1980s

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"'80s", "The 80s", and "Eighties" redirect here. For AD 80–89, see 80s. For other uses of "Eighties", see Eighties (disambiguation).
Space Shuttle ColumbiaEnd of the Cold WarIran–Iraq WarSoviet War in AfghanistanFall of the Berlin Wall1983–1985 famine in EthiopiaLive AidIBM Personal ComputerChernobyl disaster
From left, clockwise: The first
another war between the Soviets and Afghans
leaves over 2 million dead.
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2nd millennium
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The 1980s (pronounced "nineteen-eighties", shortened to "the '80s" or "the Eighties") was a decade that began January 1, 1980, and ended December 31, 1989.

The decade saw a dominance of

Global warming
became well known to the scientific and political community in the 1980s.

The United Kingdom and the United States moved closer to supply-side economic policies, beginning a trend towards global instability of international trade that would pick up more steam in the following decade as the fall of the USSR made right-wing economic policy more powerful.

The final decade of the Cold War opened with the US-Soviet confrontation continuing largely without any interruption. Superpower tensions escalated rapidly as President Reagan scrapped the policy of détente and adopted a new, much more aggressive stance on the Soviet Union. The world came perilously close to nuclear war for the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, but the second half of the decade saw a dramatic easing of superpower tensions and ultimately the total collapse of Soviet communism.

Developing countries across the world faced economic and social difficulties as they suffered from multiple debt crises in the 1980s, requiring many of these countries to apply for financial assistance from the

widespread famine in the mid-1980s during the corrupt rule of Mengistu Haile Mariam, resulting in the country having to depend on foreign aid to provide food to its population and worldwide efforts to address and raise money to help Ethiopians, such as the Live Aid
concert in 1985.

Major civil discontent and violence occurred, including the

Al Qaeda
, were set up.

By 1986, nationalism was making a comeback in the Eastern Bloc, and the desire for democracy in

capitalist countries. After tension for most of the decade, by 1988 relations between the communist and capitalist blocs had improved significantly[2]
and the Soviet Union was increasingly unwilling to defend its governments in satellite states.

1989 brought the

August Coup
of 1991.

The 1980s was an era of tremendous population growth around the world, surpassing the 1970s and 1990s, and arguably being the largest in human history. During the 1980s, the world population grew from 4.4 to 5.3 billion people. There were approximately 1.33 billion births and 480 million deaths. Population growth was particularly rapid in a number of African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian countries during this decade, with rates of natural increase close to or exceeding 4% annually. The 1980s saw the advent of the ongoing practice of sex-selective abortion in China and India as ultrasound technology permitted parents to selectively abort baby girls.[3]

The 1980s saw great advances in genetic and digital technology. After years of animal experimentation since 1985, the first genetic modification of 10 adult human beings took place in May 1989, a

Gestational surrogacy was first performed in 1985 with the first birth in 1986, making it possible for a woman to become a biological mother without experiencing pregnancy for the first time in history.[6]

The global

Tim Berners Lee formalized the concept of the World Wide Web by 1989. Television viewing became commonplace in the Third World, with the number of TV sets in China and India increasing by 15 and 10 times respectively.[8]

The

IBM PC led to a large market for IBM PC compatibles. The 1984 release of the Macintosh popularized the WIMP
style of interaction.

Politics and wars

See also: List of sovereign states in the 1980s
Cold War Map of Communist & Socialist countries in 1985

Wars

Main article:
List of wars 1945–89 § 1980–1989

The most prominent

armed conflicts
of the decade include:

International wars

Invasion of Grenada
, October 1983

The most notable wars of the decade include:

Civil wars and guerrilla wars

The most notable internal conflicts of the decade include:

Terrorist attacks

Main article: List of terrorist incidents § 1970–present
1983 Beirut barracks bombing

The most notable terrorist attacks of the decade include:

  • Bologna Central Station
    , killing 85 people.
  • El Mozote massacre in El Salvador on December 11, 1981, against civilians, committed by government forces supported by the United States during their anti-guerrilla campaign against Marxist–Leninist rebels.
  • The
    Rome and Vienna airport attacks took place on December 27, 1985, against the Israeli El Al airline. The attack was done by militants loyal to Abu Nidal, backed by the government of Libya
    .
  • The
    truck bombs struck separate buildings housing United States and French military forces killing 299 American and French servicemen. The organization Islamic Jihad
    claimed responsibility for the bombing.
  • Air India Flight 182 was destroyed on June 23, 1985, by Sikh-Canadian militants. It was the biggest mass murder involving Canadians in Canada's history.
  • On December 21, 1988,
    UK
    soil.

