Welcome to the eighties page

Featuring music and more from the eighties!

[Music] [News] [Movies] [Television] [Fashion] [Slang]

If there is something you'd like to see added to this page please contact me. - David Paine (Your Administrator)

Music from our class years:

Billboard Charts:

Below are links to the Billboard lists from our class years. They are external websites and will open in another window.

[Music from 1980][Music from 1981][Music from 1982][Music from 1983]

Music Sampler:

Below is a cassette tape MP3 player featuring assorted music from our class years. Click on the arrows in the middle to advance tracks.

Concerts you may have attended;

• In 1982, The J. Geils Band was headlining a show at Curtis Hixon Hall and Little band from Ireland named U2 was the opener
• Jun 22, 1983 - U2 WAR Tour : U2 + The Alarm at Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa (US)
• I am having a hard time with research for this one so if you have some dates and shows email me

Radio we listened to:

• 95YNF - Ron and Ron, Don Copone, "Big Rig" Ron Michaels
• 98ROCK - Russ Albums

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News from the 80's

Major Events of 1983

• January 3 – K?lauea begins slowly erupting on the Big Island of Hawaii and is still flowing as of 2010
• January 26 - Lotus 1-2-3 is released for IBM-PC compatible computers
• February 28 The final episode of M*A*S*H is aired and the record of most watched episode is broken
• March 8 – IBM releases the IBM PC XT
• March 23 – Strategic Defense Initiative: U.S. President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles. The media dub this plan "Star Wars"
• April 15 – Tokyo Disneyland opens
• April 25 – Manchester, Maine schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov, after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war
• May 6 – Stern Magazine publishes the "Hitler Diaries" (which are later found to be forgeries)
• June 13 – Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the solar system
• July 15 - Nintendo's Family Computer, also known as the Famicom, goes on sale in Japan
• July 21 – The lowest temperature on earth is recorded in Vostok Station, Antarctica with ?89.2 °C (?128.6 °F)
• August 18 – Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 and causing over US$3.8 billion (2005 dollars) in damage
• August 30 – STS-8: Space Shuttle Challenger carries Guion S. Bluford, the first African-American astronaut, into space
• September 1 – Cold War: Korean Air Lines Flight 007 is shot down by a Soviet Union jet fighter near Moneron Island when the commercial aircraft enters Soviet airspace. All 269 on board are killed including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald
• September 16- Ronald Reagan announces that the Global Positioning System (GPS) would be made available for civilian use
• September 17 – Vanessa Lynn Williams becomes the first African-American to be crowned Miss America, in Atlantic City, New Jersey
• September 18 The rock group Kiss officially appear in public without makeup for the first time on MTV
• September 24 – The Red Hot Chili Peppers launch their first, self-titled, album
• September 25–26 – Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov averts a worldwide nuclear war by correctly identifying a missile attack warning as a false alarm
• September 26 – The Australian yacht Australia II wins the America's Cup, the first successful challenge to the New York Yacht Club's 132-year defence of the sailing trophy
• September 27 – The GNU Project is announced publicly on the net.unix-wizards and net.usoft newsgroups
• October 4 – Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of 633.468 mph, driving Thrust 2 at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada
•  October 23 – Simultaneous suicide truck-bombings destroy both the French and the United States Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. servicemen, 58 French paratroopers and 6 Lebanese civilians
• October 25 – United States troops invade Grenada at the behest of Eugenia Charles of Dominica, a member of the Organization of American States
• November 2 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: At the White House Rose Garden, U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs a bill creating a federal holiday on the third Monday of every January to honor American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
• November 3 – The Reverend Jesse Jackson announces his candidacy for the 1984 Democratic Party presidential nomination
• November 26 – Brink's-MAT robbery: In London, 6,800 gold bars worth nearly UK£26 million are taken from the Brink's-MAT vault at Heathrow Airport. Only a fraction of the gold is ever recovered, and only 2 men are convicted of the crime
• December 4 – Lt. Bobby Goodman of the United States Navy is shot down over Lebanon and captured by the Syrians
• December 17 - A discotheque fire in Madrid, Spain, kills 83 people
• December 29 – The Reverend Jesse Jackson travels to Syria to secure the release of U.S. Navy Lieutenant Robert Goodman, who has been in Syrian captivity since being shot down over the country during a reconnaissance mission
•  

