1979 in Brazil

Events in the year 1979 in Brazil.

Incumbents

Federal government

• President:
  • General Ernesto Geisel (until 14 March)
  • General João Figueiredo (starting 15 March)
• Vice President:
  • General Adalberto Pereira dos Santos (until 14 March)
  • Aureliano Chaves (starting 15 March)

Governors

• Acre:
  • Geraldo Mesquita (until 15 March)
  • Joaquim Macedo (from 15 March)
• Alagoas:
  • Geraldo Mello (until 15 March)
  • Guilherme Palmeira (from 15 March)
• Amazonas:
  • Henoch da Silva Reis (until 15 March)
  • José Bernardino Lindoso (from 15 March)
• Bahia:
  • Roberto Santos (until 15 March)
  • Antônio Carlos Magalhães (from 15 March)
• Ceará:
  • Waldemar Alcântara (until 15 March)
  • Virgílio Távora (from 15 March)
• Espírito Santo:
  • Élcio Álvares (until 15 March)
  • Eurico Vieira Resende (from 15 March)
• Goiás:
  • Irapuan Costa Jr. (until 15 March)
  • Ary Valadão (from 15 March)
• Maranhão:
  • Oswaldo da Costa Nunes Freire (until 15 March)
  • João Castelo (from 15 March)
• Mato Grosso:
  • Cássio Leite de Barros (until 15 March)
  • Frederico Campos (from 15 March)
• Mato Grosso do Sul:
  • Harry Amorim Costa (until 12 June)
  • Londres Machado (12 June-30 June)
  • Marcelo Miranda Soares (from 30 June)
• Minas Gerais:
  • Levindo Ozanan Coelho (until 15 March)
  • Francelino Pereira (from 15 March)
• Pará:
  • Clóvis Rego (until 15 March)
  • Alacid Nunes (from 15 March)
• Paraíba:
  • Dorgival Terceiro Neto (until 15 March)
  • Tarcísio Burity (from 15 March)
• Paraná:
  • Jaime Canet Júnior (until 15 March)
  • Nei Braga (from 15 March)
• Pernambuco:
  • Francisco Moura Cavalcanti (until 15 March)
  • Marco Maciel (from 15 March)
• Piauí:
  • Djalma Veloso (until 15 March)
  • Lucídio Portela (from 15 March)
• Rio de Janeiro:
  • Floriano P. Faria Lima (until 15 March)
  • Antônio Chagas Freitas (from 15 March)
• Rio Grande do Norte:
  • Tarcisio de Vasconcelos Maia (until 15 March)
  • Lavoisier Maia (from 1rio 5 March)
• Rio Grande do Sul:
  • Sinval Sebastião Duarte Guazzelli (until 15 March)
  • José Augusto Amaral de Souza (from 15 March)
• Santa Catarina:
  • Antônio Carlos Konder Reis (until 15 March)
  • Jorge Bornhausen (from 15 March)
• São Paulo:
  • Paulo Egídio Martins (until 15 March)
  • Paulo Maluf (from 15 March)
• Sergipe:
  • José Rollemberg (until 15 March)
  • Augusto Franco (from 15 March)