Coups

Main article:
List of coups d'état and coup attempts § 1980 - 1989

The most prominent

coups d'état
of the decade include:

Nuclear threats

F-16A Netz '243' that was flown by Colonel Ilan Ramon during Operation Opera

Decolonization and independence

  • Following the decolonization and independence of the Commonwealth realms.
    • In 1982, Canada gained official independence from the United Kingdom with the Canada Act 1982, authorized by the signature by Elizabeth II. This act severed all political dependencies of the United Kingdom in Canada (although the Queen remained the head of state).
    • In 1986, Australia gained full independence from the United Kingdom with the Australia Act 1986, which severed the last remaining powers of the British government over the Australian government, including the removal of the privy council as the highest court of appeal. Australia retained the queen as head of state.
    • In 1986, New Zealand and the United Kingdom fully separated New Zealand's governments from the influence of the British Parliament, resulting in New Zealand's full independence with the Constitution Act 1986 which also reorganized the New Zealand government.
    • Independence was granted to Vanuatu from the British/French condominium (1980), Kiribati from joint US-British government (1981) and Palau from the United States (1986).
    • Zimbabwe becomes independent from official colonial rule of the United Kingdom in 1980.
    • Independence was given to Antigua and Barbuda, Belize (both 1981), and Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983) in the Caribbean; Brunei (1984) and Thailand formed a US-British government (1981) in Southeast Asia.

Prominent political events

Americas

U.S. President Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev signing the INF Treaty, 1987
  • Ronald Reagan was elected U.S. president in 1980. In international affairs, Reagan pursued a hardline policy towards preventing the spread of communism, initiating a considerable buildup of U.S. military power to challenge the Soviet Union. He further directly challenged the Iron Curtain by demanding that the Soviet Union dismantle the Berlin Wall.
  • The
    American crack epidemic. [citation needed
    ]
  • The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968) (PATCO) declared a strike on August 3, 1981, seeking better working conditions, better pay, and a 32-hour workweek. The strike caused considerable disruption of the U.S. air transportation system. Resolution came when Ronald Reagan fired over 11,000 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order, banning them from federal service for life. After seeking appeals, many of the controllers were re-hired while the FAA attempted to replace much of their air traffic control staffing. The remainder continued to be banned until President Clinton lifted the final aspects in 1993.
  • Political unrest in the province of Quebec, which, due to the many differences between the dominant francophone population and the anglophone minority, and also to francophone rights in the predominantly English-speaking Canada, came to a head in 1980 when the provincial government called a public referendum on partial separation from the rest of Canada. The referendum ended with the "no" side winning majority (59.56% no, 40.44% yes).
  • Chile (1988–89). This marked the end of the Operation Condor
    for 30 years.

Europe

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked the beginning of German reunification
Former president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. Funeral cortege of Urho Kekkonen in Helsinki, 1986

Asia

  • Following the
    Roh Tae Woo
    , the first democratic ruler of the country, which saw its international prestige greatly rise with hosting the Olympics in 1988. Roh pursued a policy of normalizing relations with China and the Soviet Union, but had to face militant left-wing student groups who demanded reunification with North Korea and the withdrawal of US troops.
  • In the Philippines, after almost 20 years of dictatorship, Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos left the presidency and was replaced by Corazon Aquino through the "People Power Revolution" from February 22 to 25, 1986. This has been considered by some a peaceful revolution despite the fact that the Armed Forces of the Philippines issued an order to disperse the crowds on EDSA (the main thoroughfare in Metro Manila).
  • Democratization in South Korea and Taiwan, having lasted 42 and 27 years under the authoritarian regime since the end of World War II and the Korean War (including the lifting of martial law in Taiwan and the first direct presidential elections in South Korea).
  • The 1988 Summer Olympics were held in South Korea, the first time the country hosted them.

