After a brief show trial, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena were summarily executed on December 25, 1989. The execution resulted in the demise of one of the last Stalinist administrations to emerge in Eastern Europe following WWII. The fall of governments in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the German Democratic … Read more
According to a publicly released British diplomatic cable, in 1989, at least 10,000 people were massacred during the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. This shocking event is one of the top political events in the 1980s. The paper was made public 28 years after the military clashed with students at a pro-democracy rally … Read more
Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos converged on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue from February 22 to 25, 1986, to protest President Ferdinand Marcos’ claim that he had won re-election against Corazon Aquino. This historical event is regarded as one of the most significant political occurrences of the 1980s. What is the People Power … Read more
A summit between the Soviet Union and the United States leaders was held. Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan come face to face in Geneva but reached no ground-breaking agreements. On the other hand, the encounter appeared to promise well for the future, as the two men engaged in lengthy, intimate conversations and … Read more
According to Professor Swaran Singh, Indira Gandhi, India’s Prime Minister, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. The killing prompted four days of rioting in which over 8,000 Indian Sikhs were killed in retaliation assaults. At the time, Professor Swaran Singh of Warwick Medical School was a trainee surgeon … Read more
Geraldine Anne Ferraro served in the United States House of Representatives as a lawyer. In 1984, she broke with convention by running for vice president with presidential candidate Walter Mondale. She was the first woman to run on a national ballot for a major political party, running for the Democratic Party. Her … Read more
Former senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr. was killed on the tarmac of the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983. His death was a watershed moment in Philippine history, motivating millions of people to take to the streets to oppose President Ferdinand Marcos’ regime, who would subsequently call for a tumultuous snap … Read more
The official narrative of Leonid Brezhnev’s death is that he died of abrupt heart arrest. Despite the Secretary General’s poor health, his untimely death has resulted in several misconceptions. And it’s no surprise: some of the circumstances surrounding Brezhnev’s death remain odd. His mysterious death is one of the top political events … Read more
Muslim radicals assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Al-Sadat during a military parade commemorating the 1973 Yom Kippur War against Israel on October 6, 1981. The CBS News Bureau in Cairo tries to make sense of contradictory reports on whether Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had dead in the hours after the shooting while Sadat … Read more
Argentina attacked the British foreign territory of the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982. Argentina had claimed sovereignty over the islands for many years, and the country’s governing military dictatorship did not believe Britain would try to reclaim them by force. Despite the enormous distance involved – the Falklands were 8,000 miles … Read more
After seven months and ten deaths, an Irish nationalist hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has been called off. Bobby Sands, the imprisoned Irish Republican Army or IRA leader who started the protest on March 1, 1981–the fifth anniversary of Britain’s “criminalization” of Irish political prisoners–was the first … Read more
Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed in the Supreme Court by President Reagan on August 19, 1981, thereby fulfilling his 1980 campaign pledge to nominate the first woman to the highest court in the United States. At the time of her nomination, the fifty-one-year-old O’Connor was a judge in the Arizona Court of … Read more
From November 4, 1979, and ended on January 20, 1981, the Iran hostage crisis was a severe diplomatic standoff between the U.S. and Iranian administrations. Iranian terrorists held 52 American citizens prisoner in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran for 444 days. The hostage crisis, which was sparked by anti-American sentiment following Iran’s … Read more
Representatives of Poland’s communist government gave in to the demands of striking shipyard workers in Gdansk on August 31, 1980. Lech Walesa, a former electrician, led the striking workers, who later formed Solidarity, the first autonomous labor organization to emerge from a Soviet bloc country. In September 1980, Solidarity was founded and … Read more
Ted Turner, the maverick television mogul, founded CNN as part of his Turner Broadcasting System, or TBS, despite industry experts telling him it couldn’t be done. On June 1, 1980, CNN debuted after four years of development, with a news program hosted by Dave Walker and Lois Hart, a husband-and-wife combination. The … Read more
The Iran-Contra Affair was a covert US arms deal that swapped missiles and other weapons to release sure Americans held captive in Lebanon by terrorists and utilized monies from the arms sale to finance military struggle in Nicaragua. The contentious deal—and the accompanying political scandal—threatened to derail Ronald Reagan’s administration. Indeed, this … Read more
In German, the Berlin Wall, or Berliner Mauer, was erected in the dead of night on August 13, 1961, as a physical barrier between West Berlin and East Germany. Its goal was to prevent disgruntled East Germans from emigrating to the West. President Ronald Reagan delivered a memorable address in front of … Read more
In November 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States, defeating President Jimmy Carter and independent candidate John B. Anderson in a landslide victory. But, unfortunately, Reagan was almost assassinated by a would-be assassin a few months later, on March 30, 1981, in an ambush that horrified the world. Reagan’s … Read more
How do you listen to the latest songs or your favorite music? Chances are you’re hearing them via iTunes, Spotify, or Youtube and playing them on your smartphone, Bluetooth speakers, or wireless earbuds. Nearly four decades, things were far more different. In 1982, the first compact disc player was released and became … Read more
Debt can plague anyone, even the rich and famous. In the 1980s and 1990s, dozens of famous singers and songwriters saw their fortunes plummet from the high notes of their careers, into bankruptcy. Some of these household names, from singers Jerry Lee Lewis to MC Hammer, recovered from their debt and have … Read more
Many people think that esports has only been around for a few years, this is wrong! Many people are just getting to know about esports because of social media platforms like YouTube, Mixer, and Twitch. However, this is not a new industry. The foundation of esports dates back to the 50s, which … Read more
If you are looking for 1980s Western movies, this article can be a good start. From provocative dramas to fanciful adventures, you can say that a lot of Western movies during the 1980s are bits of mash-ups. Some have turned into cult favorites. 1) Pale Rider (1985) Clint Eastwood produced, directed, … Read more
At the risk of making an inflammatory statement, everything about music in the 1980s was better than it is now. The fashion was better. The sound was better. The gigs were better too, and so were the bands who performed at those gigs. It was a decade where style and sound came … Read more
The 1980s were a decadent, catastrophic, and groundbreaking decade, not just in the United States, but in many parts of the world as well. The decade hosted a remarkable range of environmental, political, and pop-cultural events. It was the decade of Ronald Reagan in America who had a conservative agenda that shaped … Read more
American football is a passion for many in this country, with fans making sure to watch every game and follow their favorite players religiously. Every game has its defining moments, with the best players usually holding an important role in making football a definite part of the American sporting experience. There’s no … Read more
There are many ways to relive the 1980s if you’ve been missing the decade a lot. You can watch the Stranger Things series or maybe watch all the films of John Hughes. You can also listen to your favorite 80s songs, bands, and artists during your free time or while working. Aside … Read more
When you think of the ‘80s, most of the things you’ll remember are all about fun. It’s because this decade was filled with wacky styles of creativity and plenty of timeless classics. There are lots of wonderful music, fashion, and movies that the ‘80s brought the world. And when it comes to … Read more
In the 80s, hairspray, spandex, and rock music were very popular. If you’re from that decade, maybe you still remember the soundtrack you have when you drive to school or out of town. Or perhaps you still remember the concerts you’ve attended way back. Sometimes it feels great to reminisce about those … Read more
If you’re an adult who grew up in the ‘80s, then maybe you’ve played tons of cool toys that are popular way back. Kids today are often busy playing with online games, video games, and games from their smartphones and tablets. However, the high-tech toys they have in the present time will … Read more
Music television and VH1 became the new jukebox for a whole generation of music fans in the 80s. During those times, music videos were not just add-ins but significant to the image of an artist. It was on August 1, 1981, when the first music video ever aired on MTV and that … Read more