'80s Timeline

1980

	Who Shot JR? The TV show "Dallas" envelops the nation. On November 21, the conclusion draws more viewers than any other show in television history at that point.
	The hostages are freed in Iran. Yellow ribbons were tied to trees in neighborhoods all over the US in a show of hope and support for their ordeal.
	Summer Olympics are held in Moscow, USSR; the US boycotts.
	Post-It Notes are introduced by 3M.
	"The Empire Strikes Back" and "Airplane!" are released.
	The first all-news is service started by Turner Cable Network begins.
	John Lennon is assassinated by Mark David Chapman. Chapman tells Lennon, "I'm your biggest fan" just before he shoots.
	Brook Shields whispers, "You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." and then the ad was banned.
	Ronald Reagan is elected, defeating Jimmy Carter, and takes credit for freeing the Iranian hostages in his inaugural speech.
	Poland has massive labor strikes, eventually the unions become legal and censorship is lessened.
	Christina Ricci and Macaulay Culkin are born. Jean-Paul Sartre and Alfred Hitchcock die.
	Nearly 125,000 Cubans leave Cuba for America. Most are criminals hand picked by Fidel Castro and only a few are relatives of those in the US.
	RU-486, the abortion pill, is released in France.
	Steve McQueen, Gilda Radner and Jim Belushi are married this year.
	The US Supreme Court allows patents on living organisms.
	Mt. Saint Helens volcano erupts, killing 60 people.
	CNN is launched as the first all-news network.
	ABSCAM: FBI agents pose as wealthy Arabs to bribe politicians with cash for favors.
	Richard Pryor gets badly burned while freebasing cocaine.
	The last "Muppet Show" airs on TV. "That's Incredible" and "Solid Gold" begin.
	Small pox is considered eradicated by the World Health Organization.
	Saddam Hussein launches war against Iran for nearly a decade over oil rights.
	"Kramer vs. Kramer" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	Japan surpasses the US as the largest automaker in the world.
	Bill Gates licenses MS-DOS to IBM and makes nearly nothing on the deal.
	Pat Benatar, Christopher Cross, Billy Joel, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Stephanie Mills and The Police win Grammy Awards.

1981

	The first space shuttle, Columbia is launched.
	President Ronald Reagan is shot by a man obsessed with Jodie Foster on March 30th.
	Reagan fires the striking air traffic controllers and breaks up their union.
	The Pope is shot by insane Turk, May 13th.
	The top-selling toys for the year were Rubik's Cube from Ideal and Kenner's Strawberry Shortcake doll.
	"Ordinary People" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first female Supreme Court Justice.
	Natalie Portman, Britney Spears and Elijah Wood are born. Natalie Wood passes.
	Francois Mitterand becomes the president of France.
	Prince Charles and Diana Spencer marry on July 29th. Valerie Bertinelli weds Eddie Van Halen, Barbara Bach marries Ringo Starr. Morgan Brittany, Tommy Lee Jones and Cary Grant also marry.
	Luke and Laura's Wedding airs on "General Hospital." Except for Charles and Diana, it is the most watched wedding in history.
	Dynasty premiers in primetime and becomes a hit.
	The US Agriculture Department attempts to classify ketchup as a vegetable in school lunches.
	The first IBM PCs are produced.
	Pat Benatar, Kim Carnes, Sheena Easton, James Ingram, Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones, The Police and Rick Springfield win Grammy Awards.
	The first DeLorean sports car rolls off the assembly line.
	"Porky's" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" open.
	August 1, MTV is born. They used to actually play music videos 24 hours a day.
	Private satellite dishes are approved by the FCC.
	California is attacked by millions of fruit flies from Mexico.
	President Reagan, in an effort to create pressure on Libya, deploys ships in the Gulf of Sidra. Libya claimed rights to the gulf although no other nations recognized it as being theirs.
	Pac-Man is introduced in the US and sparks a huge craze: Pac-mania.
	Spain allows legal divorces.
	"Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" ends on television and "Hill Street Blues" begins an eleven year run.
	Poland government crushes the Solidarity movement.
	In December, the world's first test tube baby is born.
	The first reports appear of homosexual men dying due to a mysterious breakdown of the bodies' immune system. Later it becomes known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

