History Today: How the Iran hostage crisis started after students stormed US embassy in Tehran

In what was one of the most dramatic diplomatic crises in modern history a group of Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. More than 60 American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage in the building, leading to damaged US-Iran relations.

If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers’ ongoing series,  History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events.

On this day in 2008, Barack Obama became the first black person to be elected as the president of the United States. This marked a major step in the nation’s long struggle with race.

More from Explainers

FirstUp: New York City mayoral election and other big news today How torture video of Palestinian detainee has led to arrest of Israel’s ex-top military lawyer

Here is all that happened on this day across the world.

Hostage crisis in Tehran began

A group of Iranian students, who were supporters of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, took more than 60 American hostages on November 4, 1979, after storming the US Embassy in Tehran. What followed was 444 days of the Iran Hostage Crisis, leading to damaged ties between the US and Iran.

The Iranian students’ aggressive step was an immediate effect of the US President Jimmy Carter’s decision to allow Iran’s deposed Shah into the country for cancer treatment. The Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, had been expelled from his own country due to his pro-Western ideas just a few months ago. The militants saw the embassy as a symbol of American interference in Iranian affairs and sought to strike a blow against what they called “the Great Satan.” So, on this day when the Shah arrived in New York, the militants “smashed the gates and scaled the walls of the American embassy in Tehran”.

Fed up with the slow pace of trying to bring the hostage situation under control in 1980, President Carter decided to launch a risky military rescue mission known as Operation Eagle Claw. But the mission had to be aborted due to a severe desert sandstorm and a helicopter malfunction, which claimed the lives of eight servicemen. Many experts consider this to be the leading cause of his loss in the 1980 presidential election.

Editor’s Picks

1

'Baseless, weak attempt at distraction': Obama slams Trump over ‘treason’ claim amid Russia 'hoax' investigation 2

If Trump wins the Nobel Peace prize, he won’t be the first controversial winner

Taking advantage of Carter’s weak public image, Republican candidate Ronald Reagan won the election to become the 40th President of the United States. On January 21, 1981, just a few hours after Reagan delivered his inaugural speech, the hostages were released. There were even rumours going around that Reagan’s campaign staff had negotiated with the Iranians to be sure that the hostages would not be released before the election.

Barack Obama was elected as the first black American president

History was created on November 4, 2008 when Barack Obama was elected as the first African American President of the United States. While the 47-year-old Democrat collected 365 electoral votes as opposed to his Republican opponent, who got 173 electoral votes.

Obama’s message of unity, optimism, and reform resonated deeply with a country facing an economic crisis, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and growing political division. His charismatic leadership and grassroots campaign — powered by millions of small donors and unprecedented youth participation helped in forming his popularity.

Celebrations erupted across the United States and around the world. In his victory speech delivered in Chicago’s Grant Park, Obama told an ecstatic crowd, “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible… tonight is your answer.” His election shattered centuries of racial barriers and rekindled global admiration for American democracy.

Obama’s presidency began on a wave of high expectations. He inherited the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and swiftly enacted measures to stabilise the economy. His administration would go on to pass landmark legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, and capture Osama bin Laden in 2011.

This Day, That Year

• The first film adaptation of JK Rowling’s best-selling Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, premiered in London on this day in 2001.

• In 1946, Unesco was officially established as its constitution entered into force.

• Future US president Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842.