| January 1 | 54th Australian Womens Tennis: Barbara Jordan beats S Walsh (63 63) |
| January 1 | Alabama beats Arkansas in Sugar Bowl for college football championship |
| January 1 | Chrysler U.K. renamed Talbot |
| January 1 | International Decade of Water and Sanitation begins |
| January 1 | Mob storms Russian embassy in Teheran |
| January 1 | Premier Adbou Diouf becomes president of Senegal |
| January 1 | Sweden changes order of succession to throne |
| January 2 | 68th Australian Men Tennis: Guillermo Vilas beat John Sadri (76 63 62) |
| January 3 | Gold hits record $634 an ounce |
| January 4 | President Carter announces U.S. boycott of Moscow Olympics |
| January 6 | "1940's Radio Hour" closes at St. James Theater New York City after 105 performances |
| January 6 | Indira Gandhi's Congress Party wins elections in India |
| January 6 | Phil Flyers set NHL record of 35 straight games without a defeat |
| January 7 | Minn ends Philadelphia Flyers' NHL record 35 game unbeaten streak ends |
| January 8 | Islander Glenn Resch's 20th shut-out opponent-Canucks 3-0 |
| January 8 | NCAA decides to sponsor women's championships in 5 sports |
| January 9 | 63 beheaded in Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
| January 10 | Jim Stewart, Bruin's rookie goalie allows 3 goals in his 1st 4 minutes and a total of 5 in 1st period; he never again plays in NHL |
| January 10 | Last broadcast of "Rockford Files" on NBC |
| January 11 | Debut of Pretenders |
| January 12 | Mike Bratz (Phoenix) begins NBA free throw streak of 57 games |
| January 13 | Head of narcotic brigade arrested for drug smuggling in Belgium |
| January 13 | "King of Schnorrers" closes at Playhouse Theater New York City after 63 performances |
| January 13 | Togo's constitution becomes effective |
| January 14 | "Blues Brothers" movie with Dan Akwoyd and John Belushi opens |
| January 14 | Shakuntala Devi, mentally multiplies 2 13-digit #s in 28 sec |
| January 15 | Pam Gems' "Piaf!," premieres in London |
| January 16 | Paul McCartney jailed in Tokyo for 10 days on marijuana possession |
| January 17 | NASA launches Fltsatcom-3 |
| January 18 | Gold reaches $1,000 an ounce |
| January 18 | Pink Floyd's "Wall" hits #1 |
| January 18 | Studio 54 owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax evasion and fined $20,000 |
| January 20 | President Jimmy Carter announces U.S. boycott of Olympics in Moscow |
| January 20 | Superbowl MVP: Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh, quarterback |
| January 20 | Superbowl XIV: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Los Angeles Rams, 31-19 in Pasadena |
| January 20 | U.S. Female Figure Skating championship won by Linda Fratianne |
| January 20 | U.S. Male Figure Skating championship won by Charles Tickner |
| January 21 | Gold hits record $850 an ounce |
| January 21 | Les Henson, Virginia Tech, makes 89' 3" basketball field goal |
| January 22 | Dissidents Andrei Sacharov and Jelena Bonner banished to Gorki |
| January 22 | PGA begins a senior golf tour |
| January 22 | West Indies beat England 2-0 to win 1st World Series Cup |
| January 25 | Bani Sadr elected president of Iran |
| January 25 | Dutch Government demands boycott of Olympics |
| January 25 | Highest speed attained by a warship, 167 kph, USN hovercraft |
| January 25 | Paul McCartney is released from Tokyo jail and deported |
| January 26 | 175,000 pay to hear Frank Sinatra sing in Rio de Janeiro |
| January 26 | Islanders and Whalers play a NHL penalty-free game |
| January 26 | Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations |
| January 26 | Mary Decker became 1st woman to run a mile in under 4 minutes |
| January 27 | "Comin' Uptown" closes at Winter Garden Theater New York City after 45 performances |
| January 27 | NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 37-27 |
| January 28 | 37th Golden Globes: Dustin Hoffman and Sally Field wins |
| January 29 | 6 Iranian held U.S. hostages escape with help of Canadians |
| January 29 | Cleveland Cavaliers beat Los Angeles Lakers 154-153 in quadruple OT |
| January 30 | Edward Albee's "Lady from Dubuque," premieres in New York City |
| January 31 | Police storm occupied Spanish embassy in Guatemala City, killing 41 |
| February 1 | Sears Radio Theater moves from CBS to Mutual Broadcasting System |
| February 1 | Soap opera "Love of Life" ends a 28 year run |
| February 2 | FBI releases details of Abscam, a sting operation that targeted 31 elected and public officials for bribes for political favors |
| February 3 | 30th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 144-136 (OT) at Washington |
| February 3 | Larry Holmes TKOs Lorenzo Holmes in 6 for heavyweight boxing title |
| February 3 | Mohammed Ali tours Africa as President Carter's envoy |
| February 4 | Bani Sadr sworn in as premier of Iran |
| February 4 | Joanne Carner wins LPGA Whirlpool Golf Championship of Deer Creek |
| February 5 | 32nd NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 6-3 at Detroit |
| February 5 | Egyptian parliament votes to end boycott of Israel |
| February 9 | Rick Barry, Houston, is 1st in NBA to score 8, 3-pt goals in a game |
| February 10 | Ianford Wilsons "Talley's Folly," premieres in New York City |
| February 10 | Jane Blalock wins LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic |
| February 12 | "Canterbury Tales" opens at Rialto Theater New York City for 16 performances |
| February 12 | New York Islanders 2nd scoreless tie, vs. Winnipeg Jets |
| February 12 | Richard Hadlee becomes New Zealand's top wicket-taker with 117 |
| February 13 | Apollo Computer Inc. incorporated |
| February 13 | New Zealand beats West Indies by one wicket in cricket at Dunedin |
| February 14 | 13th Winter Olympic games open in Lake Placid, New York |
| February 14 | U.S. launches Solar Maximum Mission Observatory to study solar flares |
| February 14 | "West Side Story" opens at Minskoff Theater New York City for 341 performances |
| February 15 | Eric Heiden skates Olympic record 500m in 38.03 sec |
| February 15 | Wayne Gretzy assists on NHL-record-tieing 7 goals |
| February 16 | Continuous traffic jam extends 176 km north of Lyons, France |
| February 16 | Eric Heiden skates 5k in 7:02.29 (Olympic Record) |
| February 17 | Buddy Baker wins Daytona 500 (177.6 MPH/285.8 kph) |
| February 17 | Dot Germain wins LPGA S&H Golf Classic |
| February 18 | Billy Wyman said he will leave Rolling Stones in 1983 |
| February 18 | Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Liberal Party wins Canada's elections |
| February 19 | Botham a century and 13 wickets in Jubilee Test Cricket at Bombay |
| February 19 | Eric Heiden skates Olympic record 1000m in 1:15.18 |
