DECADES PROJECT
(1980s)
By
Chris Caldwell
Period 4
• Ronald Reagan
• 40th US President
Ronald Reagan was born on February
6,1911 in Tampico, Illinois. Before
becoming the 40th US president Ronald
Reagan had a 7-year acting contract with
warner brother and appeared in over 50
films (Ronald). Reagan took office in the
year 1981 winning the campaign race
against Jimmy Carter 489 electoral votes
to 49. Shortly after his election, Reagan
was shot by what appeared to be an
assassination attempt by John Hinckley
Jr. After being shot the president did not
die and resumed his term in that later
year. President Reagan was mostly
known for redefining the purpose of
government and pressuring the Soviet
Union to end the Cold War.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjW
DrTXMgF8
Key Political Figures
In the 1980s the fads and trends all revolved around two things,
video games and fashion. The major video games console were
the Nintendo and Atari. Both consoles were hand held, but what
set the Nintendo apart from the Atari was the fact it came with
came cartridges and not preset games on it. The major fashion
statements revolved around bright and vibrant colors, for
women the wore “shoulder pads”, leg warmers and mini skirts.
For guys it consisted of loose baggy clothing, Parachute pants
and hoop `aqs`1 usually worn on the right ear lobe.
Fads and Trends
The most important speeches was the speech
Reagan Speech where he used the famous quote
“Tear Down the Wall” where Reagan had
referred to the Berlin wall and not having the
boundaries. This speech led to the end of the
Cold War and all the missile threats that had
been going around.
Quotes and Famous
Speeches
Mr. T was on the television show the A team where he was
known as being the big enforces with his gold chains and
hoop earings. The body guard was know for the saying “I
pitty the fool”.
Billy Cosby the loving father or an African American house
hold in the hit serious The Cosby Show. Bill was the Doctor father who
always had advice for everything and used his amazing humor to show
why his advice was correct instead of punishment.
Denzel Washington, one of the greatest actors of all time started the
prime of his career in the 80s with star movies such as Glory, Cry
Freedom, and License to Kill here he showed the acting world he was
more than a simple actor and could play multiple roles but is mostly
known for that “serious” appeal
Entertainers
Eddie Murphy was known for being the comedian type of actor
Could always keep the audience laughing is what he was best at. In the
80s the movies he was known for were Beverly hills cop, and Coming to
America.
Steven Spielberg was one of the greatest directs of all time making
magical movies such as Indiana Jones, The Color Purple, and most of all
E.T where he shows how love can over power anything else even having
a great friendship with an alien.
Al Pacino was famously know for Scarface where
he played the role of a powerful drug lord who
cant trust anyone and ends up killing everybody
who he believes betrayed him
Entertainers
Music
NWA (Niggaz with attitude)
was a group that had lyrics
that expoided women refered
to drugs and told a story about
life in the “hood” how they
had to express themselves to
survive this treacherous
lifestyle and with these
powerful lyrics they were
banned from the radio, but
also called one of the best rap
groups of all time.
Michael Jackson, the king of
pop had the best dance
moves of all singers in the
day and age and the creator
of the world famous “moon
walk”. He had the voice of
an angel and was one of the
very few men who could hit
notes as high as he could.
Simply a legend and will
always be the kind of pop.
http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=5X-Mrc2l1d0
Run DMC was the group
known for their hot
instrumental beats behind the
lyrics in which they used a
lot of metaphors related to
how much they loved their
group, family, and simply rap
in general. Changing the rap
game with their positive
lyrics they also branded the
clothing Adidas with the
jumpsuits, shoes, and hats.
The 1980s
game of basketball was changed
when the Los Angeles Lakers drafted
a 6”9 point guard with the first
overall pick and this was unheard of
before the time. It was the beginning
of a dynasty. Magic Johnson lead the
Lakers to 5 NBA championships in
10 years breaking may records such
as triple doubles, rebounds for a
point guard, and most points in a
game for a point guard.
Sports
The greatest player of all time Michael
Jordan Began his career in the 80s where
he become known as the best to ever
pick up a ball. A miracle story as how he
didn’t even make his high school
basketball team but practiced hard and
made it further than anyone else
breaking multiple scoring record and
winning 6 NBA championship rings
(most ever). Winning NBA dunk
competitions as well and being the first
to jump from the free-throw line “he
really believes he can fly”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79MQ4_r7
QZM
Sports
Jerry Rice and Joe Montana were the duo of the decade winning 4 super bowl
championships out of 6 appearances these guys were more then friends on and
off the field there was a connection with them that no corner back or safety in
the NFL could withstand and hold. Breaking records together such as most
touchdowns, most yards, most completions, and completion yards. Every team
that faced the 49s knew there was a threat that couldn’t be stopped and they
kept that going until retirement.
