Here in Europe, and I believe that in the US too, this revolution is quite well-known because of the important change in the foreign relationships of Iran. Untill 1979, the head of Iran was the second ruler of the Pahlavi Dynasty, Mohammad Aryamehr Reza Pahlavi, a very open-minded emperor (shahinshah=emperor of the emperors), who reformed the Iranian state and had a pro-occidental policy. He is also well known for his wife, a very beautiful woman, said to have influenced him a lot.
In 1979, the ayatolah Khomeiny took the power and reintroduced the religious fundamentalism, exiling Reza and freezing the relations with the occident. The revolution is considered an important drawback in the social life of Iran.