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Period: to
1980's
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U.S attempt to save hostages in Tehran fails.
Operation Eagle Claw (or Operation Evening Light or Operation Rice Bowl)[1] was an American military operation ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis by rescuing 52 Americans held captive at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on 24 April 1980. In total nine people were klled including a civilian. -
Mount St. Helens Erupts in America
In 1980, a major volcanic eruption occurred at Mount St. Helens, a volcano located in Washington, in the United States. The eruption was preceded by a two-month series of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes, caused by an injection of magma at shallow depth below the volcano that created a huge bulge and a fracture system on the -
Pac Man is released.
Pac man was released on the 22 of June 1980. The game was initially released in Japan and by October of the same year it was released in America. The arcade game became extremely popular and is still a very popular game today. -
CNN media is established by Ted Turner
CNN media was established by Ted Turner in 1980. The media mogul began the very popular cable news network channel. CNN was the first 24 hour news channel ever to be viewed. -
John Lennon is Assassinated.
John Lennon was assassinated by estranged fan, Mark David Chapman on the 8th of December 1980. Lennon was shot a number of times in the back. He was rushed to St Lukes-Rossevelt Hospital Center, unfortuanetly he was pronounced dead on arrival. In the aftermath of Lennon's death his murderer pleaded guilty to murdering John Lennon. Chapman went against the wishes of his lawyers, who wanted to make an insanity plea. -
President Reagan Assassination Attempt
The failed assassination attempt of President Ronald Reagan occured on the 30th of March 1981. President Reagan was rushed to hospital with internal bleeding and was able to recover quickly due to swift medical attention. The gunman John Hinkley Jr. was apparently motivated to attempt the assassination of the president, as he had become obsessed with the movie Taxi Driver, where a man attempted to assassinate an American senator who was running for president. -
John Paul II Assassination Attempt
The assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II occured on the 13th of May 1981. The Pope was shot four times whislt entering St Peter's Square on the Popemobil. The gunman, Mehmet Ali Ağca, was pardoned by the Pope and in the years following the assassination attempt Agca and his holiness formed a close friendship, although Ağca was quoted as saying that "to me [the Pope] was the incarnation of all that is capitalism". -
Royal Wedding (Prince Charles & Princess Diana)
The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana occured on the 29th of July 1981. The wedding was broadcast live over the world, as millions tuned in to witness this special event. -
Personal Computers (PCs) are introduced by IBM
The IBM (International Business Machines) introduced PCs (Personal Computers) to a global market in August 1981. This technological develpment was a world-wide success as many bought a PC then and today almost everybody has at least one in their homes. -
A Woman is Appointed to the U.S Supreme Court for the First Time.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'connor to be the first woman on the US supreme court. On the 21st of September 1980, O'connor was voted in by the United States Senate, 99 votes for and 0 votes against. Sandra was officially sworn in on the 25th of September 1981. -
Indira Ghandi is assassinated by two bodyguards.
On the 31st of October 1981, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two body gurads. The body guards, who were meant to protect the then Prime Minister, shot Gandhi 33 times in total. The bodyguards were members of the Sikh religion and the aftermath saw many Sikh worshippers killed in a revolt against the religion. -
The Falkland Islands are invaded by Argentina
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago located in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. In 1982, Argentina invaded the islands, which was under the rule of the United Kingdom. The conflict resulted from the long-standing dispute over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which lie in the South Atlantic, east of Argentina. -
"ET" Movie is Released
ET was released in America on the 11th of Hune 1982. The movie hit has made a massive $435,110,554 world wide and has been seen as one of the best pieces of work by director, Steven Spielberg. -
The Popularity of the Cabbage Patch Kid Grows.
The popularity of the cabbage Patch kids grew in the 80's and since then millions of the dolls have been sold world-wide. The dolls have been an iconic part of the 1980's and have been extremely popular ever since. -
Sally Ride Becomes the First American Woman to Enter Space.
