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80s history

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  1. On This Day September 5 1980 – The Gotthard Road Tunnel Opened in Switzerland

    On This Day September 5 1980 – The Gotthard Road Tunnel Opened in Switzerland

    On this day September 5 1980, the Gotthard Road Tunnel officially opened in Switzerland. At the time of its inauguration, it was the longest highway tunnel in the world, stretching just over 10 miles beneath the Swiss Alps. This engineering marvel connected Göschenen in the north to Airolo in...
  2. On This Day August 30 1984 – The Space Shuttle Discovery Made Its Maiden Voyage

    On This Day August 30 1984 – The Space Shuttle Discovery Made Its Maiden Voyage

    On this day August 30 1984, the Space Shuttle Discovery launched for the first time from Kennedy Space Center on mission STS 41 D. It marked the maiden voyage of NASA’s third operational shuttle, beginning a long and eventful career that would span nearly three decades. The mission carried six...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 1984 events 80s history nasa missions space shuttle discovery sts 41 d
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  3. On This Day August 28 1988 – The Ramstein Air Disaster Occurred in West Germany

    On This Day August 28 1988 – The Ramstein Air Disaster Occurred in West Germany

    On this day August 28 1988, the Ramstein air disaster took place during an air show at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany. In one of the deadliest air show tragedies in history, three aircraft from the Italian Frecce Tricolori demonstration team collided in midair while performing a synchronized...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 1988 events 80s history aviation accidents frecce tricolori ramstein air disaster
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  4. On This Day April 26 1980 – The FBI Detonated a Bomb at Harvey's Hotel in South Lake Tahoe

    On This Day April 26 1980 – The FBI Detonated a Bomb at Harvey's Hotel in South Lake Tahoe

    On this day April 26 1980, a tense standoff reached its explosive end as the FBI detonated a powerful bomb inside Harvey’s Resort Hotel and Casino in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The incident began days earlier when several men disguised as delivery workers wheeled in a massive booby trapped...
  5. On This Day August 25 1989 – The Voyager 2 Spacecraft Made Its Closest Approach to Neptune

    On This Day August 25 1989 – The Voyager 2 Spacecraft Made Its Closest Approach to Neptune

    On this day August 25 1989, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft completed its grand tour of the outer planets by making its closest approach to Neptune. After a journey of more than a decade, it passed just 3 thousand miles above the blue planet’s north pole, offering humanity its first close-up look at...
  6. On This Day August 25 1981 – The Voyager 2 Spacecraft Made Its Closest Approach to Saturn

    On This Day August 25 1981 – The Voyager 2 Spacecraft Made Its Closest Approach to Saturn

    On this day August 25 1981, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft made its closest approach to Saturn, flying within 41 thousand kilometers of the gas giant. Launched in 1977, Voyager 2 had already passed by Jupiter in 1979 and was continuing its historic journey through the outer solar system. The...
  7. On This Day August 25 1985 – School Girl Samantha Smith and Seven Other Peace Activists Died in a Plane Crash Near Auburn Maine

    On This Day August 25 1985 – School Girl Samantha Smith and Seven Other Peace Activists Died in a Plane Crash Near Auburn Maine

    On this day August 25 1985, twelve year old peace advocate Samantha Smith and seven others lost their lives in a tragic plane crash near Auburn Maine. Samantha had become an international figure just two years earlier when she wrote a heartfelt letter to Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov asking about...
  8. On This Day August 24 1981 – John Lennon's Killer Mark David Chapman Was Sentenced 20 Years to Life

    On This Day August 24 1981 – John Lennon's Killer Mark David Chapman Was Sentenced 20 Years to Life

    On this day August 24 1981, Mark David Chapman was officially sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the murder of John Lennon. The sentencing followed Chapman's shocking and tragic act on December 8 1980 when he shot and killed the former Beatle outside The Dakota building in New York...
  9. On This Day August 23 1989 – The Singing Revolution Took Place When 2 Million People From Latvia and Lithuania Began Singing While Holding Hands

    On This Day August 23 1989 – The Singing Revolution Took Place When 2 Million People From Latvia and Lithuania Began Singing While Holding Hands

    On this day August 23 1989, one of the most moving and peaceful protests of the 20th century unfolded across the Baltic states. Known as the Singing Revolution, over two million people from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined hands to form a human chain that stretched nearly 400 miles across...
  10. On This Day August 20 1989 - 51 People Were Killed When 2 Vessels Collided on the River Thames in London

    On This Day August 20 1989 - 51 People Were Killed When 2 Vessels Collided on the River Thames in London

    On this day August 20 1989, tragedy struck in London when two vessels collided on the River Thames. The collision, involving the Marchioness pleasure boat and the dredger Bowbelle, claimed the lives of 51 people. The Marchioness was carrying young partygoers when it was struck and quickly sank...
  11. On This Day August 20 1988 - 8 British Soldiers Were Killed and 28 Wounded in an IRA Roadside Bombing in Ballygawley Ireland