1982

	Michael Jackson's "Thriller" sells 20 million albums to become the largest selling record ever.
	Ozzy Osborne bites the head off a live bat thrown at him at a January 20th performance.
	Argentina invades the Falklands (UK); Argentina has to withdraw its troops after two months.
	Italy wins the soccer World Cup in Spain.
	"Cheers" begins on television and runs for eleven years. "Family Ties" and "Knight Rider" also begin. "In Search Of..." airs its last.
	Helmut Kohl becomes chancellor in Germany.
	Pat Benatar, Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes, The Dazz Band, A Flock of Seagulls, Jennifer Holliday, Melissa Manchester, Men At Work, John Cougar Mellencamp, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton-John, Lionel Richie, Survivor, Toto, Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind & Fire all take home Grammy Awards.
	Leonid Breznjev dies, Yuri Andropov takes over.
	The Reverend Sun Myung Moon marries 4,150 of his "Moonie" followers at Madison Square Garden.
	Tylenol scare, October 5th. A new wave of medicine bottle "tamper-proofing" legislation begins.
	"Chariots of Fire" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	Nancy Reagan appears at a Washington benefit dressed as a bag lady to protest criticism of her expensive outfits.
	Princess Grace of Monaco dies when her car hurtles over a cliff.
	The top toys for the year were He-Man and the Masters of the Universe from Mattel, Smurf dolls from Applause and the E.T. doll from LJN Toys.
	Prince William is born to Charles and Di.
	The final episodes of "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "Mork and Mindy" air.
	Mexico's economy collapses.
	Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito marry. Pat Benatar, James Earl Jones, Kelsey Grammer, Bono, Joni Mitchell, Linda Hamilton are also married this year.
	Liposuction is introduced.
	"Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "E.T. the Extraterrestrial" and "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" are in theaters.
	"Ma Bell" is no more: the telephone company breaks up into 22 distinct regional phone companies.
	The Equal Rights Amendment fails - three states short of ratification.
	Kirsten Dunst is born. Paul Lynde, Thelonious Monk, Ayn Rand, Henry Fonda, Ingrid Bergman all pass away. John Belushi dies March 5th of cocaine and heroin.
	The Vietnam Memorial is erected in Washington D.C.
	The first artificial heart transplant takes place, the recipient lives 112 days.
	Delorean Motor Company goes bankrupt
	Larry Walters on July 2nd ties 42 weather balloons to a lawn chair and flies as high as 16 thousand feet before shooting the balloons with a pellet gun and landing about 90 minutes later. The FAA fined him $1,500.

1983

	The Cabbage Patch kids are released by Coleco. The other top-selling toys of 1983 were Trivial Pursuit board game from Selchow & Righter, My Little Pony from Hasbro and Care Bears from Kenner.
	"Just Say No" is the new campaign to combat growing drug use in the US.
	Thatcher's second term as Prime Minister begins.
	The USSR shoots and destroys South Korean flight KAL-007.
	Camcorders are introduced.
	"Gandhi" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	US invades Grenada after coup on the island, more medals are handed out during the brief invasion than during the entire Vietnam war.
	Karen Carpenter dies of anorexia nervosa at the age of 32 on February 4th.
	The final episode of "MAS*H" and "Taxi" air while the first episode of "The A-Team" airs.
	Television advertising costs reach an all-time high during the Super Bowl.
	Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space, June 18th on the Challenger.
	Parker Stevenson marries Kirstie Alley. Harrison Ford, Della Reese, Bob Costas, Mary Tyler Moore and Loretta Swit are also married.
	Vanessa Williams becomes the first African-American Miss America.
	Compact discs are first released.
	David Niven and Slim Pickens die.
	U.S. Embassy is bombed in Beirut, killing 40 people.
	Hackers invade sensitive military computers including Los Alamos National Laboratory.
	Australia wins the America's Cup for the first time in 132 years.
	Fake Hitler diaries surface.
	"Return of the Jedi," "The Big Chill" and "National Lampoon's Vacation" are released.
	The Tylenol murders occur in Chicago.
	The last DeLoreans are produced.
	Sting, Donna Summer, The Police, Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar and Irene Cara win Grammys.
	Bob Hawke becomes the first Labor Prime Minister of Australia in nine years.

