Each year in the past has its story to tell!We hear stories of some inventions and many innovations that every year marks! Undoubtedly, the events and facts about the year 1982 would arouse your interest.Being just 18 years behind the new millennium, the year 1982 holds to its credit some interesting events in various fields. From excellence in movies to sports accomplishments, there have been events that still drown us in wonder. Who doesn’t fall for the mix of disco-funk music in ‘Thriller’, with the king of pop ruling the world of music? How can we ever forget the exciting Illuminati card game that challenges your strategic thinking? Each incident, every event, and all the occurrences have their significance in history. Gear up! Read on to know exciting facts from the year 1982.If you enjoy reading about 1982 trivia and fun facts, you are sure to find the articles on 1988 facts and 1989 facts interesting. Don’t miss to check these out!Films From 1982Films are the most sought-after when it comes to entertainment. There is no denying that movies provide indelible images of the period’s events, lifestyle, and culture. Similar to plays, novels, and paintings, films also provide historical evidence by portraying social behavior and attitudes, depicting the events vividly. Despite being a source of mass entertainment, films do reflect the life of people.In the ’80s, the western film industry witnessed the comeback of studio-driven pictures, when many high concept films gained fame. Their short cinematic plots made them understandable and marketable. This popular film format from the ’80s forms the base of modern Hollywood movies.Did you know? A movie ticket was sold for around $3 (₤2.27) in 1982.‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ is a science fiction movie of 1982. It is based on the series Star Trek on television. The film was directed by Nicholas Meyer, starring William Shatner, Ricardo Montalbán, Leonard Nimoy, James Doohan, and DeForest Kelley in the lead roles. The movie has an interesting plot that keeps us glued. As Admiral James Kirk and Captain Spock monitor the Starfleet Academy trainees, the United Federation of Planets tries out the Genesis Devise in a deserted part of the space. In the process, Kirk’s enemy Khan, who appears after escaping a 15-year exile to avenge Kirk, captures two of his officers. He begins to capture Project Genesis and plans the destruction of Kirk. The crew must now stop him from gaining control over the terraforming device- Genesis.It is considered one of the best Star Trek movies and the greatest science fiction movie of all time. The movie deals with the beauty of selfless friendship, the destruction of vengeance, and facing mortality. The laser beams, space ships, and explosions give the best experience of watching a Sci-Fi movie. The movie ‘Star Trek II’ was out for public view on June 4, 1982, in North America. With an earning of about $ 97 million(₤ 73 million), the film was a huge success at the box office.Another popular movie of 1982 is Gandhi, the biopic of the famous Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi. It depicts the life of Gandhi, who led the Indian independence movements against the British through his principles of truth and non-violence. Starring Ben Kingsley in the lead role, the movie covers Gandhi’s life, including his political and ideological aspects. The film also highlights Gandhi’s secular stand, embracing the principles of other religions such as Islam and Christianity, though he was a practicing Hindu.The movie was well-received by the audience across the world- thanks to Kingsley’s performance, costume design, and production values. The film’s budget was $22 million (₤ 16.62 million). Commercially, it was a big success, earning a whopping $127.8 million (₤ 96.57 million) at the box office. The film also bagged eight awards out of eleven nominations in the 55th Academy awards. ‘E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial’ was another Sci-Fi movie, which told the story of a young boy and his sister’s pursuit to help the alien E.T. With four out of nine nominations for the Academy Awards, the film was commercially a big success.Other popular movies of 1982 that succeeded in the box office are Annie, Tootsie, Rocky III, An officer, and a gentleman, among many.Some of the celebrities and style icons who topped the fashion industry were the American actress and supermodel Carol Alt, American model Lauren Hutton, German actress Nastassja Kinski American actresses Loni Anderson, Jessica Lange, Barbara Bach, Joan Collins, Catherine Bach, Lydia Cornell, Kim Basinger, Goldie Hawn, Heather Thomas, Tanya Roberts, Victoria Principal among many more. Besides, American actors Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Mel Gibson, Burt Reynolds, and Christopher Reeve also ruled the fashion world. Apart from movie stars, people also looked up to singers and songwriters such as Michael Jackson, Debbie Harry, Steve Nicks, Dolly Parton as their style icons.Beauty pageants were conducted in the U.S., and winners gained immense popularity. The 55th Miss America 1982 pageant was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Elizabeth Ward was the title winner. Similarly, the 31st Miss USA 1982 pageant was telecasted live from Golf Coast Convention Centre on May 13, 1982. Terri Utley of Arkansas was crowned as Miss USA.Books From 1982Books play a key role in depicting the life of ordinary people. Books make us aware of the past and provide insight into the lifestyle of people and the social setup. They also offer