Assassinations and attempts

Ronald Reagan
Anwar Sadat

Prominent assassinations, targeted killings, and assassination attempts include:

Date Description
April 12, 1980
Americo-Liberian rule in Liberia.[11]
March 30, 1981 Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States, was shot in Washington, D.C. by a mentally disturbed individual. Reagan's press secretary, James Brady, was also shot, along with a police officer and a U.S. Secret Service agent.[12]
May 13, 1981
Saint Peter's Square.[13]
August 30, 1981
People's Mujahedin of Iran, though others allege the bombing was orchestrated by political rivals within the Islamic Republican Party.[14][15]
October 6, 1981 Anwar Sadat, 3rd President of Egypt, is assassinated at a military parade in Cairo.[16]
August 21, 1983 Benigno Aquino Jr., a longtime political opponent of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos, is killed after landing in the Philippines after three years of self-imposed exile.[17]
October 12, 1984
Deputy Chief Whip.[18]
October 31, 1984
Sikh Militant stronghold in Amritsar earlier in the decade.[19]
February 28, 1986 Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated while walking home from a cinema in Stockholm.[20]
October 15, 1987 Thomas Sankara, 1st President of Burkina Faso, is assassinated in a coup organized by his former colleague, Blaise Compaoré.[21]

Disasters

Natural disasters

1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens

Non-natural disasters

The space shuttle Challenger disintegrates on January 28, 1986
  • On November 28, 1987, a fire broke out on South African Airways Flight 295, eventually causing the aircraft to crash into the Indian Ocean. All 159 aboard were killed.
  • On December 7, 1987, 43 people were killed when an irate former USAir employee went on a rampage aboard PSA Flight 1771.
  • On December 20, 1987, the Philippine passenger ferry MV Doña Paz burned and sank after colliding with the oil tanker MT Vector. With an estimated death toll of over 4,000, this was and remains the world's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.
  • On July 3, 1988, Iran Air Flight 655 was shot down by the U.S. missile cruiser USS Vincennes over the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 people on the plane. The event is one of the most controversial aviation occurrences of all time, with the true cause disputed between the Americans and the Iranians.
  • On December 21, 1988, an American passenger 747 airliner en route from Frankfurt to Detroit (via London and New York) Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a bomb while it was flying over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing the 259 passengers and crew members on board and 11 people on the ground. This was the worst terrorist attack to have occurred on British soil.
  • On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound spilling an estimated equivalent of 260,000 to 750,000 barrels of crude oil. Although not among the largest oil spills in history, its remote and sensitive location made it one of the most devastating ecological disasters ever. The after effects of the spill continue to be felt to this day.
  • On April 15, 1989, The Hillsborough disaster occurs during a FA Cup Semi-Final in Sheffield, England fatally crushing 96 football fans and injuring nearly 1,000 more.
  • On July 19, 1989, United Airlines Flight 232, carrying 296 people, suffered an in-flight engine failure and was forced to crash-land at Sioux City, Iowa. 185 survived, while 111 were killed when the plane burst into flames upon touchdown.

Science and technology

Main article: 1980s in science and technology

Medicine and biology

The 1980s had many fundamental advances in medicine and biology. The first

surrogate pregnancy of an unrelated child took place on April 13, 1986, in Michigan.[6] The first genetically modified crops, tobacco (Nicotiana) plants were grown in China in 1988.[22]

gene tagging and gene therapy
to become a possibility, both of which were first performed in human beings in May 1989 and September 1990, respectively.

Electronics and computers

Donkey Kong, released in 1981, was a smash arcade hit and market breakthrough for Nintendo. Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, and the Mega Man
series would become major hits for the console.

The

mouse,[23] which started to become general features in computers after the middle of the decade. Electronics and computers were also at the forefront of the advertising industry, with many commercials like "1984" from Apple achieving acclaim and pop-culture relevance.[24]

Walkman and boomboxes, invented during the late 1970s, became very popular as they were introduced to various countries in the early 1980s, and had a profound impact on the music industry and youth culture. Consumer VCRs and video rental stores became commonplace as VHS won out over the competing Betamax standard. In addition, in the early 1980s various companies began selling compact, modestly priced synthesizers to the public. This, along with the development of Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), made it easier to integrate and synchronize synthesizers and other electronic instruments, like drum machines, for use in musical composition.

High definition television (HDTV) of both the analog and digital variety were first developed in the 1980s though their use did not become widespread until the mid-2000s.

In 1981, Hayes Microcomputer Products started selling the Smartmodem. The Smartmodem paved the way for the modern modems that exist today, mainly because it was the first modem to transform what had previously required a two-stage process into a process involving only one stage. The Smartmodem contributed to the rise in popularity of BBS systems in the 1980s and early 1990s, which were the main way to connect to remote computers and perform various social and entertainment activities before the Internet and the World Wide Web finally became popular in the mid-1990s.