| February 20 | Actress Susan Dey (LA Law) weds producer Bernard Sofronski |
| February 21 | Eric Heiden skates Olympic record 1500m in 1:55.44 |
| February 21 | Hanni Wenzel is 1st Liechtensteiner to win Olymp gold (giant slalom) |
| February 22 | Afghanistan declares martial law |
| February 22 | USA beats U.S.S.R. in Olympic hockey 4-3 en route to a gold medal |
| February 23 | 13th Winter Olympic games close at Lake Placid, New York |
| February 23 | Eric Heiden wins all 5 speed skating golds at Lake Placid Olympics |
| February 23 | France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island |
| February 23 | Oil tanker explosion off Pilos, Greece, causes 37-million-gallon spill |
| February 24 | "Canterbury Tales" closes at Rialto Theater New York City after 16 performances |
| February 24 | Joanne Carner Ladies wins LPGA Bent Tree Golf Classic |
| February 24 | Rangers score 5 power-play goals against Islanders |
| February 24 | USA Olympic hockey team defeated Finland, 4-2, to win the gold medal |
| February 25 | Coup ousts Prime Minister Henck Arron of Suriname |
| February 26 | Egypt and Israel exchange ambassadors for 1st time |
| February 26 | Miltary coup under Desi Bouterse in Suriname |
| February 26 | R Hadlee scores Test Cricket century vs. Roberts, Garner, Holding, Croft |
| February 27 | 22nd Grammy Awards: What a Fool Believe, Streisand-Diamond duet |
| February 27 | Israel and Egypt exchange ambassadors |
| February 27 | Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF wins elections in Zimbabwe |
| February 27 | Terrorists occupies Dominican embassy in Bogota |
| February 28 | "The Well-Tuned Piano" by La Monte Young premieres (takes 4 h 12 m) |
| February 28 | U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| February 29 | Gordie Howe becomes 1st NHL player to score 800 career goals |
| February 29 | Michael Bracey ends 59 h 55 m trapped in an elevator, England |
| March 1 | CTUC, Commonwealth Trade Union Council, established |
| March 1 | Hilbert van der Duim becomes world champion all-round skater |
| March 1 | Patti Smith and MC5 guitarist Fred Sonic Smith wed in Detroit |
| March 1 | Snow falls in Florida |
| March 2 | 3rd Islander scoreless tie-Penguins in Pitts |
| March 2 | Jan Stephenson wins LPGA Sun City Golf Classic |
| March 2 | Mike Bratz (Phoenix) ends NBA free throw streak of 57 games |
| March 3 | France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island |
| March 4 | 40th hat trick in Islander history-Mike Bossy |
| March 4 | Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF wins parliamentary election in Zimbabwe |
| March 5 | Earth satellites record gamma rays from remnants of supernova N-49 |
| March 6 | Emmy 7th Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci loses for 1st time |
| March 6 | French Academy, founded in 1635, elects it 1st woman novelist (Marguerita Youcenar) |
| March 6 | Princess Theater (Latin Quarter, Cotton Club) opens at 200 W 48th New York City |
| March 8 | Greg Chappell 235 and Yallop 172, for 217 stand at Faisalabad |
| March 8 | U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| March 9 | Flemish/Walloon battles in Belgium, 40 injured |
| March 9 | Joanne Carner wins LPGA Sunstar '80 Golf Tournament |
| March 10 | Willard Scott becomes the weather forcaster on the Today Show |
| March 11 | Rod Marsh bowls 10 overs for 51 runs in dull Australia vs. Pak cricket draw |
| March 12 | Jury finds John Wayne Gacy guilty of murdering 33 in Chicago |
| March 12 | New York Islanders 3rd scoreless tie, vs Pittsburgh Penguin |
| March 13 | Eric Heiden skates world record 1000m (1:13.60) |
| March 13 | Ford Motor Company found innocent in death of 3 women in a fiery Pinto |
| March 13 | Men's Figure Skating Championship in Dortmund won by Jan Hoffmann GDR |
| March 14 | 3rd Emmy Sports Award presentation |
| March 14 | Ice Dance Championship at Dortmund W Germany won by Regoczy and Sallay |
| March 14 | Ice Pairs Championship at Dortmund won by Cherkasova and Shakhrai (U.S.S.R.) |
| March 14 | Polish airliner crash kills all 87 aboard (22 are U.S. amateur boxers) |
| March 14 | Worlds Ladies Figure Skating Champ in Dortmund won by Anett Potzsch |
| March 16 | Joanne Carner wins LPGA Honda Civic Golf Classic |
| March 18 | Vostok rocket exploded on launch pad while being refueled, killing 50 |
| March 20 | U.S. appeals to International Court on hostages in Iran |
| March 21 | On TV show Dallas, J.R. is shot |
| March 23 | Border completes 150 in each inning of Test Cricket vs. Pakistan |
| March 23 | Donna Caponi Young Pro-Am wins LPGA National Golf Tournament |
| March 23 | France performs nuclear test |
| March 23 | Shah of Iran arrives in Egypt |
| March 24 | 42nd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Louisville beats UCLA 59-54 |
| March 24 | ABC's nightly Iran Hostage crisis program renamed "Nightline" |
| March 24 | Capitol Records releases some rare Beatles tracks |
| March 26 | Bombay gets its 1st rock concert in 10 years (The Police) |
| March 27 | Elevator in Vaal Reef South Africa gold mine crash 1900m down (23 die) |
| March 27 | "Happy New Year" opens at Morosco Theater New York City for 17 performances |
| March 27 | Mount St. Helens becomes active after 123 years |
| March 27 | "Reggae" opens at Biltmore Theater New York City for 21 performances |
| March 30 | Mark Medoff's "Children of a Lesser God," premieres in New York City |
| March 30 | Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Women's Kemper Golf Open |
| March 31 | Larry Holmes TKOs Leroy Jones in 8 for heavyweight boxing title |
| March 31 | Mike Weaver KOs John Tate in 15 for heavyweight boxing title |
| March 31 | President Jimmy Carter deregulates banking industry |
| April 1 | Baseball Players Association votes to cancel 92 remaining exhibition games |
| April 1 | Failed assassination attempt on Iraqi vice-premier Tariq Aziz |
| April 1 | France performs nuclear test |
| April 1 | Wayne Gretzky breaks Bobby Orr's record with 103rd assist |
| April 2 | Wayne Gretzky becomes 1st teenager to score 50 goals in a season |
| April 3 | France performs nuclear test |
| April 3 | U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| April 4 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. |
| April 6 | 9th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Donna Caponi Young |
| April 6 | Gordie Howe completes a record 26th season |
| April 6 | Post It Notes, introduced |
| April 7 | Jimmy Carter breaks relations with Iran during hostage crisis |
| April 8 | Islander Potvin's 2 shorthanded goals tie NHL record vs Kings and set NHL rec of 2 shorthanded playoff goals in 1 period |
| April 9 | Belgium's Marten's government resigns |
| April 9 | Kings tie NHL rec with 2 shorthanded playoff goals in a pd vs Isles |