Breakthroughs in medicine and technology occurred in the
80’s, including some of the most popular consumer products
today. Baruch Blumberg was the scientist who discovered the
vaccination for hepatitis-B in 1980, saving many from this
deadly disease. Other breakthroughs in medicine include the
invention of synthetic skin by G. Gregory Gallico, III in
1986, and the invention of Prozac (an anti-depressant) at the
Eli Lilly Company by Ray Fuller in 1988. Along with
medical inventions of the 80’s include the great inventions in
technology. In 1981, the first demonstration of HighDefinition Television occurred.. Then in 1984, the “Apple
Lisa”, a personal computer, was invented by Apple who later
invented the “Apple Macintosh” in 1984. Microsoft produced
the first line of Windows products in 1985, and in 1988,
digital cell phones were invented. (Bellis)
Scientists & Inventors
The song, “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the
Furious Five was first prominent hip-hop song to
provide a lyrical social commentary. It is a social
narrative that details the struggles and difficulties due to
living in poverty in the inner-city. In addition, it
embodies the distress, anger, and sadness an individual
has towards society. Songs like “The Message” inspired
street art like graffiti, ultimately becoming more
common in cities. The art form of graffiti in the 80’s
represented political expression and how citizens felt
towards the government and society. Famous graffiti
artists of the time include figures such as Dondi who
influenced the future of graffiti writers. (Arhontidis)
Artists & movements
Popular books of the decade included The Restaurant at
the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams (1980), The
Scarman Report – The Brixton Disorders by Lord
Scarman (1981), and The Color Purple by Alice Walker
(1982). The Restaurant at the End of the Universe was the
talk of the beginning of the decade because it was the
second book in the series of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy which included some social satire. The Scarman
Report – The Brixton Disorders is based off of Scarman’s
investigation as to why Brixton went up in flames one
weekend in April of 1981, and it depicts a vivid image of a
new community coming into existence . The Color
Purple ended up becoming a very significant book of its
time due to the controversial topics of domestic violence,
how oppressed individuals can unite as one to overcome
their oppressors, and the idea of feminism and how a
women should value what she can become. (McSmith)
Significant books
The 1980s came with major wins and losses over the decade. The
eruption of Mt. St. Helens on May 18, 1980 was the worst volcanic
disaster in the history of the United States. On December 8, 1980,
musical legend John Lennon was shot and killed outside of his
home in New York City by Mark David Chapman. The first
woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court was Sandra Day
O’Connor on July 7, 1981. Michael Jackson’s acclaimed album
Thriller was released on November 6, 1982. Sally Ride becomes
the first American woman in space in 1983. On January 28, 1986,
the space shuttle’s Challenger exploded 73 seconds after take-off,
killing all 7 passengers on board. At 1:23 am on April 26th, 1986,
the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred, killing
31 at the time. On on December 21, 1988 at 7:03 pm, Pan Am
Flight 103, a London to New York flight, exploded over Lockerbie,
Scotland, killing a total of 270 people. In the evening of November
9, 1989, the Berlin Wall finally fell, making Germany into a whole
country again. (Rosenberg)
Historical events
On April 26, 1980, American troops gave an
unsuccessful attempt to rescue over 60 American
hostages being held in Tehran. After this failed attempt
and Ronald Reagan took office, Reagan launched the
largest peacetime defense build-up in the United State’s
history. During the early 1980s, the United States
deployed troops twice to Lebanon to deal with the fallout from the Israeli invasion. On October 23, 1983, a
truck bomb exploded at the vulnerable marine
headquarters, killing 241 marines -the largest loss of
life in a military operation since Vietnam. The invasion
of Panama in December 1989 involved 27, 000 U.S.
troops, the largest American military operation since
Vietnam. Named, “Operation Just Cause”, U.S. troops
goal was to protect the Panama canal and the lives of
35,000 Americans in Panama. The surprise attack on
Panama overwhelmed the Panamanian defense forces,
and resulted in the capture of their leader, Manuel
Noriega. (PBS)
Military conflicts