Sally Ride was the first American woman to enter space. Ride joined NASA in 1978 and by 1983 she was the first American woman in space, taking off from earth in the space shuttle 'Challenger'. Ride was one of 8,000 people who answered an advertisement in the Stanford student newspaper seeking applicants for the space program and from there her career began. -
Michael Jackson Releases "Thriller"
In 1983, Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. Released his smash hit 'Thriller'. The iconic song was number one in many countries and is still a favourite song of many today. -
U.S Embassy in Beruit is Bombed.
The U.S embassy in Beruit, Lebanon was bombed on the 20th of September 1984. 64 people were killed by the bomb, including: 32 Lebanese employees, 17 Americans, and 14 visitors and passersby and the one suicide bomber. -
"New Coke" was put on the public market.
The "New Coke" was put on the public market on the 23rd of April 1985. New Coke was the reformulation of Coca-Cola introduced in 1985 by The Coca-Cola Company to replace the original formula of its flagship soft drink. -
Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes.
On the 28th of January 1986, disaster struck NASA as the space shuttle 'Challenger' exploded, 73 seconds into take off. The disintergration of the shuttle occured after the O-ring sealin its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. The O-ring failure caused a breach in the SRB joint it sealed, allowing pressurized hot gas from within the solid rocket motor to reach the outside and impinge upon the fuel tank. The disaster lead to the deaths of the shuttles seven crew members. -
Hands Across America
Hands Across America: Seven million Americans participated in a fundraising event on Sunday, May 25, to help the poor and homeless. Participants held hands to form continuous chains; the longest one was about 4,152 miles! Proceeds ($34 million) from this event were directed to local charities.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/1980s-timeline-important-events-of-the-1980s.html -
Lake Nyos Disaster
Lake Nyos in Cameroon released toxic gas, killing 1,500 people. A pocket of magma lies beneath the lake and leaks carbon dioxide (CO2) into the water, changing it into carbonic On August 21, 1986, possibly as the result of a landslide, Lake Nyos suddenly emitted a large cloud of CO2, which suffocated 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby towns and villages. -
First Oprah Winfrey Show was Aired
The famous 'Oprah Winfrey Show' was first broadcast on the 8th of September 1986. The Oprah show was a much loved American talk show and aired for 25 years, until Oprah's retiremnet in 2011. -
Northwesterns Airlines Disaster
In August, a Northwestern Airlines jet crashed before it even took off from the runway, killing all 156 on board except a four-year-old girl. A fault with the plane's flaps is believed to have caused the crash.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/1980s-timeline-important-events-of-the-1980s.html -
INF Treaty
The Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty was signed between the US and the USSR at Washington D.C. on December 8. Hereby, neither of the nations could use nuclear or mid-range weaponry.
Margaret Thatcher was elected as the British Prime Minister for the third consecutive time.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/1980s-timeline-important-events-of-the-1980s.html -
Australian's Celebrate the Bi-Centennary
Australia celebrated 200 years since the first fleet landed in Botany Bay in 1788. The Australian public celebrated this special occasion all over Australia and Australia united as it reflected upon its short, yet history filled existence. -
Australa's New Parliment House Was Opened
The New Parliment House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on the 9th of May 1988. The New Parliment House was buillt after the Old Parliment Building became to small to house the various governement departments and offices. -
Benazir Bhutto First Woman Pakistan Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto became the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the first woman to ever lead a Muslim nation. Bhutto took office on the 2nd of December 1988 and remained in office from 2 December 1988 – 6 August 1990 and again from 19 October 1993 – 5 November 1996. -
Spitak earthquake in Armenia claimed a staggering 25,000 lives.
Spitak earthquake in Armenia claimed a staggering 25,000 lives. The 6.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the Armenian city and the disaster left many mourning the lose of their home, livelyhood and loved ones. -
Berlin Wall Falls
In 1989 the end of the cold war also saw the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall had divided East and West Germany for nine years. The fall of the wall allowed the German public to recieve freedom and live free of the pressures of war and segregation. -
First Simpsons Show Aired
The Simpsons' Episode: The Simpsons' first episode appeared as a part of 'The Tracey Ullman Show'; however, the first distinct episode was on December 17, 1989. The episode name was 'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire'.