| April 9 | Soyuz 35 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6 |
| April 11 | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulates sexual harassment |
| April 11 | Paul McCartney releases "Coming Up" |
| April 12 | BCMA, Black Consciousness Movement of Azania, forms |
| April 12 | Milwaukee beats Boston Red Sox, 18-1 (Cooper and Money hit grand slams) |
| April 13 | 44th Golf Masters Championship: Seve Ballesteros wins, shooting a 275 |
| April 13 | Amy Alcott wins LPGA American Defender/WRAL Golf Classic |
| April 13 | Emmy News and Documentaries Award presentation |
| April 13 | "Grease" closes at Broadhurst Theater New York City after 3,388 performances |
| April 13 | "Reggae" closes at Biltmore Theater New York City after 21 performances |
| April 13 | U.S. boycotts Summer Olympics in Moscow |
| April 14 | 1st Cubans of the Mariel boatlift sail to Florida |
| April 14 | 52nd Academy Awards - "Kramer vs Kramer," D Hoffman and Sally Field win |
| April 14 | Pulitzer prize awarded to Norman Mailer (Executioner's Song) |
| April 16 | Arthur Ashe retires from professional tennis |
| April 16 | Delhi beat Bombay by 240 runs to win Ranji Trophy final |
| April 16 | U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| April 18 | Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia) declares independence from UK |
| April 20 | Cubans begin to arrive in U.S. from Mariel boatlift |
| April 20 | Donna White wins LPGA Florida "Lady Citrus" Golf Tournament |
| April 21 | 84th Boston Marathon won by Bill Rodgers of Mass in 2:12:11 |
| April 21 | 9th Boston Women's Marathon won by Jacqueline Gareau of Canada in 2:34:28, Rosie Ruiz disqualified as women's champ she hadn't run entire course |
| April 21 | Howard Stern begins broadcasting on WWWW Detroit, Michigan |
| April 23 | Soviet sub catches fire off Japan, 9 die |
| April 24 | U.S. military operation to save 52 hostages in Iran, fails, 8 die |
| April 25 | A's manager Billy Martin restrained by umps from attacking a fan |
| April 25 | Announcement of Jimmy Carter hostage rescue bungle in Iran |
| April 25 | Firestone World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by Wayne Webb |
| April 25 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. |
| April 26 | Gerard Nijboer runs Dutch record marathon (2:09:01) |
| April 26 | Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| April 26 | Iran begins scattering U.S. hostages from U.S. Embassy |
| April 26 | Longest jump by a jet boat is set at 120' |
| April 26 | Phillies' Steve Carlton pitches his 6th 1-hitter (beats Cards) |
| April 27 | Barbara Barrow wins LPGA Birmingham Golf Classic |
| April 28 | Cyrus Vance, Carter's Secretary of State, resigns |
| April 28 | Reunion Arena in Dallas opens |
| April 30 | "Barnum" opens at St. James Theater New York City for 854 performances |
| April 30 | Beatrix, Wilhelmina Armgard, crowned queen of Netherlands |
| April 30 | Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands, abdicates |
| April 30 | Ronald Harwood's "Dresser," premieres in London |
| April 30 | Terrorists seize Iranian Embassy in London |
| May 1 | 15th Academy of Country Music Awards: Barbara Mandrell wins |
| May 1 | Amer Book Award: William Styron (Sophie Choice)/T Wolfe (Right Stuff) |
| May 1 | "Day in Hollywood, A Night..." opens at John Golden New York City for 588 perf |
| May 1 | Sabres and Islanders play to 1:20 of 5th period in a playoff |
| May 2 | Joseph Doherty and 3 other IRA men arrested for murder |
| May 2 | Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in Wall (Part II)" is banned in South Africa |
| May 2 | Pope John Paul II begins African tour |
| May 2 | U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| May 3 | 106th Kentucky Derby: Jacinto Vasquez on Genuine Risk wins in 2:02 |
| May 3 | Giants 1st baseman Willie McCovey hits his 521st and final HR |
| May 3 | Texas Ranger Ferguson Jenkins becomes 4th to win 100 games in AL and NL |
| May 4 | Dodgers bat out of order against Phillies in 1st inning |
| May 4 | Hollis Stacy wins LPGA CPC Women's Internationalional Golf Tournament |
| May 4 | White Sox 1st baseman Mike Squires catches final inning of 11-1 loss to Brewers, becoming 1st lefty to catch since Dale Long in 1958 |
| May 5 | Siege at Iranian Embassy in London ends; British commandos and police stormed the building |
| May 7 | Josip Tito, Yugoslav president, buried |
| May 7 | Samm-Art Williams' "Home," premieres in New York City |
| May 8 | Sabres take only 15 shots, Islanders 22, in a playoff game |
| May 8 | World Health Organization announced smallpox had been eradicated |
| May 9 | 35 motorists die as a Liberian freighter rams a Tampa Bay Bridge |
| May 10 | "Happy New Year" closes at Morosco Theater New York City after 17 performances |
| May 11 | Pam Higgins wins LPGA Lady Michelob Golf Tournament |
| May 11 | Pete Rose, 39, steals second, third, and home in one inning for Phillies |
| May 12 | 1st nonstop crossing of U.S. via balloon (Maxie Anderson and son Chris) |
| May 13 | Cincinnati Red Ray Knight hits 2 home runs in 5th inning vs New York Mets |
| May 14 | Bucky Dent hits an inside park HR, Royals walk 14 Yankees including 5 with bases loaded, Yankees win 16-3 |
| May 14 | Department of Health and Human Services begins operation |
| May 14 | "Musical Chairs" opens at Rialto Theater New York City for 15 performances |
| May 14 | Valencia wins 20th Europe Cup II |
| May 15 | 1st trans-U.S. balloon crossing |
| May 15 | Flyers score 8 goals against Islanders in playoffs |
| May 15 | Shawn Weatherly, (South Carolina (will win Miss Universe), crowned 29th Miss USA |
| May 16 | 34th NBA Championship: Los Angeles Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4 games to 2 |
| May 16 | Brian May of rock group Queen collapses on stage with hepatitis |
| May 16 | Former Buggles members Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn replace Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman in Yes |
| May 16 | Paul McCartney releases "McCartney II" album |
| May 17 | 106th Preakness: Angel Cordero, Jr. aboard Codex wins in 1:54.2 |
| May 17 | Kumar Anandan balanced on one foot for 33 hours |
| May 17 | Major race riot in Miami Florida - 16 killed, 300 injured |
| May 17 | Paul and Linda McCartney appear on Saturday Night Live |
| May 18 | Belgium 3rd government of Martens forms |
| May 18 | China launch 1st intercontinental rocket |
| May 18 | Donna White wins LPGA Coca-Cola Golf Classic |
| May 18 | Fernando Belaunde Terry elected president of Peru |
| May 18 | Mount St. Helens blows its top in Washington State, 60 die |
| May 19 | "Blackstone" opens at Majestic Theater New York City for 104 performances |
| May 19 | Ringo and Barbara Bach are involved in a car crash |