  • In 1984, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X becomes the first commercially available mobile phone model
    In 1984, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X becomes the first commercially available mobile phone model
  • During the decade the standardization of Group 3 facsimile terminals by the International Telecommunication Union contributed to the significant spread of the fax machine.
    During the decade the standardization of Group 3 facsimile terminals by the International Telecommunication Union contributed to the significant spread of the fax machine.
  • VHS won out over the competing Betamax standard, becoming the leading standard in home video systems
    VHS won out over the competing Betamax standard, becoming the leading standard in home video systems
  • Hayes's Smartmodem
    Hayes's Smartmodem

Information technology

  • During the decade Microsoft released the operating systems MS-DOS (1981), Windows 1.0 (1985), and Windows 2.0 (1987).
  • The
    CD - the most basic CD ("Digital Audio Compact Disc") was released in October 1982 for distribution and listening to digital audio
    , and at the time contained up to 74 minutes of music.
  • TCP/IP on January 1, 1983, when the new protocols were activated. The TCP/IP protocol will become the dominant communications protocol from then onwards, and would be used as the foundation on which the Internet
    would be based.
  • The GNU Project (1983). The Free Software Foundation (1985).
  • FidoNet - In 1984, FidoNet was launched, enabling BBS users to send private messages (e-mails) and public messages (in the forum) between all BBS systems that were connected to the FidoNet network, in addition to sending files to each other. The rise in popularity and availability of the Internet around the world around the mid-1990s eventually contributed to the irrelevance of FidoNet.
  • Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client and server via the internet. In the coming years Berners-Lee developed the system which would later become the foundation of the World Wide Web
    .
  • In 1981, Microsoft introduced the MS-DOS operating system, which would become the world's most widely used operating system in the 1980s and first half of the 1990s.
    In 1981, Microsoft introduced the MS-DOS operating system, which would become the world's most widely used operating system in the 1980s and first half of the 1990s.
  • The most basic CD was first introduced in October 1982 for the purpose of distribution and listening to digital audio
    The most basic
    CD
    was first introduced in October 1982 for the purpose of distribution and listening to digital audio
  • In 1989, the British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee first proposed the World Wide Web, which he would develop in the coming years
    In 1989, the British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee first proposed the World Wide Web, which he would develop in the coming years

Space exploration

The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981

American interplanetary probes continued in the 1980s, the Voyager duo being the most known. After making a flyby of Jupiter in 1979, they went near Saturn in 1980–1981. Voyager 2 reached Uranus in 1986 (just a few days before the Challenger disaster), and Neptune in 1989 before the probes exited the Solar System.

No American probes were launched to Mars in the 1980s, and the Viking probes, launched there in 1975, completed their operations by 1982. The Soviets launched two Mars probes in 1988, but they failed.

The arrival of Halley's Comet in 1986 was met by a series of Soviet, Japanese and European Space Agency (ESA) probes, namely Halley Armada.

After a six-year hiatus, American space flights with astronauts resumed with the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia in April 1981. The shuttle program progressed smoothly from there, with three more orbiters entering service in 1983–1985. But that all came to an end with the tragic loss of the Challenger (STS-51-L) on January 28, 1986, taking with it seven astronauts, including Christa McAuliffe, who was to have been the first teacher in space. In full view of the world, a faulty O-ring on the right solid rocket booster allowed hot gases to burn through the external fuel tank and cause it to explode, destroying the shuttle in the process. Extensive efforts were made to improve NASA's increasingly careless management practices, and to make the shuttle safer. Flights resumed with the launch of Discovery in September 1988.

The Soviet program with cosmonauts went well during the decade, experiencing only minor setbacks. The Salyut 6 space station, launched in 1977, was replaced by Salyut 7 in 1982. Then came Mir in 1986, which ended up operating for more than a decade, and was destined to be the last in the line of Soviet space stations that had begun in 1971. One of the Soviet Union's last "superprojects" was the Buran space shuttle; it was only used once, in 1988.

Automobiles

The American auto industry began in the 1980s in a thoroughly grim situation, faced with poor quality control, rising import competition, and a severe economic downturn.

Yugo
was brought to the US, but the car was so small and cheap, that it became the subject of jokes. It was sold up to 1991, when economic sanctions against Yugoslavia forced its withdrawal from the American market.

As the decade progressed, cars became smaller and more efficient in design. In 1983, Ford design teams began to incorporate aerodynamic styling to decrease drag while in motion. The Thunderbird was one of the first cars to receive these design changes. In 1985, Ford released the Taurus with a design that was revolutionary among domestic mass market automobiles.

