Iran Hostage Crisis Events

1979 Nov 4 Iran Hostage Crisis Begins - Iranian Militants Seize the U.S. Embassy in Tehran
TEHRAN, Iran - Hundreds of Iranian school students bused in for the occasion crowded outside the former U.S. Embassy on Monday, burning American flags and chanting slogans to commemorate ...
1979 Nov 14 President Carter Issues Executive Order 12170
In the United States, the hostage-taking is said to have created "a surge of patriotism" and left "the American people more united than they have been on any issue in two decades." The ac...
1980 Jan 27 'Canadian Caper' Covert Operation Succeeds in Rescuing Six American Diplomats
On January 27, 1980, the American diplomats, now travelling on Canadian passports, boarded a flight for Zürich, Switzerland, at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport. They arrived in the friendly nat...
1980 Apr 24 Operation Eagle Claw Begins
Operation Eagle Claw (or Operation Evening Light) was a United States military operation that attempted to rescue 52 American hostages from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran on 24 April 19...
1980 Sep 12 Ayatollah Khomeini Announces Conditions for Release of Hostages
The beginning of the end of the Iran hostage crisis occurred on September 12th, 1980, as Ayatollah Khomeini announced four conditions for the release of the hostages. The conditions we...
1980 Sep 18 First Aircraft Test Flight through Operation Credible Sport
The test bed aircraft (74-2065) was ready for its first test flight on September 18, 1980, just three weeks after the project was initiated. The first fully modified aircraft, AF Serial N...
1980 Nov 4 Reagan Wins the 1980 US Presidential Election
After receiving the Republican nomination, Reagan selected one of his primary opponents, George H.W. Bush, to be his running mate. His showing in the October televised debate boosted his ...
1981 Jan 19 Iran Hostage Crisis Ends with the Signing of the Algiers Accords
On January 20, 1981, as Ronald Reagan became President, the hostages were flown from Teheran to Europe, and on to New York. The crisis was over. The lasting effects of the crisis we...