The ’80s Era was a reverie where love was a battlefield, and ’everybody wants to rule the world.‘Sometimes ‘you are wonderful,’ a famous song from the 80s, keeps playing back and again in the head. In the ’80s, if you wanted to block a call, you could just put the receiver down and forget it.If you can go through just one day without taking a picture of anything, you belong to the 80’s Era. Swearing was considered rude and unacceptable. A common punishment for unruly kids in the 80s was smacking. TV time, the best time of the week on Saturday mornings. You could not carry a telephone around, and it was fixed to one place. There was no internet, and last but not least, a virus was a simple illness.If the 1980 fun facts: space travel, elections and a few lovely books interest you, you can read more trivia and fun facts, including the 1998 facts and 1984 fun facts.United States Presidential Election of 1980In the ’80s, Michael Jackson outshined Olivia Newton-John and became the most famous artist. In 1982, Michael Jackson released his record-breaking album Thriller and set the world swaying to his music. It was one of the biggest hit albums of all time. On May 21, the Star Wars franchise movie ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ premiered in the theatres and enthralled the audience in the ’80s. An interesting fact about this hit movie is that James Earl Jones declined to have his name printed in the credits of ‘Episode V’ of Star Wars ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ as he felt that his contribution was minuscule and not worth mentioning. From June 28 to June 18, Paul McCartney attained the position of the number one artist with his album Coming Up (Live at Glasgow).The Presidential Election of 1980 that was held on November 4 in United States was also the 49th quadrennial election. Ronald Reagan won the election from the Republican party. This election is often referred to as political realignment by various historians, and it marked the start of the Reagan Era in the United States of America. It was a landslide victory for Reagan in American history. He was favored by democratic dissatisfaction with carter, the high rate of unemployment in the US, inflation, and the Iran hostage crisis. Reagan won the US presidential election with 489 electoral votes and 50.7% of the popular vote with a margin of 9.7%. During his election campaign, Reagan promised restoration of the country’s military strength and economic development with supply-side economic policy.The pop culture news for December 1 in 1980 was made by Stephen King, who coined the word ‘pyrokinesis’ in his Novel Firestarter. Pyrokinesis refers to the ability to create and control fire mentally. The pop-culture history of the ’80s comprised of the superhit rib-tickling comedy Airplane. The first rap single in the pop-culture history of the ’80s included the number one rapper’s delight in Canada. Gloria Gaynor made it to the Best Disco Recording category of the 22nd Grammy Awards Function. On June 20, 1980, Blues Brothers, a musical road comedy movie, was released in 594 theatres and ranked second at the box office after The Empire Strikes Back film. From September 6 to October 3, Diana Ross rocked the charts with her album Upside Down and became the most famous music artist in the 1980s.Top Gun’s theme song ‘Take My Breath Away’ won an Academy Award, and the movie made a whopping $176,786,701 in the theatres. Another most prominent pop artist of the ’80s was Stevie Wonder. In the ’80s, Shawn Weatherly from South Carolina and Janeane Ford from Arizona shared the crown for Miss USA. Famous quotes of the ’80s include the saying by Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker, who was surprised when Darth says, ‘No, I am your father’ (not Luke, I am your father).New York Islanders won the NHL Stanley Cup Championship in the ’80s. The magazine of World Health Organization released in the July of 1980 focusing on the importance of healthcare for young mothers and children. ‘It’s still rock and roll to me’ by Billy Joel made him a trendy artist of 1980. Another top rating number ‘Lady’ by Kenny Rogers, one of America’s most prominent pop artists. Around a billion people around the globe tuned in to Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding, and it was a big rating hit. Another hit, Guns n Roses a top rock band, was formed in 1985. A Confederacy of Dunces book written by John Kennedy Toole was published in 1980 by the Louisiana State University Press. According to the open Golf, Jack Nicklaus won his record major in 1986. It was his 18th record in Golf at the age of 46. Los Angeles Lakers made it to the top in the National Basketball Association Championship.‘Sailing’ by Christopher Cross made it to the number one position in the list of top artists in the ’80s. Kansas City Royals Season in 1980 won accolades in the AL West Champions and AL Champions in 1980. Donna Summer was a famous music artist as well as a fashion icon of the ’80s. Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd sent the Americans raving to some awesome music. KC and the Sunshine Band made it to the top charts with the hit number ‘Please don’t go’. Electric light orchestra, or ELO, was a famous pop artist band of the 1980s.Do you want to know what happened on November 30 1980, the United States of America was transforming as former Governor of California, Ronald Reagan, was elected as the President of the United States of America in a Landslide victory over Jimmy Carter.The Brezhnev Era: Soviet UnionThe ’80s were popularly known as the greed decade as this entire decade saw neon colors, addiction to playing with the Rubik’s Cube, the cold war, Pac man, air jordans shoulder pads, two-pound cell phones, and big hair, to name a few.The Brezhnev Era started with the collective leadership, formed by Leonid Brezhnev, party first secretary, Nikolay Podgorny the President, and Aleksey Kosygin, the prime minister. A better introduction to Brezhnev would be that he was an archetypal politician of the Soviet Union, head of the USSR. Brezhnev was also the first politician in the history of Russia, to hold the position of the state’s leadership and the party. Brezhnev gained popularity as the First General of the CPSU and played a strategic role in building nuclear arms. In the ’70s, Brezhnev played an essential role in enhancing relations between USA and USSR.The Brezhnev Era lasted for 18 years, influenced many military and party activities, and played a strategic role in Soviet US relations. The Brezhnev Doctrine was established on August 3, 1968, in response to the Prague Spring. By 1976, Brezhnev attained the post of the highest military rank as the Marshal of the Soviet Union. A year later, he forced Podgorny to retire and became the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. He also went on to become the Generalissimo of the Societ Union.Brezhnev’s foreign policy, the detente, was strategic in easing the strained relations between the Soviets and USA. Detente facilitated various agreements between the two nations, including the East-West Trade, European security, and human rights, provision of military assistance to the left-wing movements and governments, Arms control, Enhancement of military strength and defense, prevention of military disputes, and cooperative research in the field of nuclear weapons and space exploration. The Vietnam war in 1965 brought communist resistance with support from Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin. On December 24, 1979, Brezhnev agreed to provide full support to the Afghanistan war. This Era is also known as the Era of Stagnation. It led to economic isolation, and the Soviet invasion made the Soviets dependent on gold prices and global oil during the ’70s. The economy was dwindling as the USSR entered the Black Market and bureaucracy reigned. Domestic Policies during the Brezhnev Era led to the diversification of the communist party and led to political stagnation. The Brezhnev era ended with the demise of Brezhnev on November 10, 1982, who died from a sudden cardiac arrest.Significant events in the ’80s include the debut of the Rubik’s cube, ‘Miracle on Ice’ where the US defeated the Soviet Union’s Olympic Ice Hockey team, Mount St Helens erupted on May 18 in Washington in 1980. Unfortunately, when Robert Landsburg was shooting the film of the Mount St Helens Eruption, he realized that he could not survive the natural disaster, and he gave up his life to protect the film for others to view and research on it. It also marked the start of the Iran-Iraq war when Iraqi commander Saddam Hussein dictated his forces to invade western Iran; CNN began broadcasting on June 1. Ted Turner launched his 24 hr cable news network or CNN, on June 1. the establishment of the Staggers Act in the October of 1980. Post-it notes invented by Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry thronged the US stores in the ’80s. Former Beatles member, John Lennon was tragically shot at and killed in New York City in the December of 1980. In September 1981, a record number of 500000 people attended the Simon & Garfunkel reunion show held at Central Park in New York City. Other events include severe summer heatwave in the US, mini gold rush in Australia, crude oil windfall profits tax act was passed. Israel introduced Shekel, and The Killer crown was sentenced to death. The advent of Ronald Reagan as the President of the USA and Yassar Arafat was elected the President of the Palestinian National Council are some significant events that occurred during the ’80s. India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was sadly assassinated in 1984 by her bodyguards. Margaret Thatcher was