| May 20 | 710 families in Love Canal area (Niagara Falls New York) are evacuated |
| May 20 | Drummer Peter Criss quits Kiss |
| May 20 | Fire in nursing home in Kingston Jamaica, kills 157 |
| May 20 | In a referendum, 59.5% of Quebec voters reject separatism |
| May 21 | Eintracht Frankfurt wins 9th UEFA Cup at Frankfurt |
| May 21 | "Empire Strikes Back" premieres |
| May 21 | Ensign Jean Marie Butler is 1st woman to graduate from U.S. service acad |
| May 22 | Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue marry |
| May 23 | ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Neil Burton |
| May 24 | Iran rejects a call to World Court to release U.S. hostages |
| May 24 | "Rock Lobster" by B-52's hits #56 |
| May 24 | Stanley Cup: New York Islanders beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 2 |
| May 25 | Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Corning Golf Classic |
| May 25 | Jacek Wszoka of Poland sets high jump record (7'8") |
| May 25 | "Musical Chairs" closes at Rialto Theater New York City after 15 performances |
| May 26 | Dietmar Mogenburg of West Germany ties high jump record at 7'8" |
| May 26 | Phillie Steve Carlton is 1st NLer to record 6, 1-hitters |
| May 26 | Soyuz 36 carries 2 cosmonauts (1 Hungarian) to Salyut 6 |
| May 27 | South Korean police ends people's uprising; 2,000 killed |
| May 28 | 2 Oakland A's steal home in 1st inning |
| May 28 | Joe Darby does a standing long jump of 12'5" |
| May 28 | Nottingham Forrest wins 25th Europe Cup 1 in Madrid |
| May 29 | 53rd National Spelling Bee: Jacques Bailly wins spelling elucubrate |
| May 29 | Attempted assassination on Vernon Jordan, Jr. National Urban League president |
| May 29 | "Billy Bishop Goes to War" opens at Morosco Theater New York City for 12 performances |
| May 29 | J Turners "Juliet and Her Nurse" sold for $6,400,000 in New York City |
| May 29 | Larry Bird beats out Magic Johnson for NBA rookie of year |
| May 30 | 1st papal visit to France since 1814 |
| May 30 | Tiger reliever John Hiller, 37, (who had a 1971 heart attack), retires |
| May 30 | Turner's painting "Juliet and Her Nurse" sells for $6.4 million |
| May 30 | Twins Ken Landreaux ends his hitting streak after 31 games |
| May 31 | "Love Stinks" by J Geils Band peaks at #38 |
| May 31 | Police and youthful rebels battle in Zurich |
| June 1 | 1st transmission of CNN, Cable News Network |
| June 1 | ANC sets fire to Sasol oil installations in South Africa |
| June 1 | Barbra Streisand appears at an ACLU Benefit in California |
| June 1 | Beth Daniel wins LPGA Golden Lights Golf Championshipship |
| June 1 | Steve Garvey, hits the 7,000th Dodger home run |
| June 1 | Ted Turner's Cable News Network begins broadcasting |
| June 2 | "Your Arm's Too Short to Box..." opens at Ambassador New York City for 149 performances |
| June 3 | Crew of Soyuz 36 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 35 |
| June 3 | ESPN begins televising college world series games |
| June 3 | "It's So Nice to Be Civilized" opens at Martin Beck New York City for 8 performances |
| June 3 | Jimmy Carter wins enough delegates for renomination |
| June 3 | New York Mets draft Darryl Strawberry, 18, #1 |
| June 5 | Soyuz T-2 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station |
| June 6 | Bjorn Borg beats John McEnroe for Wimbledon title |
| June 7 | 112th Belmont: Eddie Maple aboard Temperence Hill wins in 2:29.8 |
| June 7 | 50th French Mens Tennis: Bjorn Borg beats Vitas Gerulaitis (64 61 62) |
| June 7 | "Billy Bishop Goes to War" closes at Morosco New York City after 12 performances |
| June 7 | "Cars," by Gary Numan hits #9 |
| June 7 | Jeff Norman runs world record 50k (2:48:06) |
| June 7 | John McEnroe beats Bjorn Borg for U.S. Open |
| June 7 | Tommy John wins his 200th, 3-0 on a 2-hitter |
| June 8 | 26th LPGA Championship won by Sally Little |
| June 8 | 34th Tony Awards: Children of a Lesser God and Evita win |
| June 8 | 50th French Womens Tennis: Chris Evert beats Virginia Ruzici (60 63) |
| June 8 | "It's So Nice to Be Civilized" closes at Martin Beck New York City after 8 performances |
| June 9 | 14th Music City News Country Awards: Statler Brothers and Loretta Lynn |
| June 9 | Comedian Richard Pryor suffers burns from free basing cocaine |
| June 9 | Phillies and San Francisco Giants end their game at 3:11 AM |
| June 9 | Soyuz T-2 returns to Earth |
| June 11 | K-Ingleside streetcar converts to METRO service (SF) |
| June 12 | Reagan said he would submit to periodic medical tests |
| June 13 | Billy Joel's "Glass Houses" hits #1 |
| June 13 | Deborah Harry/Meat Loaf film, "Roadie," premieres |
| June 13 | Paul McCartney releases "Waterfall" |
| June 13 | Rep John Jenrette, Jr. (D-SC) indicted in "Abscam" investigation |
| June 13 | U.N. Security Council calls for South Africa to free Nelson Mandela |
| June 14 | Theme From New York, New York by Frank Sinatra hits #32 |
| June 15 | 80th U.S. Golf Open: Jack Nicklaus shoots a 272 at Baltusrol Golf Club New Jersey |
| June 15 | Dale Lundquis wins LPGA Boston Five Golf Classic |
| June 15 | "Fearless Frank" opens at Princess Theater New York City for 12 performances |
| June 15 | Jorge Orta of Cleveland gets 6 hits in a baseball game |
| June 16 | "Blues Brothers," premieres in Chicago |
| June 16 | Supreme Court rules new forms of life created in labs could be patented |
| June 17 | Led Zeppelin begins their last European tour |
| June 18 | "Blues Brothers" with Dan Akwoyd and John Belushi premieres |
| June 18 | Dutch 2nd Chamber joins oil boycott of South Africa |
| June 18 | Mrs. Shakuntala Devi mentally multiplies 2 13-digit #s in 28 sec |
| June 19 | Battle between police and demonstrators in Capetown, 34 killed |
| June 20 | California Angels Freddie Patek, hits 3 home runs and double to beat Red Sox 20-2 |
| June 20 | Roberto Duran takes WBC welterweight title from Sugar Ray Leonard at Olympic Stadium in Montreal by unanimous decision |
| June 22 | Jim King begins riding Miracle Strip Roller coaster 368 hours |
| June 22 | Joanne Carner wins LPGA Lady Keystone Golf Open |
| June 23 | 1st solar-powered coast-to-coast two-way radio conversation |
| June 23 | "David Letterman Show," debuts on NBC-TV daytime |
| June 23 | West German wins European soccer title (2-1 against Belgium) |
| June 24 | Affirmed wins $500,000 Hollywood Cup, 1st horse to win $2 million |
| June 25 | "Fearless Frank" closes at Princess Theater New York City after 12 performances |
| June 27 | 1st female state police graduates, New Jersey |
| June 27 | Dodger's Jerry Reuss' no-hits San Francisco Giants 8-0 |
| June 27 | Italian plane crashes into Tyrrheense Sea, kills 81 |
| June 27 | U.S. revives draft registration |