records and evidence about the social and cultural aspects of society.Several books were very popular in 1982. Among these Roald Dahl’s ‘The BFG’, ‘The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger’ by Stephen King, Jim Starlin’s ‘The Death of Captain Marvel’, Stephen King’s ‘Different Seasons, ‘E.T., The Extra-terrestrial’ written by William Kotzwinkle, Lynne Reid Banks’ ‘The Indian in the Cupboard, ‘The Hotel New Hampshire’ by John Irving are quite notable.Apart from books and the silver screen, television series and shows were too popular among the masses. Shows such as ‘60 Minutes’, ‘Magnum P.I., Dallas’, ‘Three’s Company’, ‘Dynasty’, ‘The A-Team’ were widely watched and popular.Besides, advertisements of commercial products and jingles caught the attention of people. The slogan of Coke, ‘Coke is it,’ and the bugs repellent Raid’s slogan, ‘Raid kills bugs dead’ was introduced in the year 1982. Audi began to use the slogan ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’ from 1982 onwards. The co-founder of an ad agency Sir John Hegarty noticed this slogan during a visit to Germany at an Audi factory, which later gained global recognition. In February 1982, the first episode of the American talk show Late Night with David Letterman was broadcasted on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), with actor-comedian Bill Murray as the first guest. The show successfully continued to be telecasted for over a decade with David Letterman and later with other hosts Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien, and Seth Meyers.Government Reforms In 1982The year 1982 can be associated with several significant political events. Let us look into a few of those.The Proclamation of the Constitution Act, also called the Canada Act, was signed by Pierre Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, and Queen Elizabeth II in April. The act completed the patriation process resulting in the full sovereignty of the nation.A severe economic downturn lasted in the early 1980s, which affected many countries of the world. This economic recession was a result of tight monetary policies made to curb inflation.NASA launched the STS three space shuttle mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 22, 1982. The third mission of the Space Shuttle of Colombia landed on March 30, 1982, eight days after the launch in New Mexico at the White Sands Space Harbor. The shuttle was earlier planned to land at Edwards air force base. However, due to flooding, the landing site had to be changed.As many as 700,000 demonstrators peacefully opposed the nuclear arms by gathering in the Central Park of New York City. Several students, monks, and activists held parades in protest against nuclear arms.Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, was born to his parents Prince of Wales, Charles, and the Princess of Wales, Diana, on June 21, 1982. Prince William is the British royal family member and has been the second in succession to the British throne.There were a few tragedies too in 1982. American actor, comedian, and musician John Belushi passed away on March 5, 1982, due to an overdose of heroin and cocaine. Apart from him, actors Victor Buono, Henry Fonda, Vic Morrow, actresses Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, writer Ayn Rand, Philip K. Dick were among many who lost their lives in 1982.Several notable personalities were credited with the Nobel Prize in the year 1982. Kenneth G. Wilson was awarded the prize for his contributions to Physics, Gabriel García Márquez in Literature, Aaron Klug for his work in Chemistry, Sune K. Bergström, John R.Vane, and Bengt I. Samuelsson in Physiology or Medicine. Alva Myrdal and Alfonso García Robles received the Prize for Peace, while George Stigler received the Prize in Economics.Women empowerment was focused upon, and new policies were formed in 1982. The committee that worked on the elimination of discrimination against women began its work actively after the third world conference in Nairobi. The world conferences saw women’s extraordinary activism, which was the later foundation for the world conferences. Additionally, along with other concerns, the rights of older women, women with disabilities, or women from ethnic minority groups were also addressed in other international policy documents such as the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and International Plans of Action on Ageing, in the year 1982.Cultural Development In 1982The year 1982 saw many notable cultural aspects involving music, dance, and sports. Many famous music bands reached the masses and various prominent musicians, and their songs were an unmissable part of pop culture news.How can we miss the King of Pop when we talk about music? Michael Jackson was revered as one of the most important cultural figures of his time. A successful and influential entertainer, Michael Jackson donned various hats of a singer, dancer, and songwriter. He became a global figure of culture prevalent in society and rose to fame. Over his four-decade-long successful career, Jackson contributed immensely to the field of dance, music, and of course, fashion. It is not an exaggeration to say that many artists across the globe and music genres were influenced by his live performances. It is not easy to find someone who has not fallen for his complicated dance and recorded videos such as the moonwalk and the robot. Break dancing had become a trend among the youth. Jackson remains the most awarded artist in the history of the music industry.