1980s
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Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades: 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s - 1980s - 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Contents |
Events and trends
Computers, technology
- Bulletin board system popularity
- Popularization of personal computers, Walkmans, VHS videocassette recorders, and compact disc or CD players
- Home video games become enormously popular, most notably Atari until the market crashes in 1983; the rise of Nintendo brings about full recovery
- Space Shuttle Challenger explodes
- Accident at Chernobyl nuclear reactor, April 1986
- Framework launched
Science
- Discovery of the W and Z bosons at CERN
- Development of the scanning tunneling microscope by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer
War, peace and politics
- Cold War peaks; fall of the Iron Curtain
- Jimmy Carter announces a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow; Eastern Bloc countries boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
- Solidarity movement in Poland launched in 1981. It eventually topples the country's Communist regime
- Ronald Reagan proposes the Strategic Defense Initiative, derided as "Star Wars." Deploys Pershing missiles in Western Europe to counter the Soviety SS-20, to widespread protests
- Soviet fighters down Korean Air Flight 7 in 1983
- Gorbachev introduces Glasnost and Perestroika in the Soviet Union
- Fall of the Berlin Wall in East Germany, preparing the way to German reunification
- Velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia
- Revolution in Romania, execution of Ceausescu
- Margaret Thatcher and Thatcherism dominate British politics. The so-called Reagan Revolution introduces neoconservatives to Washington
- Falklands War; Argentine invades the Falkland islands in 1982 but defeated by Great Britain
- Israel invades Lebanon in 1982. A suicide bomber kills 241 U.S. marines stationed there as peacekeepers.
- Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988 kills one million people
- Over 120,000 flee Cuba in 1980 during the Mariel Airlift
- P.W. Botha suppresses anti-apartheid activists; international boycotts of South Africa continue
- King Juan Carlos of Spain prevents a military coup in 1980. Spain joined NATO in 1982; it joined the European Union with Portugal in 1986.
- In 1989 students protest on Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China and are ruthlessly suppressed
- "People Power" in the Philippines topples the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship; military rule ends after protests in Argentina and South Korea
- The Soviet Union ends its disastrous military campaign in Afghanistan
- Former United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim is exposed as a former Nazi
- Vietnam continues its military occupation of Cambodia
- In Europe, rise of right wing parties (Le Pen in France, [[Franz Sch�nhuber|Sch�nhuber]]/Republikaner in Germany, [[J�rg Haider|Haider]] in Austria), parallel to a rise of Green parties.
- Political correctness
- U.S. invades Grenada
- The Reagan doctrine supports anti-communist insurgencies in El Salvador and elsewhere, but leads to the Iran-Contra scandal
Economics
- Reaganomics
- Longest bull market in history begins in 1983; Dow Jones Industrial Average passes 2000 point milestone January 8, 1987
- Largest one-day stock market drop, on October 19, 1987
- OPEC controls slip; petroleum prices collapse below $10 per barrel by mid-1986, devastating oil-producing nations such as Mexico
- U.S. Midwest Farm Crisis 1981–1985
- East Asian Tigers' share of world trade rises significantly
- U.S. balance of trade falls into chronic deficit; populists criticize trade relations with Japan
- Late 1980s recession
Popular culture
- The "Me Generation" manifests itself in conspicuous consumption among American yuppies, but fashions and dialogue trend conservative
- Television networks are challenged by cable television. In the U.S., Cheers and The Cosby Show top ratings and the Fox network is launched. CNN becomes the first 24-hour news channel.
- The video game console outstrips the arcade game
- Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial opens in 1982 and shatters records for box office gross receipts
- Music videos (and MTV) begin to have an effect on record industry in the United States. Pop artists Michael Jackson and Madonna are pioneers; groups such as Duran Duran benefit. USA for Africa single "We Are the World" benefits famine relief in Ethiopia. Other artists push for nuclear disarmament. Hair metal enjoys popularity
- Andrew Lloyd Webber and [[Claude-Michel Sch�nberg|Sch�nberg]] and Boublil's [[Les Mis�rables (musical)|Les Mis�rables]] dominate musical theatre
- He-Man, the first animated children's television program built exclusively around a toyline, starts a new trend of increasing the connection between children's programming and toy advertising, alarming many parents and watchdog organizations; an explosive number of toy tie-in cartoons follow
- hip hop began to achieve mainstream success in the United States, with artists like Kurtis Blow and N.W.A.; hip hop's spread outside of New York City, especially to Los Angeles, accelerates
- "Gorbymania"
- The Rubik's cube, Cabbage Patch Kids, "Baby on Board" signs, and Trivial Pursuit fads capture the interest of the American public
Others
- Assassination of John Lennon and Olof Palme, attempts on Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II.