| June 28 | New York City transit fare rises from 50 cents to 60 cents |
| June 29 | Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Sarah Coventry Golf Tournament |
| June 29 | "Sweeney Todd" closes at Uris Theater New York City after 557 performances |
| June 30 | West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt visits Moscow |
| July 1 | Steve Overt runs world record 3:48.8 mile in Oslo |
| July 2 | Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and Mickey Hart are arrested for incitement |
| July 2 | Julie Marie Bryan, 18, of Georgia, crowned America's Young Woman of Year |
| July 3 | 1st U.S. Seniors Golf Open: Roberto deVicenzo |
| July 3 | 73,096 in Cleveland watch Indians beat Yankees 7-0 |
| July 4 | Nolan Ryan is 4th to strikeout 3,000 |
| July 5 | 87th Wimbledon Womens Tennis: Evonne Goolagong beats C Evert (61 76) |
| July 5 | 94th Wimbledon Mens Tennis: Bjorn Borg beats McEnroe (16 75 63 67 86) |
| July 6 | Amy Alcott wins LPGA Mayflower Golf Classic |
| July 6 | France performs nuclear test |
| July 6 | Steve Carlton (14-4) pitches most strikeouts by a lefty (2,836) |
| July 7 | Jim King completes riding Miracle Strip Roller coaster 368 hours |
| July 7 | Jineane Ford, (AZ) replaces S Weatherly (Miss Universe) as 29th Miss USA |
| July 7 | Larry Holmes TKOs Scott LeDoux in 7 for heavyweight boxing title |
| July 7 | Shawn Weatherly, of USA, crowned 29th Miss Universe |
| July 8 | 51st All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 4-2 at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles |
| July 8 | All star MVP: Ken Griffey (Cincinnati Reds) |
| July 9 | 7 die in a stampede to see Pope in Brazil |
| July 9 | Dutch war criminal Pieter Menten sentenced to 10 years |
| July 9 | Walt Disney's "Fox and The Hound," released |
| July 10 | Ayatollah Khomeini releases Iran hostage Richard I. Queen |
| July 10 | Willie Jones hospitalized for heat stroke with record 46.5 degrees C temp |
| July 11 | American hostage Richard I Queen freed by Iran |
| July 13 | 35th U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship won by Amy Alcott |
| July 13 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. |
| July 15 | Johnny Bench hits his 314th HR as a catcher breaks Yogi Berra's record |
| July 16 | Polish railway workers block railway to Russia |
| July 16 | Ronald Reagan nominated for President by Republicans in Detroit |
| July 17 | Bolivian military coup; general Garcia Meza becomes president |
| July 17 | Ronald Reagan formally accepts Republican nomination for president |
| July 17 | Zenko Suzuki becomes premier of Japan |
| July 18 | Billy Joel's Glass Houses album tops charts |
| July 18 | Failed attack on Iran ex-premier Bakhtiar in Neuilly, France |
| July 18 | Federal court voids Selective Service Act as it doesn't include women |
| July 18 | Quett Masire installed as president of Botswana |
| July 18 | Rohini 1, 1st Indian satellite, launches into orbit |
| July 19 | 22nd modern Olympic games opens in Moscow; U.S. and others boycott |
| July 19 | David Bowie appears in role of "Elephant Man" in Denver |
| July 20 | 109th British Golf Open: Tom Watson shoots a 271 at Muirfield Gullane |
| July 20 | Joop Zoetemelk wins Tour de France |
| July 20 | Pat Bradley wins LPGA Greater Baltimore Golf Classic |
| July 21 | Jean-Claude Droyer climbs Eiffel Tower in 2 hours 18 minutes |
| July 23 | Billy Carter admits to being paid by Libya |
| July 23 | River of No Return Wilderness Area designated by Jimmy Carter |
| July 23 | Soyuz 37 ferries 2 cosmonauts (1 Vietnamese) to Salyut 6 |
| July 25 | Train crash at Winsum, 9 die |
| July 25 | U.S. performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site |
| July 27 | Palestinian throws hand grenade on Jewish children in Antwerp, 1 dead |
| July 27 | Sally Little wins LPGA WUI Golf Classic |
| July 28 | Peru adopts constitution, Fernando Belaunde Terry becomes president |
| July 30 | Houston Astro pitcher J R Richard suffers a stroke |
| July 30 | Vanuatu (New Hebrides) gains independence from Britain and France |
| July 31 | John Phillips of Mamas and Papas is arrested on drug charges |
| July 31 | Rangers snap Orioles pitcher Steve Stone's 14-game winning streak |
| July 31 | Soyuz 37 crew returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 36 |
| July 31 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear Test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. |
| August 1 | Gerd Wessig of East Germany set high jump record |
| August 1 | Waldemar Cierpinski wins 19th olympics marathon 2:11:03 |
| August 2 | Fascist bomb attack on Bologna Italy train station, 86 killed |
| August 2 | U.S. swimmers set 3 world records at National championships |
| August 3 | 22nd Olympic games close at Moscow, U.S.S.R. |
| August 3 | Kaline, Snider, Klein, and Tom Yawkey inducted into Hall of Fame |
| August 3 | Sandra Post wins West Virginia LPGA Golf Classic |
| August 4 | Hurricane Aline, kills 272 in Texas and Caribbean |
| August 4 | John and Yoko begin recording "Double Fantasy" |
| August 4 | Seattle Mariners replace manager Darrell Johnson with Maury Wills |
| August 5 | Expos Dick Williams wins his 1,000th career game as a manager |
| August 5 | New York Met Doug Flynn ties record of 3 triples in a game |
| August 6 | University administraion declares 5 Pac-10 schools ineligible for conference titles and post-season play due to transcript and curriculum abuses |
| August 7 | Hurricane Allen ravages Caribisch area, about 70 killed |
| August 8 | LBV Conference Center and Club Lake Villas open |
| August 9 | Belgian constitution revised |
| August 10 | 62nd PGA Championship: Jack Nicklaus shoots a 274 at Oak Hill, New York |
| August 10 | 8th du Maurier Golf Classic (Peter Jackson Classic): Pat Bradley |
| August 10 | Allen, most powerful hurricane in Caribbean hits Brownsville, Texas |
| August 11 | Angola revises its constitution |
| August 11 | Mohammed Ali Radjai appointed premier of Iran |
| August 11 | Yankees Reggie Jackson hits his 400th HR off Chicago's Britt Burns |
| August 13 | Suriname president Johan Ferrier ousted |
| August 13 | Tatyana Kazankina of U.S.S.R. sets 1.5k woman's record (3:52.47) in U.S.S.R. |
| August 14 | Democratic Convention in New York City nominates Jimmy Carter |
| August 14 | In Lenin Shipyard Gdansk, Poland, 17,000 workers go on strike |
| August 16 | Bill Ward quits Black Sabbath |
| August 16 | Cozy Powell quits Rainbow |
| August 16 | Jools Holland quits Squeeze |
| August 17 | Beth Daniel wins LPGA Patty Berg Golf Classic |
| August 17 | "Blackstone" closes at Majestic Theater New York City after 104 performances |
| August 17 | George Brett goes 4-for-4, raising his batting average to .401 |
