| Timeline for 1979 |
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1979 was a year.
Events
Dated
January - August
On 17 February, the Sino-Vietnamese War began as China invaded Vietnam. (PROSE: The Time Traveller's Almanac [+]Loading...["The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)"])
On 4 May, Margaret Thatcher led the Conservative Party to victory in the United Kingdom's General Election. (PROSE: The Time Traveller's Almanac [+]Loading...["The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)"])
On 11 July, the United States space station Skylab began its return to Earth, several years ahead of schedule, with the assistance of the Doctor, who nearly lost his thumb in the process. (PROSE: The Time Traveller's Almanac [+]Loading...["The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)"], TV: Tooth and Claw [+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"]) The Tenth Doctor parked his TARDIS in Earth's orbit to watch the descent. In the early hours of 12 July, Skylab would collide with a Zalphon scout ship before crash-landing near the town of Esperance in Western Australia. On 15 July, the Doctor would finally thwart the attempted Zalphon invasion of Earth by re-directing their mothership to Antarctica, where the gaseous-ectoplasmic species froze into ice crystals. (PROSE: Bennelong Point [+]Loading...["Bennelong Point (short story)"])
In August, the Monk came to Loch Ness with an abandoned spaceship full of Time Scoop technology. Although he eventually planned on using the scoop to depopulate Earth, the Monk instead meddled with history by bringing a Plesiosaurus to the Loch which led to a large number of Loch Ness Monster sightings. The Twelfth Doctor and Clive Finch came to the Loch to investigate the sightings and discovered the Monk's presence. The Doctor made the Monk forget about his scheme with a memory worm and returned the Plesiosaurus to the past. (PROSE: The Persistence of Memory [+]Loading...["The Persistence of Memory (short story)"])
On 16 August, Edward Grainger and his granddaughter Linda helped the First Doctor and Susan Foreman stop several Slarvian eggs from gestating near the English Channel. (PROSE: Childhood Living [+]Loading...["Childhood Living (short story)"])
On 18 August, AC/DC opened for the Who at Wembley Stadium. Peri attended the concert with her mother. (PROSE: The Church of Football [+]Loading...["The Church of Football (short story)"])
September - December
Skagra went to Earth in search of Salyavin. (TV: Shada [+]Loading...["Shada (TV story)"])
In late October, a Kaftakkrofakian called Cecil transformed everyone at a Halloween party into zombies, leaving only one survivor. (PROSE: Zombie Motel [+]Loading...["Zombie Motel (short story)"])
From 5 to 10 November, ABBA performed at Wembley Arena in London. (PROSE: The Time Traveller's Almanac [+]Loading...["The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)"]) Rose Tyler was among those who saw ABBA, having been dropped off by the Tenth Doctor. (GAME: Attack of the Graske [+]Loading...["Attack of the Graske (video game)"], COMIC: Opera of Doom! [+]Loading...["Opera of Doom! (comic story)"])
On 21 November, Ian Dury and the Blockheads performed in concert at Sheffield, England. The Tenth Doctor attempted to take Rose Tyler to this concert. They instead ended up in Scotland in 1879. (TV: Tooth and Claw [+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"])
In December, Erimem, Helena, and Ibrahim Hadmani visited Sydney Seaside Lodgings and saved Charlotte Sydney from an alien parasite. (PROSE: Serpent's Child [+]Loading...["Serpent's Child (short story)"])
On 24 December, Clive Finch encountered the Twelfth Doctor in a London newsagents and followed him back to his TARDIS. As it was Christmas Eve, the Doctor gave Clive the gift of a journey in the TARDIS. (PROSE: The Persistence of Memory [+]Loading...["The Persistence of Memory (short story)"])
Undated
John Benton left the army and UNIT. He took a job selling second-hand cars. (TV: Mawdryn Undead [+]Loading...["Mawdryn Undead (TV story)"])
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and a team from the British division of UNIT travelled to Canada, where they investigated sentient electricity pylons which were stalking the Canadian countryside. (AUDIO: The Oseidon Adventure [+]Loading...["The Oseidon Adventure (audio story)"])
The last surviving members of the Luron attempted to invade Earth, but their plan was thwarted by the Fourth Doctor and Leela. (AUDIO: The Valley of Death [+]Loading...["The Valley of Death (audio story)"])
At some point in this year, the Fourth Doctor and Romana II visited Paris, and Scaroth stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. After the Doctor defeated Scaroth and left Paris, (TV: City of Death [+]Loading...["City of Death (TV story)"]) one of Scaroth's copies of the Mona Lisa was recovered and taken to the Leamington Spa Lifeboat Museum. (GAME: Security Bot [+]Loading...["Security Bot (video game)"])
Sarah Jane Smith and Commander Bill Pollock met for the first time. (TV: A Girl's Best Friend [+]Loading...["A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)"])
Dr Lavinia Smith moved from South Croydon to Moreton Harwood. (TV: A Girl's Best Friend [+]Loading...["A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)"])
Patricia Ryder met her future husband Trevor, in actuality the Zygon Warlord Haygoth, at a Folk Festival in Kendal. (AUDIO: The Zygon Who Fell to Earth [+]Loading...["The Zygon Who Fell to Earth (audio story)"])
The nine-year-old Ace was given an ABBA record as a reward for being a brave girl when she went to the dentist. (PROSE: Tragedy Day [+]Loading...["Tragedy Day (novel)"])
Tegan Jovanka went on holiday to Hong Kong. (PROSE: Cold Fusion [+]Loading...["Cold Fusion (novel)"])
The Muppet Movie was released. (TV: Tooth and Claw [+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"])
Parallel universes
Beep the Meep travelled to a parallel universe on 12 October 1979, in which the Doctor's universe existed only as part of a BBC science fiction television series called Doctor Who, and took control of the BBC Television Centre. The Eighth Doctor and his companion Izzy Sinclair defeated Beep with the help of the actor Tom Baker, who infuriated him with his endless rambling. Strangely, Baker both physically resembled the Fourth Doctor and played him on the television series. The Doctor learned the truth when he discovered the first issue of Doctor Who Weekly. (COMIC: TV Action! [+]Loading...["TV Action! (comic story)"])
Births and deaths
Dated
At 3:50pm on 7 January, Phil Tyson was born. The Vandosians believed that Shogalath had reincarnated in his body. (COMIC: Mr Nobody [+]Loading...["Mr Nobody (comic story)"])
On 25 April, Sally Lamont was born. (TV: Adrift [+]Loading...["Adrift (TV story)"])
On 12 October, Izzy Sinclair was born. (COMIC: TV Action! [+]Loading...["TV Action! (comic story)"])
Undated
Paul Brown, the father of Peri Brown, died in a boating accident. (PROSE: Synthespians™ [+]Loading...["Synthespians™ (novel)"])
Other
While the Fourth Doctor described 1979 as a "table wine year" at least in regards to Paris, (TV: City of Death [+]Loading...["City of Death (TV story)"]) his tenth incarnation later referred to it positively as a "hell of a year". (TV: Tooth and Claw [+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"])
James Callaghan was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the beginning of this year, (AUDIO: The Oseidon Adventure [+]Loading...["The Oseidon Adventure (audio story)"]) before being succeeded by Margaret Thatcher. (TV: Tooth and Claw [+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"])