1984

	"The Cosby show" premiers.
	Sikhs occupy Golden Temple in Amritsar, India .
	Indira Gandhi is assassinated.
	Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis are married. Morgan Freeman, Rick Springfield, Nastassja Kinski and Rick Wakeman also are married.
	Chemical disaster in Bhopal, India on December 3rd.
	Geraldine Ferraro becomes the first woman Vice Presidential candidate.
	Reagan is re-elected in landslide election, defeating Walter Mondale.
	David Bowie, Phil Collins, Herbie Hancock, James Ingram & Michael McDonald, Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Ocean, Ray Parker Jr., The Pointer Sisters, Prince, Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Donna Summer and Tina Turner each win Grammy awards.
	Congress cuts off US aid to Nicaragua and illegal guns sales start to fund the Contras.
	Stonewashed jeans are introduced.
	"Terms of Endearment" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	The first megabit chip is produced at Bell Labs.
	This year's top toys were Gobots from Tonka, Transformers from Hasbro and Rainbow Brite dolls from Mattel.
	Andy Kaufman dies of lung cancer on May 16th. Marvin Gaye dies on April 1st. Count Basie, Richard Burton and Truman Capote also die this year.
	The Summer Olympics are in Los Angeles. The Soviets boycott.
	"A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Sixteen Candles" and "Ghostbusters" hit theaters.
	Mary Lou Retton wins two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
	Nude photos surface of Vanessa Williams, the current Miss America. She is forced from her throne.
	The AIDS virus is discovered.
	"LA Law" television series begins.
	On January 28th, Michael Jackson's hair catches fire during the shooting of Pepsi commercial.
	The first infomercials appear on TV due to de-regulation by the FCC.
	The first all-rap radio format is introduced at LA's KDAY
	Run D.M.C. are the first ever rap group to have an album certified gold.
	The term cyberspace is coined by William Gibson in his novel "Neuromancer."
	Bob Geldof and Band Aid release "Do They Know It's Christmas?".

1985

	"We Are The World" is recorded by USA for Africa, America's response to the British "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
	Live Aid from London and Philadelphia is beamed around the world via satellite simulcast.
	Crack cocaine starts to appear.
	Billy Joel marries Christie Brinkley. Madonna and Sean Penn are married. O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown marry. Bruce Springsteen marries Julianne Phillips. Robin Gibb also marries this year.
	"Amadeus" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	Brussels, Belgium: 39 dead, 250 wounded during a soccer match between Liverpool and Juventus.
	Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior is bombed by the French government during protests of it's nuclear testing in the Pacific.
	Earthquake in Mexico / Volcano erupts in Colombia; thousands are killed.
	"The Dukes of Hazzard" and "Alice" airs their last episodes while "Matlock" airs its first.
	Gorbachev becomes the last president of the Soviet Union.
	New Coke is introduced in April and is quickly replaced by Coca-Cola Classic.
	Titanic wreckage is found and filmed by robotic camera in July.
	Bernhard Goetz is charged with attempted murder for his "vigilante" justice on a subway train.
	Ethiopa blocks the airlift of thousands of Ethiopian Jews.
	Deney Terrio ends his reign as the host of "Dance Fever" after six years. Adrian Zmed assumes the role until the end of the show in 1987.
	The hole in the ozone layer, first detected in 1977, becomes a major news item.
	Madonna begins her first tour.
	"The Breakfast Club" and "Back To the Future" premiere.
	In October, the worlds largest atom-smasher goes online in Illinois.
	The Nintendo home entertainment system is introduced. The top toys this year were Teddy Ruxpin from Worlds of Wonder, Pound Puppies from Tonka and the She-Ra doll from Mattel.
	An extra second is added to the calendar year.
	Leaded gas is officially banned in the US.
	Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Sade, Quincy Jones, Don Henley, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis & the News, Jan Hammer, Dire Straits, Phil Collins, and The Commodores win Grammy Awards.
	Swedish premier Olaf Palme is assassinated.
	Rock 'n' Roll Hall of fame is opened.
	Rock Hudson, the first major public figure to die of AIDS, dies on October 2nd. He says "I hope I die of a heart attack before they find out" when he is first diagnosed. Orson Welles also passes away this year.