| August 18 | Kansas City Royals' George Brett, batting avg reach .400 |
| August 19 | George Brett ends hitting streak at 30 |
| August 19 | Saudi Arabian Lockhead Tristar crashes on landing at Riyadh, 301 die |
| August 19 | Willy Russell's "Educating Rita," premieres in London |
| August 20 | Cleveland Dan Spillner, 545 ERA, is 2 outs from a no-hitter when White Sox rookie Leo Sutherland singles |
| August 20 | Mount Everest climbed by Italian Reinhold Messner, alone |
| August 20 | New York Yankee Bob Watson hits Seattle Kingdome speaker, 2nd straight day |
| August 20 | Pitts Omar Moreno steals record 70 bases for 3rd consecutive season |
| August 20 | Reinhold Messner of Italy is 1st to solo ascent Mount Everest |
| August 20 | U.N. Security Council condemns (14-0, U.S. abstains) Israeli declaration that all of Jersualem is it's capital |
| August 21 | Linda Ronstadt opens in "Pirates of Penzance" on Broadway |
| August 22 | Bill Veeck agrees to sell Chicago White Sox to Eddie DeBartolo Sr for $20,000,000, AL owners block the sale |
| August 23 | Charlie Finley sells A's for $127M to Haas (owners of Levi Strauss) |
| August 24 | Beth Daniel wins Columbia Savings LPGA Golf Classic |
| August 24 | Jozef Pinkovski replaces Poland premier Babiuch |
| August 25 | "42nd Street" opens at Winter Garden Theater New York City for 3486 performances |
| August 25 | Gower Champion's musical "42nd Street," premieres in New York City |
| August 25 | Rangers pitcher Ferguson Jenkins arrested for possession of drugs |
| August 26 | Pete Comita replaces Tom Peterson as bassist of Cheap Trick |
| August 27 | Chon Doo Hwan elected President of South Korea |
| August 30 | Polish government recognizes Solidarity |
| August 31 | 80th U.S. Golf Amateur Championship won by Hal Sutton |
| August 31 | "Oklahoma!" closes at Palace Theater New York City after 301 performances |
| August 31 | Poland's Solidarity labor union forms |
| September 1 | Dutch embassy in Israel moves from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv |
| September 1 | Jerry Lewis' 15th Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $31,103,787 |
| September 1 | Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Rail Charity Golf Classic |
| September 2 | John Arlott calls his last game, England vs. Australia at Lord's |
| September 4 | Yes performs its last concert (MSG) |
| September 5 | Poland party leader Edward Gierek resigns |
| September 5 | World's longest auto tunnel, St. Gotthard in Swiss Alps, opens |
| September 6 | 94th U.S. Womens Tennis: Chris E L Mills beats H Mandlikova (57 61 61) |
| September 6 | Chantal Langlace sets women's record for fastest 100K run (7h27m22s) |
| September 6 | College football longest losing streak of 50 games ends for |
| September 6 | Emmy Creative Arts Award presentation |
| September 6 | Macalaster University of St. Paul, Minnesota beating Mount Senario 17-14 |
| September 6 | Susan Powell (Okla), 21, crowned 53rd Miss America 1981 |
| September 7 | 100th U.S. Mens Tennis: John McEnroe beats Bjorn Borg (76 61 67 57 64) |
| September 7 | 32nd Emmy Awards shown despite boycott |
| September 7 | 32nd Emmy Awards: Taxi, Lou Grant, Ed Asner and Barbara Bel Geddes |
| September 7 | Beth Daniel wins LPGA World Series of Women's Golf |
| September 7 | Cape Verde adopts its constitution |
| September 7 | Earnest Gray becomes 2nd New York Giant to score 4 TDs (vs St. Louis) |
| September 7 | John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg stage one of the greatest U.S. Open finals as 21 year old McEnroe fends off Borg to win his 2nd straight title |
| September 7 | Oakland A's pitch record 78th complete game of season |
| September 7 | Sandra Spuzich wins LPGA Barth Golf Classic |
| September 8 | Bowie Kuhn suspends Ferguson Jenkins indefinitely due to drug arrest |
| September 10 | Expos Bill Gullickson, sets rookie record of striking out 18 |
| September 10 | Peter Comita replaces Tom Peterson of Cheap Trick |
| September 11 | Chile adopts its constitution |
| September 11 | Ron LeFlore (91st) and Rodney Scott (58th), set teammate steal record |
| September 12 | Military coup under General Kenan Evren in Turkey |
| September 13 | 1st United Negro College Fund |
| September 14 | "Charlie and Algernon" opens at Helen Hayes Theater New York City for 17 performances |
| September 14 | Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA United Virginia Bank Golf Classic |
| September 14 | Dwight Clark begins NFL streak of 105 consecutive game receptions |
| September 15 | Paul McCartney releases "Temporary Secretary" |
| September 17 | "Divine Madness" starring Bette Midler, premieres |
| September 17 | Iraq (Saddam Hussein) signs accord with Algeria |
| September 17 | Oak A's Rick Langford is removed with 2 outs in 9th inning ending his consecutive complete-game streak at 22 |
| September 17 | Solidarity labor union in Poland forms |
| September 17 | South Korea opposition leader Kim Dae Jung sentenced to death |
| September 18 | "Les Miserables," opens at Palais des Sports, Paris |
| September 18 | Royals Willie Wilson steals AL-record 28 consecutive base |
| September 18 | Soyuz 38 carries 2 cosmonauts (1 Cuban) to Salyut 6 space station |
| September 20 | Bronze plaque dedicated to memory of Thurman Munson at Yankee Stadium |
| September 20 | George Brett goes 0-for-4 dropping his avg below .400 for good |
| September 20 | Plaque dedicated in Thurman Munson's memory at Yankee Stadium |
| September 20 | Spectacular Bid runs in Belmont alone as 3 horses drop out |
| September 21 | Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA ERA Real Estate Golf Classic |
| September 21 | LA Ram Johnnie Johnson scores a 99 yard interception |
| September 21 | Richard Todd of New York Jets completes 42 passes in a game (NFL record) |
| September 22 | Iraq invades Iran in an attempt to control the Shatt al-Arab waterway |
| September 22 | Iraqi troops seize part of Iran in a border dispute; war begins |
| September 22 | John and Yoko sign a recording contract with Geffin Records |
| September 24 | Braves join every NL team with 1,000,000+ attendance for this season |
| September 24 | Iraqi troops cross Iran's border, encircling Abadan |
| September 25 | Jerry Mumphrey joins Ozzie Smith, and Gene Richards to steal 50 bases this year for Padres |
| September 25 | U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| September 25 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. |
| September 26 | Bomb attack on Octoberfest in Munich, 12 killed |
| September 26 | Cuban government closes Mariel Harbor ending "freedom flotilla" |
| September 26 | Soyuz 38 returns to Earth |
| September 28 | Carl Sagan's 13 part "Cosmos" premieres on PBS |
