1979 in Brazil

Events in the year 1979 in Brazil.

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)

January

 * January 1: Mato Grosso do Sul is officially recognized as a federative unit of Brazil.

February

 * February 7: Nazi criminal Josef Mengele suffers a stroke and drowns while swimming in Bertioga. His remains are found six years later.

March

 * March 15: João Figueiredo is sworn in as the 30th President of Brazil.

May

 * May 11: Eunice Michiles becomes the first woman to hold a seat in the Federal Senate.

August

 * August 17: The National Association of Newspapers is founded, with the aim of defending freedom of the press.
 * 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.

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.

January

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

February

 * February 1 –
 * Clodoaldo Silva, Paralympic swimmer
 * 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)

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)