Date in year · 1979 · The 1970s

December 9, 1979

On December 9, 1979, the eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first of only two diseases that have been driven to extinction (with rinderpest in 2011 being the other). The year's #1 song was "My Sharona" by The Knack. Ruth Beitia, Iván Alonso, Malcolm Christie would arrive in the same year.

Events

1

Births

3

Deaths

0

Year

1979

1970s

Around 1979

The year in brief

1979 (MCMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1979th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 979th year of the 2nd millennium, the 79th year of the 20th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1970s decade.

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What happened

On December 9, 1979

  1. 1979 The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first of only two diseases that have been driven to extinction (with rinderpest in 2011 being the other).

    Eradicated viral disease

    Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus, which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980, making smallpox the only human disease to have been eradicated.

Arrivals

Born on December 9, 1979

Olivia Lufkin 1979– Japanese singer (born 1979)
Stephen McPhail 1979– Former Republic of Ireland international footballer (born 1979)
Aiko Uemura 1979– Japanese freestyle skier

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1979

The class of 1979

Others born in 1979

Ruth Beitia 1979– Spanish high jumper
Iván Alonso 1979– Uruguayan footballer
Malcolm Christie 1979– English footballer
Sebastien Grainger 1979– Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Michel Riesen 1979– Swiss ice hockey player
Claire Danes 1979– American actress

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