| September 28 | "Charlie and Algernon" closes at Helen Hayes Theater New York City after 17 performances |
| September 28 | Jaromir Wagner is 1st to fly Atlantic standing on wing |
| September 28 | Jerilyn Britz wins LPGA Mary Kay Golf Classic |
| September 29 | Malcolm McDowell wed Mary Steenburgen |
| September 30 | 1,754 turn out to see Phillies play New York Mets at Shea Stadium |
| September 30 | A's Rickey Henderson sets AL stolen base record at 98 en route to 100 |
| September 30 | Iran rejects a truce call from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein |
| September 30 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. |
| October 1 | Cosmonauts Ryumin and Popov break space endurance record of 176 days |
| October 2 | Larry Holmes TKOs Muhammad Ali in 11 for heavyweight boxing title |
| October 2 | Michael Myers (D-Pa), is 1st rep expelled in over 100 years (ABSCAM) |
| October 3 | 4 dies in attack on synagogue in Paris |
| October 4 | Mike Schmidt's 2-run HR clinches NL East title for Phillies |
| October 5 | Formal opening of meditation hall of Zenshin Temple in Riverdale Bronx |
| October 5 | Kathy Whitworth/Donna Caponi Young win Portland Ping Team Golf Champ |
| October 5 | Yankees set AL attendance mark at 2,627,417 |
| October 6 | Guyana adopts constitution |
| October 6 | John Lydon sentenced to 3 months on assault charges |
| October 7 | Belgium 3rd government of Martens resigns |
| October 8 | Bob Marley collapses on stage, brought to Sloan-Kettering Hospital |
| October 8 | British Leyland starts selling Mini Metro |
| October 8 | U.S.S.R. and Syria sign peace treaty |
| October 8 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test |
| October 9 | 1st consumer use of home banking by computer |
| October 9 | Nobel prize for literature awarded to Czeslaw Milosz |
| October 9 | Princess Caroline of Monaco divorces Philippe Junot |
| October 10 | 4,500 die when a pair of earthquakes strikes NW Algeria |
| October 10 | Very Large Array radio telescope network dedicated |
| October 10 | Yankees lose 4-2 and are swept by Royals in AL Championship series |
| October 11 | Cosmonauts Popov and Ryumin set space endurance record of 184 days |
| October 11 | Dallas Mavericks 1st game at Reunion Arena beat San Antonio 103-92 |
| October 11 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya U.S.S.R. |
| October 12 | 7 stabbed at Blood, Sweat and Tears concert in LA |
| October 12 | Amy Alcott wins LPGA Inamori Golf Classic |
| October 12 | "Your Arm's Too Short to Box" closes at Ambassador New York City after 149 performances |
| October 13 | 14th Country Music Association Award |
| October 13 | Unprovoked slayings of 6 blacks in Buffalo, New York |
| October 14 | Bob Marley's last concert |
| October 14 | Phils rally from 4-0 deficit to beat the Royals, 7-6 to take WS opener |
| October 14 | President nominee Ronald Reagan promises to name a woman to Supreme Court |
| October 15 | Nobel prize for economy awarded to Lawrence R Klein |
| October 16 | "Brigadoon" opens at Majestic Theater New York City for 133 performances |
| October 16 | China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor PRC |
| October 17 | 1st-class debut of Mike Whitney, NSW vs. Qld (2-52 and 1-39) |
| October 18 | Brooke Alexander, 18, of Hawaii, crowned Miss World USA |
| October 18 | Detroit blocks 21 Atlanta shots setting NBA record (double OT) |
| October 19 | Steve McPeak rides 101'9" unicycle |
| October 21 | 1st (& only) time Phillies win World Series (in 98 years) |
| October 21 | "Banjo Dancing" opens at Century Theater New York City for 38 performances |
| October 21 | Phillies win their 1st World Championship in their 98-year history |
| October 22 | 4th government of Martens forms in Belgium |
| October 22 | New South Korean constitution comes into effect |
| October 23 | McCosker (168) and Dyson (152) make 319 opening stand cricket, NSW vs. WA |
| October 23 | Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Tichonov succeeds Alexei Kosygin, due to illness |
| October 23 | "Tintypes" opens at John Golden Theater New York City for 93 performances |
| October 24 | Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| October 24 | Iraqi troops occupies Khorramshar |
| October 24 | John Lennon releases "(Just Like) Starting Over" in UK |
| October 24 | Polish government legalizes independent labor union Solidarity |
| October 25 | Barbra Streisand's "Guilty," album goes #1 for 3 weeks and her single "Woman In Love," goes #1 for 3 weeks |
| October 25 | Mike Weaver KOs Gerrie Coetzee in 13 for heavyweight boxing title |
| October 26 | 10th New York City Women's Marathon won by Grete Waitz in 2:25:41.3 |
| October 26 | 11th New York City Marathon won by Alberto Salazar in 2:09:41 |
| October 26 | St. Louis Cardinals sack Baltimore Colt quarterbacks an NFL record tying 12 times |
| October 27 | Astros owner John McMullen replaces General Manager Tal Smith with Al Rosen |
| October 27 | Dave Gryllis sets world bicycle speed record of 94.37 kph |
| October 30 | Honduras and El Salvador settle their boundary dispute |
| October 30 | NASA launches Flt Satcom-4 |
| October 31 | Julian Nott sets world hot-air balloon altitude record (16,806 m) |
| October 31 | Polish government recognizes Solidarity |
| October 31 | Senegal routes troops to Gambia due to Libyan threat |
| November 1 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test |
| November 3 | Ianford Wilsons "5th of July," premieres in New York City |
| November 3 | Walter Hass, Jr. becomes CEO of Oakland A's |
| November 4 | Islanders start 15 game undefeated streak (13-0-2) |
| November 4 | Libyan invasion in Chad |
| November 4 | Ronald Reagan (R) defeats President Jimmy Carter (D) by a landslide |
| November 4 | Sadaharu Oh, 40, pro baseball's all-time HR run king with 868, retires |
| November 4 | Steve Carlton wins 3rd NL Cy Young Awards |
| November 8 | Voyager 1 space probe discovers 15th moon of Saturn |
| November 9 | Iraqi President Saddam Hussein declares holy war against Iran |
| November 9 | Tatsuko Ohsako wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic |
| November 10 | Poland acknowledges Solidarity union |
| November 11 | Crew of Soyuz 35 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 37 |
| November 11 | Islander's Mike Bossy scores 4 goals against North Stars |
| November 12 | Baltimore's Steve Stone wins AL Cy Young Award |
| November 12 | U.S. space probe Voyager I approaches 77,000-mi (124,000 km) of Saturn |
| November 13 | Gabriella Brum, 18, of W Germany crowned 30th Miss World, she resigns the next day, because she wants to marry her 52 year old boyfriend |
| November 13 | U.S. spacecraft Voyager I sent back 1st close-up pictures of Saturn |
| November 14 | Guinee-Bissau premier Vieira fires president Luis Cabral |
