1980's

  • Pac Man

    Pac Man

    Pac Man was created by Tohru Iwatani and was released in Japan in the early 1980's. It became one of the longest-running and most successful video game franchises of all time and set the stage for many current popular video games. The design and music became an iconic symbol of the decade.
  • Period: to

    The US during the 1980's

  • Nancy Reagan

    Nancy Reagan

    Nancy Reagan was the wife of president Ronald Reagan and former first lady of the United States from 1981-1989. During her time as first lady and beyond she was very supportive of her husband, but she also was heavily involved in many activist movements and wrote 2 books. She, along with her husband, was awarded with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service to the United States.
  • MTV

    MTV

    MTV is a cable television network that founded and was very popular during the 1980's. The content was geared toward the younger generation of the time. MTV's popularity helped to influence many trends of the time period and popularized many artist, movements, and shows.
  • National Organization for Woman (NOW)

    National Organization for Woman (NOW)

    The National Organization for Women peacefully protested not only for woman's rights but the rights of other minorities as well, including the LGBTQ+ community. NOW organized many pro-choice protests and protests for LGBTQ+ jobs and overall rights. These peaceful protests incuded lobbying, demonstrations, marches, and litigation.
  • Nintendo

    Nintendo

    The NES or Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the early 1980's sold over 2.5 million units during its first year on the market. Originally the Famicom/Family Computer, the NES revolutionized the video game industry.
  • New Coke

    New Coke

    The release of New Coke in 1985 was because of rising competition with Pepsi. New Coke was Coca-Cola's attempt of retaliating against Pepsi's rising popularity and advertising. New flavors of Coke were also introduced along with the new formula such as Cherry Coke. Overall, took a lot of money to create and didn't last long before replaced with original coke and failed.
  • Ollie/Oliver North

    Ollie/Oliver North

    Ollie North was a U.S. Marine Corps officer involved in the Iran-Contra Affair in the 1980s; A political scandal where the National Security Council (NSC) became involved in secret weapons transactions and other activities that either were prohibited by the U.S. Congress. North was found guilty of obstructing the U.S. Congress, destroying documents, and accepting an illegal gratuity, however, charges were dropped in the early 90's.
  • Oprah

    Oprah

    American television personality, actress, and entrepreneur who was very successful. She became the talk show host of AM Chicago, later The Oprah Winfrey Show, which set a new standard for television as the modern, public confessional. Her show became the highest rated show and is still on to this day. She went on to create her own television production company Harpo Productions, Inc., appeared in The Color Purple, and because the first African American billionaire.
  • Platoon

    Platoon

    Platoon was a film based on Owen Stone's true experience as a Vietnam Veteran. This movie, staring Charlie Sheen, won 4 Oscars and was very successful. Unlike many other war films, this movie was know for being a authentic and unbiased portrayal of combat.
  • Pete Rose

    Pete Rose

    Rose was a professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Montreal Expos, and played and managed the Cincinnati Reds. Rose was involved in a gambling scandal where he was accused of batting on his own team and it ended with him being banned from major league baseball.