1986

	January 28th, the space shuttle Challenger explodes.
	The world's worst nuclear disaster occurs in Chernobyl, USSR in April.
	In Nyos, Cameroon, a cloud of carbon dioxide rumbled out of the nearby lake Nyos on August 21 and killed approximately 1,700 people.
	Bill Buckner lets the World Series squirt through his legs. The Mets win in 7 games.
	US vs. Libya and Khadafi: the fight begins.
	James Brown, Bruce Hornsby & the Range, Dire Straits, Art of Noise, Eurythmics, Robert Palmer, Prince & the Revolution, Paul Simon, Sting, Steve Winwood, Tina Turner and Elton John win Grammys.
	Argentina wins the Soccer World Cup in Mexico.
	The top-selling toys were Lazer Tag from Worlds of Wonder, Baby Talk doll from Galoob and the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards from Topps.
	The Fox Network starts in America.
	"Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Pretty in Pink," and "Weird Science" are in theaters.
	June 19th, Len Bias, an NBA first round pick by the Celtics, dies of a cocaine overdose.
	Mandatory recycling programs started in Rhode Island.
	Iran Contra Scandal is reported in November in a Lebanese magazine.
	Vice President George Bush comments that he hates broccoli and subsequently, tons of it are delivered to the White House.
	Haley's Comet returns.
	Hands Across America, May 25th.
	Patrice Rushen, Elvis Costello, Patty Duke and Annette Funicello are married. Tommy Lee marries Heather Locklear and Maria Shriver & Arnold Schwarzenegger marry.
	"Alf" begins on television.
	Donna Reed and Cary Grant die. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are born.
	The Statue of Liberty celebrates her 100th Anniversary and gets a face lift as well.
	Kurt Waldheim's Nazi past is revealed as he runs for president of Austria. He still wins despite having been a staff officer responsible for deporting thousands of Greek Jews to concentration camps.
	"A.M. Chicago" changes its name to the "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and goes national September 8th.
	Turner Broadcasting begins to colorize black and white classic movies.
	"Out of Africa" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	Miami Hurricanes' quarterback Vinny Testaverde wins the Heisman Trophy.
	John McCarthy, a British journalist, was kidnapped by Islamic Jihad. He remained in captivity for five and a half years.

1987

	"Baby Jessica" McClure falls down a well and is later rescued.
	Battle for "Baby M" begins. William and Eilizabeth Stern of New Jersey hired Mary Beth Whitehead to carry a baby to term for them. After it was all over, surrogate contracts were declared illegal and the Stern family won the right to raise "Baby M" up and allow Mrs. Whitehead visitation rights.
	Herald of Free Enterprise sinks in North Sea; 189 die.
	The best-selling toys were The Real Ghostbusters action figures from Kenner, Pictionary board game from The Games Gang and Pogo Bal from Hasbro.
	A young German lands his airplane in the middle of Red Square in Moscow.
	Thatcher is re-elected.
	U2, Jody Watley, Paul Simon, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, George Michael and Genesis win Grammy Awards.
	The INF agreement between the US and the USSR is finalized.
	Black Monday - the stock market drops 22% on October 19th.
	Artists protest the ongoing Sistine Chapel restoration.
	Liberace, Andy Warhol, Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire, Jackie Gleason, Lorne Greene and Lee Marvin die.
	Condom commercials begin to appear on US television for the first time.
	The US budget reaches the trillion dollar mark.
	"Star Trek: The Next Generation" television series begins.
	Robert Bork was denied a Supreme Court appointment after opposition to his involvement in Richard Nixon's "Saturday Night Massacre" was raised.
	Jessica Hahn is implicated in the Jim Bakker televangelist scandal.
	Gary Hart's scandal with model Donna Rice destroys his career.
	Mimi Rogers and Tom Cruise are married. Bruce Willis marries Demi Moore, November 21st. Caroline Kennedy and Florence Griffith Joyner also wed.
	Klaus Barbie is convicted of Nazi war crimes and sentenced to life in prison. On a similar note, Rudolf Hess strangled himself at age 93 after having been in prison since 1941. He was the sole prisoner at the facility.
	"Platoon" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	Porn star Cicciolina wins a seat in the Italian parliament.
	The last California Condor was taken in to captivity. There were only 27 in captivity at that point. By 1992, 57 were in captivity and were beginning to be re-released into the wild.
	The marriage of Charles and Diana starts to deteriorate, they begin living alone.
	World Population reaches 5 billion.

