CURRENT EVENTS AND CULTURE: 1981
A glimpse at the world around us back in 1981.


President:
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
V.P. - George H. W. Bush


Best Picture:
Chariots of Fire


Best Actor:
Henry Fonda
On Golden Pond


Best Actress:
Katharine Hepburn
On Golden Pond


Hollywood:
Tom Cruise makes his acting debut as 'Billy' in 'Endless Love'.


Politics:
United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement on January 19, 1981 to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity.


News:
President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest on March 30, 1981 outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley, Jr.


Hollywood:
Natalie Wood mysteriosly dies in an accidentally drowning near Catalina Island on November 29.


Science:
The first launch of a Space Shuttle 'Columbia' launches on April 12, 1981.


Health:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on June 5, 1981 that five homosexual men in Los Angeles, California have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems.


News:
Two skywalks filled with people at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri collapse into a crowded atrium lobby killing 114 on July 17, 1981.


World Events:
Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of Wales on July 29, 1981.


Science:
The first American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, is born on December 28, 1981 in Norfolk, Virginia.


Music:
The classic "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel," released in 1981 by Grandmaster Flash is the first recording to use the turntable 'scratching' technique.


Music:
Britney Spears is born on December 2, 1981.
(Man...are we old!)


Exit Midpark 1981: 1981 and return to the Midpark High School Class of 1981 home page.