1981

(thing) by kessenich (3.1 y) (print) ? (I like it!) Thu Jan 13 2000 at 9:18:14

(Events are chosen arbitrarily)

January 20: Iran releases the 52 U.S. captives first seized at the U.S. embassy in Teheran.
March 30: Reagan shot by John W. Hinckley, Jr., outside of a Washington D.C. hotel ("Jodie, I love you!")
April 12-14: The space shuttle Columbia was launched on its maiden flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
August 10: Reagan authorizes production of the neutron bomb.
August 25: Voyager 2 (launched 1977) came within 63,000 miles of Saturn.
November 04: Columbia completes its second mission, which was the second flight ever of a reusable spacecraft.
The L.A. Dodgers were the champs
Academy Awards: Best Picture - Chariots of Fire; Best Supporting Actor - John Gielgud for Arthur; Best Sound -Raiders of the Last Ark
John Kennedy Toole wins the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for A Confederacy of Dunces
Rick Springfield wins a Grammy for the Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male
John Lennon and Yoko Ono win an Album of the Year Grammy for Double Fantasy.
Terry Welles was the Playmate of the Year
Admiral Bobby Ray Inman was Deputy Director of the CIA.

...and lots of other stuff.

(thing) by Tyrael (7 y) (print) ? (I like it!) Fri Jul 14 2000 at 16:57:39

In other news:

The United States budget deficit reaches one trillion dollars
An Israeli raid destroys an Iraqi nuclear reactor
Advent of the 32-bit CPU
Serial murders of 18 black youths in Atlanta
Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary reported in Medugorje, Yugoslavia
Jack Sutton, the Yorkshire Ripper, sentenced to life
French TGV "bullet-train" inaugurated
Wayne B. Williams arrested for the 28 victims in the Atlanta murders, but (unpublicized at the time) there were 38 more murders (all females)
111 die in the collapse of a Kansas City hotel lobby
South African incursion into Angola kills 240
Iranians execute 149 leftists
Israeli attacks on PLO kill 123
Bomb in PLO office kills 50
Bomb in Syria kills 64
Bombing in Tehran kills 72
Riots across England
Fighting around Beirut continues
Quake near Naples kills 2916

(thing) by Mario_God (5.4 mon) (print) ? (I like it!) Wed Aug 21 2002 at 9:48:56

Brief Timeline of 1981:

January 20
   Ronald Regan is inaugurated as president. Minutes later, Iran releases 52 American prisoners, and Iranian assets are ufrozen.
January 27
   580 die when the Indonesian ship the Tamponas II catches fire, and then sinks.
February
   The US suspends aid to Nicaragua.
March 30
   John W. Hinckley Jr. shoots and wounds Ronald Regan, James Brady, Timothy Mcarthy and Thomas Delahnty in Washington D.C. in an attempt to get attention from Jody Foster, with whom he is obsessed.
April
   A Northern China flood claims the lives of 550.
April 12-14
   The Columbia Space Shuttle makes the first space flight with a reusable spacecraft, manned by John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen.
April 25
   During repairs on the Tsuruga, Japan Nuclear Power Plant, some 100 workers are exposed to radiation.
May 13
   Turkish prison escapee shoots Pope John Paul II and two bystanders in St. Peter's Square, Rome.
June 6
   Over 500 people die in a railroad accident in Bihar, India
August 3-5
   Federal air traffic controllers begin a strike illegally. When they ignore a back-to-work order, they are dismissed by President Regan.
August 30
   An explosion in Teheran claims the lives of Iranian President Mohammed Ali Raji and Premier Mohammed Jad Bahonar.
September 21
   Sandra Day O'Connor appointed US Supreme Court Associate Justice in a unanimous Congress vote. She is the first woman Justice.
September 25
   Sandra Day O'Connor takes her oath to be a Supreme Court Justice.
October 6
   At a military parade in Cairo, Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat is fatally shot by commandos.
November 25
   Typhoon Irma kills 176 in the Phillipines and Luzon Isl.
December
   President Reagan approves Contra Aid.

