Chronology year 1980

January 1980

• Announcement of the embargo on US grain exports to the Soviet Union, in response to the invasion of Afghanistan.
• Chess player Garry Kasparov, at age 16, wins the international chess tournament in Banja Luka, Yugoslavia.
• United States boycott of the Moscow Summer Olympics is announced by President Jimmy Carter.
• Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations, landmark of the Camp David Treaty.
• Six American diplomats escape Iran with help from Canada, an event portrayed in the film Argo (2012).
• Release of the single Another Brick in the Wall (Part II) by Pink Floyd, which reaches the top of the charts in the United Kingdom.
• Queen Juliana of the Netherlands abdicates in favor of her daughter, Beatrix.

February 1980

• Opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York.
• Victory of the American team over the Soviet Union in the "Miracle on Ice" at the Winter Olympics.
• The USA wins the gold medal in men's ice hockey, defeating Finland in the final.
• Debut of Queen's single Crazy Little Thing Called Love, which reaches the top of the charts in the USA.
• Release of the single Call Me by the band Blondie, which becomes a global hit.
• Military coup in Suriname led by Dési Bouterse, known as the "Sergeants' Coup".

March 1980

• Robert Mugabe is elected Prime Minister of Zimbabwe after the country's independence.
• Death of philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm, in Muralto, Switzerland.
• Collapse of the Alexander L. Kielland oil platform in the North Sea, killing 123 workers.
• NASA's Voyager 1 confirms the existence of rings on Jupiter.
• Assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero in El Salvador, a milestone in the fight for human rights.
• Release of the single Atomic by the band Blondie in the United Kingdom.

April 1980

• Death of filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, in Los Angeles, at the age of 80.
• The US breaks diplomatic relations with Iran due to the hostage crisis.
• Samuel Doe leads a military coup in Liberia, assassinating President William Tolbert.
• Zimbabwe officially celebrates its independence from the United Kingdom, with Robert Mugabe as leader.
• Beatrix is ​​crowned queen of the Netherlands after the abdication of her mother, Juliana.
• Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher, dies in Paris.

May 1980

• Eruption of Mount St. Helens in the USA, killing 57 people and causing great destruction.
• Premiere of the film Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back in the USA.
• Premiere of the film The Shining, by Stanley Kubrick, in the USA.
• Launch of the Pac-Man arcade game in Japan, by Namco.
• Death of Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito, in Ljubljana.
• The World Health Organization declares smallpox officially eradicated.

June 1980

• Release of the album The Game by the band Queen, containing hits such as Another One Bites the Dust.
• Launch of the CNN news network, the first 24-hour news cable TV.
• Björn Borg wins Roland Garros for the fifth time, defeating Vitas Gerulaitis.
• Premiere of the film The Blues Brothers in the USA, with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
• Premiere of the film Avião! in the USA, a comedy landmark.

July 1980

• Opening of the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow, boycotted by 65 countries, including the USA.
• Björn Borg wins Wimbledon for the fifth consecutive time, defeating John McEnroe.
• Bernard Hinault wins the Tour de France for the third time.
• Release of AC/DC's Back in Black album, one of the best-selling in history.
• Death of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in exile in Egypt.

August 1980

• Founding of the Solidarność union in Poland, led by Lech Wałęsa.
• Signing of the Gdańsk Agreements, recognizing Solidarność as an independent union.
• Hurricane Allen hits the Caribbean and Texas, causing more than 270 deaths.
• Premiere of the single Upside Down by Diana Ross.
• Release of the single Another One Bites the Dust by Queen.

September 1980

• Beginning of the Iran-Iraq War, following the Iraqi invasion of southwestern Iran.
• Premiere of the series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, presented by Carl Sagan, on PBS.
• John McEnroe wins the men's US Open, defeating Björn Borg.
• Release of the album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) by David Bowie.

October 1980

• Premiere of the film The Elephant Man, by David Lynch, in the USA.
• Release of the album Remain in Light by the band Talking Heads.
• Earthquake in El Asnam, Algeria, kills around 2,500 people.
• Release of the album Zenyatta Mondatta by The Police, with hits such as Don't Stand So Close to Me.
• Release of the single Woman in Love by Barbra Streisand.
• General elections in Canada, with victory for Pierre Trudeau's Liberal Party.

November 1980

• Election of Ronald Reagan as 40th president of the United States.
• Episode of Dallas (Who Done It?) reveals who shot JR, attracting 83 million viewers.
• Earthquake in Irpinia, Italy, kills around 2,900 people.
• Release of the album Double Fantasy by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
• Premiere of the film Raging Bull, by Martin Scorsese, in the USA.
• Release of the single Super Trouper by the band ABBA.

December 1980

• Assassination of John Lennon in New York by Mark David Chapman, on December 8th.
• Premiere of the series Magnum, P.I. in the USA, with Tom Selleck.
• Premiere of the film Nine to Five, with Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton.
• Railway workers strike in Poland, part of the Solidarność movement.
• Release of the single The Winner Takes It All by ABBA.