| November 14 | Kimberley Santos, 19 of Guam, crowned 30th Miss World |
| November 14 | U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| November 15 | Pope John Paul II began 5 day visit to West Germany, |
| November 16 | Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback Doug Williams throws for 486 yards |
| November 17 | John Lennon releases "Double Fantasy" album in U.K. |
| November 18 | Despite missing 45 games, George Brett wins AL MVP |
| November 18 | "Heaven's Gate" premieres |
| November 18 | Honduras and El Salvador signs peace (after "soccer war" 1969) |
| November 19 | CBS TV bans Calvin Klein's jean ad featuring Brooke Shields |
| November 20 | Billy Martin named AL Manager of Year for the Oakland A's |
| November 20 | Steve Ptacek in Solar Challenger makes 1st solar-powered flight |
| November 20 | UA withdraws $44 million movie "Heaven's Gate" for reediting |
| November 21 | Dallas' "Who Shot JR?" episode (Kristen) gets a 53.3 rating (83 mill) |
| November 21 | Fire at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas kills 84 |
| November 21 | Gene Michael named 25th Yank mgr, replacing Dick Howser, who resigns |
| November 21 | It is revealed Kristen shot J.R. Ewing on "Dallas" |
| November 21 | John and Yoko pose nude for photographer Allan Tannenbaum |
| November 21 | MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas in fire; 84 die |
| November 22 | Georgia tanker at Pilottown La, spills 1.3 million gallons of oil after an anchor chain caused a ship to leak |
| November 23 | 4,800 die in series of earthquakes that devastated southern Italy |
| November 23 | 68th CFL Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos defeats Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 48-10 |
| November 23 | National Black Independent Party forms |
| November 24 | Ronald Reagan, Jr. marries Doria Palmieri |
| November 25 | Coup in Burkina abolishes constitution |
| November 25 | France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island |
| November 25 | Imran Khan scores his 1st Test Cricket ton, 123 vs. WI Lahore |
| November 25 | Sugar Ray Leonard defeats Duran regains WBC welterweight championship |
| November 25 | Upper-Volta military coup under Col Saye Zerbo, president Lamizana flees |
| November 26 | Columbia mated to SRBs and external tank at Vehicle Assembly Building |
| November 26 | Mike Schmidt is unanimous choice as NL MVP |
| November 27 | Soyuz T-3 carries 3 cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station, launched |
| November 30 | "Banjo Dancing" closes at Century Theater New York City after 38 performances |
| November 30 | "Perfectly Frank" opens at Helen Hayes Theater New York City for 16 performances |
| November 30 | Uruguay's new constitution rejected by referendum |
| November 30 | "West Side Story" closes at Minskoff Theater New York City after 341 performances |
| December 1 | 46th Heisman Trophy Award: George Rogers, South Carolina (RB) |
| December 1 | Mel Harris appears on M*A*S*H in "Cementing Relationships" |
| December 1 | U.S. Justice Department sues Yonkers siting racial discrimination |
| December 2 | 4 American Maryknoll nuns killed by death squads in El Salvador |
| December 3 | NY Federal jury finds Reps Thompson D-New Jersey and Murphy, D-NY, guilty |
| December 4 | 2 months after death of drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin breaks up |
| December 4 | Islanders end 15 game undefeated streak (13-0-2) (Col Rockies) |
| December 5 | Bank of Canada's Canadian Currency Museum opens |
| December 6 | NASA launches Intelsat V |
| December 8 | Bravo network premieres on cable TV |
| December 9 | 61 degrees F in Boston at 1 AM |
| December 10 | Soyuz T-3 returns to Earth |
| December 10 | U.S.S.R. performs underground nuclear test |
| December 11 | Dirk Wellham scores 100 on 1st-class debut, NSW vs. Victoria |
| December 12 | US's copyright law amended to include computer programs |
| December 13 | "Perfectly Frank" closes at Helen Hayes Theater New York City after 16 performances |
| December 14 | Anders Kailur scores on 6th Islander penalty shot |
| December 14 | At 2 PM EST there is 10 minutes of silence in memory of John Lennon |
| December 14 | Minnesota Vikings pass for 456 yards against Cleveland Browns, winning 28-24 |
| December 14 | Nancy Lopez/Curtis Strange wins LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic |
| December 14 | New Orleans Saints end 14 game losing streak, beat New York Jets 21-20 |
| December 14 | "Onward Victoria" opens/closes at Martin Beck New York City for 1 performance |
| December 14 | U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. |
| December 15 | New York Yankee Dave Winfield becomes highest-paid player, 10 years $15M |
| December 15 | Premier Queddei troops conquers Chad capital N'djamena |
| December 15 | ZBZ Sangha registered after 5 years of administrative hassles in Warsaw |
| December 16 | Alexander Haig named Reagan's Secretary of State |
| December 17 | Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site |
| December 17 | Mauritania provisional constitution published |
| December 18 | Bruce Sprinsteen's concert at Madison Square Garden |
| December 18 | Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts minister Van Agts abortion laws |
| December 18 | IRA's Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike |
| December 18 | Vietnam adopts constitution |
| December 19 | Anguilla becomes a British dependency separate from St. Kitts |
| December 19 | Iran requests $24 billion in U.S. guarantees to free hostages |
| December 19 | Mutaual Broadcasting cancels Sears Radio Theater |
| December 20 | NBC broadcasts New York Jets' 24-17 win over Dolphins without audio |
| December 20 | U.S.S.R. formally announces death of Alexei Kosygin |
| December 21 | Harold Carmichael ends NFL streak of 127 consecutive game receptions |
| December 22 | Cardinals release outfielder Bobby Bonds |
| December 22 | President-elect Reagan appoints J Kirkpatrick (UN) and James Watt (Interior) |
| December 23 | Sam Shepard's "True West," premieres in New York City |
| December 24 | Americans remembered Iran hostages by shining lights for 417 seconds |
| December 27 | Calvin Murphy (Rockets) begins longest NBA free throw streak of 78 |
| December 28 | Mexico terminated fishing agreements with US |
| December 29 | Shuttle STS-1 moves from Vandenberg AFB to Launch Complex 39A |
| December 30 | "Wonderful World of Disney," last performance on NBC-TV |
| December 31 | A Jewish owned hotel in Nairobi Kenya is bombed killing 18 |
| December 31 | New York Islanders greatest shutout margin (9-0) vs Chicago Black Hawks |
| December 31 | Senegal president Leopold Senghor resigns |