Sports Winners:

World Series (Baseball) - 4 Los Angeles Dodgers; 2 New York Yankees
NBA Championship (Basketball) - 4 Boston Celtics; 2 Houston Rockets
Superbowl (Football) - 27 Oakland Raiders; 10 Philadelphia Eagles

Awards

Nobel Prize

Physics: Nicolaas Bloembergen and Arthur Leonard Schawlow "for their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy." Kai M. Siegbahn "for his contribution to the development of high-resolution electron spectroscopy."
Chemistry: Kenichi Fukui and Roald Hoffmann "for their theories, developed independently, concerning the course of chemical reactions."
Medicine: Roger W. Sperry "for his discoveries concerning the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres." David H. Hubel and Torsten N. Wiesel "for their discoveries concerning information processing in the visual system."
Literature: Elias Canetti "for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power."
Peace: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Economics: James Tobin "for his analysis of financial markets and their relations to expenditure decisions, employment, production and prices."

Pulitzer Prize

Public Service: Charlotte Observer (North Carolina)

Local General Spot News Reporting: Staff of Longview Daily News (Washington)

Local Investigative Specialized Reporting: Clark Hallas and Robert B. Lowe of Arizona Daily Star

National Reporting: John M. Crewdson of New York Times

International Reporting: Shirley Christian of Miami Herald

Feature Writing: Teresa Carpenter of Village Voice, New York City

Commentary: Dave Anderson of New York Times

Criticism: Jonathan Yardley of Washington Star

Editorial Cartooning: Mike Peters of Dayton Daily News (Ohio)

Spot News Photography: Larry C. Price of Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)

Feature Photography: Taro M. Yamasaki of Detroit Free Press

Fiction: A Confederacy of Dunces by the late John Kennedy Toole (a posthumous publication) (Louisiana State U. Press)

Drama: Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley

History: American Education: The National Experience, 1783-1876 by Lawrence A. Cremin (Harper & Row)

Biography OR Autobiography: Peter the Great: His Life and World by Robert K. Massie (Knopf)

Poetry: The Morning of the Poem by James Schuyler (Farrar, Straus)

General Non-Fiction: Fin-De Siecle Vienna: Politics And Culture by Carl E. Schorske (Knopf)

Hugo Awards

Novel: The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge

Novella: Lost Dorsai by Gordon R. Dickson

Novelette: The Cloak and the Staff by Gordon R. Dickson

Short Story: Grotto of the Dancing Deer by Clifford D. Simak

Non-Fiction Book: Cosmos by Carl Sagan

Dramatic Presentation: The Empire Strikes Back

Professional Editor: Edward L. Ferman

Professional Artist: Michael Whelan

Fanzine: Locus (Charles N. Brown, ed.)

Fan Writer: Susan Wood

Fan Artist: Victoria Poyser

Campbell Award: Somtow Sucharitkul

Grammy Awards

Record Of The Year:Kim Carnes, Bette Davis Eyes

Song Of The Year: Kim Carnes, Bette Davis Eyes

Album Of The Year: John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy

Best New Artist: Sheena Easton

Video Of The Year: Michael Nesmith, Michael Nesmith In Elephant Parts

Best Album Notes: Dan Morgenstern; Erroll Garner, Erroll Garner: Master Of The Keyboard

Best Album Package: Peter Corriston; Rolling Stones, Tattoo You

Best Comedy Recording: Richard Pryor, Rev. Du Rite

Best Instrumental Composition: Mike Post, The Theme From Hill Street Blues

Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special: John T. Williams, Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Best Engineered Recording: Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner, Bill Schnee & Jerry Garszva, Gaucho

Best Historical Album: George Spitzer & Michael Brooks, Hoagy Carmichael: From Stardust To Ole Buttermilk Sky

Producer Of The Year: Quincy Jones
Pop

Best Pop Instrumental Performance: Larry Carlton & Mike Post, The Theme From Hill Street Blues

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female: Lena Horne, Lena Horne: The Lady And Her Music, Live On Broadway

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male: Al Jarreau, Breakin' Away

Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: Manhattan Transfer, Boy From New York City
Rock

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female: Pat Benatar, Fire And Ice

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: Police, Don't Stand So Close To Me

Best Rock Instrumental Performance: Police, Behind My Camel

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male: Rick Springfield , Jessie's Girl
Rhythym & Blues

Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin, Hold On I'm Comin'

Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: James Ingram, One Hundred Ways

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: Quincy Jones, The Dude

Best Rhythm & Blues Song: William Salter, Bill Withers & Ralph MacDonald, Just The Two Of Us

Best R&B Instrumental Performance: David Sanborn, All I Need Is You
Gospel & Soul

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary: Andrae Crouch, Don't Give Up

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional, Al Green, The Lord Will Make A Way

Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary: Imperials, Priority

Best Gospel Performance, Traditional: Masters V, The Masters V

Best Inspirational Performance: B.J. Thomas, Amazing Grace
Country

Best Country Instrumental Performance: Chet Atkins, Country--After All These Years

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male: Ronnie Milsap, (There's) No Gettin' Over Me

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: Oak Ridge Boys, Elvira

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female: Dolly Parton, 9 To 5

Best Country Song: Dolly Parton, 9 To 5
Jazz

Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group: Gary Burton & Chick Corea, Chick Corea And Gary Burton In Concert, Zurich, October 28, 1979

Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist: John Coltrane, Bye Bye Blackbird

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female: Ella Fitzgerald, Digital III At Montreaux

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male: Al Jarreau, Blue Rondo A La Turk

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo Or Group: Manhattan Transfer, Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)

Best Jazz Instrumehtal Performance, Big Band: Gerry Mulligan, Walk On The Water

Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal/Instrumental: Grover Washington Jr, Winelight

Tony Awards:

Best Play: Amadeus

Best Musical: 42nd Street

Best Peproduction of a Play or Musical: The Pirates of Penzance

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: Ian McKellen, Amadeus

Best Performance by a Actress in a Play: Jane Lapotaire, Piaf

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play: Brian Backer, The Floating Light Bulb

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play: Swoosie Kurtz, Fifth of July

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Kevin Kline, The Pirates of Penzance

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Lauren Bacall, Woman of the Year

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical: Hinton Battle, Sophisticated Ladies

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical: Marilyn Cooper, Woman of the Year

Best Direction of a Play: Peter Hall, Amadeus

Best Direction of a Musical: Wilford Leach, The Pirates of Penzance

Best Book of a Musical: Woman of the Year, Peter Stone

Best Original Score written for the Theatre: Woman of the Year, John Kander, music; Fred Ebb, lyrics

Best Scenic Design: John Bury, Amadeus

Best Costume Design: Willa Kim, Sophisticated Ladies

Best Choreography: Gower Champion, 42nd Street

Best Lighting Design: John Bury, Amadeus

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: Lena Horne

Arcade Games of Note

Qix

Turbo

1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989

Sources:
All About the 1980s - http://library.thinkquest.org/17823/data/?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0819
IMDB - http://www.imdb.com
1980s Flashback Sports - http://www.1980sflashback.com/1980/Sports.asp
Infoplease - http://www.infoplease.com/
Google - http://www.google.com
Tony Awards - http://www.tonys.org/
Pop Culture Madness - http://www.popculturemadness.com/
Pulitzer Prize Board - http://www.pulitzer.org
Hugo Award Winners - http://dpsinfo.com/awardweb/hugos/80s.html

Noders: Thanks to quoi? for all his help with this.
Thanks to toalight and Sasha Gabba Hey! for pointing out the US-centric nature of this w/u and giving me suggestions as to how to better orient it internationally (which will be done soon).
Thanks to TBBK for the arcade titles.

Disclaimer:
I am not infalliable. I may have made mistakes in this writeup, I may have left out something that someone would like to see in here. I would much appreciate it if anyone who sees evidence of any such mistakes would please /msg me so that I may rectify them. Many thanks.

printable version
chaos

1982	1980	How to calculate the day of the week for a given date	neutron bomb
867-5309/Jenny	Vagina, Saskatchewan	Don't blow into someone's vagina	Cheech and Chong
Qix	The Hardest Button To Button	MTV	Winning the NIT
When's your birthday?	Generation X	Disney Animated Features	The problem with normal people and computers
Relics	For Your Eyes Only	Tom Kean	My washcloth is like my vagina
1984	big hair	Kung-Fu Girls	A personal, defining moment

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