April 5, 1980
Gas cost $1.19 a gallon in the spring of 1980, and the Dow Jones stood at 964 — the United States was navigating the Iran hostage crisis and rising inflation, with the Carter administration quietly stepping back from treating the standoff as an active emergency. On the cultural front, Blondie's "Call Me" sat at the top of the charts while Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" was the bestselling nonfiction book in the country. The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship over the Philadelphia 76ers, and that same spring the World Health Organization certified the global eradication of smallpox — the first and still only time in history that a human disease had been completely eliminated from the planet.
On the cover
Magazine Covers — April 5, 1980
NY Times Headlines — Week of April 5, 1980
Soviet Troops And Afghan Rebels Are Deadlocked, U.S. Aides Say; A Comparison To Vietnam A Stalemate Is Seen In Afghanistan 500 Soviet Casualties A Week Excesses Are Curbed
Israelis Retake Kibbutz Nursery, Kill 5 Terrorists, Free Hostages; Israeli Soldiers Storm Kibbutz Nursery, Free Hostages Electric Power Had Gone Off Palestinians In Lebanon On Alert
President Warns Iran And Soviet; Asks Allies' Aid; Refuses To Rule Out Force To Get Hostages' Release A Caution On Wider Measures 'What Is That Strategy?' President Cautions Iran And Soviet, And Asks Allies For More Backing An Appeal To Iran Allies Attitude Is Criticized
World Events — April 1980
Time Person of the Year — 1980
On the radio
Billboard Charts — April 5, 1980
Grammy Awards
On the bookshelf
On the television
Nielsen Top 10 — 1979–80 Season
Emmy Winners — 1980
At the movies
Box Office & Oscar Winners — April 5, 1980
Ebert 4-Star Films — April 5, 1980
On the field
Sports Champions — April 5, 1980
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