- President Tito of Yugoslavia dies.
- Release of Americans held hostage in Iran
- Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini isssues a fatwa urging the killing of Salman Rushdie
- Pan Am Flight 103 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland
- The AIDS epidemic is identified and named
World Leaders
- Chancellor Bruno Kreisky (Austria)
- Chancellor Fred Sinowatz (Austria)
- Chancellor Franz Vranitzky (Austria)
- Prime Minister Bob Hawke (Australia)
- Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (Canada)
- Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (Canada)
- General Augusto Pinochet (Chile)
- Deng Xiaoping (People's Republic of China)
- President Chiang Ching-kuo (Republic of China on Taiwan)
- Erich Honecker (East Germany)
- President Anwar Sadat (Egypt)
- President Hosni Mubarak (Egypt)
- President Daniel Ortega (El Salvador)
- President Mengistu Haile Mariam (Ethiopia)
- President Urho Kekkonen (Finland)
- President Mauno Koivisto (Finland)
- President [[Fran�ois Mitterrand]] (France)
- Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou (Greece)
- Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (India)
- Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (India)
- Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (Iran)
- President Saddam Hussein (Iraq)
- President Patrick Hillery (Ireland)
- Taoiseach Charles Haughey (Ireland)
- Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald (Ireland)
- Prime Minister Menachem Begin (Israel)
- Prime Minister Shimon Peres (Israel)
- Emperor Hirohito (Japan)
- Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone (Japan)
- Emir Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (Kuwait)
- President Muammar al-Qaddafi (Libya)
- Pope John Paul II
- President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (Mexico)
- President Samora Machel (Mozambique)
- Prime Minister David Lange (New Zealand)
- Queen Juliana (Netherlands)
- General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq (Pakistan)
- President Ferdinand Marcos (the Philippines)
- President Wojciech Jaruzelski (Poland)
- Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore)
- President and Prime Minister P.W. Botha (South Africa)
- President Chun Doo-hwan (South Korea)
- Premier Leonid Brezhnev (Soviet Union)
- General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union)
- King Juan Carlos (Spain)
- Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa of Sri Lanka
- Prime Minister Olof Palme (Sweden)
- Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (United Kingdom)
- President George H.W. Bush (United States)
- President Jimmy Carter (United States)
- President Ronald Reagan (United States)
- Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (West Germany)
- Chancellor Helmut Kohl (West Germany)
- President Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia)
- President Mobutu Sese Seko (Zaire)
- President Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe)
Entertainers
- Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Glory)
- Phoebe Cates (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Gremlins)
- Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Rain Man, Risky Business, The Color of Money)
- Emilio Estevez (The Breakfast Club, The Outsiders, Young Guns)
- Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones series, Star Wars series, Blade Runner, Witness)
- Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future series)
- Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon series, Mad Max series)
- Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee)
- Michael Keaton (Batman, Mr. Mom, Night Shift)
