1980s
|
The '''1980s''' in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1980 and 1989. The decade was one of frantic change. It was also an era of political and economic decentralisation, especially in countries with mixed and command economies.
Political events and trends of the 1980s culminated in the toppling of military governments and authoritarian regimes, including every communist state|communist Warsaw Pact state in Eastern Europe, bringing to a close the decades-long Cold War. The 1980s also saw very rapid developments in numerous sectors of technology which have defined the modern consumer world, particularly electronics like Personal Computers, gaming systems, the arrival of the first commercially available hand held mobile phones (the first being the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X in 1983) and various audio technologies such as the compact disc, which are still prominent well into the 2000s.
The population of the world increased more dramatically in the 1980s than any other decade in human history, adding nearly one billion new people in the course of the decade. This is an important fact as such astronomical growth of the human race is unlikely to ever be repeated in the future due to current population trends, which are consistently showing a decline in birth rates across the globe. Children born in the 1980s are likely to have an extremely prominent position in world business and government affairs from the 2020s all the way through to the 2050s due to their immense population and potential voting powers.
Criticism/Backlash
Coined the "me decade," this decade has been somewhat derided since as early as 1989 for its perceived greediness among Yuppies, certain clothes/music/hairstyles which seem outlandish by modern standards, and of course the discovery of the AIDS virus in the early part of the decade, unlike the 1990s which have had a very positive receiving into the 21st Century despite criticism for the 90s' "slacker" image.
Technology
]]
]]
Bulletin board system popularity.
Popularization of personal computers, Walkmans, VHS videocassette recorders, and cassette players .
Introduction of the IBM PC in 1981.
Home video games become enormously popular, most notably Atari 2600|Atari until the market Vidjkhv luihkeo game crash of 1983|crashes in 1983; the rise of Nintendo Entertainment System|Nintendo brings about full recovery.
The first Space Shuttle program|Space Shuttle mission, STS-1, launched in 1981.
STS-51-L|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster in 1986.
The Soviet Union launches the space station Mir in 1986.
Apple Macintosh, first commercially successful GUI, is released in 1984.
Chernobyl accident|Accident at Chernobyl nuclear reactor, April 1986.
Framework (office suite) launched
Internet actively used by geeks in late 1980s
First commercial hand-held mobile phone - Motorola DynaTAC 8000X 1983.
Science
Discovery of the W and Z bosons at CERN.
Development of the scanning tunneling microscope by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer.
English computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web at CERN, Switzerland.
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.
Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi tackles with a growing Sikh insurgency and the Khalistan Movement. She orders Operation Blue Star on the holy Golden Temple. She is assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
Ronald Reagan proposes the Strategic Defense Initiative, derided as "Star Wars." Deploys MGM-31 Pershing|Pershing missiles in Western Europe to counter the Soviet SS-20, to some protests.
Soviet fighters down Korean Air Flight 007 in 1983, leading to a high point in international tensions.
Three Soviet Premiers die in rapid succession: Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, and Konstantin Chernenko.
Gorbachev introduces Glasnost and Perestroika in the Soviet Union.
Fall of the Berlin Wall in East Germany in 1989, preparing the way to German reunification.
Velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia.
Romanian Revolution of 1989|Revolution in Romania, execution of Nicolae Ceauşescu|Ceauşescu.
Margaret Thatcher and Thatcherism dominate British politics.
The "Ronald Reagan|Reagan Revolution", beginning with the election of 1980, introduces so-called neoconservatives to Washington, DC|Washington.
In 1981, François Mitterrand becomes France's President, the most politically successful French Socialist Party|Socialist in French history.
Helmut Kohl is elected in West Germany in 1982, leading to the defeat of the anti-deployment movement; he becomes the longest serving Chancellor so far.
Falklands War; Argentina invades the Falkland Islands|Falkland islands in 1982 but defeated by the United Kingdom.
1982 Invasion of Lebanon|Israel invades Lebanon in 1982, . A suicide bomber kills 241 U.S. United States Marine Corps|marines stationed there as peacekeepers.
Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988 causes the deaths of at least hundreds of thousands.