1988

	CDs outsell vinyl for the first time ever.
	Jimmy Swaggart admits to involvement with prostitutes.
	The Summer Olympics are in Seoul, South-Korea. Ben Johnson is caught for steroids use after setting a World Record in the 100 meter dash.
	Pan Am Flight 103 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland; Libyan terrorists are suspected of planting the bomb.
	A major earthquake rocks the USSR.
	Andy Gibb and Roy Orbison die.
	Bobby McFerrin tells everyone "Don't worry, be happy." Prozac is introduced as an anti-depressant.
	US advertising is permitted on Soviet TV.
	The first plutonium pacemaker is produced.
	The top toys for this year were the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures from Playmates and Li'l Miss Makeup from Mattel.
	The world's longest undersea tunnel is completed. Work begins on the Chunnel which will then become the world's longest undersea tunnel.
	Sonny Bono becomes Mayor of Palm Springs, California.
	"The Last Emperor" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	Robin Givens files for divorce from Mike Tyson. Tom Hanks marries Rita Wilson, Michael J. Fox marries Tracy Pollan and Judy Tenuta marries Emo Phillips. Jonathan Frakes, Wayne Gretzky and Robert Smith also get married this year.
	"The Wonder Years" airs its first episode.
	Benazir Bhutto becomes the first woman to head an Islamic nation.
	U2, Tracy Chapman, Terence Trent D'Arby, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Bobby McFerrin, George Michael, Robert Palmer and Weird Al Yankovic win Grammy Awards.
	Willie Horton ads air during the '88 re-election.
	Dukakis loses to George Bush - the ads showing Dukakis sticking his puny head out of an M1 tank didn't help.
	McDonald's opens in the USSR.
	Long Island beaches close due to "excess levels" of medical waste coming ashore on July 6th.
	Iran-Iraqi war ends in August.
	Human Genome project begins.
	Soviets withdraw from Afghanistan.
	Australia celebrates it's bicentenary

