions, and spawning tsunamis so enormous that they cause 61 deaths in Hawaii.
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake of 22 May is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Various studies have placed it at 9.4–9.6 on the moment magnitude scale. It occurred in the afternoon, and lasted approximately 10 minutes. The resulting tsunami affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia and the Aleutian Islands.
Fatalities: 5,700
Date: May 22, 1960
1960 Valdivia Earthquake

wiki/1960_Valdivia_earthquake
This close-up view of a monitor shows the electronic video game Pac-Man in 1983 (© AP)(1980) A recreation revolution begins with a game that gobbles
Japanese company Namco introduces ‘Puck Man,’ an arcade maze game based on the idea of eating. Introduced months later to the US and renamed ‘Pac-Man,’ it will grow in popularity to become the most famous, most profitable, and some say most influential, arcade video game ever released.
Pac-Man, stylized as PAC-MAN, is an arcade game developed by Namco and first released in Japan in May 1980. It was created by Japanese video game designer Toru Iwatani. It was licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway and released in October 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, and an icon of 1980s popular culture. Upon its release, the game—and, subsequently, Pac-Man derivatives—became a social phenomenon that yielded high sales of merchandise and inspired a legacy in other media, such as the Pac-Man animated television series and the top-ten hit single “Pac-Man Fever”. Pac-Man was popular in the 1980s and 1990s and is still played in the 2010s.
Release date: May 22, 1980
Developer: Namco
Publishers: Namco · Midway Games · Bandai Namco Entertainment
Designer: Toru Iwatani
Platforms: Arcade game · Apple II
ESRB rating: E for Everyone

wiki/Pac-Man
Johnny Carson on his final 'Tonight Show' on May 22, 1992 (© Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)(1992) Johnny Carson’s final ‘Tonight Show’
Late-night legend Johnny Carson signs off after 30 years of hosting ‘The Tonight Show.’ His final show features no guests, focusing instead on clips and remembrances from Carson, sidekick Ed McMahon and bandleader Doc Severinsen. Jay Leno will take over the show, but not without some controversy.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from October 1, 1962 through May 22, 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first decade, Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show was based at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, with some episodes recorded at NBC-TV’s West Coast studios in Burbank, California; on May 1, 1972, the show moved to Burbank as its main venue and remained there exclusively after May 1973 until Carson’s retirement. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked No. 12 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, and in 2013 it was ranked No. 22 on their list of 60 Best Series.
First episode: Oct 01, 1962
Episode duration: 105 minutes
Creators: Steve Allen · Dwight Hemion · Sylvester Weaver · William O. Harbach
Theme song: Johnny’s Theme
Producers: Peter Lassally · Fred de Cordova
Awards: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series · Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program · Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing – Variety Series Or Special · People’s Choice Award for Favorite Talk Show Host · Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement In Tape Sound Mixing

wiki/The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson
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Today in History 05/18/17

'Death of General Wolfe' during the Seven Years War by Benjamin West (© Universal History Archive/Getty Images)(1756) Britain declares war on France over North American colonies
Nearly two years after skirmishes broke out between the two world powers in the Ohio Territory of North America, Great Britain officially goes to war with France. The Seven Years’ War will expand to include nearly all the major European powers and be fought on almost every continent.
The Seven Years’ War was a war fought between 1754 and 1763, the main conflict occurring in the seven-year period from 1756 to 1763. It involved every European great power of the time except the Ottoman Empire and spanned five continents, affecting Europe, the Americas, West Africa, India, and the Philippines. The conflict split Europe into two coalitions, led by the Kingdom of Great Britain on one side and the Kingdom of France on the other. Meanwhile, in India, the Mughal Empire, with the support of the French, tried to crush a British attempt to conquer Bengal.
Start date: 1754
End date: Jan 01, 1763

