John Lennon is killed by Mark David
Chapman
 Ronald Reagan is elected President
 New Video Games

› Pac Man
› Donkey Kong

Mt. Saint Helens erupts in Washington
› killing 60 people

CNN is launched
› the first all news network
 New
Wave or "soft punk"
› The Talking Heads
 "Take Me to the River"
 “Wild, Wild Life"
› Blondie
 "Heart of Glass"
 "Call Me"
 "One Way or Another"
 "Rapture"
 New
Wave or "soft punk"
› The Romantics
 "What I Like About You
 "Talking in Your Sleep"

New Shows
› "Bosom Buddies"
 Tom Hanks
› "Magnum p.i."
 Tom Selleck
 Top Shows
1. Dallas
2. 60 Minutes
3. The Dukes of
Hazzard
4. The Love Boat
5. Private Benjamin
1.
"The Shinning"
›
2.
3.
4.
"Friday the 13th"
"Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes
Back"
"Airplane"
›
5.
Jack Nicholson
Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen
"Caddyshack"
›
Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill
Murray
 The
Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, New
York
› "The Miracle on Ice"
 US defeats the USSR in hockey

The Summer Olympics, Moscow, USSR
› President Carter decides to boycott the
Olympics in protest of the Soviet invasion
of Afghanistan
 Many upset Americans

Steelers defeat Rams in Super Bowl XIV
› 31-19
Jesse Owens dies
 Phillies defeat Royals in the World Series
 Louisville wins 59-54 over UCLA for the
NCAA Men's Basketball title
 Los Angeles Lakers won 4 games to 2
over the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA
title

 A.I.D.S.
: June 5, 1981 first reported by
the Center for Disease Control
› First thought to only affect homosexuals
and intravenous drug users
 CDs
are introduced
› A BBC program played the BEE Gee's
album "Living Eyes" on the air from a disc
 Iran
released the US hostages
 Prince Charles (GB) marries Diana
Spencer
 First
Space Shuttle is launched
› Columbia: 4/12/1981
 Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat is
assassinated
 MTV
starts
› August 1, 1981
› "Video Killed the Radio Star" 1st video played
 by The Buggles
› "You'd Better Run" by Pat Benatar 2nd
 Styx
› "Too Much Time on My Hands"
› "The Best of Times"
 Sheena
Easton
› "Morning Train (9-5)"
› "For Your Eyes Only"
Styx
Sheena
Easton
 Rick
Springfield
› "Jesse's Girl"
 Rick
James
› "Super Freak"
 Duran
Duran
› "Girls on Film"
› "Rio"
› "Hungry Like the Wolf"
 The
Go-Gos
› "We Got the Beat"
› "Our Lips are Sealed"
 Lover Boy
› "Working for the Weekend"
› "When it's Over
 Hall and Oats
› "Private Eyes"
› "I Can't Go for That"
 Men at Work
› "Who Can it Be Now"
› "Down Under"
 Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
› "I Love Rock-n-Roll"
› "Crimson & Clover"
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Loverboy
Men at Work
1981 TV

New Shows
› “The Fall Guy”
›
›
›
›
 Lee Majors
“Hill Street Blues”
 Daniel J. Travanti
“The Greatest
American Hero”
 William Katt
 Connie Sellecca
“Dynasty”
“Falcon Crest”

Top 5 Shows
1. Dallas
2. 60 Minutes
3. The Jefferson's
4. Joanie Loves Chachi
Three's Company
5. Alice
1981 Movies
 “Raiders
of the Lost Ark”
› Indiana Jones searches for the Ark of the
Covenant
 Harrison Ford, Karen Allen
 “Stripes”
› Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs
decide to join the army for a bit of fun.
 Bill Murray & Harold Ramis
 “For
Your Eyes Only”
› Agent 007 is assigned to hunt for a lost British
encryption device
 Roger Moore
1981 Sports
 Super
Bowl XV: Raiders defeat Eagles
27-10
 Cleveland Browns “Red Right 88”
 Dodgers defeated the Yankees in the
World Series
 Indiana defeated North Carolina for
the NCAA Men’s Basketball title
 The Celtics defeated the Rockets to
win the NBA title.
 Great
Britain & Argentina go to war in
the Falkland Islands
 Actor John Belushi is found dead of a
drug overdose in a West Hollywood
hotel.
 The first artificial heart is implanted in
American Barney Clark.
 Automobile manufacturer John
DeLorean is arrested and charged
with possession of 59 pounds of
cocaine.
 Ozzy
Osbourne bites the head off a
live bat thrown at him during a
performance in Des Moines, Iowa. He
thought it was rubber.

The Motels
› “Only the Lonely”

Modern English
› “I Melt with You”

Asia
› “Heat of the Moment”
› “Only Time Will Tell”
John Cougar
› “Hurts So Good”
› “Jack and Diane”
 The Stray Cats
› “Rock This Town”
 R.E.M.
› “Everybody Hurts”
› “Stand”
 Prince
› “1999”
› “Little Red Corvette”


New Shows

Top Shows
› “Cheers”
1. 60 Minutes
› “Family Ties”
2. Dallas
 Michael J. Fox
› “Knight Rider”
 David Hasselhoff
› “Late Night with
David Letterman”
3. (tie) M*A*S*H
3. (tie) Magnum, P.I.
4. Dynasty
“Tron”: A hacker is literally abducted into
the world of a computer
 “Blade Runner”: Deckard, a blade
runner, has to track down and terminate
4 replicants who hijacked a ship
 “An Officer & A Gentleman”: A young
man must complete his work at a Navy
Flight school to become an aviator

› Richard Geer
Sally Ride becomes first American
woman in space, June 18th on the
Challenger
 Cabbage Patch kids are released.
 Camcorders are introduced.
 "Just Say No" is the new tool to combat
growing drug use in the US.


Def Leppard: “Pyromania”
› "Photograph”
› "Too Late for Love"
› "Rock of Ages“

Madonna: “Madonna”
› “Lucky Star”
› “Borderline”
› “Holiday”

Huey Lewis & the News: “Sports”
› “Heart of Rock-n-Roll”
› “Heart and Soul”
› “I Want a New Drug”
Huey Lewis
&
the News

Motown 25th Anniversary Show (7-27)
› Michael Jackson performs “Billy Jean” &
moonwalks for the 1st time

“Thriller” is released (7-26)
› #1 for 37 weeks
› #1 album of all time

Metallica: “Kill ’em All”
› 1st album

New Shows
› “The A Team”
 George Peppard
Dirk Benedict
Dwight Schultz
Mr. T
› “Hotel”
› “Scarecrow & Mrs.
King”

Top Shows
1. Dallas
2. 60 Minutes
3. Dynasty
4. The A-Team
5. Simon & Simon
“Scarface”: In 1980 Miami, a determined
Cuban immigrant takes over a drug
empire while succumbing to greed.
 “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi”: After
rescuing Han Solo from the palace of
Jabba the Hutt, the Rebels attempt to
destroy the Second Death Star
 “The Outsiders”: Rival gangs of teens
battle, & Johnny hides after killing a Socs
 “A Christmas Story”
 “Cujo”
