1980

January 1980 January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. January 9 – In Saudi Arabia, 63 Islamist insurgents are beheaded for their part in the siege of the Great Mosque in Mecca in November 1979. January 14 – Congress (I) party leader, Indira Gandhi returns to power as the Prime Minister of India. January 20 – At least 200 people are killed when the Corralejas Bullring collapses at Sincelejo, Colombia. January 21 – The London Gold Fixing hits its highest price ever of $843 per troy ounce ($2,249.50 in 2020 when adjusted for inflation). January 22 – Andrei Sakharov, Soviet scientist and human rights activist, is arrested in Moscow. January 26 – Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations. January 27 – Canadian Caper: Six United States diplomats, posing as Canadians, manage to escape from Tehran, Iran, as they board a flight to Zürich, Switzerland, on Swissair. January 31 – Burning of the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala: The Spanish Embassy in Guatemala is invaded and set on fire, killing 36 people. In the United States, it is dubbed "Spain's own Tehran". February 1980 February 2 – Abscam: FBI personnel target members of the Congress of the United States in a sting operation. February 2 – 3 – The New Mexico State Penitentiary riot takes place; 33 inmates are killed and more than 100 inmates injured. February 4 – Abolhassan Banisadr is sworn in as the first President of Iran after winning the January 25 presidential election. February 13 – The 1980 Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, New York. February 15 – In Vanuatu, followers of John Frum's cargo cult on the island of Tanna declare secession as the nation of Tafea. February 16 – A total solar eclipse is seen in North Africa and West Asia. It was the 50th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 130. February 23 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran's parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.