-
Period: to
1980s
Important world and U.S. events that occured during 1980 to 1989 -
Mt. St. Helens
Mt. St. Helens erupts in Washington after being inactive for more than 100 years and kills 34 people. -
Pac-man
Pac-man is released and it's a sensation! -
CNN
Ted Turner premiers his new broadcast CNN for the first time world wide -
Summer Olympics
The1980 Summer Olympics took place in Moscow, USSR. It was the first and only Summer Olympics that took place in eastern Europe. 65 countries, including the U.S., boycotted these Olympics because of the Soviet War in Afghanistan. -
New President
Ronald Reagan is elected as the President of the United States. -
John Lennon's death
John Lennon, a member of The Beatles, is assassinated outside of his apartment in New York City -
Death of Bob Marley
Bob Marley discovers he has malignant melanoma in his toe and doesn't cut it off due to his religious beliefs, which results in his death. -
Attempted Assassination on the Pope
Someone shot Pope John Paul II with intentions of killing him but instead left him with an injury -
Royal Wedding
Charles, Price of Wales marries Diana and their wedding is documented and broadcasted worldwide on T.V. -
MTV launches
MTV makes its first premier on T.V. -
First Woman in Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor become first woman to be sworn into the Supreme Court. -
L.A. Dodgers win World Series
The Dodgers defeat the Yankees and win the World Series. -
Canada is Free
The Canada Act of 1982 is passed and Canada n longer needs to ask the British Parliament to pass certain amendments for the Canadian constitution. -
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. is released and becomes very popular. -
Prince William Is born
Prince Charles and Princess Diana welcome their first baby boy into the world. -
2,075 Couples Married
Reverend Sun Myung Moon marries 2,075 couples in one day at Madison Square Garden. -
Italy wins World Cup
Italy wins West Germany in the FIFA World Cup that was held in Spain. -
Thriller
Michael Jackson releases one his soon to be most popular songs, Thriller. -
First American Women in Space
Sally Ride becomes first American women in space. -
First African American crowned Miss America
Vanessa Williams becomes first African American to win the title of Miss America. -
First Mobile Phone
Motorola releases first mobile phone in the U.S. -
Earthquake In Turkey
An 6.9 earthquake hits Turkey and takes 1,200 lives -
Virus Behind AIDS is discovered
The virus behind AIDS is discovered by french doctor, Dr. Luc Montagnier -
First Camcorder
Sony releases the first camcorder. -
U.S. and the Vatican improve relationship
The U.S. and the Vatican restore diplomatic ties after more than 100 years. -
Raiders Win Superbowl
The Raiders, who then played for Los Angeles, wins Washington Redskins in the 1984 Superbowl. -
Summer Olympics of 1984
The Summer Olympics of 1984 are held in Los Angeles, USA and many countries boycott it including the Soviet Union. -
"I Just Called to Say I Love You"
Stevie Wonder releases his song, I Just Called to Say I Love You, and everyone loves it. -
Prime Minister of India assassinated
Irina Ghandi, prime minister of India, is assassinated by 2 of her own bodyguards -
About 4,500 die in India
A huge gas leak in Bhopal, India killed 3,000 to 6,000 people. -
First Hole in Ozone Layer Found
A hole in the ozone layer was discovered and it was located above the Antarctic. -
Titanic Wreckage Found
73 years after the Titanic sunk the wreckage is found on the southern coast of Newfoundland, Canada -
Madonna
Madonna's "Like A Virgin" becomes a hit! -
Volcanoe Erupts in Columbia
Nevado del Ruiz Volcano erupts in northern Colombia resulting in the death of over 20,000 people. -
8.1 Earthquake hits Mexico City
The 8.1 Earthquake and after shocks resulted in about 9,00 deaths -
Back in the Future Premiers
The movie "Back to the Future" comes out and is soon to become a classic! -
US Space Shuttle Explodes in Space
The US space shuttle, Challenger, explodes right after it launches to space killing the 7 astronauts inside -
Hands Across America raises $34 million dollars
Hands Across America was a benefit event where people held hands in a human chain for 15 minutes or donated $10. The event was supposed to fight hunger and homelessness. -
Argentina wins World Cup
The FIFA World Cup was held in Mexico and Argentina beat West Germany in the final game making them winners. -
Typhoon Nina
Typhoon Nina submerges 14 islands and kills 1,000 people. -
Lake Nyos releases toxic gas and kils 1500 people.
The gas leak at Lake Nyos, Cameroon killed everything within a 15 mile radius. -
The "Oprah Winfrey Show" is born
Oprah Winfrey's talk show premiers and continues to air on t.v. for 25 years -
The USSR launches Mir
The USSR creates a space station called Mir and launches it into space. -
First African American Quarterback to win Super Bowl
Doug Williams becomes first quarterback to win the super bowl while playing for the Washington Redskins -
Ferry In Belgium flips over and sinks
A ferry in Belgium flips over and sinks in seconds while only being 100 ft away from shore. -
Whitney Houston releases "I wanna dance with somebody"
Whitney Houston's music was at it's prime during the 80's. -
First Occipital Craniopagus are Seperated
Dr. Ben Carson successfully separates occipital craniopagus twins in Germany. -
First Disposable Contacts created
Vistakon creates a brand of the first disposable soft contact lenses. -
George H.W. Bush is elected US presient
George H.W. Bush becomes 41st president and his son becomes the 43rd soon. -
Winter Olympics held in Calgary, Canada
Calagary, Canada hosts the 1988 Winter Olympics -
US is hit with an extreme heat wave
The United States suffers through such a bad heat wave that it kills 1,000 people. -
Iran-Iraq war ends
The Iran-Iraq war ended in almost half a million casualties and costed billions of dollars. -
First women to lead a muslim nation
Benazir Bhutto, the prime minister of Pakistan, becomes first women to lead a muslim nation -
"Just Do It"
Nike comes out with their famous brand motto -
49ers Wins Super Bowl
San Francisco beats the Cincinnati Bengals at the 1989 Super Bowl. -
Gameboy is Released
Nintendo created a handheld video game and it sold out in the US within a couple weeks. -
Cincinnati Reds Manger Banned from games
When Pete Rose was caught gambling on baseball he was banned from the games and no longer allowed to be mananger -
The Simpsons airs on T.V. for First Time
The Simpsons currently has been airing for 27 seasons and more episodes are still coming out -
Berlin Wall Falls
The wall that used to divide Germany is taken down after being up for 28 years. -
The World Wide Web is Invented
Not to be confused with the Internet, the web was discovered and its a place where people can write and read information from around the world
