CNN 20: Hostage Release from Iran, January 20, 1981
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now we have our "CNN 20" report. It was a very busy day, indeed, on this date in 1981. Here's a look back.</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JANUARY 20, 1981) JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had received word officially for the first time that the aircraft carrying the 52 American hostages had cleared Iranian airspace and that every one of the 52 hostages was alive, was well, and free.</s>VITO MAGGIOLO, CNN ASSIGNMENT EDITOR: Here was a story that had the whole nation in its grip. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JANUARY 20, 1981) UNIDENTIFIED CNN ANCHOR: The 52 American former hostages are at this hour winging their way to West Germany on the final leg of their flight to freedom.</s>BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: That day, CNN was completely preoccupied with two major stories: reporting the inauguration of Ronald Wilson Reagan. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JANUARY 20, 1981) RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Ronald Reagan, do solemnly swear...</s>SHAW: And the fate of the American hostages. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JANUARY 20, 1981) UNIDENTIFIED CNN ANCHOR: The world got its first look at the 52 freed Americans during a stopover they made in Algiers.</s>UNIDENTIFIED RELEASED HOSTAGE: Feeling great right now. Best I have felt in 444 days.</s>MAGGIOLO: It was an incredible test of CNN's abilities. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JANUARY 20, 1981) UNIDENTIFIED CNN ANCHOR: The plane is coming down at the airport in East Baaten (ph), West Germany. So we will switch live now to Richard Blystone there -- Richard.</s>RICHARD BLYSTONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first of these freedom birds has just landed here at Rhynemein (ph) Airbase.</s>SHAW: It was one of the more historic days in CNN's news coverage. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JANUARY 20, 1981) BLYSTONE: They all look in very good shape to make the walk to the bus.</s>MAGGIOLO: That whole sense of adventure, of making it happen, of doing something that everybody said we couldn't do. It was exhaustion, but so much satisfaction.