Major Events of 1982

• January 8 – AT&T agrees to divest itself into 22 subdivisions
• January 13 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90 crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78. On the same day, a Washington Metro train derails to the north, killing 3 (the system's first fatal accident)
• February 2 – The Hama massacre begins in Syria
•  March 10 - The United States places an embargo on Libyan oil imports, alleging Libyan support for terrorist groups and Syzygy: All eight planets align on the same side of the Sun
• March 29 - The 54th Academy Awards, hosted by Johnny Carson, are held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. Chariots of Fire wins Best Picture and three other Academy Awards
• April 2 – The Falklands War begins: Argentina invades and occupies the Falkland Islands
• April 23 – Dennis Wardlow, mayor of Key West, Florida, declares the independent "Conch Republic" for a day
• May 2 - The Weather Channel airs on cable television for the first time
• May 30 - Cal Ripken, Jr. plays the first of what eventually becomes his record-breaking streak of 2,632 consecutive Major League Baseball games.
• June 8 - President Ronald Reagan becomes the first American chief executive to address a joint session of the British Parliament
• July 6 – A lunar eclipse (umbral duration 236 min and total duration 106 min, the longest of the 20th century) occurs
• July 23 - On a movie set, the Twilight Zone actor Vic Morrow and 2 child actors die in a helicopter stunt accident
• August 17 – The first compact discs (CDs) are released to the public in Germany
• September 19 – The first emoticons are posted by Scott Fahlman
• September 29 – October 1 – The 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders occur when 7 people in the Chicago area die after ingesting capsules laced with potassium cyanide
• October 1 - Walt Disney World opens the second largest theme park, EPCOT Center, to the public for the first time
• November 30 – Michael Jackson releases "Thriller", the biggest selling album of all time
• December 2 – At the University of Utah, 61-year-old retired dentist Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart (he lives for 112 days with the device)
• December 7 – The first U.S. execution by lethal injection is carried out in Texas
• December 26 – Time Magazine's Man of the Year is given for the first time to a non-human, the computer

Major Events of 1981

• January 19 – United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity
• January 20 – Ronald Reagan succeeds Jimmy Carter, as the 40th President of the United States. Minutes later, Iran releases the 52 Americans held for 444 days, ending the Iran hostage crisis
• January 21 – The first DeLorean DMC-12 automobile, a stainless steel sports car with gull-wing doors, rolls off the production line in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland
• January 25 – Super Bowl XV: The Oakland Raiders defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 27–10 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• February 10 – A fire at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino kills 8 and injures 198
• March 6 – After 19 years hosting the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite signs off for the last time
•  March 30 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John Hinckley, Jr. Two police officers and Press Secretary James Brady are also wounded
• March 31 – The 53rd Academy Awards, hosted by Johnny Carson, are held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Robert Redford's directorial debut in Ordinary People wins Best Picture and Best Director
• April 12 – The Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Columbia (John Young, Robert Crippen) launches on the STS-1 mission, returning to Earth on April 14
• May 13 – Pope John Paul II is shot and nearly killed by Mehmet Ali A?ca, a Turkish gunman, as he enters St. Peter's Square in Vatican City to address a general audience.
• June 5 – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 5 homosexual men in Los Angeles, California have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems (the first recognized cases of AIDS)
• July 27 – Adam Walsh, 6, is kidnapped from a Sears store in Hollywood, Florida
• July 29 – A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watched the Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London
• August 1 – MTV (Music Television) is launched on cable television in the United States
• August 3 – The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) goes on strike
• August 5 – Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers who ignored his order for them to return to work
• August 19 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan appoints the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor
• August 24 – Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, after being convicted of murdering John Lennon in Manhattan 8 months earlier
• September 17 – Ric Flair defeats Dusty Rhodes to win his first World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship in Kansas City.
• September 18 – France abolishes capital punishment
• October 28 – The thrash metal band Metallica forms in Los Angeles.
• November 16 – Luke and Laura marry on the U.S. soap opera General Hospital; it is the highest-rated hour in daytime television history
• # November 29 – Hollywood actress Natalie Wood drowns, aged 43. To this day the details leading up to her death remain a mystery
• December 11 – Boxing: Muhammad Ali loses to Trevor Berbick; this proved to be Ali's last-ever fight
• December 28 – The first American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, is born in Norfolk, Virginia

