1981
remember when...
‘In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.’
1981 Chevrolet Camaro
Ronald Reagan 40th U.S. President Served Jan. 20, 1981 – Jan. 20, 1989
COST OF LIVING
hostages. Iran releases 52 American
George H.W. Bush
43rd U.S. Vice President Served Jan. 20, 1981 – Jan. 20, 1989
World events
• Iran releases 52 Americans held for 444 days within minutes of Ronald Reagan succeeding Jimmy Carter as the 40th president of the United States on Jan. 20, ending the Iran hostage crisis. • A powerful, magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Athens on Feb. 24, killing 22 people, injuring 400 and destroying several buildings and 4,000 houses. • Pope John Paul II is shot and nearly
killed May 13 by Mehmet Ali Ağca, a Turkish gunman who is allegedly on orders from the Soviet KGB to shoot him, as he enters St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City to address a general audience. • The Israeli Air Force destroys Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor June 7, killing 10 Iraqi troops and a French technician. • Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is assassinated Oct. 6 during a parade by army members who belong to the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Vice President Hosni Mubarak will be elected president a week later.
U.S. News
• President Reagan is shot in the chest
Simon & Garfunkel perform the Concert in Central Park.
outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John Hinckley, Jr. on March 30. Two police officers and Press Secretary James Brady are also wounded. • Air U.S. Flight 716, from Denver to Gillette, Wyo., collides with a Cessna airplane carrying parachutists April 17. All 13 persons on the airliner were killed, and two of the skydivers died. The rest of the group parachuted to safety. • A jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selects Maya Lin’s design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from 1,421 other entries May 6. • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report June 5 that five homosexual men in Los Angeles have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems (the first recognized cases of AIDS). • The first game of paintball is played June 27 in Henniker, N.H. • President Rea-
1981 Porsche 911-SC
gan nominates the first woman, Sandra Day O’Connor, to the Supreme Court of the United States on July 7. • The first 24-hour video music channel MTV (Music Television) is launched Aug. 1. • Simon & Garfunkel perform The Concert in Central Park on Sept. 19, a free concert in New York in front of approximately half a million people. • Luke and Laura marry Nov. 16 on the U.S. soap opera “General Hospital.” It is the highest-rated hour in daytime television history. • President Reagan signs top secret National Security Decision Directive 17 on Nov. 23, authorizing the Central Intelligence Agency to recruit and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua. • Muhammad Ali loses to Trevor Berbick on Dec. 11 in his last-ever fight.
Technology
• The first DeLorean DMC-12, a stainless steel sports car with gull-wing doors, rolls off the production line in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland on Jan. 21. • Space Shuttle Columbia with NASA astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen launches April 12, returning to Earth on April 14. It is the first time a manned reusable spacecraft has returned from orbit. • The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter makes its first flight June 18 at Groom Lake (Area 51), NV. • Nintendo releases Donkey Kong on July 9, marking the first Donkey Kong title and Mario title arcade smash hit game. • The original Model 5150 IBM PC (with a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 processor) is released in the United States on Aug. 12 at a base price of $1,565. • The Boeing 767 airliner makes its first flight Sept. 26.
BORN THIS YEAR: Beyonce Knowles, singer, actress (Sept. 4). Above left: Eli Manning, football player (Jan. 3); Justin Timberlake, singer, actor (Jan. 31); Jessica Alba, actress (April 28); Serena Williams, tennis player (Sept. 26).
Movies
• Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior • Raiders of the Lost Ark • The Evil Dead • Friday the 13th Part 2 • Das Boot • An American Werewolf in London • Escape from New York • The Fox and the Hound • Clash of the Titans • Stripes • For Your Eyes Only • Porky’s
Music
• Income per year ... $21,050 • Minimum wage .......... $3.35 • New house ............ $78,200 • Rent ................................ $315 • New car...................... $5,743 • Gallon of gas ................ $1.25 • Dozen eggs .................... 90¢ • Gallon of milk . ............. $1.69 • Loaf of bread ................. 54¢ • First-class stamp ............ 18¢ • Movie ticket ................. $2.78
• “Bette Davis Eyes,” Kim Carnes • “Endless Love,” Diana Ross and Lionel Richie • “Lady,” Kenny Rodgers • “(Just Like) Starting Over,” John Lennon • “Jessie’s Girl,” Rick Springfield
• “Celebration,” Kool and The Gang • “Kiss On My List,” Hall and Oates • “I Love a Rainy Night,” Eddie Rabbitt • “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton • “Keep on Loving You,” REO Speedwagon
1981 DeLorian DMC-12 Oct. 15, 2015
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Oct. 15, 2015