Final answer:
In 1979, 63 Americans were taken hostage in Iran during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, when students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, demanding the return of the deposed Shah.
Step-by-step explanation:
The explanation for this event begins in November 1979 when Iranian students, influenced by the Islamic Revolution, overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran as a reaction against the United States' support for the recently deposed Shah of Iran. The Shah had been admitted to the United States for cancer treatment, and many Iranians feared this would lead to another American-backed intervention.
As a result, the students held the embassy staff hostage to demand the Shah's return for trial. Throughout their captivity, the hostages became a focal point in the complex relationship between America and the newly-established Islamic Republic of Iran. The crisis lasted 444 days and the captives were released on January 20, 1981, coinciding with President Ronald Reagan's inauguration, thus ending a prolonged and tense diplomatic standoff between the United States and Iran.