- Every decade has its own big stories, involving everything from politics, to celebrities, to music royalty, to actual royalty. The 80s was no exception and had some massive stories throughout the decade.
We look back at a selection of the stories from the 1980s that may well bring back a lot of memories – how many can you remember, or have you only heard about them afterwards as you were too young at the time? How many stuck with you for years after and still stir those memories today?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments as always!
1. The Marriage Of Charles And Diana
One of the most famous weddings of all time, it was watched around the world by millions of people. On 29th July, 1981, Charles, Prince of Wales, married Diana, the lady who would go on to become by far the most recognisable and popular member of the royal family. We all know now how the marriage would turn out, but at the time it was a massive story that drew attention to us Brits from around the world.
2. John Lennon was shot
John Lennon, one of the founder members of the Beatles who co-wrote some of the most amazing songs ever written with fellow band member Paul McCartney, and went on to have some amazing hits of his own including Imagine and Woman, was tragically shot and killed. On 8th December, 1980, Lennon was shot in New York by Mark David Chapman and The World mourned.
3. Bob Marley lost his fight against cancer
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Another legend of music, Bob Marley sadly passed away after skin cancer spread to his vital organs and he lost the fight against the disease. Still classed as one of the greatest and most influential musicians of all time, Marley is well remembered for his music and for the character that he was.
4. Simon and Garfunkel reunited
After non performing together for over a decade after a major rift between the pair, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited to perform in New York’s Central Park in September 1981, where more than 500,000 people turned up to watch them perform – the atmosphere must have been electric!
5. John Belushi was taken far too soon
Considered one of the greatest comics of his time, and appearing in some amazing films such as Animal House and The Blues Brothers, John Belushi sadly passed away in 1982 when he died from a drugs overdose. He was considered a massive loss to the comedy and movie industries.
6. National Geographic had its most famous cover ever
In June 1985, the cover of National Geographic featured a young Afghan girl whose eyes were so deep and piercing that they affected people the world over and became an image that people would ever be able to forget.
7. The wreck of the Titanic was discovered
On 2nd September, 1985, American and French researchers discovered the wreck of The Titanic more than 12,000 feet down in the Atlantic Ocean. In spite of other reports, there was no car found with a dodgy hand-print next to a nude drawing!
8. The Gameboy took The World by storm
In April 1989, Nintendo released the Gameboy, the hand-held console that would go on to sell millions of units and make Tetris one of the best selling games of all time as a result – did you have one of the original Gameboys?
9. The Berlin Wall Came Down
After having been erected to seperate East and West Germany, the Berlin Wall was finally brought down in December 1989. In a moment that symbolised a sense of freedom and the hope of peace around the world, this was one of the most poignant moments of the 1980s and one that has really gone down in history.
10. The first ever PC’s were released
In 1981, IBM released its first ever Personal Computer, the 5150. Things have come on a long way since – the 5150 was considered extremely compact but weighed approx. 25 pounds – the best part of 2 stones!
11. Pacman became a household name
The classic video game inspired by a pizza with a missing slice (that’s true by the way!), saw more than 100,000 arcade units sold in its first 15 months of release, seeing it become a massive hit around the world. I always remember my brother completing Pacman and having to have sweat wiped from his brow for him as he could take his hands off the controller!
12. CDs came on to the market but would take a while to get a hold.
CDs were released far earlier than you think, being released initially in October 1982. At the time there were high costs involved, so CDs took several years to really take a hold on the market to rival vinyl and cassettes.
13. Edwina Currie destroyed her career and the sales of eggs!
I can’t believe this was 30 years ago this year! In December 1988, then Health Minister Edwina Currie stated that most eggs contain Salmonella led to a massive decline in the sales of eggs and people panicking about buying them. Currie lost her position because of this scandal and has never really been able to move out of its shadow since.
14. Michael Jackson released “Thriller”
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The biggest selling album of all time, Thriller was released in November 1982 to critical and commercial success, and is one of the most famous albums ever released. The self-styled Prince of Pop was already a household name know to millions and this simply cemented that status for him.
So how many of these stories do you remember? Where were you when the Berlin Wall started to come down? Do you remember Charles and Di tying the knot? Let us know in the comments as always!