Major Events of 1980

• January 7 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation approving $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to bail out the Chrysler Corporation
• February 22 – The United States Olympic Hockey Team defeats the Soviet Union in the semifinals of the Winter Olympics, in the Miracle on Ice
• March 21 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow
• April 7 – The United States severs diplomatic relations with Iran and imposes economic sanctions, following the taking of American hostages on November 4, 1979
• April 14 – Iron Maiden's debut self titled album Iron Maiden is released
• May 9th - The Liberian freighter Summit Venture hits the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, sending 35 people (most of whom were in a bus) to a watery death as a 1,400-foot section of the bridge collapses.
• May 17th - A Miami, Florida court acquits 4 white police officers of killing Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance executive, provoking 3 days of race riots
• May 21 – Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released
• June 1 – The Cable News Network (CNN) is officially launched
• June 9 – In Los Angeles, comedian Richard Pryor is badly burned trying to freebase cocaine
• July 25 – The album Back in Black is released by the Australian band AC/DC
• August 14 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter defeats Senator Edward Kennedy to win renomination, at the 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York City
• September 22 - The command council of Iraq orders its army to "deliver its fatal blow on Iranian military targets," initiating the Iran–Iraq War
• October 14 – The Staggers Rail Act is enacted, deregulating American railroads
• November 4 – United States presidential election, 1980: Republican challenger and former Governor Ronald Reagan of California defeats incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter, exactly 1 year after the beginning of the Iran hostage crisis
• December 8 – John Lennon, an English musician and peace activist, is murdered in New York City

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Movie Trailers from 1983

I made this video playlist at myflashfetish.com

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Television

When the 1980's began, there were televisions in 76 million households. By the end of the decade, they were in more than 90 million homes. It is also the decade when cable television exploded. Cable TV subscriptions more than tripled from 15 million in 1980 to 47 million in 1989.

1983 Top Television Shows

1. Dallas
2. 60 Minutes
3. Dynasty
4. The A-Team
5. Simon & Simon
6. Magnum, P.I.
7. Falcon Crest
8. Kate & Allie
9. Hotel
10. Cagney & Lacey
11. Knots Landing
12. (Tie) ABC Sunday Movie & ABC Monday Movie
13. TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes
14. AfterMASH
15. The Fall Guy
16. The Love Boat
17. Riptide
18. The Jeffersons
19. Scarecrow & Mrs. King

Commercials of 1983

http://www.spike.com/video/1983-commercials/2807686

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Fashion

Hair Fashion For Both Men & Women

• Feathered Hair
• Stick-Up Bangs
• Multicolored Hair
• Crimped Hair
• Side Ponytails
• Ultra-Teased
• Platinum Blonde
• Glitter/Rainbow
• Mohawks
• Long & Layered
• Slightly Teased
• Long Frizzy w/Bangs
• Curly Short
• Pat Benatar Look

Fashion Accessories

• Clock Necklaces
• Friendship Stuff
• Many Swatches
• Swatch Protectors
• Plastic Charms
• Hoop Earrings
• Slouch Sock
• High Tops
• Puff Paint
• Safety Pins
• Beads
• Slap Bracelets
• Rubber Bracelets
• Jellies
• Big Hair Bows
• Stickers
• Braces with Color
• Rubber bands
• Croc Dundee Hats
• Rhinestone Glove
• Brimmed Hats
• Neon Book Covers
• Trapper Keepers

