Then President Ronald Reagan before was shot. Photo by Michael Evans on Wikimedia

10 Most Famous Historical World Events of the 1980s


 

After Second World War and the Cold War which followed, several remarkable changes were made in the world to prevent another war. Some major political, entertainment, and economic changes were made throughout the world with their impacts being felt.

The 1980s were crucial for the world as several famous historical world events took place which changed various scenes. Some of these events were assassinations and major technological inventions.

Below are the 10 Most Famous Historical World Events of the 1980s:

1. Assassination Attempt on President Reagan

Then President Ronald Reagan before was shot. Photo by Michael Evans on Wikimedia

In January 1981, the 40th President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan took to office. He began his term during the heightening peak of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Two months after his inauguration, something bad happened that got America tense.

An assassination attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan was made but he survived. John Hinckley Jr was the assassin sent for this job but he failed, was arrested, and was not found guilty due to some psychiatric problems he developed.

Then-president Reagan recovered from this shocking event and came back to the office where he made numerous changes in the US. During his presidency, Reagan ensured the US economy recovered and moved up. He also had an influence on politics by building up weapons and troops as an answer to the Cold War.

2. CNN Cable News & MTV

The CNN Center in Atlanta. Photo by Josh Hallett on Wikimedia

On 27th April 1980, the first 24-hour cable network for news was created by Ted Turner which became fascinating and historic. Americans got the first chance to be able to watch the news whenever they wanted through CNN. They also had the chance to witness extended coverage of breaking events through Ted Turner’s CNN. It became historic as CNN spread across the world.

On 1st August 1981, Music Television also burst into the television cable industry with its reception being awesome. MTV became an instant hit in the market as several people watched this channel. Artists like Michael Jackson and Madonna got to new heights courtesy of MTV.

3. The Internet and Personal Computers

An early computer. Photo by Wolfgang Stief on Wikimedia

Before 1980, the world’s technical aspect was not as advanced as people used the old methods of doing things like sending letters. However, in the early 1980s, technical advancements began. The world took a big step forward in the personal computers industry as well as in internet networks.

On 12th August 1980, IBM released the first Model 1550 of a personal computer which was embraced by many people. On 1st January 1983, Internet connection showed up in the world when ARPANET adopted TCP/IP protocols. This enabled data exchange between different computers and led to more technological advancements.

4. Lady Diana and Prince Charles’s Marriage

Another historic event to take place in the 1980s was the Royal marriage of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles in Britain. On 29th June 1981, the life of Great Britain was celebrated through its monarchs. Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer.

This marriage ceremony was broadcasted live on television and was witnessed by millions of people who tuned in to watch the happy news. The royal family’s generation was to be continued by this union.

5. Assassination Attempt on Pope John II

Pope John II after being shot. Photo by Tullio Saba on Wikimedia

Vatican City has always been the center of worshipping for Catholics for several years. The believers are led in prayers by the Popes during their holy months every year. The Pope in charge usually enters Vatican City in an open car as he salutes the congregations who wait for him but this is the moment when others plan evil.

On 13th May 1981, there was a very evil plan on assassinating Pope John II in Vatican City. Mehmet Ali Agča was given the assignment of shooting the Pope and killing him. As he was riding in his open car through St Peter’s Square, Mehmet shot the Pope twice but he never died.

Pope John II was wounded badly and lost a lot of blood in this incident which never ended badly for him. He was attended to quickly as the assassin was arrested and taken into custody.

6. Space Shuttle Challenger

Space shuttle Challenger was moved to the launch pad on the crawler in September 1985 preparing for STS-61-A, its next-to-last flight. Photo by Acroterion on Wikimedia

Developed countries were in hot pursuit of exploring space which led to several space tours by various astronauts. Previously, only male astronauts made their way to space for these missions. However, on 19th June 1983, the first American woman joined the crew of the space shuttle Challenger.

Sally Ride became a member of the four other spacemen who were on board Challenger during its second launch. This was history made by Sally Ride for becoming the first female astronaut to head to space.

Still, in the 1980s, another devastating event happened to the space shuttle Challenger. On 28th January 1986, Challenger exploded during its lift-off in what could have been its 9th mission. Challenger exploded before taking off killing all seven crew members.

7. First Mobile Phone

Motorola DynaTAC. Photo by 2007Computex on Wikimedia

After the Internet and Personal Computers made their way to the world, more technical advancements were witnessed across the world. In 1983, the first mobile device was created by Motorola company.

DynaTAC 8000x mobile phone which weighed close to 2 pounds was introduced to the world. The retail price of the first mobile phone was nearly $4000. The abbreviation DynaTAC meant Dynamic Total Area Coverage which had a talk time of 30 minutes before being recharged.

8. First Indian Female Prime Minister Assassination

Indian first female prime minister Indira Gandhi. Photo by Warren Leffler on Wikimedia

In the 1980s, assassinations of prominent people were prominent because of the changes they were making to their nations. After gaining independence, India had never had a female leader at the top gear. Indira Gandhi became the first female prime minister of India after her election to office.

However, 1984 was the worst year for Indian political life. Indira Gandhi was shot and killed by her Sikh bodyguards in what was a planned assassination that had a bad ending. The assassination of India’s first female prime minister ignited anti-Sikh riots which led to the killing of thousands of Indians in four days.

9. Coca-Cola Introducing New Coke

Old and new Diet Coke cans. Photo by My100cans on Wikimedia

Coca-Cola was the leading soft beverage drink across the world since it was brought to market. However, they started losing market share to diet soft drinks and other non-cola beverage drinks like Pepsi.

Several Blind taste tests revealed that consumers preferred the sweeter taste of Pepsi which prompted Coca-Cola to act swiftly. On 23rd April 1985, Coca-Cola reformulated its soft drink, New Coke which replaced its flagship drink. There was the hope of revitalizing the brand and they started gaining market share in the beverage industry.

10. Fall of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall brought up negativity in German as it was divided into East and West. Several people lost their lives as they tried to cross to the other side of the wall which needed urgent attention and action. On 12th June 1987, history was made in Germany as the Berlin wall was brought down.

Then-president of the US, Ronald Reagan arrived in West Berlin to have talks with Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to have the Wall torn down. After this engagement and former President Reagan said “Tear down this wall”, the Berlin Wall fell. On 9th November 1989, Eastern German completely opened its borders and brought the reunion of Germany.