wiki/Seven_Years’_War
Seconds after a nuclear test, a sandy mound rises above the ground, May 18, 1974, as India sets off its first nuclear explosion (© AP)(1974) ‘Smiling Buddha’ adds another member to the nuclear club
India successfully detonates an 8-kiloton atomic bomb in an underground test, joining the US, USSR, UK, France, and China as a nuclear-armed state. The project has been code-named ‘Smiling Buddha,’ with the test taking place on the festival day marking Gautama Buddha’s birthday.
Smiling Buddha was the assigned code name of India’s first successful nuclear bomb test on 18 May 1974. The bomb was detonated on the army base, Pokhran Test Range, in Rajasthan by the Indian Army under the supervision of several key Indian generals.
Date: May 18, 1974
India - Map of Rajasthan

wiki/Smiling_Buddha
Mount Saint Helens erupts May 18, 1980 in Washington State (© John Barr/Liaison/Getty Images)(1980) A mountain explodes in the Pacific Northwest
The biggest landslide in recorded history follows a magnitude 5.1 earthquake as the north face of Washington’s Mount St. Helens falls away in a volcanic eruption. The sideways blast of lava and rock devastates a 230- square-mile area, and ash clouds that rise 16 miles will fall over 11 states.
On May 18, 1980, a major volcanic eruption occurred at Mount St. Helens, a volcano located in Skamania County, in the state of Washington, United States. The eruption was the only significant volcanic eruption to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states since the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California. However, it has often been declared as the most disastrous volcanic eruption in United States history. The eruption was preceded by a two-month series of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes, caused by an injection of magma at shallow depth below the volcano that created a large bulge and a fracture system on the mountain’s north slope.
Date: May 18, 1980

wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens
Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching a perfect game on May 18, 2004 (© Rex Brown/WireImage/Getty Images)(2004) Randy Johnson throws perfect game at age 40
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson, age 40, throws a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves, becoming the oldest player ever to do. Johnson will finish his career in 2010 with more than 300 wins and be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Randall David Johnson, nicknamed “The Big Unit”, is an American former baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009 for six teams. He played primarily for the Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks. His 303 career victories rank as the fifth-most by a left-hander in MLB history, while his 4,875 strikeouts place him second all-time behind Nolan Ryan and are the most by a left-hander. He holds five of the seven highest single-season strikeout totals by a left-hander in modern history. Johnson won the Cy Young Award five times, second only to Roger Clemens’ seven, and he is one of two pitchers to win the award four consecutive times. In 1999, he joined Pedro Martínez and Gaylord Perry in the rare feat of winning the award in both the American and National Leagues. He is also one of five pitchers to pitch no-hitters in both leagues. With his second no-hitter in 2004, he became the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game. He is one of the few pitchers in history to record a win against all 30 MLB franchises.
Born: Sep 10, 1963 (age 53) · Walnut Creek, CA
Height: 6′ 10″ (2.08 m)
Net worth: $115 million USD (2017)
Spouse: Lisa Wiehoff (m. 1993)
Children: Heather Renee Roszel (Daughter) · Alexandria Johnson (Daughter) · Willow Johnson (Daughter) · Tanner Johnson (Son) · Sammi Johnson (Daughter)
Education: University of Southern California · Livermore High School
Highlights
  • 1982: In 1982, as a senior, he struck out 121 batters in 66 innings, and threw a perfect game in his last high school start.

  • 1993: Johnson broke out in 1993 with a 19–8 record, 3.24 ERA and his first of six 300-plus strikeout seasons (308).

  • 1993: Randy Johnson married Lisa Wiehoff on November 06, 1993.

  • 1999: In 1999 he joined Pedro Martínez and Gaylord Perry in the rare feat of winning the award in both the American and National Leagues.

  • 2001: On August 23, 2001, Johnson struck out three batters on nine pitches in the 6th inning of a 5–1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming the 30th pitcher in major league history to pitch an immaculate inning.

  • 2004: With his second no-hitter in 2004, he became the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game.

wiki/Randy_Johnson
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