appointed as the Prime Minister of the UK from 1979 - 1990.Jimmy Carter’s Major AmendmentsIn the ’80s, Ronald Reagan was elected as the United States of America president 1980. The Reagan administration prevented communism in America, strengthening US military power, dismantling the Berlin Wall, war on drugs with the’ say No’ campaign by First lady Nancy Reagan. On August 3 in 1981, the Professional Air Traffic controllers organization, referred to as the PATCO, went strike. Sandra Day O’Connor first woman of U.S. Supreme court justice, Falklands war. First American woman astronaut, Sally Ride, to go into space in 1983. Macintosh Computer and New computer technologies emerged, and MTV and Blockbuster movies dictated the pop culture in America.Jimmy Carter was also the thirty-ninth president of the USA. President Jimmy Carter made many amendments during his tenancy, including PL 96-221 (the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act) signed on March 31 in 1980. This was followed by PL 96-223( the Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act) signed on April 2, 1980, PL 96-294 (Energy Security Act), which was signed on June 30 in 1980.In the ’80s in US history, John Lennon was shot and killed in New York; MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas was destroyed with fire. The ’80s also marked the rioting in Miami, Liberty City, and the advent of domestic camcorders, fax machines, and the arrival of the addicting Pac man arcade game. The US boycotted Olympic Games in Moscow, and natural disasters include the eruption of Mt Helen on March 27, and a significant heatwave also swept the US during the ’80s.Best Selling BooksThe yearly inflation rate in the USA in the ’80s was 13.58%. Food and beverages trends in the ’80s include a dip in a bread roll, barbeque chicken pizza, Mc Rib, baked brie, diet coke, pasta with vodka sauce, Reese’s pieces, hot buttered cheerios, impossible cheeseburger pies, plum torte, chicken Marbella, hot pockets.The list of New York time bestselling books are Donahue by Phil Donahue, Cosmos by Carl Sagan, Free to Choose by Milton and Rose Friedman, Crisis Investing by Douglas R.Casey, Men in Love by Nancy Friday, Shelly: Also known as Shirley by Shelley Winters and The Neighbor’s Wife by Gay Talese made it to the list in the ’80s. Best-selling nonfiction books include ‘Free to Choose: A Personal Statement’ by Milton and Rose Friedman, Alvin Toffler’s The Third Wave, Norman Cousins’s book on Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. The ’80s famous fiction books include The Key to Rebecca by Ken Follett, Firestarter by Stephen King, Random Winds by Belva Plain, Judith Krantz’s Princess Daisy. Famous literature books of the ’80s include ‘Is There a Text in This Class?’ by Stanley Fish, and ‘A Thousand Plateaus’ by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guatteri.Space Travel: First Women AstronautThe most popular tv shows that people watched in the 1980s included ‘Dallas’, ‘The Jeffersons’, ‘House Calls’, ‘Alice’, ‘The Duke of Hazard’, ‘MAS*H’, and ‘60 Minutes on CBS’ and ABC shows like ‘The Love Boat’ and ‘Three’s Company’. NBC relayed the famous ‘Little House on the Prairie’.In space travel, on June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first woman astronaut from America. On this great day, she boarded the Challenger space shuttle from the Kennedy space center in Florida. Also known as Dr. Sally K. Ride, Sally Ride inspired many young Americans, especially girls, to opt for careers in engineering, math, and science. Sally Ride, onboard the Challenger, was in charge of the RMS robotic arm that was used to launch and retrieve satellites in space. It was the first time that such an operation was performed in space. She rode the satellite with five other crew members for 147 hours in space. On June 24, 1983, she landed on earth at the Edwards Air Force Base and created history as the first woman astronaut.Famous people who died in the ’80s include the Philadelphia crime boss Angelo Bruno. At the same time, his car at the intersection of Snyder Avenue and 10th street was shot at and killed in his car in South Philadelphia. John Wayne Gacy Jr., also known as Killer Clown, who had killed many young men and boys between 1972 and 1978, was sentenced to death by law. Dorothy Stratten’s playboy playmate had a tragic end where she was strangled by her estranged husband, who also committed suicide. Ian Curtis from the popular Joy Division band hanged himself in his kitchen. He was the singer and songwriter of the English post-punk band. Bon Scott, the AC/DC frontman, died in London after a night of heavy drinking.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1980 fun facts then why not take a look at 1987 fun facts, or 1981 facts.
The ’80s Era was a reverie where love was a battlefield, and ’everybody wants to rule the world.’
