On This Day

Iran government of Bazargan resigns

Mehdi Bazargan was an Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government.

Mehdi Bazargan was an Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government. One of the leading figures of Iranian Revolution of 1979, he was appointed prime minister in February 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini, making him Iran's first prime minister after the revolution. He resigned his position in November of the same year, in protest at the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Iran and as an acknowledgement of his government's failure in preventing it.

He was the head of the first engineering department of University of Tehran.

Historical Significance

Mehdi Bazargan was an Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government.

Events Before

  1. Air India Flight 855 crashes into the Arabian Sea less than two minutes after takeoff, killing all 213 people on board

    Air India Flight 855 was a scheduled passenger flight from Bombay (now Mumbai), India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

  2. TV series "All Creatures Great and Small" debuts on BBC TV, based on the books by James Herriot, starring Robert Hardy a

    TV series "All Creatures Great and Small" debuts on BBC TV, based on the books by James Herriot, starring Robert Hardy and Christopher Timothy

  3. Bee Gees' album "Saturday Night Fever" goes #1; stays on top for 24 weeks

    Bee Gees' album "Saturday Night Fever" goes #1; stays on top for 24 weeks

  4. Sweden becomes the first nation in the world to ban aerosol sprays, due to their harmful effect on the earth's ozone lay

    Sweden becomes the first nation in the world to ban aerosol sprays, due to their harmful effect on the earth's ozone layer

  5. Novelist Danielle Steel (30) divorces Danny Zugelder after almost 3 years of marriage

    Novelist Danielle Steel (30) divorces Danny Zugelder after almost 3 years of marriage

Events After

  1. Chrysler Europe is renamed Talbot

    Chrysler Europe was the American automotive company Chrysler's operations in Europe from 1967 through 1978.

  2. Real Records releases "Pretenders" in the UK, the debut album by The Pretenders

    Pretenders is the debut studio album by British-American band the Pretenders, released in January 1980. A combination of rock and roll, punk and new wave music, it was an immediate success.

  3. Pink Floyd's double album "The Wall" hits #1

    The Wall is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest CBS Records. It is the last album to include all four post-Barrett-era band members.

  4. US President Jimmy Carter announces a US boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow after the Soviet invasion of Afgh

    US President Jimmy Carter announces a US boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

  5. Cypriot-American model Angie Bowie (30) divorces British singer David Bowie (33) after just under 10 years of marriage

    Cypriot-American model Angie Bowie (30) divorces British singer David Bowie (33) after just under 10 years of marriage

More from the 1970s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 5, 1979?
Mehdi Bazargan was an Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government. One of the leading figures of Iranian Revolution of 1979, he was appointed prime minister in February 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini, making him Iran's first prime minister after the revolution. He resigned his position in November of the same year, in protest at the takeover of the U.S.
Why is Iran government of Bazargan resigns significant?
Mehdi Bazargan was an Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government.

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