1989

	The fall of the Berlin wall occurs on November 9th.
	Cold fusion is announced in March and then denounced at the end of summer as "clumsy" science.
	Arsenio Hall becomes the first African-American to host a nightly talk show.
	The "beginning of the end" for the Communist rulers in Eastern Europe; the Cold War comes to an end.
	Young MC, Soul II Soul, Bonnie Raitt, Metallica, Living Colour, Don Henley, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel, Janet Jackson, Michael Bolton and Bobby Brown win Grammys.
	Salmon Rushdie wanted dead by Iranian leader Khomeini.
	Kim Basinger buys Braselton, Georgia for $20 million.
	Exxon Valdez oil disaster occurs off the coast of Alaska in March.
	Lucille Ball dies April 26th. Salvador Dalí, Gilda Radner, Mel Blanc and Irving Berlin also die.
	Rick Ocasek marries Paulina Porizkova. Millions of men all over the world realize that ugly guys might actually have a chance. Kenneth Branagh marries Emma Thompson, Brandi Brandt marries Nikki Sixx and Kimberly Conrad & Hugh Hefner are also married. Chris Novoselic, Michael Jordan, Reba McEntire, Steve Garvey, Richard Marx and James Cameron also marry this year.
	96 dead and 170 wounded during a soccer match between Liverpool and Sheffield in the UK.
	Students protest on Tienanmen Square, Beijing, China - the army intervenes and 3000-7000 are killed, June 3rd.
	Worldwide ban of ivory begins.
	The fourteenth Dalai Lama wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
	The top toys this year were Batman action figures from Kenner and the Oopsie Daisy doll from Tyco .
	The stealth bomber is finished.
	"Rain Man" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.
	Time and Warner combine to become Time Warner Inc.
	The US invades Panama to arrest Manuel Noreiga. Loud rock music is played to drive him from his asylum.
	Rob Lowe's soft porn video with an underage girl is made public.
	The parents of the Menendez brothers are found murdered. Lyle and Erik are later accused of the murders.
	Milli Vanilli wins a Grammy for Best New Artist. Later, they are stripped of the award when it's revealed that they didn't (and couldn't) sing a note.
	Geraldo Riveria gets his nose broken on his show by a violent guest.
	Pete Rose is banned from baseball for betting on games, August 24th. He becomes ineligible for entry into the Hall of Fame.
	Collin Powell is appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - the highest military post to ever be held by a black officer. Questions regarding a possible presidential bid are numerous.
	October 17th quake disrupts the third game of the world series between San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics.
	TV Guide releases a picture of a newly slim Oprah Winfrey which turns out to be her head on Ann-Margret's body.
	Princess Anne announces separation from her husband.
	"Say Anything" and "Batman" are in theaters.
	Michael Milken is indicted on 98 fraud and racketeering charges.
	Vietnam withdraws from Cambodia, September 26, after almost 11 years of occupation.
	Pan Am files chapter 11.
	Burma changes it's name to Myanmar.

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

Last modified: 19 Jan 2001

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1980

Who Shot JR? The TV show "Dallas" envelops the nation. On November 21, the conclusion draws more viewers than any other show in television history at that point.

The hostages are freed in Iran. Yellow ribbons were tied to trees in neighborhoods all over the US in a show of hope and support for their ordeal.

Summer Olympics are held in Moscow, USSR; the US boycotts.

Post-It Notes are introduced by 3M.

"The Empire Strikes Back" and "Airplane!" are released.

The first all-news is service started by Turner Cable Network begins.

John Lennon is assassinated by Mark David Chapman. Chapman tells Lennon, "I'm your biggest fan" just before he shoots.

Brook Shields whispers, "You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." and then the ad was banned.

Ronald Reagan is elected, defeating Jimmy Carter, and takes credit for freeing the Iranian hostages in his inaugural speech.

Poland has massive labor strikes, eventually the unions become legal and censorship is lessened.

Christina Ricci and Macaulay Culkin are born. Jean-Paul Sartre and Alfred Hitchcock die.

Nearly 125,000 Cubans leave Cuba for America. Most are criminals hand picked by Fidel Castro and only a few are relatives of those in the US.

RU-486, the abortion pill, is released in France.

Steve McQueen, Gilda Radner and Jim Belushi are married this year.

The US Supreme Court allows patents on living organisms.

Mt. Saint Helens volcano erupts, killing 60 people.

CNN is launched as the first all-news network.

ABSCAM: FBI agents pose as wealthy Arabs to bribe politicians with cash for favors.

Richard Pryor gets badly burned while freebasing cocaine.

The last "Muppet Show" airs on TV. "That's Incredible" and "Solid Gold" begin.

Small pox is considered eradicated by the World Health Organization.

Saddam Hussein launches war against Iran for nearly a decade over oil rights.

"Kramer vs. Kramer" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.

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

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

Pat Benatar, Christopher Cross, Billy Joel, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Stephanie Mills and The Police win Grammy Awards.

1981

The first space shuttle, Columbia is launched.

President Ronald Reagan is shot by a man obsessed with Jodie Foster on March 30th.

Reagan fires the striking air traffic controllers and breaks up their union.

The Pope is shot by insane Turk, May 13th.

The top-selling toys for the year were Rubik's Cube from Ideal and Kenner's Strawberry Shortcake doll.

