Much of this information came from a great website full of fun 1980s facts, trivia and photos. When you're done here, visit: In the 80s.com

Where you belong:
You’re lost between baby boomer and 
Generation X if:

• You remember when Jordache jeans with a flat-handle comb in the back pocket were cool.
• A photograph shows you wearing an Izod shirt with the collar turned up.
• You know any Weird Al Yankovic song by heart.
• You’ve ever rung someone’s doorbell and shouted, “Landshark!”
• You once were bowled over by the technological excellence of Atari, Coleco, TelStar and Intellivision.
• You remember the premiere of MTV. Worse yet, you remember its predecessor, Friday Night Videos.
• A predominant color in your childhood colors is plaid.
• You took family trips BEFORE the invention of the minivan.
• You rode in the back of the station wagon, facing the cars behind you.
• You’ve recently horrified yourself by using any one of the following phrases:
• “You know, back when…,” When I was our age…” or “When I was younger…”
• Schoolhouse Rock played a huge part in how you learned grammar, math and history. You also learned to recite the preamble to the Constitution by singing it.
• The question, “Where’s the beef?” still makes you laugh.
• You remember when movie critics raved that no movie could ever surpass the special effects in Tron.
• You had a crush on Ted the photographer in Love Boat, Gage from Emergency or Ponch from C.H.I.P.S.
• You remember trying to guess which episode of The Brady Bunch it was by the first scene.
• You know who shot J.R.
• You remember when Love’s Baby Soft was in every girl’s Christmas stocking.
• You recognize this line: “My name is Charlie and they work for me.”
• You’ve ever had a Dorothy Hamill haircut.
• You owned a pair of rainbow suspenders like the ones Mork wore.
• You remember when your cable TV box had a sliding selector switch and was attached to your TV by a wire.
• You actually believed that Mikey, the Life cereal kid, died after eating Pop Rocks and drinking a Coke.


–from the 4/10/2000 Indianapolis Star (and countless e-mails).

1979 Academy Awards 

• Best Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
• Best Actor: Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer
• Best Actress: Sally Field in Norma Rae

1980 Academy Awards 

• Best Picture: Ordinary People
• Best Actor: Robert De Niro in Raging Bull
• Best Actress: Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner's Daughter

1980 Top grossing Films

1. The Empire Strikes Back -- $141 million
2. 9 to 5 -- $59 million
3. Stir Crazy -- $58 million
4. Airplane! -- $40 million
5. Any Which Way You Can -- $40 million

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’79-80 Emmy Awards

• Comedy: Taxi
• Drama: Lou Grant

Top ’79-80 TV Programs(Per Nielsen Media Research)

1. 60 Minutes
2. Three’s Company
3. That’s Incredible! 
4. M*A*S*H*
5. Alice 
6. Dallas 
7. Flo
8. The Jeffersons
9. The Dukes of Hazzard
10. One Day at a Time 
11. WKRP in Cincinnati 
12. Goodtime Girls 
13. Archie Bunker's Place 
14. Taxi 
15. Eight is Enough 
16. Little House On the Prairie 
17. House Calls 
18. Real People 
19. CHiPs 
20. Happy Days 

'79-80 Prime Time TV Schedule:
 

Day	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	Network
Sunday	Mork & Mindy	The Associates	Movie			ABC
	Archie Bunker's Place	One Day at a Time	Alice	The Jeffersons	Trapper John, M.D.	CBS
	The Big Event				Prime Time Sunday	NBC
Monday	240-Robert		N.F.L. Monday Night Football			ABC
	The White Shadow		M*A*S*H*	WKRP in Cincinnati	Lou Grant	CBS
	Little House on the Prairie		Movie			NBC
Tuesday	Happy Days	Angie	Three's Company	Taxi	The Lazarus Syndrome	ABC
	California Fever		Movie			CBS
	Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo		Movie			NBC
Wednesday	Eight is Enough		Charlie's Angels		Vega$	ABC
	The Last Resort	Struck by Lightning	Movie			CBS
	Real People		Diff'rent Strokes	Hello, Larry	The Best of Saturday Night Live	NBC
Thursday	Laverne and Shirley	Benson	Barney Miller	Soap	20/20	ABC
	The Waltons		Hawaii Five-O		Barnaby Jones	CBS
	Buck Rogers in the 25th Century		Quincy		Kate Loves a Mystery	NBC
Friday	Fantasy Island		Movie			ABC
	The Incredible Hulk		The Dukes of Hazzard		Dallas	CBS
	Shirley		The Rockford Files		Eischied	NBC
Saturday	The Ropers	Detective School	The Love Boat		Hart to Hart	ABC
	Working Stiffs	The Bad News Bears	Big Sharks, Little Sharks		Paris	CBS
	CHiPs		B.J. and the Bear		A Man Called Sloane	NBC