General Motors began suffering significant losses in the late 1980s, partially the result of chairman Roger Smith's restructuring attempts, and partially because of increasingly dated cars. An example were customers who increasingly purchased European luxury cars rather than Cadillacs. In 1985, GM started Saturn (the first new American make since the Edsel), with the goal of producing high-quality import fighters. Production would not begin until 1990.

Chrysler introduced its new compact, front-wheel drive K-cars in 1981. Under the leadership of Lee Iacocca, the company turned a profit again the following year, and by 1983 paid off its government loans. A succession of models using this automobile platform followed. The most significant were the minivans in 1984. These proved a to be popular and they would dominate the van market for more than a decade. In 1987, Chrysler purchased the Italian makes of Lamborghini and Maserati. In the same year, Chrysler bought AMC from Renault laying to rest the last significant independent U.S. automaker, but acquiring the hugely profitable Jeep line and continuing the Eagle brand until the late 1990s.[29]

The

Back to the Future film trilogy
.

The imposition of CAFE fuel-mileage standards in 1979 spelled the end of big-block engines, but performance cars and convertibles reemerged in the 1980s. Turbochargers were widely used to boost the performance of small cars, and technology from

carburetors
by the late 1980s. Front-wheel drive also became dominant.

The Eighties marked the decline of European brands in North America by the end of the decade.

Fiat
also ceased imports to North America in the Eighties.

Economics

Popular culture

Music

Main article: 1980s in music
Duran Duran
Michael
Madonna
Duran Duran (top), Michael Jackson (bottom left) and Madonna (bottom right) were among the best-selling musical talents of the decade, all considered some of the most globally popular and culturally significant pop and R&B talents of the 1980s, pictured here in 1983, 1988 and 1985 respectively.
American rock band Chicago was known for several singles that achieved chart success in the 1980s, including "Hard to Say I'm Sorry", "Stay the Night", "You're the Inspiration", "Hard Habit to Break", "Along Comes a Woman", "Will You Still Love Me?", "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love", and "Look Away".

In the United States,

synthpop were developed by many British and American artists, and became popular phenomena throughout the decade, especially in the early and mid-1980s. Music grew fragmented and combined into subgenres such as house, goth, and rap metal.[33]

The advent of numerous new technologies had a significant impact on 1980s music, and led to a distinct production aesthetic that included synthesizer sounds, drum machines and drum reverb.

Princess Diana's favorite band. In 1982, they released their world famous, omnipresent Rio which ignited a global craze. Their catchy flagship song from the album, Hungry Like the Wolf, reached number 1 in Canada, number 3 in the United States, number 4 in Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa and number 5 in the United Kingdom and Australia. It won a Grammy Award in 1984. The title track was another mega hit song that was issued worldwide in October 1982 and became a Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart. As of October 2021, "Rio" was the third most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK. By 1985, the musical band stood on top of the world as absolute conquerors of music and music video. They were the darlings of MTV and the center of female teen fan's attention. In that same year, the A View to a Kill theme song to the same-titled James Bond movie reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and it remains the only Bond theme to achieve this chart placing. Their massive appeal was widespread on a worldwide scale in music, video and fashion. Their influence was so intense that they helped shape how music was defined throughout the 80s decade. They extensively toured the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, Mexico, South America, Japan and other parts of Asia. Highly stylized videos showcasing their other mega hit songs like, Planet Earth, New Moon on Monday, The Wild Boys, Save a Prayer and Notorious
made Duran Duran a popular household name.

American Music Awards in 1984, and the honor of "Artist of the Decade" by U.S. President George H.W. Bush.
Jackson was arguably the biggest star during this time, and would eventually sell more than one billion records around the world.

Grammy Awards
.

The '80s were above all a time of international

Cassettes made private music portable—and public. Compact discs
inflated profitability as they faded into the background of busy lives.

—Robert Christgau in Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s (1990)[34]

keyboard synthesizer and drum machine were among the most popular instruments in music during the 1980s, especially in new wave music
. After the 1980s, electronic instruments continued to be the main component of mainstream pop.

Poison, Europe, Megadeth, Slayer, Sepultura, Exodus, Anthrax, Overkill, Testament, Pantera (then-a glam metal band) and virtuoso guitarists such as Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen. The scene also helped 1970s hard rock artists such as AC/DC, Heart, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Blue Öyster Cult, Deep Purple, Queen, Van Halen, KISS, Ronnie James Dio, Rush and Judas Priest
reach a new generation of fans.

The 1980s were also known for song parodies becoming more mainstream, a trend led by parodic musician

Queen
).