Over 120,000 flee Cuba in 1980 during the Mariel Boatlift, during which Fidel Castro released many criminals into American harbors.
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 eventually suppressed.
Large protests in the Philippines topples the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship; military rule ends after protests in Argentina and South Korea.
Augusto Pinochet forms a new constitution, holds a referendum on rule and loses. Democracy is restored.
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 alleged neo-fascist parties (Jean-Marie Le Pen|Le Pen in France, Franz Schönhuber|Schönhuber/Republikaner in Germany, Jörg Haider|Haider in Austria), parallel to a rise of Green Party|Green parties.
Political correctness becomes a concern in mainstream politics.
Ronald Reagan decides to invade Grenada in 1984 and depose the nascent hard-line communist government.
The Reagan administration bombs Libya in 1986 in response to alleged Libyan support for attacks on U.S. servicemen in Europe.
Under George H. W. Bush, the U.S. invades Panama in 1989 to overthrow Manuel Noriega.
The Reagan Doctrine implements support for anti-communist or anti-Soviet insurgency|insurgencies most notably in Nicaragua, Angola, Cambodia, and Afghanistan. This leads to continued civil war, the deposition of several regimes, some democratization, but also the Iran-Contra scandal.
The United States launches a covert war against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua and is condemned by the World Court for mining Nicaragua's harbour, an authority and judgment the U.S. administration did not recognize.
President Tito of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia dies.
Release of Americans held hostage in Iran.
Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini issues a fatwa urging the killing of Salman Rushdie.
Pan Am Flight 103 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland, UK.
In 1985, A radical PLO offshoot called Palestine Liberation Front hijacks the Achille Lauro and shoots the wheelchair-bound Leon Klinghoffer, throwing him overboard.
Terror groups Abu Nidal and Hezbollah rise to prominence in Western attention.
Dark years for Malta and its politics. Violence is culminated by the murder of Raymond Caruana and blocking entry to Partit Nazzjonalista|Nationalist supporters into the southern village of Zejtun.
The Rainbow Warrior is sunk by France|French DGSE|secret service agents.
Reaganomics, Thatcherism and Rogernomics.
In the United States the longest bull market in history begins in 1983; Dow Jones Industrial Average passes 2000 point milestone January 8, 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.
Stockmarkets across the world crash on Black Monday (1987)|Black Monday, October 19, 1987. The New York Stock Exchange suffers its largest one-day stock market drop.
Late 1980s recession
Trends and Fashions
The video game console begins to outstrip the arcade game.
The Rubik's cube, Cabbage Patch Kids, "Baby on Board" signs, and Trivial Pursuit fads capture the interest of the American public.]]
Nerds are popular subject.
Alcohol education expands.
Hair becomes big and poofy, or otherwise eccentric. Examples include the Mullet and the Flock of Seagulls cuts.
Power Dressing was a major fashion statement of the decade, characterised by the use of increasingly large shoulder pads - the origins of this trend are often attributed to the American television series "Dynasty" and, specifically to one of its stars - the British actress Joan Collins.
Pop stars of the era such as Duran Duran and television shows like Miami Vice brought the trend to the male fashion world, often accompanied by "designer stubble" and blonde highlights.
Women's Liberation movement increases women's role in the workplace, and establishes new precedents for US women. As a carry-over from the 1970s, more and more women take to calling themselves "Ms." versus "Mrs." or "Miss"
No-Fault divorce laws pave the way for increased divorce rate, as depicted in the movie, Irreconcilable Differences. No-Fault divorce catapults record numbers of women and children into the throes of poverty. The increase in single parent homes and, perhaps more significantly, homes in which both parents work leads to the phenomenon of Latch-key children, where children come home to an empty house and watch a lot of television.
Neo-prohibitionism grows in popularity.
Ninja and martial arts mania sweeps North America due to the popularity of Kung Fu Theater and Ninja Movies. Many instructional books are published and sold by many authors claiming to be experts. This is also often blamed as the beginning of the McDojo trend.
Music
Music videos (and MTV) begin to have an effect on record industry in the United States. Pop artists Michael Jackson and Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna are pioneers; groups such as Duran Duran benefit.
New Wave music, a form of synthesized pop-rock, popular throughout decade, esp in early 80s.