 

1979 Grammy Awards

• Record of the Year: Doobie Bros., What a Fool Believes
• Album of the Year: Billy Joel, 52nd Street
• Song of the Year: “What a Fool Believes”

• Record of the Year: Christopher Cross, Sailing
• Album of the year: Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross
• Song of the Year: “Sailing”

10 Top Albums of 1980(From Billboard)

1. The Wall – Pink Floyd
2. The Long Run  – Eagles
3. Off the Wall – Michael Jackson
4. Glass Houses – Billy Joel
5. Damn the Torpedoes – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
6. Against the Wind – Bob Seeger & the Silver Bullet Band
7. In the Heat of the Night – Pat Benatar
8. Eat to the Beat – Blondie
9. In Through the Out Door – Led Zeppelin
10. Kenny – Kenny Rogers

100 Top Songs of 1980 (From "Billboard’s Hottest Hot 100 Hits")

1. Another One Bites the Dust - Queen 
2. Call Me - Blondie
3. Do That to Me One More Time - Captain & Tennille
4. Lady - Kenny Rogers
5. Upside Down - Diana Ross
6. Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
7. Rock With You - Michael Jackson 
8. Woman In Love - Barbara Streisand
9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen 
10. (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon

11. Magic - Olivia Newton-John
12. Coming Up (Live at Glasgow) - Paul McCartney
13. Please Don't Go - KC & the Sunshine Band 
14. It's Still Rock n' Roll to Me - Billy Joel 
15. Funkytown - Lipps, Inc. 
16. Little Jeannie - Elton John 
17. Ride Like The Wind - Christopher Cross 
18. Cruisin' - Smokey Robinson
19. Master Blaster (Jammin')- Stevie Wonder 
20. Lost in Love - Air Supply 

21. All Out of Love - Air Supply 
22. More Than I Can Say - Leo Sayer
23. The Rose - Bette Midler
24. Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me Girl- Spinners 
25. Coward of the County- Kenny Rogers
26. Sexy Eyes - Dr. Hook 
27. Biggest Part of Me - Ambrosia 
28. Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time - Spinners 
29. Emotional Rescue - The Rolling Stones 
30. Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen

31. Steal Away - Robbie Dupree
32. Don't Fall in Love w/ a Dreamer - Kenny Rogers/ Kim Carnes
33. Shining Star - The Manhattans 
34. Yes, I'm Ready - Teri DeSario w/ KC
35. He's So Shy - The Pointer Sisters 
36. Too Hot - Kool & The Gang 
37. Drivin' My Life Away - Eddie Rabbitt
38. Sailing - Christopher Cross 
39. Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
40. Cars - Gary Numan

41. This Is It - Kenny Loggins
42. Longer - Dan Fogerberg
43. Take Your Time (Do It Right)- S.O.S. Band 
44. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling- Daryl Hall & John Oates
45. Late in the Evening - Paul Simon
46. Stomp! - The Brothers Johnson 
47. Ladies Night - Kool & the Gang 
48. Never Knew Love Like This Before - Stephanie Mills 
49. More Love - Kim Carnes
50. Desire - Andy Gibb

