TECHNOLOGY: 

The Apple Macintosh was introduced at a price of $2,495. Remember the first ad? Remember the first time it aired on TV?

IBM introduced its PC-AT (Advanced Technology) with an 80286 processor Running at 6 MHz. Optional was the 80287 mathematical coprocessor and A 20 MB hard drive. The 386 processor was still one year away. (Huh???)

Dell sold its first computers out of a college dorm room. On your new Dell or IBM PC-AT, you could run the first versions of Micro- Soft Windows (introduced Nov 1983) and Microsoft Word for MS-DOS 1.0 (introduced Sept 1983). The latest version of DOS was 2.0. (DOS???) Sony Corp introduced a 3.5” disksette that would soon make “floppy” computer disks obsolete.

There were approximately 1,000 hosts on the Internet. The term “cyberspace” is coined by William Gibosn in his novel “Neuromancer”.

Mass marketing of cellular phones to the general public started. It was considered a technical marvel by which people could reach into their pockets, then simply make a call to anyone – anywhere in the world. This new wireless gadget was bulky, expensive to operate and seemed like just another toy on the wish list of those who had lots of money. (Now we can’t seem to get along without them!!!)

Motorola introduced its 28-ounce "DynaTAC" cellular phone into commercial service late in 1983; Each phone cost a whopping $3,500. It wasn't until 1990 when there were a million cellular subscribers in the United States.

ECONOMICS:

The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened the year at 1252.74 and closed at 1211.57. (WOW!!!!!)

Chrysler introduced America to the Minivan.

AT&T was broken up into reginal “Baby Bells”.

For the first time, there was A difference between your local and long distance phone company.

General Motors acquired Electronic Data Systems. (Who???)

In June, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas in the US was $1.19. (Again….WOW!!!)

The average price of a new US single-family home tops $101,000 in May, crossing the six-figure mark for the first time. (They haven’t looked back since!!)

POLITICS:

Ronald Reagan was re-elected to his second term as US President, defeating Walter Mondale.

In an historic move, Walter Mondale selected Representative Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, the first time a woman appeared on the ticket for vice president.

POP CULTURE:

Red M&M's were still 3 years away from their return.

Clara Peller is featured in the “Where’s the Beef?” commercial campaign for Wendy’s.

Trivial Pursuit revived the board game industry. Developed by a Canadian entrepreneur, the game is introduced in US stores and record sales of $777 million during 1984.

Vanessa Williams becomes the first Miss America to resign when she surrenders her crown after nude photos of her appeared in “Penthouse”.

Michael Jackson’s hair caught on fire during the shooting of a Pepsi commercial.

Motown legend Marvin Gaye was killed by his father in a domestic dispute.

The Cosby Show debuted on NBC.

The first infomercials appear on TV due to deregulation by the FCC.

Howard Stern appears on “Late Night with David Letterman”. This appearance launched Stern into the national spotlight and gave his radio show unprecedented exposure.

HIT SONGS OF 1984:

1. Owner of a Lonely Heart……….Yes  

2. Karma Chamelon……….Culture Club 

3. Jump……....Van Halen

4. Footloose……….Kenny Loggins

5. Against All Odds………Phil Collins

6. Hello……….Lionel Richie

7. Let’s Hear It For the Boy……….Deniece Williams

8. Time After Time……….Cindy Lauper

9. The Reflex……….Duran Duran

10.When Doves Cry……….Prince

11.Like a Virgin……….Madonna

NUMBER 1 ALBUMS OF 1984:

1. Footloose……….Soundtrack

2. Sports……….Huey Lewis & The News

3. Born in the USA……….Bruce Springsteen

4. Purple Rain……….Prince

TOP 10 MOVIES OF 1984:

1. Beverly Hills Cop

2. Footloose

3. Ghostbusters

4. Gremlins

5. The Terminator

6. The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

7. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

8. The Karate Kid

9. The Natural

10.Police Academy

MOST POPULAR TV SHOWS OF 1984:

1. Dynasty (ABC)

2. Dallas (CBS)

3. The Cosby Show (NBC)

4. 60 Minutes (CBS)

5. Family Ties (NBC)

6. The A-Team (NBC)

7. Simon & Simon (CBS)

8. Murder, She Wrote (CBS)

9. Knots Landing (CBS)

10.Falcon Crest (CBS)

ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS OF 1984:

Best Picture: Amadeus

Best Director: Milos Forman - Amadeus

Best Actor: F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus

Best Actress: Sally Field - Places in the Heart

GRAMMY AWARD WINNERS OF 1984:

Record of the Year: What’s Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner

Best Album: Can’t Slow Down - Lionel Richie

Best Male Vocalist: Phil Collins – Against All Odds

Best Female Vocalist: Tina Turner - What’s Love Got To Do With It

SPORTS:

The Summer Olympics we held in Los Angeles.The Soviet Union boycotted the games, claiming security concerns.

The Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo.

The Detroit Tigers won the World Series in 5 games over the San Diego Padres.

The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl XVIII, defeating the Washington Redskins, 38-9.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakes for the NBA title in 7 games. It was the first time Larry Bird and Magiac Johnson faced off in the Finals.

The Edmonton Oilers won their first Stanley Cup, defeating the New York Islanders in 5 games. This ended the Islanders run of 4 straight Stanley Cups.

BORN IN 1984:

Mandy Moore – singer, actress

America Ferrera – actress

Prince Harry of Wales – English Prince

Avril Lavigne – singer

Delta Goodrem – actress, singer

Jena Malone – actress

DIED IN 1984:

Johnny Weissmuller – American swimmer and actor. Widely known as Tarzan.

Yuri Andropov – General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Ethel Merman – singer, actress

Ansel Adams – American photographer

Count Basie – musician, composer

Andy Kaufman – comedian, actor. Know as Latka on Taxi.

Indira Ghandi – Prime Minister of India

FOR PEOPLE BORN IN 1984:

1. They can't remember when a Southerner or Texan wasn't President.

2. Richard Burton, Ricky Nelson and Truman Capote have always been dead.

3. South Africa's official policy of apartheid has not existed during their lifetime.

4. New cars have always had eye-level rear stop lights, CD players, and air bags.

5. They have always been able to choose their long distance carriers.

6. Weather reports have always been available 24-hours a day on television.

7. The "evil empire" moved from Moscow to a setting in some distant galaxy.

8. Big Brother is merely a television show.

9. Cyberspace has always existed.

10. Bruce Springsteen's hit, Born in the USA, could have been played to celebrate their birth.

11. Barbie has always had a job.

12. Telephone bills have always been totally incomprehensible.

13. Prom dresses have always come in basic black.

14. A "Hair Band" is some sort of fashion accessory.

15. George Foreman has always been a barbecue grill salesman.

16. Afghanistan has always been a front page story.

17. There has always been an heir to the heir to the British throne.

18. They have no recollection of Connie Chung or Geraldo Rivera as serious journalists.

19. Peter Jennings, Dan Rather, and Tom Brokaw have always anchored the evening news.

20. China has always been a market-based reforming regime.

21. The United States has always been trying to put nuclear waste in Nevada.

22. The U.S. and the Russians have always been partners in space.

23. Mrs. Fields' cookies and Swatch watches have always been favorites.

24. Nicolas Cage, Daryll Hannah, Eddie Murphy, and John Malkovich made their first major film impressions.

25. The GM make Saturn has always been on the road.

26. The "Fab Four" are not a male rock group, but four women enjoying Sex and the City.

27. Fox has always been a television network choice.

28. Males do not carry a handkerchief in a back pocket.

29. This generation has never wanted to "be a Pepper too."

30. Ozzy's lifestyle has nothing to do with the Nelson family.

31. Women have always had tattoos.

32. Vanessa Williams and Madonna are aging singers.

33. Perrier has always come in flavors.

34. Cherry Coke has always come in cans.

35. A "hotline" is a consumer service rather than a phone used to avoid accidental nuclear war.

36. The drug "ecstasy" has always been around.

37. Genetic testing and DNA screening have always been available.

38. Electronic filing of federal income taxes has always been an option.

39. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has always been available to doctors.

40. Trivial Pursuit may have been played by their parents the night before they were born.

41. The U.S. has always maintained that it has a "clear right to use force against terrorism."

42. The drinking age has always been 21 throughout the country.

43. Women have always been members of the Jaycees.

44. The center of chic has shifted from Studio 54 to Liza's living room, live!

45. Julian Lennon had his only hit the year they were born. Question is…do they know who Julian’s dad is???

46. Sylvan Learning Centers have always been an after-school option.

47. Hip-hop and rap have always been popular musical forms.

48. They grew up in minivans.

49. Scientists have always recognized the impact of acid rain.

50. The Coen Brothers have always been making films.

So.....how old do you feel now?????