House music - a new development in dance music mid-way through the decade, growing out of the post-disco scene early in the decade, later developing into acid house - a harder form of dance often associated with the developing late 1980s drug culture.
Hair metal popular in late 80s
Popular artists include Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, Madonna, U2, and a-ha.
Massive sales for Ethiopian famine relief records by Band Aid (band)|Band Aid ("Do They Know It's Christmas?") and USA for Africa ("We Are the World"), followed by Live Aid famine relief concert in London and Philadelphia. Other artists push for nuclear disarmament.
The Hip hop scene evolves to become a powerful musical force, bringing with it several dance styles. Hip hop also brings artists like Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow and N.W.A.to the forefront; hip hop's spread outside of New York City, especially to Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles, accelerates and then takes off beyond America's shores.
Television
Television networks are challenged by cable television. In the U.S., ''Cheers'' and ''The Cosby Show'' top ratings and the Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network is launched. CNN becomes the first 24-hour news channel.
''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'', 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 Animated cartoon|cartoons follow.
Animation in North America begins a dramatic comeback in production values and mainstream popular appeal both in feature films and on television.
Soap operas gain popularity among high-schoolers and college students in the United States, thanks in part to the supercoupling of Luke and Laura on the most popular soap of the day, ''General Hospital''.
MTV breaks out influencing pop culture.
Film
Steven Spielberg's ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' opens in 1982 and shatters records for box office gross receipts.
Ridley Scott's ''Blade Runner'' opens in 1982.
Teen flicks and horror movies reach a high
Movie sequels very common
Others
The AIDS epidemic is identified and named.
Assassination of John Lennon and Olof Palme, attempts on Ronald Reagan and Pope Pope John Paul II|John Paul II.
Violent crime and drug trafficking soar to record levels in most large American cities.
Research increases on alcohol and weight.
Assymmetrical and bizarre hairstyles from about 1980 to 1993.
Remove Intoxicated Drivers grows rapidly.
People
World Leaders
Chancellor Bruno Kreisky (Austria)
Chancellor Fred Sinowatz (Austria)
Chancellor Franz Vranitzky (Austria)
Prime Minister Bob Hawke (Australia)
Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser (Australia)
President João Figueiredo (Brazil)
President José Sarney (Brazil)
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)
Prime Minister Poul Schlüter (Denmark)
Erich Honecker (East Germany)
President Anwar Sadat (Egypt)
President Hosni Mubarak (Egypt)
President Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua)
President Mengistu Haile Mariam (Ethiopia)
President Urho Kekkonen (Finland)
President Mauno Koivisto (Finland)
President François 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 (Republic of Ireland|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
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (Malaysia)
Prime Minister Dom Mintoff (Malta)
Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici (Malta)
Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami (Malta)
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (Malaysia)
President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (Mexico)
President Samora Machel (Mozambique)
Prime Minister Robert Muldoon (New Zealand)
Prime Minister David Lange (New Zealand)
Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer (New Zealand)
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands|Juliana (Netherlands)
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (Pakistan)
General Manuel Noriega (Panama)
President Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines)
President Corazon Aquino (Philippines)
President Wojciech Jaruzelski (Poland)
President Nicolae Ceauşescu (Romania)
Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore)
President and Prime Minister Pieter Willem Botha|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 of Spain|Juan Carlos (Spain)
Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa of Sri Lanka
Prime Minister Olof Palme (Sweden)
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II (United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms)
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 (SFRY|Yugoslavia)
President Mobutu Sese Seko (Zaire)
President Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe)
Entertainers
AC/DC
Brat Pack
David Brooks
Matthew Broderick (''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'', ''Glory (film)|Glory'')
The Cars
Phoebe Cates (''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'', ''Gremlins (movie)|Gremlins'')
Tom Cruise (''Top Gun'', ''Rain Man'', ''Risky Business'', ''The Color of Money'')
Bo Derek
Matt Dillon
Dalida
Emilio Estevez (''The Breakfast Club'', ''The Outsiders'', ''Young Guns'')
Harrison Ford (''Indiana Jones'' series, ''Star Wars'' series, ''Blade Runner'', ''Witness (1985 movie)|Witness'')
Jodie Foster
Michael J. Fox (''Back to the Future'' series, ''Teen Wolf'')
Mel Gibson (''Lethal Weapon'' series, ''Mad Max'' series)
Debbie Harry (''Blondie (band)|Blondie'')
Paul Hogan (actor)|Paul Hogan (''Crocodile Dundee'')
John Hughes (film director)|John Hughes
Chrissie Hynde (''Pretenders'')
Michael Jackson (''Thriller'')
Elton John
Michael Keaton (''Batman (1989 movie)|Batman'', ''Mr. Mom'', ''Night Shift'')
Annie Lennox (''Eurythmics'')
George Lucas (''Indiana Jones'' series, ''Star Wars'' series, ''Captain Eo'')
Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna (''Material Girl'')
George Michael (''Wham! (pop duo)|Wham!'')
