Historical Events
- "Beatlemania" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 920 performances
World Series
Baseball World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates beat Baltimore Orioles, 4-1 at Memorial Stadium for 4 games to 3 series win; MVP: Pirates 1B Willie Stargell
- D Bautista of Mexico completes 20,000 m walk in record 1:20:06.8
Nobel Peace Prize
Mother Teresa of Calcutta awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Event of Interest
US President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating Department of Education
Famous Birthdays
- Angel Bat Dawid, American composer, clarinetist, pianist, and vocalist (The Oracle: Requiem for Jazz), born in Atlanta, Georgia
Kimi Räikkönen (44 years old)
Finnish auto racer (F1 World Champion 2007), born in Espoo, Finland
- Kostas Tsartsaris, Greek basketball player
- Marcela Bovio, Mexican heavy metal singer and violinist (Stream of Passion; MaYans), born in Monterrey, Mexico
Famous Deaths
- John Stuart, Scottish actor (Kittie, Superman, Number Seventeen), dies at 81
- Karel Reiner, Czech pianist, composer, and Theresienstadt concentration camp survivor, dies at 69
- S J Perelman, American author, humorist and screenwriter (The New Yorker, Around the World in 80 Days), dies at 75
Died in 1979 1979 Highlights
About October 17, 1979
Day of the Week: Wednesday
How Long Ago? 44 years, 6 months and 8 days
Leap Year: No
Generation: Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Goat/Sheep
Star Sign: Libra
Music Charts
- #1 Song: Rise - Herb Alpert
- #1 Song: Video Killed The Radio Star - Buggles