1979    ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart is shot dead by a Nicaraguan soldier under the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. The murder is caught on tape and sparked international outcry of the regime.

1979    Nicaraguan president General Anastasio Somoza Debayle resigns and flees to Miami, Florida.

1979    The Sandinista rebels overthrow the government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua.

1980    Former Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle is killed in Asunción, Paraguay.