‘Thriller’ is Michael Jackson’s sixth studio album. Epic Records released the groundbreaking music album on November 30 in 1982. Produced by the legendary music artist Quincy Jones, ‘Thriller’ featured hit songs such as ‘Beat It’, ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Pretty Young Thing’, and ‘Human’ nature among the album’s nine songs. No wonder ‘Thriller’ became one of the highest-selling music albums ever and took the music industry by storm. The horror-themed video is watched widely even today. With ‘Thriller’, Jackson moved in a completely different direction in music, combining pop, rock, rhythm and blues (R & B), and funk. ‘Thriller’ bagged several awards, the most notable being the Grammy Awards, where it received eight awards at the 26th annual awards event. The album features Paul McCartney, a famous songwriter and film producer, who became the first artist ever to appear on Jackson’s album.Paul McCartney was also an English singer and musician. He released his third solo album, ‘Tug of War’, in 1982, the first two being McCartney and McCartney II. The remastered deluxe edition of this album was nominated for the 2017 Grammy Awards under the category - Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for the art directors of the album.The American Rock music band, the Steve Miller Band, was formed in San Francisco, California, in 1966. It was led by the guitarist Steve Miller, who moved to San Francisco to form the Steve Miller Blues Band, the name of which shortened later. The band composed 18 studio albums. The record had reached the No.1 position for a week. ‘Abracadabra’ - the title track, ‘Cool Magic’, ‘Keeps Me Wondering Why’, ‘Give it up’ were the singles released from the album. Of these, the title song charted the highest.In 1982 Midge Ure, a Scottish musician, covered the famous song ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ originally sung by David Bowie, an English singer-songwriter. Ure recorded the track in Party Party, a British film.Joan Jett was another popular rock singer, composer, songwriter, musician, and actress of America, best known for her band Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. Jett’s second studio album, ‘I Love Rock n Roll’, is also her most successful one. Jett rendered the title song written by Jake Hooker and Alan Merrill. The success of the title track made it a hot selling cake, with over 10 million sold copies.Dame Olivia Newton-John is a British-Australian singer, actress, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, and activist. A recipient of four Grammy Awards, around 100 million records of hers have been sold worldwide. She released her second-best album compilation of commercially successful singles - Olivia’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2 in 1982. Among many songs, it included the most popular ‘Tied up’ and ‘Heart attack’, which were both released as singles and were a part of pop charts. Being among the best sellers by Olivia Newton-John, both the U.S. and Canada certified the album as multi-platinum. Her song ‘Physical’ topped the Billboard chart in January 1982.American music artist Frank Zappa and his daughter Moon Zappa’s hit’ Valley Girl’ appeared in the album’ Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch’. The song was a single release that became his Top 40 hit. Other songs by popular music artists songs that topped the Billboard chart in the year 1982 are - ‘I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)’ by John Oates and Daryl Hall (from January 30 to February 5), Centerfold from J. Geils Band (from February 6 to March 19), ‘I Love Rock n’ Roll’ – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (from March 20 to May 7), ‘Chariots of Fire Album’ by Vangelis (from 8 to May 14) ‘Ebony and Ivory’ by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder for the period (from May 15 to July 2), ‘Don’t You Want Me’ by The Human League (from July 3 to 23), ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor ( from July 24 to September 3), ‘Abracadabra’ from The Steve Miller Band (for the period September 4 to 17) , ‘Hard to Say I’m Sorry by Chicago’ from September 18 to October 1, ‘Jack & Diane’ by John Mellencamp (October 2 to 29), ‘Who Can It Be Now?’ by Men at Work (from October 30 to November 5) , ‘Up Where We Belong’ by Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes (from November 6 to 26), ‘Truly’ by Lionel Richie from (November 27 to December 10) and ‘Mickey’ by Toni Basil (from December 11 to 17)These music bands probably inspired many budding musicians. Bands such as Guns n roses, Stryper, were formed in the following years.When it comes to sports, there are significant events in this field as well. The National Hockey League’s championship series - season 1982-82 was played between the New York Islanders and the Vancouver Canucks at the Finals, in which the New York Islanders won the Stanley Cup Championship.In the 1982 FIFA World Cup, Italy defeated West Germany and became the world champions. It was their third World Cup victory.The card game Illuminati, created by Steve Jackson Games, was introduced in the year 1982. It is all about secret societies competing with one another to take control of the world using mystical, legal, or illegal means. Two to eight players can easily spend up to six hours on the strategic game. The Illuminati card game bagged the Best Science Fiction Boardgame Origin Award in the year 1982.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1982 facts, then why not take a look at 1975 fact, or 1977 fun facts?
Each year in the past has its story to tell!
