TIME CAPSULE
1980: Sony Walkmans, Tom Selleck and Mount St. Helens.
Technology ruled in 1980 as personal computers and fax machines changed the way we worked. Sony’s Walkman changed the way we listened to music. And we could watch movies at home—as long as we forked over as much as $800 for a VCR! Cool kids mastered Rubik’s Cube and Pac-Man. Mount St. Helens erupted. Jimmy Carter convinced 65 nations to boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow, while the Winter Games brought us a Miracle on Ice. The year drew to a close with former movie star Ronald Reagan elected president and Dallas devotees finding out who shot J.R.
JAN. 7 U.S. President Jimmy Carter authorizes a $1.5 billion loan to bail out Chrysler Corp.
JAN. 20 President Carter announces U.S. boycott of Summer Olympics in Moscow. JAN. 22 The PGA creates a Senior Tour (now the Champions Tour) for golfers over 50. FEB. 13 The XIII Winter Olympic Games begin in Lake Placid, New York. FEB. 22 The U.S. men’s hockey team stuns the Soviets—and ultimately wins the Olympic gold medal in Lake Placid. APRIL 6 3M introduces an office staple, Post-it notes, to the world. APRIL 14 Meryl Streep wins her first Oscar at the Academy Awards for her supporting role as Joanna Kramer in Kramer vs. Kramer.
APRIL 24 Operation Eagle Claw fails to rescue Americans being held in Iran, which leads to the rebirth of special operations forces within the U.S. military.
MAY 3 Genuine Risk becomes one of only three fillies to win the Kentucky Derby.
MAY 8 The World Health Organization declares smallpox has been eradicated.
MAY 18 Mount St. Helens, right, erupts in Washington, killing 57. MAY 22 Quarters, please! Pac-Man is released in Japan, giving birth to the 1980s’ video-arcade culture. MAY 23 “Heeeere’s Johnny!” The Shining opens in movie theaters. JUNE 1 CNN, the first 24-hour cable news network, is on the air.
JUNE 23 Sony introduces the Walkman, at bottom, in the U.S.
The cassette player with tiny headphones brings portable choice to music. SEPT. 22 Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi military invades Iran, sparking an eight-year war.
NOV. 4 Ronald Reagan (R), above with wife, Nancy, defeats Jimmy Carter (D) in a landslide for the U.S. presidency. NOV. 21 Millions watch Dallas’ fourth season to find out who shot J.R. (See our Dallas quiz, opposite; encounter with Larry Hagman, page 14.) NOV. 23 Southern Italy suffers a 6.9-magnitude earthquake, which kills about 3,000 and leaves more than 200,000 homeless.
NOV. 27: Bosom Buddies (starring future Oscar winner Tom Hanks) debuts on ABC-TV.
DEC. 8 John Lennon is shot to death outside his NYC apartment by Mark David Chapman. DEC. 11 Magnum, P.I., starring mustachioed Tom Selleck, above left, debuts on CBS-TV.