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Slang for 1983

• "As If" Meaning: I'd rather not
• "Awesome" Meaning: Something extremely good, and exceptional
• "Bad" Meaning: Good
• "Barney" Meaning: An Unattractive Male
• "BBS" Meaning: Short for Bulletin Board System - The Internet back then...
• "Bitchin'" Meaning: Superb, excellent
• "Bodacious" Meaning: Beautiful
• "Bogus" Meaning: Not good
• "Bonus" Meaning: Used to denote satisfaction or one's approval
• "Boss" Meaning: Very cool
• "Bitchin'" Meaning: Superb, excellent
• "Brody" Meaning: Police Officer
• "Chill" Meaning: To be calm
• "Chill Pill" Meaning: Take it easy
• "Chillin'" Meaning: To be resting
• "Cool" Meaning: Something really good and hip
• "Cool Beans" Meaning: Cool, awesome, agreeable
• "Crib" Meaning: A Homeboy's residence
• "Damm Sam!" Meaning: Wow, Unbelievable
• "Deck" Meaning: To beat someone up
• "Def" Meaning: Something very hip
• "Deke" Meaning: To fake someone out
• "Don't Have a Cow" Meaning: Remain calm, don't get excited
• "Dork" Meaning: Someone who isn't cool or penis
• "Dope" Meaning: Very hip and with it
• "Dude" Meaning: Someone who is cool or A greeting used with a close friend
• "Dudette" Meaning: A woman who is cool
• "Dudical" Meaning: Used to describe a place or thing as cool
• "Dufus" Meaning: Someone who acts stupid
• "Duh" Meaning: Stupid, Usually used with the word "like"
• "Dweeb" Meaning: Someone who is not cool
• "Elite" Meaning: A person who has achieved a high status in the BBSing culture
• "Excellent" Meaning: Superb
• "Fer Sure" Meaning: Definitely
• "Five O" Meaning: Police Officer
• "Fly" Meaning: Very hip and with it
• "Fresh" Meaning: Very new, used in reference to music a lot
• "Funky" Meaning: Multiple meanings, 70's disco leftover
• "Gag Me With A Spoon" Meaning: Disgusting
• "Geek" Meaning: A person who is not hip
• "Generic" Meaning: Of poor quality
• "Get Out" Meaning: I don't believe you
• "Goober" Meaning: Snot or something stupid
• "Gnarly" Meaning: Exceptional
• "Grodie" Meaning: Disgusting
• "Gross Me Out" Meaning: Disgusting
• "Grouse" Meaning: Cool, Australian slang term
• "Heavy" Meaning: A situation which is grave
• "Heinous" Meaning: Not good
• "'hood" Meaning: Neighborhood
• "Homeboy" Meaning: A close friend
• "Homey" Meaning: A friend, a greeting
• "Kickin'" Meaning: Fun, exciting, and cool
• "Killer" Meaning: Very cool
• "Kiss My Grits" Meaning: A more polite saying of "kiss my ass"
• "K-RAD" Meaning: Very Radical
• "The Joint" Meaning: Very cool
• "Like" Meaning: Used as a modifier, really has no definition
• "Like, Oh My God!" Meaning: Wow, Unbelievable
• "Major" Meaning: Really cool
• "Make Me Barf" Meaning: Phrase: A way to signal disgust with a situation
• "McFly" Meaning: Someone who has just done something very stupid
• "Melvin" Meaning: To pull another person's underwear upwards in a jerking motion until it wedges between ones butt-crack
• "Mint" Meaning: Excellent, memorable
• "Moded" Meaning: Skater term
• "Nerd" Meaning: Someone who is very smart and socially unacceptable
• "Nice Play Shakespeare" Meaning: That was a really stupid action
• "No Shit Sherlock" Meaning: stating the obvious
• "No Way" Meaning: Not going to do that
• "Poser" Meaning: An imposter whose intent is to fit in with a more acceptable social group
• "Preppie" Meaning: A person who dressed in upscale clothing and acted snobish towards people not in the same social standings
• "Psyche" Meaning: Ha! Fooled you!
• "Rad" Meaning: Short for radical
• "Radical" Meaning: Something extremely hip
• "Rippen, Rips" Meaning: Something very cool
• "Smooth move, x-Lax" Meaning: That was a stupid action
• "Solid" Meaning: Affirmative
• "Stellar" Meaning: Very cool
• "Stoked" Meaning: Very excited
• "To the Max" Meaning: Used in conjunction with any adjective that you want to emphasize
• "Totally Awesome" Meaning: Something truly exceptional, not flawed in any ways
• "Totally Tubular" Meaning: A really cool move in skateboarding
• "Trippendicular" Meaning: something that is totally amazing
• "Val" Meaning: short for Valley Girl
• "Waver" Meaning a person into "New Wave Music"
• "Way, No Way" Meaning: An exchange between two people when one believes something the other doesn't
• "Way Cool" Meaning: Very cool
• "Whatever" Meaning: Universally used for anything that leaves even an ounce of doubt in your mind, usually used in a condescending tone by a Valley Girl
• "Wicked" Meaning: Excellent or great