"Ordinary People" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.

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

Natalie Portman, Britney Spears and Elijah Wood are born. Natalie Wood passes.

Francois Mitterand becomes the president of France.

Prince Charles and Diana Spencer marry on July 29th. Valerie Bertinelli weds Eddie Van Halen, Barbara Bach marries Ringo Starr. Morgan Brittany, Tommy Lee Jones and Cary Grant also marry.

Luke and Laura's Wedding airs on "General Hospital." Except for Charles and Diana, it is the most watched wedding in history.

Dynasty premiers in primetime and becomes a hit.

The US Agriculture Department attempts to classify ketchup as a vegetable in school lunches.

The first IBM PCs are produced.

Pat Benatar, Kim Carnes, Sheena Easton, James Ingram, Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones, The Police and Rick Springfield win Grammy Awards.

The first DeLorean sports car rolls off the assembly line.

"Porky's" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" open.

August 1, MTV is born. They used to actually play music videos 24 hours a day.

Private satellite dishes are approved by the FCC.

California is attacked by millions of fruit flies from Mexico.

President Reagan, in an effort to create pressure on Libya, deploys ships in the Gulf of Sidra. Libya claimed rights to the gulf although no other nations recognized it as being theirs.

Pac-Man is introduced in the US and sparks a huge craze: Pac-mania.

Spain allows legal divorces.

"Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" ends on television and "Hill Street Blues" begins an eleven year run.

Poland government crushes the Solidarity movement.

In December, the world's first test tube baby is born.

The first reports appear of homosexual men dying due to a mysterious breakdown of the bodies' immune system. Later it becomes known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

1982

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" sells 20 million albums to become the largest selling record ever.

Ozzy Osborne bites the head off a live bat thrown at him at a January 20th performance.

Argentina invades the Falklands (UK); Argentina has to withdraw its troops after two months.

Italy wins the soccer World Cup in Spain.

"Cheers" begins on television and runs for eleven years. "Family Ties" and "Knight Rider" also begin. "In Search Of..." airs its last.

Helmut Kohl becomes chancellor in Germany.

Pat Benatar, Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes, The Dazz Band, A Flock of Seagulls, Jennifer Holliday, Melissa Manchester, Men At Work, John Cougar Mellencamp, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton-John, Lionel Richie, Survivor, Toto, Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind & Fire all take home Grammy Awards.

Leonid Breznjev dies, Yuri Andropov takes over.

The Reverend Sun Myung Moon marries 4,150 of his "Moonie" followers at Madison Square Garden.

Tylenol scare, October 5th. A new wave of medicine bottle "tamper-proofing" legislation begins.

"Chariots of Fire" wins Academy Award for Best Picture.

Nancy Reagan appears at a Washington benefit dressed as a bag lady to protest criticism of her expensive outfits.

Princess Grace of Monaco dies when her car hurtles over a cliff.

The top toys for the year were He-Man and the Masters of the Universe from Mattel, Smurf dolls from Applause and the E.T. doll from LJN Toys.

Prince William is born to Charles and Di.

The final episodes of "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "Mork and Mindy" air.

Mexico's economy collapses.

Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito marry. Pat Benatar, James Earl Jones, Kelsey Grammer, Bono, Joni Mitchell, Linda Hamilton are also married this year.

Liposuction is introduced.

"Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "E.T. the Extraterrestrial" and "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" are in theaters.

"Ma Bell" is no more: the telephone company breaks up into 22 distinct regional phone companies.

The Equal Rights Amendment fails - three states short of ratification.

Kirsten Dunst is born. Paul Lynde, Thelonious Monk, Ayn Rand, Henry Fonda, Ingrid Bergman all pass away. John Belushi dies March 5th of cocaine and heroin.

The Vietnam Memorial is erected in Washington D.C.

The Cabbage Patch kids are released by Coleco. The other top-selling toys of 1983 were Trivial Pursuit board game from Selchow &
Righter, My Little Pony from Hasbro and Care Bears from Kenner.

The final episode of "MAS*H" and "Taxi" air while the first episode of "The A-Team" airs.