| January 1, 1979 |
Full diplomatic relations with the communist government of China resumes
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Jimmy Carter |
| March 1, 1979 |
MARTA's fare increases to $.25
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Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) |
| March 7, 1979 |
Ray Charles performs his song Georgia before the General Assembly of Georgia. |
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Ray Charles |
| April 20, 1979 |
President Jimmy Carter, while on vacation in Plains, Georgia, is attacked by what press secretary Jody Powell described as a "swamp rabbit." The press, completely ignorant as to swamp rabbits, portrayed Carter being attacked by a "killer" bunny rabbit.
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Jimmy Carter |
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Jody Powell |
| April 24, 1979 |
Georgia on my Mind as performed by Ray Charles is made the state song
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Ray Charles |
| May 19, 1979 |
Benjamin Wynn Fortson dies
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| June 13, 1979 |
Have a Coke and a Smile ad campaign starts
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Coca-Cola |
| June 19, 1979 |
Carlton Gary is arrested in Hapeville for trespassing. He had been found climbing a wall of a motel. He posted bond and disappeared.
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Wynnton Stocking Strangler |
| June 20, 1979 |
Willie Foster Sellers is arrested at a Delta Frieght dock in Atlanta, Georgia. He had been one of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted
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Delta Air Lines
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| June 22, 1979 |
The Home Depot opens its first stores, on Memorial Drive and Buford Highway in Atlanta |
| June 30, 1979 |
Inaugural service on Marta's East Line, running from Georgia State Station to Avondale
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Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) |
| July 21, 1979 |
Edward Hope Smith is seen for the last time. Unknown at the time, he would become the first of what today is known as the Atlanta Child Murders
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Atlanta Child Murders |
| July 28, 1979 |
Police find the remains of two bodies, Edward Hope Smith and a friend, 14-year old Alfred Evans
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Atlanta Child Murders |
| August 15, 1979 |
Andrew Young forced to resign his post as United States Ambassador to the United Nations after it became public knowledge that he had covertly met with a delegation from the Palestine Liberation Organization
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Andrew Young |
| August 21, 1979 |
Turner Communications Group becomes Turner Broadcasting System.
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Ted Turner |
| August 27, 1979 |
TBS purchases the call letters WTBS for its Superstation
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| September 4, 1979 |
14-year old Milton Harvey disappears while on an errand for his mother. His bike is found a week later in a remote area of Atlanta. His body won't be found until November
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Atlanta Child Murders |
| September 5, 1979 |
Hurricane David follows the coast of Georgia northward. The eye passed over the extreme northern coast near Savannah, which recorded 58 mph winds. |
| September 18, 1979 |
The Misadventure of Sheriff Lobo begins a two year run starring Georgia native Claude Akins as the somewhat corrupt title character. Originally set in fictional Orly County, during the second season the show was set in Atlanta
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Movies filmed in Georgia
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| October 11, 1979 |
The United States Senate censures Herman Talmadge for improper financial conduct. He accepted $43,435.83 for expenses he never incurred and failed to report campaign receipts and expenditures. |
| October 21, 1979 |
9-year Yusef Bell disappears. His body will be found on November 8
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Atlanta Child Murders |
| November 4, 1979 |
Islamic militants seize the American Embassy in Tehran, the capital city of Iran.
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Jimmy Carter |
| December 8, 1979 |
The (Nitty Gritty) Dirt Band and Linda Ronstadt hit the top 40 records with "An American Dream." which spends 19 weeks on the Billboard chart, eventually peaking at #13. In the first verse is the line "Augusta Georgia is just no place to be."
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City of Augusta, Georgia
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| December 22, 1979 |
MARTA's West Line service begins. It is now possible to go from Avondale in the east to Hightower Station in the west
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Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) |