- George Lucas (Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Captain Eo)
- Eddie Murphy (Saturday Night Live, Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places)
- Jack Nicholson (Terms of Endearment, The Shining, Batman, Prizzi's Honor, Ironweed, Reds)
- Michelle Pfeiffer (Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator, Predator, Conan the Barbarian)
Film
- Ghostbusters
- Meg Ryan
- Charlie Sheen
- Bo Derek
- Matt Dillon
- Jodie Foster
- Batman (Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson)
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off
- Brat Pack
- John Hughes
- The Breakfast Club
- Pretty in Pink
- Hairspray
- Top Gun
- Sean Penn
- Sylvester Stallone (Rambo: First Blood)
- Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing)
- Sigourney Weaver
- Lost Boys
Television
See Also: 1980s in television
- The A-Team (including Mr. T)
- Alf
- Cagney and Lacey
- Cheers
- The Cosby Show
- Diff'rent Strokes
- Dukes of Hazzard
- Dynasty
- EastEnders
- Facts of Life
- Falcon Crest
- Family Ties
- Growing Pains
- General Hospital
- Hill Street Blues
- The Jewel in the Crown
- Knight Rider
- L.A. Law
- Late Night with David Letterman
- Miami Vice
- Moonlighting
- MTV
- Only Fools and Horses
- Roseanne
- Saturday Night Live
- Smurfs
- St. Elsewhere
- The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
- Yes, Minister
Sports figures
- Alexis Arguello (Nicaraguan boxer)
- Wilfred Benitez (Puerto Rican boxer)
- Larry Bird (U.S. basketball player)
- George Brett (U.S. baseball player)
- Julio Cesar Chavez (Mexican boxer)
- Roberto Duran (Panamanian boxer)
- Ric Flair (U.S. wrestler)
- Wilfredo Gómez (Puerto Rican boxer)
- Wayne Gretzky (Canadian ice hockey player)
- Florence Griffith Joyner (U.S. track and field athlete)
- Marvin Hagler (U.S. boxer)
- Thomas Hearns (U.S. boxer)
- Hulk Hogan (U.S. wrestler)
- Larry Holmes (U.S. boxer)
- Bo Jackson (U.S. American football and baseball player)
- Jahangir Khan (Pakistani squash player)
- Earvin "Magic" Johnson (U.S. basketball player)
- Michael Jordan (U.S. basketball player)
- [[Jarmila Kratochv�lov�]] (Czech track and field athlete)
- Greg LeMond (U.S. cyclist)
- Sugar Ray Leonard (U.S. boxer)
- Carl Lewis (U.S. track and field athlete)
- Ronnie Lott (U.S. American football player)
- Diego Maradona (Argentinian soccer player)
- John McEnroe (U.S. tennis player)
- Mark Messier (Canadian ice hockey player)
- 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team ("Miracle On Ice")
- Joe Montana (U.S. American football player)
- Martina Navratilova (Czech/U.S. tennis player)
- Jack Nicklaus (U.S. golfer)
- Michel Platini (French soccer player)
- Alain Prost (French racing driver)
- Nolan Ryan (U.S. baseball player)
- Ozzie Smith (U.S. baseball player)
- Michael Spinks (U.S. boxer)
- Lawrence Taylor (U.S. American football player)
- Isiah Thomas (U.S. basketball player)
- Daley Thompson (English track and field athlete)
- Mike Tyson (U.S. boxer)
Music
- Compact Disc introduced, gradually replaces vinyl records.
- see hip hop, old school rap, heavy metal music, twee pop, hair metal, New Wave music, New Romantic, shoegazing, jangle pop, alternative rock, dream pop, techno, house, acid house, two-tone
- Aerosmith (Pump)
- Afrika Bambaataa (Planet Rock)
- Alabama (awarded ACM "Artists of the Decade")
- Anthrax (State of Euphoria)
- a-ha (Hunting High and Low)
- Public Enemy (It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back)
- The B-52's (The B-52's)
- Bad Religion (Suffer)
- The Bangles (All Over the Place)
- Beastie Boys (License to Ill)
- Adrian Belew (Mr. Music Head)
- Clint Black (Killin' Time)
- Black Flag
- David Byrne (The Catherine Wheel)
- Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Blow)
- The Cars (Heartbeat City)
- Celtic Frost (Into the Pandemonium)
- Tracy Chapman (Tracy Chapman)
- The Clash (London Calling)
- Cocteau Twins (Head over Heels)
- Phil Collins (Face Value)
- De La Soul (Three Feet High and Rising)
- Def Leppard (Pyromania)
- Devo (Freedom of Choice)
- Dokken (Tooth and Nail)
- Duran Duran (Rio)
- Embrace (Embrace)
- Brian Eno & David Byrne (My Life in the Bush of Ghosts)
- Eric B. & Rakim (Follow the Leader)
- Faith No More (The Real Thing)
- The Feelies (Crazy Rhythms)
- Fields of the Nephilim (Dawnrazor)
- A Flock of Seagulls (A Flock of Seagulls)
- John Fogerty (Centerfield)
- Peter Gabriel (Gabriel III (melting face cover))
- The Go-Go's (The Beauty and the Beat)
- Amy Grant (Straight Ahead)
- Guns n' Roses (Appetite for Destruction)
- Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (The Message)
- [[H�sker D�]] (Zen Arcade)
- John Cougar Mellencamp (Scarecrow)
- Menudo (Reaching Out)
- Mercyful Fate (Don't Break the Oath)
- Michael Jackson (Thriller)
- Mission UK (The First Chapter)
- The Jam (Sound Affects)
- Jane's Addiction (Nothing's Shocking)
- Jesus & Mary Chain (Pyschocandy)
- Joy Division (Closer)
- Kraftwerk (Computer World)
- Cyndi Lauper (She's So Unusual)
- k.d. lang (Shadowland)
- LL Cool J (Radio)
- Madonna (Like a Virgin)
- Bob Marley (Uprising)
- Ministry (The Land of Rape and Honey)
- Sugar Minnott (Good Thing Going)
- [[M�tley Cr�e]] (Shout at the Devil)
- My Bloody Valentine (Isn't Anything)
- My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (I See Good Spirits & I See Bad Spirits)
- Nine Inch Nails (Pretty Hate Machine)
- N.W.A. (Straight Outta Compton)
- The Offspring (The Offspring)
- Quiet Riot (Metal Health)
- Augustus Pablo (Earth's Rightful Ruler)
- Pennywise (Pennywise)
- Pixies (Doolittle)
- Poison (Open Up & Say...Ahh!)
- The Police (Synchronicity)
- The Pogues (Rum Sodomy & the Lash)
- The Pretenders (The Pretenders)
- Prince (Purple Rain)
- R.E.M. (Murmur)
- Rainbow (Down to Earth)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers (Freaky Styley)
- The Replacements (Tim)
- Rick Springfield (Working Class Dog)
- Rockin' Sidney (My Zydeco Shoes Got the Zydeco Blues)
- Run DMC (Kings of Rock)
- Sepultura (Beneath the Remains)
- Sick of it All (Blood, Sweat and No Tears)
- Simple Minds (Once Upon a Time)
- The Sisters of Mercy (Floodland)
- Skinny Puppy ((VIVISect VI)
- Slick Rick (The Great Adventures of Slick Rick)
- The Smithereens (11)
- The Smiths (The Queen Is Dead)
- Soft Cell (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing)
- Sonic Youth (Daydream Nation)
- Soul Asylum (Hang Time)
- Sting (The Dream of the Blue Turtles)
- The Specials (More Specials)
- Bruce Springsteen (Born in the U.S.A.)
- Stryper (The Yellow and Black Attack)
- Talking Heads (Speaking in Tongues)
- Tina Turner (Private Dancer)
- Randy Travis (Storms of Life)
- Peter Tosh (Mama Africa)
- U2 (The Joshua Tree)
- Van Halen (Women and Children First)
- Violent Femmes (Violent Femmes)
- W.A.S.P. (F**k Like a Beast)
- Wham! (Make It Big)
- Whitesnake (Saints and Sinners)
- Yellowman (Mister Yellowman)
- Yo La Tengo (New Wave Hot Dogs)
- Dwight Yoakam (Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.)
- ZZ Top (Afterburner)
- Various artists - C-86
See also: 1980s music groups, List of rock and roll albums in the 1980sbg:1980-те [[ca:D�cada de 1980]] cy:1980au da:1980'erne de:1980er et:1980. aastad el:Δεκαετία 1980 [[es:A�os 1980]] eo:1980-oj [[fr:Ann�es 1980]] it:Anni 1980 nl:1980-90 ja:1980年代 [[no:1980-�rene]] pl:Lata 80-te XX wieku [[pt:D�cada de 1980]] ro:Anii 1980 simple:1980s sl:1980. fi:1980-luku sv:1980-talet zh:1980年代