Motley Crue
Eddie Murphy (''Saturday Night Live'', ''Beverly Hills Cop'', ''Trading Places'')
Jack Nicholson (''Terms of Endearment'', ''The Shining'', ''Batman (1989 movie)|Batman'', ''Prizzi's Honor'', ''Ironweed'', ''Reds'')
Queen (band)
Sean Penn
Michelle Pfeiffer (''Scarface'', ''Dangerous Liaisons'')
Prince (''Purple Rain (album)|Purple Rain'', ''Sign O' the Times'')
Meg Ryan
Charlie Sheen
Arnold Schwarzenegger (''The Terminator'', ''Predator (movie)|Predator'', ''Conan the Barbarian'')
Sylvester Stallone ('''')
Patrick Swayze (''Dirty Dancing'')
The Cure
U2 (band)|U2 (''War (album)|War'', ''The Joshua Tree'', ''Rattle and Hum'')
Van Halen
Sigourney Weaver
Sports figures
Alexis Arguello (Nicaraguan boxing|boxer)
Marco van Basten (Dutchsoccer player)
Wilfred Benitez (Puerto Rican boxing|boxer)
Larry Bird (U.S. basketball player)
Allan Border (Australian cricket captain/batsman)
Ian Botham (Somerset & England cricket all-rounder)
Mike Brearley (Middlesex & England cricket captain/batsman)
George Brett (U.S. baseball player)
Julio Cesar Chavez (Mexican boxing|boxer)
Roberto Duran (Panamanian boxing|boxer)
Paulo Roberto Falcão (Brazilian soccer player)
Ric Flair (U.S. professional wrestling|wrestler)
Mike Gatting (Middlesex & England cricket captain/batsman)
Sunil Gavaskar (India cricket opening batsman)
Wilfredo Gómez (Puerto Rican boxing|boxer)
Gordon Greenidge (West Indies cricket opening batsman)
Wayne Gretzky (Canadian ice hockey player)
Florence Griffith Joyner (U.S. athletics|track and field athlete)
Richard Hadlee (New Zealand cricket fast bowler)
Marvin Hagler (U.S. boxing|boxer)
Alan Hansen (Liverpool & Scotland footballer))
Thomas Hearns (U.S. boxing|boxer)
Hulk Hogan (U.S. wrestling|wrestler)
Larry Holmes (U.S. boxing|boxer)
Bo Jackson (U.S. American football and baseball player)
Imran Khan (Pakistani cricket (sport)|cricket player)
Jahangir Khan (Pakistani squash (sport)|squash player)
Magic Johnson|Earvin "Magic" Johnson (U.S. basketball player)
Michael Jordan (U.S. basketball player)
Jarmila Kratochvílová (Czech athletics|track and field athlete)
Greg LeMond (U.S. cycling|cyclist)
Sugar Ray Leonard (U.S. boxing|boxer)
Carl Lewis (U.S. athletics|track and field athlete)
Wally Lewis (Australian Rugby League player}
Gary Lineker (English Football (soccer)|footballer)
Ronnie Lott (U.S. American football player)
Saleem Malik (Pakistani cricket (sport)|cricket player)
Diego Armando Maradona (Argentinesoccer player)
Malcolm Marshall (West Indies cricket fast bowler)
John McEnroe (U.S. tennis player)
Mal Meninga (Australian Rugby League player}
Mark Messier (Canadian ice hockey player)
Javed Miandad (Pakistani cricket (sport)|cricket player)
Joe Montana (U.S. American football player)
Dale Murphy (U.S. baseball player)
Martina Navratilova (Czech/U.S. tennis player)
Jack Nicklaus (U.S. golfer)
Nelson Piquet (Brazilian motor racing|racing driver)
Michel Platini (French soccer player)
Alain Prost (French motor racing|racing driver)
Jerry Rice (U.S. football player)
Vivian Richards (West Indies cricket batsman)