51. Give Me the Night - George Benson 
52. The Wanderer - Donna Summer 
53. Fame - Irene Cara
54. Whip It - Devo 
55. Against the Wind - Bob Seger
56. With You I'm Born Again - Billy Preston and Syreeta
57. I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross
58. Special Lady - Ray, Goodman, & Brown 
59. We Don't Talk Anymore - Cliff Richard 
60. The Long Run - Eagles 

61. I Can't Tell You Why - Eagles 
62. Hurt So Bad - Linda Ronstadt
63. Let's Get Serious - Jermaine Jackson 
64. How Do I Make You - Linda Ronstadt
65. Daydream Believer - Anne Murray
66. On the Radio - Donna Summer 
67. Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)- The Pretenders 
68. Into the Night - Benny Mardones
69. Lookin' for Love - Johnny Lee 
70. Fire Lake - Bob Seger

71. Real Love - Doobie Brothers 
72. I'm Alright - Kenny Loggins
73. Him - Rupert Holmes
74. You May Be Right - Billy Joel 
75. Cool Change - Little River Band 
76. Dreaming - Cliff Richard 
77. She's Out of My Life - Michael Jackson 
78. Better Love Next Time - Dr. Hook 
79. Don't Do Me Like That - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 
80. Jesse - Carly Simon

81. An American Dream - Dirt Band 
82. Hot Rod Hearts - Robbie Dupree
84. Sara - Fleetwood Mac 
83. The Second Time Around - Shalamar
85. Tired of Toein' The Line - Rocky Burnette
86. Let Me Love You Tonight - Pure Prairie League 
87. Xanadu - Olivia Newton-John
88. Let My Love Open The Door - Pete Townshend
89. One Fine Day - Carole King 
90. Off the Wall - Michael Jackson 

91. I Wanna Be Your Lover - Prince 
92. Romeo's Tune - Steve Forbert
93. Breakdown Dead Ahead - Boz Skaggs
94. Look What You've Done to Me - Boz Skaggs
95. Jane - Jefferson Starship
96. Don't Let Go - Isaac Hayes
97. Pilot of the Airwaves - Charlie Dore
98. All Over the World - Electric Light Orchestra 
99. You'll Accompny Me - Bob Seger
100. Refugee - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 

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Auto Racing, 1980

• Indianapolis 500 winner: Johnny Rutherford
• Winston Cup Winner: Dale Earnhardt

Baseball

Batting Champions
1979: Keith Hernandez, St. Louis .363;  Fred Lynn, Boston .333
1980: Bill Buckner, Chicago Cubs .324;  George Brett, K. City .390

Home Run Champions
1979: Dave Kingman, Chicago, 48; Gorman Thomas, Milwaukee, 45
1980: Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia, 48; 
           Reggie Jackson, New York, & Ben Ogilvie, Milwaukee, 41

Rookie of the Year
1979: Rick Sutcliffe, L.A. Dodgers; 
           John Castino, Minnesota, & Alfredo Griffin, Toronto
1980: Steve Howe, L.A. Dodgers; Joe Charboneau, Cleveland

MVP
1979: Keith Hernandez, St. Louis, & Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh; 
           Don Baylor, Calif. Angels
1980: Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia; George Brett, Kansas City

World Series
1979: Pittsburgh 4-3 Baltimore
1980: Philadelphia 4-2 Kansas City
 

NBA, 1979-80

• 1979: Seattle SuperSonics 4-1 Washington Bullets
• 1980: L.A. Lakers 4-2 Philadelphia 76ers
• MVP: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Rookie of the Year: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics

• Super Bowl XIV: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, L.A. Rams 19
• Super Bowl MVP: Terry Bradshaw
• Player of the Year: Brian Sipe, QB, Cleveland Browns

 

• Masters: Seve Ballesteros
• U.S. Open: Jack Nicklaus
• British Open: Tom Watson
• PGA: Jack Nicklaus
• U.S. Women’s Open: Amy Alcott
• LPGA: Sally Little

NHL, 1979-80

• Champion: New York Islanders
• Finalist: Philadelphia Flyers

1980 Winter Olympics

U.S. hockey team defeats long-standing champion Soviet team at Lake Placid.