By 1989, the

The Sugar Hill Gang
and others experienced success in this genre.

The A-side vinyl press of "Drive" by The Cars. One of the band's most popular singles, it peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.

Statler Brothers
; also continued to score hits throughout the decade.

The techno style of electronic dance music emerged in Detroit, Michigan, during the mid- to late 1980s. The house music style, another form of electronic dance music, emerged in Chicago, Illinois, in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino and gay communities, first in Chicago, then in New York City and Detroit. It eventually reached Europe before becoming infused in mainstream pop and dance music worldwide.

D.I.Y approach. Bands like the Pixies, R.E.M., The Replacements, Sonic Youth, XTC, The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen, Hüsker Dü, The Stone Roses, The Jesus and Mary Chain etc. experienced success in this genre. The 1980s also saw the birth of the grunge genre, with the arrival of such bands as Soundgarden, Green River, Melvins, Screaming Trees, Malfunkshun, Skin Yard, The U-Men, Blood Circus, Nirvana, Tad, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone and Alice in Chains (the latter of whom formed in 1987, but did not release their first album
until three years later).

JFK Stadium
in 1985

Several notable musical artists died of unnatural causes in the 1980s:

shot dead by his father at his home in Los Angeles on April 1, 1984, one day before what would've been his 45th birthday; Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads died in an airplane crash on March 19, 1982; Karen Carpenter died from heart failure caused by her anorexia condition on February 4, 1983; Metallica bassist Cliff Burton was killed in a bus accident in Sweden on September 27, 1986; and lastly, Andy Gibb died in 1988 as a result of myocarditis
.

In 1984, the British supergroup

famine
.

Film

Main article: 1980s in film
The highest-grossing film of the decade was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Critically acclaimed films

The film industry

The 1980s saw the return of studio-driven films, coming from the filmmaker-driven New Hollywood era of the 1970s.[36] The period was when 'high concept' films gained popularity, where movies were to be easily marketable and understandable, and, therefore, they had short cinematic plots that could be summarized in one or two sentences. The modern Hollywood blockbuster is the most popular film format from the 1980s. Producer Don Simpson[37] is usually credited with the creation of the high-concept picture of the modern Hollywood blockbuster. In the mid-1980s, a wave of British directors, including Ridley Scott, Alan Parker, Adrian Lyne and Tony Scott (with the latter directing a number of Don Simpson films) ushered in a new era of blockbusters using the crowd-pleasing skills they had honed in UK television commercials.[38]

A significant development in the home media business is the establishment of The Criterion Collection in 1984, an American company "dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality". Through their releases, they were able to introduce what is now a standard to home video: letterboxing to retain the original aspect ratio, film commentaries and supplements/special features.[39][40]

Live-action films

Action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger rose to international fame this decade with The Terminator
(1984)

The 1980s also saw the golden age of "

Brat Pack films, many of which were directed by John Hughes. Films such as Class, The Breakfast Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mannequin, Porky's, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, St. Elmo's Fire, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, and Valley Girl were popular teen comedies of the era and launched the careers of several major celebrities such as: Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage and Michael J. Fox. Other popular films included About Last Night..., Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Dirty Dancing, Flashdance, Footloose, Raging Bull and St. Elmo's Fire which also launched the careers of high-profile celebrities like Demi Moore, Joe Pesci, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Bacon, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, and River Phoenix
.

Horror films were a popular genre during the decade, with several notable horror franchises being born during the 1980s. Among the most popular were the

Poltergeist franchises. The Shining although a popular film from 1980 decades later, it was initially met with mixed reviews from critics and even the author of the book, and was moderately successful financially. Aside from these films, the concept of the B horror film gave rise to a plethora of horror films that went on to earn a cult status. An example of such is the 1981 film The Evil Dead, which marked the directorial debut of Sam Raimi. Comedy horror films such as Beetlejuice and Gremlins
also gained cult status.

Several action film franchises were also introduced during the 1980s. The most popular of these were the

Rambo franchises. Other action films from the decade which are of notable status include The Terminator, Aliens, Escape from New York, Red Dawn, Predator, and RoboCop. These films propelled the careers of modern celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver, Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Charlie Sheen to international recognition. On the other side of the globe, Hong Kong action cinema and martial arts films were being revolutionized by a new wave of inventive filmmakers that include Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Tsui Hark, and John Woo, while the American martial arts film movement was being led by actors like Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal
.

Five more

Licence To Kill
.