Nolan Ryan (U.S. baseball player)
Ozzie Smith (U.S. baseball player)
Michael Spinks (U.S. boxing|boxer)
Lawrence Taylor (U.S. American football player)
Isiah Thomas (U.S. basketball player)
Daley Thompson (English athletics|track and field athlete)
Mike Tyson (U.S. boxing|boxer)
Zico (Brazilian soccer player)
Films
'']]
''Caddyshack'' (1980)
''Raging Bull'' (1980)
'''' (1980)
''Raiders of the Lost Ark|Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981)
''Blade Runner'' (1982)
''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982)
''Tootsie'' (1982)
'''' (1983)
''A Nightmare On Elm Street'' (1984)
''Beverly Hills Cop'' (1984)
''Ghostbusters'' (1984)
''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' (1984)
''Police Academy'' (1984)
''This is Spinal Tap'' (1984)
''Sixteen Candles'' (1984)
''The Karate Kid'' (1984)
''Back to the Future'' (1985)
''The Breakfast Club'' (1985)
''The Goonies'' (1985)
''Pretty in Pink'' (1986)
''Aliens (1986 film)|Aliens'' (1986)
''Top Gun'' (1986)
''Short Circuit'' (1986)
''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986)
''Full Metal Jacket'' (1986)
''RoboCop'' (1987)
''The Lost Boys'' (1987)
''The Princess Bride'' (1987)
''Big'' (1988)
''Die Hard'' (1988)
''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' (1988)
''A Fish Called Wanda'' (1988)
''Hairspray (movie)|Hairspray'' (1988)
''When Harry Met Sally...'' (1989)
''Glory (film)|Glory'' (1989)
''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' (1989)
''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989)
''The Little Mermaid (film)|The Little Mermaid'' (1989)
''Batman (1989 movie)|Batman'' (1989)
''Dead Poets Society'' (1989)
''Do the Right Thing'' (1989)
''21 Jump Street''
''The A-Team'' (including Mr. T)
''ALF (television)|ALF''
''Allo! Allo!''
''Cagney & Lacey''
''Cheers''
''Coronation Street''
''The Comedy Company''
''The Cosby Show''
''Diff'rent Strokes''
''Doctor Who''
''The Dukes of Hazzard''
''Dynasty (TV series)|Dynasty''
''EastEnders''
''The Equalizer''
''The Facts of Life''
''Falcon Crest''
''Fast Forward''
''Family Ties''
''Flashdance''
''Full House''
''General Hospital''
''The Greatest American Hero''
''Growing Pains''
''Head of the Class''
''Hill Street Blues''
''The Jewel in the Crown''
''Knight Rider''
''L.A. Law''
''Late Night with David Letterman''
''Little Lulu Show''
''Magnum P.I.''
''Miami Vice''
''Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting''
MTV
''Neighbours''
''Only Fools and Horses''
''Perfect Strangers (sitcom)|Perfect Strangers''
''Punky Brewster''
''Roseanne''
''Saturday Night Live''
''Smurfs''
''St. Elsewhere''
''T.J. Hooker''
''The Tonight Show'' with Johnny Carson
''Who's The Boss?''
''Yes, Minister''
http://www.iwasso80s.com/http://www.Awesome80s.comhttp://www.doyouremember.co.uk/http://www.inthe80s.comhttp://80sactual.blogspot.com/http://members.tripod.com/lisanostalgia1/80sproducts.htmlhttp://clubs.pathfinder.gr/glitter/http://www.80sxchange.com/- Very large, busy website for fans of the eighties decade
|