Vice governors

• Acre:
  • Omar Sabino de Paula (until 15 March)
  • José Fernandes Rego (from 15 March)
• Alagoas:
  • Antônio Guedes Amaral (until 15 March)
  • Teobaldo Vasconcelos Barbosa (from 15 March)
• Amazonas:
  • João Bosco Ramos de Lima (until 15 March)
  • Paulo Pinto Nery (from 15 March)
• Bahia:
  • Edvaldo Brandão Correia (until 15 March)
  • Luis Viana Neto (from 15 March)
• Ceará:
  • José Waldemar de Alcântara e Silva (until 15 March)
  • Manuel de Castro Filho (from 15 March)
• Espírito Santo:
  • Carlos Alberto Lindenberg von Schilgen (until 15 March)
  • José Carlos Fonseca (from 15 March)
• Goiás:
  • José Luís Bittencourt (until 15 March)
  • Rui Brasil Cavalcanti (from 15 March)
• Maranhão:
  • José Duailibe Murad (until 15 March)
  • Artur Teixeira de Carvalho (from 15 March)
• Mato Grosso:
  • Cássio Leite de Barros (until 15 March)
  • José Vilanova Torres (from 15 March)
• Mato Grosso do Sul: Vacant
• Minas Gerais:
  • Levindo Ozanam Coelho (until 15 March)
  • João Marques de Vasconcelos (from 15 March)
• Pará: Gerson dos Santos Peres (from 15 March)
• Paraíba: Clóvis Cavalcanti (from 15 March)
• Paraná:
  • Octávio Cesário Pereira Júnior (until 15 March)
  • José Hosken de Novaes (from 15 March)
• Pernambuco:
  • Paulo Gustavo de Araújo Cunha (until 15 March)
  • Roberto Magalhães Melo (from 15 March)
• Piauí:
  • Genibaldo Barros (until 15 March)
  • Waldemar de Castro Macedo (from 15 March)
• Rio de Janeiro: Hamilton Xavier
• Rio Grande do Norte: Geraldo Melo
• Rio Grande do Sul:
  • José Augusto Amaral de Sousa (until 15 March)
  • Otávio Badui Germano (from 15 March)
• Santa Catarina:
  • Marcos Henrique Büechler (until 15 March)
  • Henrique Hélion Velho de Córdova (from 15 March)
• São Paulo:
  • Ferreira Filho (until 15 March)
  • José Maria Marin (from 15 March)
• Sergipe:
  • Antônio Ribeiro Sotelo (until 15 March)
  • Djenal Tavares Queiroz (from 15 March)

Events

January

• January 1: Mato Grosso do Sul is officially recognized as a federative unit of Brazil.^[1]

February

• February 7: Nazi criminal Josef Mengele suffers a stroke and drowns while swimming in Bertioga.^[2] His remains are found six years later.^[3]

March

• March 15: João Figueiredo is sworn in as the 30th President of Brazil.^[4]

May

• May 11: Eunice Michiles becomes the first woman to hold a seat in the Federal Senate.^[5]

August

• August 17: The National Association of Newspapers is founded, with the aim of defending freedom of the press.^[6]
• August 28: President João Figueiredo signs the Amnesty Law. This law would grant amnesty for political crimes and crimes with a political nexus committed by members of the armed forces or member of the government between September 2, 1961 and August 15, 1979.^[7]

November

• November 6: Dr. Roberto Farina is acquitted of all criminal liability in connection with the first male-to-female gender-affirming surgery performed in Brazil.^[8]

Births

January

• January 3 –
  • Adriano, footballer
  • Lucas Severino, footballer
• January 7 – Ricardo Maurício, racecar driver

February

• February 1 –
  • Clodoaldo Silva, Paralympic swimmer^[9]
  • Juan, Brazilian footballer

March

• March 26 – Juliana Paes, actress and former model

April

• April 2 – Grafite, footballer

June

• June 29 – Artur Avila, mathematician

July

• July 6 – Luize Altenhofen, model and actress
• July 19 – Ellen Rocche, model
• July 27 – Marielle Franco, politician (died 2018)^[10]

August

• August 16 – Eduardo Maiorino, mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (died 2012)

September

• September 3 – Júlio César, professional footballer
• September 14Antônio Silva, kickboxer and mixed martial arts fighter
• September 24 – Fábio Aurélio, footballer
• September 27 – Danilo Gentili, comedian and television host

October

• October 28 – Glover Teixeira, mixed martial artist

December

• December 7 – Ronaldo Souza, mixed martial arts fighter

Deaths

• December 22 – Francisco Cavalcanti Pontes de Miranda, lawyer and diplomat (born 1892)