November 1979 - 444 Days

Photos from MemoryHole

On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students took control of the US embassy in Tehran and detained 52 US diplomats for 444 days.

The anniversary of the US embassy takeover in Tehran is marked each year by demonstrations and rallies against the United States. Reuters reports that the Iranian date of the takeover was the 13th day of Aban, which this year falls on November 3. So, today was no different. See the Reuters slideshow here.

You can see the names of all the hostages here and at the Carter Library here.

Back in November 1979, 29 years ago, Time writes: “However the embassy affair ends, it is a sharp reminder of the degree to which the traditional rules of international conduct can no longer be taken for granted. The world is changing; the unpredictable is becoming the commonplace.”

But that was only the beginning.

Related Items:

• Guests of the Ayatollah by Mark Bowden
• The First Strike from Time Magazine
• Blackmailing the U.S. from Time Magazine