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Columbian Space Shuttle Launch
The first orbiter, Columbia, launched on April 12, 1981, and returned on April 14, 1981, 54.5 hours later, having orbited the Earth 36 times. Columbia carried a crew of two—mission commander John W. Young and pilot Robert L. Crippen -
Attempted Assassination of John Paul II
Pope John Paul II took two bullets that day and could have died. As leader of the Catholic Church, the Pope is one of the most influential figures in the world, and followers everywhere prayed that he would survive -- which he did, and even forgave his attacker. -
British Royal Wedding
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place on Wednesday, 29 July 1981, at St Paul's Cathedral in London, United Kingdom. The groom was the heir apparent to the British and Commonwealth thrones, and the bride was a member of the Spencer family. -
Argentina Surrenders on Sea in the Falklands
The commander of the Argentine garrison in Stanley, General Mario Menéndez, surrendered to Major General Jeremy Moore. The surrender was contrary to the Argentine Army code stating that a surrender should not happen unless more than 50% of the men were casualties and 75% of the ammunition was spent. -
Walt Disney Opens Second Theme Park
Walt Disney World was opened in his honor at Epcot Center, Disney-MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom were later added to Walt Disney World, and it remains Florida’s premier tourist attraction. -
Architect Maya Lin's Vietnam War Memorial is Established
"We had also just received the guidelines for the competition which stipulated that the names of all those killed be listed, and that the memorial be apolitical and contemplative in nature. My design evolved into two black granite walls, placed below grade, engraved in chronological order with the names of the men and women who gave their lives in the Vietnam War." -
Michael Jackson Releases Best Selling Album "Thriller"
Jackson, who started his musical career at the age of five, cemented his reputation as the ‘king of pop’ with the release of Thriller. -
First Artificial Heart Transplant
Barney Clark became the first human to receive a permanent artificial heart. Dubbed the Jarvik-7 after lead inventor Dr. Robert Jarvik, the artificial heart had already shown some promise in animal trials (earlier models had kept cows alive for hundreds of days). -
The Lebanese Civil War
In an effort to stop the violence in the region a Multinational Force of peacekeepers composed largely of U.S., Italian and French armed service members was created and sent to the region to attempt a restoration of order. (Lasts about 2 years) -
Hitler Diaries Revealed as Fake
The books were written on modern paper with modern ink. Fictionalized personal comments had been liberally added to copied speeches by Hitler. The diaries were actually written by Konrad Kujau, a notorious forger. Kujau and journalist Gerd Heidemann were convicted on separate charges of forgery and fraud and sentenced to more than four years in prison each. -
First American Woman in Space
NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride became the first American woman in space, when she launched with her four crewmates aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-7. -
Bell System Breaks Up
At the time of the Bell system breakup in 1984, the monopoly advantages enjoyed by the company (which were wrongly attributed to the free market, not government favoritism) had created an economic behemoth with $150 billion in assets, $70 billion in revenues, and a million employees. -
Michael Jackson Moonwalks for the First Time
Michael Jackson took the stage and made an indelible impact on pop culture with his solo performance on “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever,” a televised celebration of the famous label’s creation. -
Singer Bruce Springsteen Releases His Album "Born in the U.S.A"
Springsteen’s seventh studio album placed him firmly on the pop charts with seven Top Ten singles and turned him into a global superstar. The title track is self-described as one of his best songs. Reasonably regarded as the turning-point album in Bruce’s career. -
Olympics in Los Angeles
After the financial problems of 1976, only Los Angeles bid for the right to host the 1984 Olympic Games. The bid was criticised for depending heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors. However, the Games produced a healthy profit of $223 million (USD) and became the model for future Games. -
Assassination of India's First Female Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India, is assassinated in New Delhi by two of her own bodyguards as she walked to her office from an adjoining bungalow. Although the two assailants immediately surrendered, they were both shot in a subsequent scuffle. -
The US Food and Drug Administration Approves First Blood Test to detect AIDS
In the early 1980s, fatal, incurable AIDS was in the news regularly. People put off donating and receiving blood as well as undergoing necessary surgeries for fear they would contract the virus. March 1985 marks a key milestone in the fight against HIV. -
Coca Cola Company Introduces "New Coke"
As manager of consumer affairs for The Coca-Cola Company, Lynn Henkel was on the front lines of the New Coke backlash. -
India Flight destroyed by a Terrorist Bomb Off of Irish Coast
Passenger jet explosion off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, that claimed the lives of all 329 passengers and crew members. Sikh extremists were accused of sabotaging the Air India aircraft, and one suspect was convicted in 2003. -
Titanic Wreckage Discovered
It had split in two, but many of its features and interiors were remarkably well-preserved. Hundreds of thousands of bits of debris were scattered in a 2-square-mile radius around the ship. -
The Nintendo Entertainment System Debuts in the U.S
Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi, whose grandfather had started Nintendo as a playing-card company almost a century earlier, believed strongly in the quality of the NES. So he told his American executives to launch it in the most difficult market: New York City. If they could make it there, Yamauchi thought, they could make it anywhere. -
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