1979

I've always had an interest in this year, originally because it was a big year for me personally and I liked the music.  But the more I looked into it, I realized what an important year it was. Most of us remember or know of the big events that year:  the Iranian Revolution, Three Mile Island, the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.  But it was so much more than that, from so many perspectives:  historical/political, cultural, financial, technological--  even sports.

Often, we view history as the end of things.  What's remarkable about 1979 is how much began that year.  While one year may be a decidedly small (and somewhat arbitrary) slice of time, the world--  especially the Middle East--  would be a different place on January 1, 1980 than it was on January 1, 1979.  And so much of the fabric of today bears threads that were first woven at the end of the 1970s.  So while 1979 may not have the historical cachet of, say, a 1776 or 1918, we will see that it was a true turning point year...