1980...........1990
1980
By 1980, former Beatle John Lennon (1940-1980) had lived in seclusion with his family for
five years. His fame was such that he could have reentered the public eye whenever he
chose, and millions of fans longed for him to do just that. But on December 8 one
fanatical fan, Mark David Chapman, obtained Lennon's autograph outside his Manhattan
apartment and then shot him dead. Mourners left flowers, photos, and memorabilia in
tribute to the composer of "Give Peace a Chance."
Tennis legend Bjorn Borg (1956- ) was known for his rough, ungraceful ground strokes, but
what they lacked in beauty, they made up for in power and accuracy. The famously placid
Borg was a star by age 18 when he won the first of his six French Opens. He then won five
straight singles titles at Wimbledon (1976-1980), the last an epic five-set victory over
John McEnroe. The following year, McEnroe ended Borg’s Wimbledon run, and Borg was
essentially finished at age 26.
Iraq Attacks Iran
Iraq's Saddam Hussein launches an attack on Iran,
starting a war that will last for more than a decade.
1981
In the late 1970s and early 1980s,
soothsayers failed to predict that the personal computer would cause universal change. In
1981, the computer colossus IBM - playing catch-up - introduced its first PC, applying
semiconductor technology to design a computer small enough to fit on a desk. The IBM PC
and its operating system, Microsoft's MS-DOS, became the industry standard and the model
for "compatibles" and "clones."
AIDS diagnosed
Looking far happier on her honeymoon than she would a few years later, Princess Diana
(1961-1997) grasps the hand of her husband, Prince Charles of Wales, as he stands rather
awkwardly by her side. The innumerable photos and stories comparing the royal heir's
stuffiness to his wife's engaging warmth nettled him and helped boost her to global
adulation.
Reagan Survives Assassin's Bullet
John Hinkley Jr. shoots President Ronald Reagan
and three others. All survive.
U.S. Wants its MTV
Music Television launches and quickly becomes a
cultural touchstone for American youth.
1982
U.K. Defeats Argentina
British troops attack Argentina after it invades the Falkland Islands.
Michael Jackson Thrills
Pop singer Michael Jackson introduces "moondancing" and releases the
record-breaking album "Thriller."
1983
In the early 1980s, little silver discs started showing up in the collections of
audiophiles who had everything. Before long, stereo turntables were gathering dust, and
precise (digital) compact discs were replacing scratched (analog) records. Pit and laser
had supplanted groove and needle. The first music CDs led the way for laser discs of
movies and CD-ROMs carrying video games, computer data, and multimedia publications.
Digital days had arrived.
Soviets Shoot Down Plane
Soviet missiles shoot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, which has wandered into Soviet
airspace, killing all 269 aboard.
241 Marines Die in Lebanon
A truck bomb explodes at U.S. Marine base in Beirut, killing 241 Marines.
1984
Personal computers grew friendlier to users in 1984 when Stephen Wozniak and Steven Jobs,
cofounders of Apple Computer, introduced the Macintosh. Buyers who were intimidated by
typing commands on the black screen of an IBM-style computer were attracted to the ease of
clicking a mouse pointer on symbols. Students and graphic designers appreciated the Mac's
ability to display layouts. The Mac propelled the competition for sales to homes and small
businesses into the next stage.
As a veteran entertainer with more than 20 years in show business, Michael Jackson (1958-
) knew how to please audiences and fascinate fans: have your albums produced by top
professionals (Quincy Jones), re-create the excitement of music videos on stage (special
effects), invent eye-catching fashions and dances (the white-socked moon walk), and
develop theatrical looks (plastic surgery and stage makeup).
1985
As a lifetime Communist Party functionary, Mikhail Gorbachev (1931- ) was an unlikely
reformer. Yet when he assumed leadership of the party in 1985, he launched the radical
measures that jolted Russia into the modern age, consequently sending Soviet satellite
countries into new orbits and resurrecting ethnic animosities. Republicans attribute the
breakup of the Soviet Union to Ronald Reagan's toughness. Historians suggest that inherent
tensions and economic pressures played a part.
"Gorby" Electrifies Soviet Union
Young and charismatic Mikhail Gorbachev Communist Party and embarks on
reforms."Glasnost" and "Perestroika" will eventually
lead to the break-up of the Soviet Union.
1986
For the 25th space shuttle mission, NASA selected a diverse crew, partly to pique the
interest of complacent citizens. Among the Challenger’s seven crew were two women
(one a schoolteacher), an African American, and a Japanese American. Yet on January 28,
1986, just 73 seconds after takeoff, the reaction was not pride but disbelief. Seeing only
a zigzag of smoke where an ascending spaceship should have been, Americans indeed lost
their complacency about the space program - and their confidence
Halley's Comet arrives on schedule in 1986. The comet was named for English astronomer
Edmond Halley, the first to recognize its pattern of reappearance every 76 years. Its 1986
arrival was a disappointment for naked-eye observers, but the European Space Agency sent
the Giotto probe to within 370 miles of the comet’s nucleus, giving astronomers their
first close look at this solitary traveler. Each May and October, the comet’s dust
and residue hits the Earth, producing a light show of meteor showers.
The self-designed, self-promoted pop star Madonna Ciccone (1958- ) exults in her mid-1980s
look: Catholic girl meets lingerie model. Underestimated by the music industry, her first
album debuted in 1983, an auspicious time for infectious dance tunes: three singles topped
the pop charts in 1984. When her second album, Like a Virgin (1984), also sold a million,
her value was assured. In 1998 she released Ray of Light and achieved her 25th top 5 hit
almost instantly.
Nuclear Spill Horrifies Europe
An accident at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the Ukraine spews radioactive waste over
northern Europe.
Rap Hits Music Scene
Run-DMC releases its "Raisin' Hell" album and
popularizes rap music.
1988
1989
Beginning at midnight November 9, 1989, CNN broadcast the best party on the planet as East
and West Berliners danced on the garishly painted wall that East Germans had died trying
to scale years before. Within minutes of the border's official opening, young punks and
less-than-sedate elders gleefully demolished the most potent symbol of the Cold War. The
crews that later cleared the remains - after souvenir hunters had carried away tons of
concrete - left a few sections standing as a memorial.
If Chinese authorities had moved earlier to ban foreign journalists, the world might not
remember the massive pro-democracy demonstration by Chinese students in spring 1989. But
cameras recorded 100,000 jubilant protesters camping in Tiananmen Square, the "Gate
of Heavenly Peace," before the People's Liberation Army killed and wounded thousands
and the government arrested and executed leaders of the movement. Western democracies
could only watch helplessly as protesters faced government tanks.
Berlin Wall Tumbles
Eastern Europe's communist dictatorships crumble in the face of widespread protests. East
and West
Germans tear down the Berlin Wall and celebrate the end of the Cold War.
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