Grand Slam Tennis, 1980

Women’s

• Australian Champion: Hana Mandlikova
• French Champion: Chris Evert Lloyd
• Wimbledon Champion: Martina Navratilova
• U.S. Champion: Martina Navratilova

• Australian Champion: Brian Teacher
• French Champion: Bjorn Borg
• Wimbledon Champion: Bjorn Borg
• U.S. Champion: John McEnroe

NCAA Football

Rose Bowl

• 1979: USC 17, Michigan 10
• 1980: USC 17, Ohio State 16

• 1979: Notre Dame 35, Houston 34
• 1980: Houston 17, Nebraska 14

• 1979: Oklahoma 31, Nebraska 21
• 1980: Oklahoma 24, Florida State 7

• 1979: Alabama 14, Penn State 0
• 1980: Alabama 24, Arkansas 9

NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball
(First NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship was 1982!)

• 1979: Michigan State 75-64 Indiana State
• 1980: Louisville 59-57 UCLA

U.S. boycotts Moscow Olympics -- March 21
Citing the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, President Carter tells a group of American athletes that the U.S. won't be sending a team to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Later in the month, President Carter orders the U.S. secretary of commerce to ban all exports to the Soviet Union “of any goods or technology” related to the games, further encouraging other nations to join a U.S.-led boycott.

Iranian hostage crisis -- April 24
As the Iranian hostage crisis drags into its second year, 52 Americans are still held captive by the new regime in Tehran, with no resolution in sight. President Carter's threats and sanctions fail to bring them home, and in April 1980 the administration calls on the military. An airborne commando raid is launched, but ends in disaster when a rescue plane and a helicopter collide in the Iranian desert. There aren't enough spare helicopters to continue, so the mission is called off amid doubts that it ever could have succeeded in the first place. The result: eight Americans dead, and the hostages no closer to freedom.

Volcano erupts -- May 18
Following a week-long series of earthquakes and smaller explosions of ash and smoke, long-dormant Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington state, hurling ash 15,000 feet into the air and setting off mudslides and avalanches. The eruptions cause minimal damage in the sparsely populated area, but about 400 people -- mostly loggers and forest rangers -- are evacuated.

State of emergency declared at Love Canal -- May 21
President Carter declares a state of emergency at Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York. The property had been a dumping site for Hooker Chemicals and Plastics, and in 1981 plans will be made to evacuate 710 families. The evacuation would be ordered after a study reports that 30 percent of the residents in the area had suffered chromosome damage. 

CNN goes on the air -- June 1
Cable News Network goes on the air for the first time June 1, 1980, at 6 p.m. Based in Atlanta, CNN is conceived by media and sports magnate Ted Turner as the world's first around-the-clock news network. At its launch, the operation has 300 employees in bureaus in nine cities, including London and Rome, and is available to more than 2 million viewers through cable outlets in 30 states.

Cuba halts 'freedom flotilla' -- September 26
A five-month boatlift of Cubans to the United States called "freedom flotilla" ended September 26 when the Cuban government closed Mariel Harbor. The Coast Guard was unsuccessful in blocking the flow, and the sealift, which brought 125,000 refugees into the United States, filled resettlement camps around the country. U.S. officials hailed Cuba's action as a step forward in helping the United States absorb the Cubans into American society.

Reagan defeats Carter – November
Ronald Reagan and George Bush defeated incumbents Jimmy Carter & Walter Mondale. Although popular vote was 50.8% for Reagan and 41% for Carter, Carter carried only 6 states and D.C. and Reagan swept the Electoral College. Independent John Anderson received 6.6% of popular vote. Key issues were inflation, energy shortage and the taking of American hostages by Iran. Reagan promised to get government “off the backs of the American people,” pledged to cut taxes, increase defense spending, and balance the federal budget.

John Lennon assassinated -- December 8
John Lennon is gunned down and killed outside his New York City apartment by Mark Chapman, a deranged fan. Within hours, thousands of fans gather at the scene of the murder on the Upper West Side, prompting a spontaneous candlelight gathering and sing-along in memory of the former Beatle.