Animated films

Although

All Dogs Go To Heaven. At the same time, the Disney studio wasn't having good times and almost bankrupted after The Black Cauldron bombed at the box office. However, in later years, they slowly recovered with the modest success of Ron Clements and John Musker directed The Great Mouse Detective, the live-action animated hybrid Robert Zemeckis directed Who Framed Roger Rabbit co-produced with Steven Spielberg, and eventually regained public confidence following the release of The Little Mermaid. Other animated films from the decade also gained notable status: Films based on popular works include Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!), Heavy Metal, The Adventures of Mark Twain, The Care Bears Movie, The Transformers: The Movie, The Chipmunk Adventure and Daffy Duck's Quackbusters; while original films include The Last Unicorn, The Plague Dogs, Rock & Rule, Fire and Ice, The Brave Little Toaster and The BFG
.

The 1980s also saw a surge of Japanese anime films: Hayao Miyazaki's The Castle of Cagliostro and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind were extremely successful enough to lead the foundation of Studio Ghibli which would then produce several successful films of the decade including Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies and Kiki's Delivery Service. Other well-known anime films of that decade include Golgo 13: The Professional, Macross: Do You Remember Love?, Lensman, Vampire Hunter D, Akira, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland and the Urusei Yatsura film series. Additionally, the first-ever theatrical animated franchise: the Doraemon film series (based on the anime and manga series of the same name) began in 1980 with the release of Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur.

Television

Main article:
1980s in television

Music video channel MTV was launched in the United States in 1981 and had a profound impact on the music industry and popular culture further ahead, especially during its early run in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The 1980s was a decade of transformation in television. Cable television became more accessible and therefore, more popular. By the middle of the decade, almost 70% of the U.S. population had cable television and over 85% were paying for cable services such as HBO or Showtime.[41] People who lived in rural areas where cable TV service was not available could still access cable channels through a large (and expensive) satellite dish, which, by the mid-1990s, was phased out in favor of the small rooftop dishes that offer DirecTV and Dish Network services.

The 1980s also saw the debut of

prime-time soap operas such as Dallas, its spin-off Knots Landing, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, EastEnders and Neighbours
.

In 1980, the original anime television series Astro Boy.

During the 1980s, police procedural television series The Bill, stop-motion animated television series Pingu, Postman Pat, Fireman Sam and Bertha, and sitcoms were also becoming popular, including Bosom Buddies, Family Ties, Cheers, Newhart, Too Close for Comfort, The Cosby Show, Night Court, Full House and Married... with Children, which was the first show to hit the Fox airwaves on launch in 1987.

In 1984, Britt Allcroft and Rev W. Awdry original television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.

In 1985, two sitcoms premiered on the same day: The Golden Girls, starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, which lasted for seven seasons and was also the first comedy ever to feature four older women in title TV roles, and 227, which was originally the sitcom vehicle for Marla Gibbs, who previously starred in The Jeffersons, and which also launched Jackée Harry's career. Sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live experienced turbulence for much of the 1980s, however, it propelled the successful careers of cast members like Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Martin Short, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

The year 1986 marked the debut of the

Clarence Gilyard Jr. and Daniel Roebuck
.

TV talk shows expanded in popularity; The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson remained popular into its third decade, and some of the most viewed newer shows were hosted by Geraldo Rivera, Arsenio Hall and David Letterman.[43]

TV documentary shows of the 1980s that were popular included

Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days, Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack, and Rescue 911 with William Shatner
.

On July 29, 1981, The Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer was watched by a television audience of an estimated 750 million people from around the world.

Scandal rocked TV evangelism when in 1987 evangelist

prostitute
.

The 1980s also was prominent for spawning several popular animated shows such as

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, DuckTales, Dennis the Menace, M.A.S.K., The Telebugs, Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, The Littles, Garfield and Friends, as well as earliest The Simpsons shorts which aired on The Tracey Ullman Show, and original animated television series The Simpsons
.

In 1988, the original anime television series Wowser.

In 1989, the original television series Tugs and stop-motion animated series Wallace and Gromit.

Sports

Bird
Magic
Larry Bird (left) and Magic Johnson, the two most popular NBA players of the 1980s.[44]

Video gaming

See also:
1980s in video gaming

Popular video games include:

Donkey Kong, Frogger, Digger, and Tetris
. Pac-Man was the first game to achieve widespread popularity in mainstream culture and the first game character to be popular in his own right.

Handheld electronic LCD games was introduced into the youth market segment. The primary gaming computers of the 1980s emerged in 1982: the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.

