The following events occurred in September 1979: See more

• The U.S. interplanetary probe Pioneer 11 became the first Earth spacecraft to visit Saturn when it passed the planet at a distance of less than 13,000 miles (21,000 km). At 16:29:34 UTC it came within 20,591 km (12,795 mi) of Saturn. Less than two hours … See more

• The United States banned the importation of tuna from Canada in retaliation for the seizure of 19 American tuna fishing boats by the Canadian Coast Guard on charges of fishing in Canada's territorial waters, defined by Canadian law as within 200 miles (320 km) of … See more

• The first cable sports channel, the Entertainment Sports Programming Network (better known as ESPN), was launched in the United States at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on participating cable television systems. The first program was a half-hour segment … See more

• The U.S. Navy combat supply ship USS White Plains rescued 154 Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea, the largest number … See more

• Computer manufacturer International Business Machines (IBM) and recorded music manufacturer MCA announced a joint venture, Disco … See more

• U.S. President Jimmy Carter commuted the long prison sentences given to four Puerto Rican nationalists in the 1950s who had been convicted of attempted assassinations, including that of Oscar Collazo, who had attempted to kill U.S. President See more