What Was the Top News Story From The Year You Were Born?

As the Vietnam War was ending, the headlines shifted to become more focused on the Middle East, with diplomacy in delicate situations to be a common theme for years. From the negotiated agreement of the Camp David Accord to the Iran Hostage Crisis, the world had changed and so had news coverage. It was the beginning of a new era in media coverage of world news.

1975 Evacuation Begins in Vietnam

U.S. involvement in Vietnam was finally at an end and evacuation of children began via Operation Babylift, the controversial program which placed Vietnam children, who were not all of them orphans, around the world in allied countries. There are currently programs to to help reconnect these displaced people with their families. Many thousands of adults were evacuated as well.

1976

While we celebrated our Bicentennial with a host of patriotic events and products, the NASA space shuttle Enterprise is unveiled for testing and was flown manned and unmanned in 1977 and was retired in 1985. Named after the Star Trek ship, President Gerald Ford was inundated with letters from Trekkies asking for the new NASA space shuttle to be named Enterprise and Ford relented.

1977 New York City Blackout

In an unprecedented turn of events, a blackout which originated from a lightening strike ended up causing the whole city to become immersed in total darkness. The power went off at around 9:30pm on July 13, 1977 and remained off until late the next day. The unusually hot weather, anxiety over the Son of Sam attacks, and the economic downturn conspired to make this blackout one for the history books. Mass looting and arson were committed by thousands of people across the city resulting in over 3,000 arrests. Few blackout have resulted in any kind of mass violence, let alone enough to warrant governmental funds totaling millions to help with the repairs.

1978 Camp David Accords

After 12 days of secret meetings and negotiations at Camp David, facilitated by President Carter, Anwar El Sadat and Menachim Began signed the agreement which many hoped would finally bring peace and stability to Israel and Palestine.

1979 Margaret Thatcher Elected

As the Britain’s first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher made headlines. But, in the coming years, it would be her conservative policies that would shape world politics and keep her in the news time and time again.

1980 Mount St. Helens

The eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington killed 57 people and left the world stunned with the sheer volume of debris and damage left by the massive eruption and landslide.

1981 Iran Hostage Crisis

52 hostages were held for 444 days, at first by Iranian students, and then by Ayatollah Khomeini’s forces. After massive unrest in the city of Tehran due to the relocation of the deposed Shah to the United States, students were irate and were backed by their government in the act of taking hostages. President Carter tried many strategies including a failed covert mission to free the hostages. All the while, Western press coverage inside Tehran was limited due to strong anti-American sentiment. President Carter’s tireless efforts meant that he was in contact with the Iranian government constantly and they feared starting over with a new administration.

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1982 Princess Grace

Princess Grace was driving back to her home in Monaco when she suffered a stroke which caused her vehicle to veer off the road. The injuries she sustained in the crash, combined with the damager she suffered from the stroke meant that it was not possible to save her life. Her daughter, Stephanie, was badly injured in the crash as well. People around the world mourned the loss of this fashion icon and elegant public figure.

1983 Beirut Embassy

When a suicide bomber drove a car full of explosives into the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, the blast was one of the most destructive on an American diplomatic property and drew the attention of the world, causing President Reagan to famously denounce such a “cowardly act.” This bombing killed 63 people and marked a sharp increase in terrorist attacks around the world.

1984 Olympics

As a response to Carter’s boycotting of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, the USSR boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles causing heated discussions across the globe. You can watch a clip below.

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1985 Titanic Found

After decades of searching, in 1985 a team of researchers led by Dr. Robert D. Ballard, finally found the wreckage of the famous ship near Newfoundland using an underwater rover with camera attached. Objects from the ship have been of great interest ever since and there have even been theories on how to raise the wreckage from the ocean floor.

Those are the biggest headlines from 1945 to 1985: some of the most important events of in modern memory. To find out the most popular toy the year you were born click here.