Mega Drive/Genesis
, in 1988 in Japan and in North America in 1989. In 1989, Nintendo released the Game Boy, a monochrome handheld console.

  • The game Pac-Man (1980) became immensely popular and an icon of 1980s popular culture
    The game Pac-Man (1980) became immensely popular and an icon of 1980s popular culture
  • The popular 1980s arcade game Donkey Kong
    The popular 1980s arcade game
    Donkey Kong
  • Game & Watch was the popular mobile game during the decade until it was replaced in the early 1990s with more advanced Game Boy.
    Game & Watch was the popular mobile game during the decade until it was replaced in the early 1990s with more advanced Game Boy.

Fashion

Main article: 1980s in fashion
A German couple in 1985.

The beginning of the decade saw the continuation of the clothing styles of the late 1970s and evolved into heavy metal fashion by the end. However, fashion became more extravagant during the 1980s. The 1980s included teased and colourfully-dyed hair, ripped jeans, neon clothing and many colours and different designs which at first were not accepted.

Significant hairstyle trends of the 1980s include the perm, the mullet, the Jheri curl, the hi-top fade, and big hair.

Significant clothing trends of the 1980s include

aviator jackets, jumpsuits, Members Only jackets, skin-tight acid-washed jeans, Izod Lacoste and "preppy" polo shirts, leggings and leg warmers (popularized in the film Flashdance
), off-the-shoulder shirts, and cut sweatshirts (popularized in the same film).

Miniskirts returned to mainstream fashion in the mid-1980s after a ten-year absence, mostly made of denim material. From that point on, miniskirts and minidresses have remained in mainstream fashion to this day.

Makeup on the 1980s was aggressive, shining and colourful. Women emphasised their lips, eyebrows and cheeks with makeup. They used much blush and eyeliner.

Additional trends of the 1980s include athletic

Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses (popularized in the film Top Gun), Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses (popularized in the films Risky Business and The Blues Brothers and the TV series Miami Vice), Swatch watches, and the Rubik's Cube (became a popular fad throughout the decade). Girls and women also wore jelly shoes, large crucifix necklaces, and brassieres all inspired by Madonna's "Like a Virgin
" music video.

  • Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins in 1986 with the trendy Big hair style achieved with liberal applications of mousse and hairspray
    Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins in 1986 with the trendy Big hair style achieved with liberal applications of mousse
    and hairspray
  • Ray-Ban sunglasses
    Ray-Ban sunglasses
  • Rubik's Cube was a popular toy during the decade
    Rubik's Cube was a popular toy during the decade
  • Trendy 1980s pleated acid-washed jeans
    Trendy 1980s pleated acid-washed jeans
  • Globally popular musician and actress Cher was a prominent fashion icon of the era
    Globally popular musician and actress Cher was a prominent fashion icon of the era
  • Journalist Lucy Morgan holding one of the very first brick mobile phones, as well as a 1980s video camera
    Journalist Lucy Morgan holding one of the very first brick mobile phones, as well as a 1980s video camera
  • In the 1980s, Care Bears were popular for children and seen on greeting cards, clothing items, accessories and other merchandise.
    In the 1980s, Care Bears were popular for children and seen on greeting cards, clothing items, accessories and other merchandise.
  • Heavy metal fashion emerged in the 1980s, inspired by bands like Metallica and Mournblade (pictured).
    Heavy metal fashion emerged in the 1980s, inspired by bands like Metallica and Mournblade (pictured).

Additional significant events

People

Actors and entertainers

Athletes

Musicians

See also

Timeline

The following articles contain brief timelines which list the most prominent events of the decade:

1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989

References

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Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1980s.
  • Batchelor, Bob, and Scott F. Stoddart. The 1980s (American Popular Culture Through History) (2006) excerpt and text search
  • Grant, James. Money of the Mind: How the 1980s Got That Way (1994) excerpt and text search
  • Grimes, William. ed. The New York Times The Times of the Eighties The Culture, Politics, and Personalities that Shaped the Decade (2013)
  • New York Times. New York Times Film Reviews: Best Picture Picks from the 1980s by The New York Times (2013) excerpt and text search
  • Sirota, David. Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live in Now—Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Everything (2011) excerpt and text search
  • Stanfill, Sonnet. 80s Fashion: From Club to Catwalk (2013), 160pp
  • Stewart, Graham. Bang! A History of Britain in the 1980s (2013) excerpt and text search
  • Turner, Alwyn. Rejoice, Rejoice!: Britain in the 1980s (2010)
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