    On This Day August 20 1988 - 8 British Soldiers Were Killed and 28 Wounded in an IRA Roadside Bombing in Ballygawley Ireland

    On this day August 20 1988, tragedy struck in Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, when an IRA (Irish Republican Army) roadside bomb destroyed a military bus. The attack killed 8 British soldiers and left 28 others wounded. The bombing occurred as the soldiers were returning to their...
  12. On This Day August 20 1988 - Iran and Iraq Called a Truce After 8 Years of War

    On This Day August 20 1988 - Iran and Iraq Called a Truce After 8 Years of War

    On this day August 20 1988, Iran and Iraq officially agreed to a ceasefire after eight years of brutal conflict, bringing an end to one of the longest and deadliest wars of the 20th century. The Iran-Iraq War, which began in 1980, left over a million people dead or wounded and caused immense...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 80s history international conflict iran iraq war middle east history world events
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  13. On This Day August 20 1988 - The Biggest Fire in Yellowstone National Park History Began

    On This Day August 20 1988 - The Biggest Fire in Yellowstone National Park History Began

    On this day August 20 1988, the biggest fire in Yellowstone National Park history began, marking the start of a disaster that would ultimately burn nearly 800,000 acres of land. Fueled by drought conditions and strong winds, the fire became a defining moment in the park’s history, reshaping its...
  14. On This Day August 20 1986 - Patrick Sherrill Opened Fire at an Oklahoma Post Office

    On This Day August 20 1986 - Patrick Sherrill Opened Fire at an Oklahoma Post Office

    On this day August 20 1986, a tragic event unfolded in Edmond, Oklahoma when postal worker Patrick Sherrill killed 14 of his co-workers and injured 6 others before taking his own life. The shocking massacre became one of the deadliest workplace shootings in American history at the time. The...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 80s history american tragedies edmond oklahoma postal history workplace violence
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  15. On This Day August 16 1987 – Northwest Airlines Flight 255 Crash in Detroit

    On This Day August 16 1987 – Northwest Airlines Flight 255 Crash in Detroit

    On this day August 16 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 tragically crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The McDonnell Douglas MD 82 was bound for Phoenix with a stop in Santa Ana, California, but never made it beyond its initial climb. In one of the worst aviation...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 1980s news 80s history aviation disasters detroit history northwest airlines
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  16. On This Day August 10 1988 – President Reagan Signed the Civil Liberties Act

    On This Day August 10 1988 – President Reagan Signed the Civil Liberties Act

    On this day August 10 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, a landmark piece of legislation that formally acknowledged and apologized for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The act granted $20,000 in reparations to each surviving individual...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 1988 news 80s history civil liberties act japanese american history ronald reagan
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  17. On This Day August 10 1981 – Adam Walsh Was Found Dead After His Abduction

    On This Day August 10 1981 – Adam Walsh Was Found Dead After His Abduction

    On this day August 10 1981, the body of six-year-old Adam Walsh was found, two weeks after his abduction from a Sears department store in Hollywood, Florida. The tragedy shocked the nation and changed the landscape of child safety laws in the United States. Adam had gone missing on July 27, and...
  18. On This Day August 7 1987 – Lynne Cox Became First Person To Swim From The United States To The Soviet Union

    On This Day August 7 1987 – Lynne Cox Became First Person To Swim From The United States To The Soviet Union

    On this day August 7 1987, Lynne Cox became the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, completing a courageous and symbolic journey during a time of deep political tension. She crossed the Bering Strait from Little Diomede Island in Alaska to Big Diomede Island in the...
  19. On This Day: July 10, 1985 – The Greenpeace Vessel Rainbow Warrior Was Bombed and Sunk in New Zealand

    On This Day: July 10, 1985 – The Greenpeace Vessel Rainbow Warrior Was Bombed and Sunk in New Zealand

    On this day July 10, 1985, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was bombed and sunk while docked in Auckland, New Zealand. The explosion killed Dutch photographer Fernando Pereira and shocked the world. It was later revealed that agents from the French intelligence service carried out the attack...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 1985 events 80s history auckland bombing environmental protests fernando pereira france intelligence greenpeace rainbow warrior
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  20. On This Day: July 9, 1982 – Pan Am Flight 759 Crashed in Kenner, Louisiana Killing 153 People

    On This Day: July 9, 1982 – Pan Am Flight 759 Crashed in Kenner, Louisiana Killing 153 People

    On this day July 9, 1982, Pan Am Flight 759 crashed shortly after takeoff from New Orleans International Airport, killing all 145 people on board and 8 others on the ground. The crash occurred in the suburb of Kenner, Louisiana, and remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters in United...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 1982 events 80s history aviation disaster kenner louisiana microburst pan am flight 759 plane crash
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
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