The 80's By Ashton.Fincham May 18, 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens Dec 8, 1980 John Lennon is murdered Apr 12, 1981 The Space Shuttle Columbia is launched. Aug 12, 1981 The first IBM-PC is released Jan 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after lift-off. Nov 9, 1989 The Berlin Wall falls.