1. Match the following events from the '80s with the year they occurred: 

a) CDs outsell vinyl for the first time ever.

b) Vice President George Bush comments that he hates broccoli and subsequently, tons of it are delivered to the White House. 

c) Prince Charles and Diana Spencer marry on July 29th.

d) Stonewashed jeans are introduced. Not a good idea then, not a good idea now.

e) Black Monday - The stock market drops 22% on October 19th.

f) USSR shoots and destroys South Korean flight KAL-007.

g) Japan surpasses the US as the largest automaker in the world.

h) Milli Vanilli gets a Grammy for Best New Artist. Later, they are stripped of the award when it is revealed that they didn't (and couldn't) sing a note.

i) Bill Gates licenses MS-DOS to IBM and makes nearly nothing on the deal.

j) The term cyberspace is coined by William Gibson in his novel “Neuromancer.”

k) Rock Hudson, the first major public figure to die of AIDS, dies on October 2nd.

l) Post-It Notes are introduced by 3M.

m) The Vietnam Memorial is erected in Washington D.C. 

n) The Cosby show premiers.

o) Exxon Valdez oil disaster occurs off the coast of Alaska in March.

p) Len Bias, an NBA first round pick by the Celtics, dies of a cocaine overdose. 

q) Pac-Man is introduced in the US.

r) Madonna begins her first tour.

s) Arsenio Hall becomes the first African-American to host a nightly talk show.

t) The Cabbage Patch kids are released.

u) The first DeLorean sports car rolls off the assembly line.

v) John Belushi dies March 5th of cocaine and heroine. He was really fat, too.

w) Rick Ocasek marries Paulina Porizkova. Millions of men all over the world realize that ugly guys might actually have a chance.

x) CNN is launched as the first all-news network.

y) The Berlin Wall falls.

z) MTV is born. They used to actually play music videos 24 hours a day.

aa) The world's worst nuclear disaster occurs in Chernobyl, USSR in April.

bb) Michael Jackson's “Thriller” sells 20 million albums to become the highest selling record in history. 

cc) “Baby Jessica” McClure falls down a well and is later rescued.

dd) The Nintendo home entertainment system is introduced. Millions of little brains go numb worldwide. Some youngsters never even see sunlight first-hand.

ee) The space shuttle Challenger explodes.

ff) Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first female Supreme Court Justice.

gg) Brooke Shields whispers “You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” and then the ad was banned.

hh) New Coke is introduced in April and is quickly replaced with Coca-Cola Classic.

ii) President Ronald Reagan is shot by a man obsessed with Jodie Foster.

jj) The first space shuttle, Columbia, is launched.

kk) Pan Am Flight 103 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland.

ll) The first artificial heart transplant takes place - the recipient lives 112 days. 

mm) Mt. Saint Helens volcano erupts, killing 60 people.

nn) Gary Hart's scandal with model Donna Rice destroys his political career. Monkey business, indeed.

oo) The Fox Network starts in the U.S.

pp) Run D.M.C. is the first ever rap group to have an album certified gold.

qq) The world's first test tube baby is born. 

rr) Robin Givens files for divorce from Mike Tyson.

ss) John Lennon is assassinated by Mark David Chapman.

2. What kind of animal was a Monchichi doll?

3. What G.I. Joe feature allowed him to hold items in his hands?

Answers

For any comments, suggestions or corrections, please email: tvan.

Last modified: 21 Jan 2000