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80s history

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  1. On This Day: March 30 1981 President Ronald Reagan Was Shot Outside a Washington D.C. Hotel

    On This Day: March 30 1981 President Ronald Reagan Was Shot Outside a Washington D.C. Hotel

    On this day March 30 1981 U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. The assassination attempt shocked the nation and led to a wave of support for the president as he recovered. Hinckley opened fire as Reagan...
  2. On This Day: March 30 1984 The World's Biggest Tip Was Given in New York

    On This Day: March 30 1984 The World's Biggest Tip Was Given in New York

    On this day March 30 1984 New York police detective Robert Cunningham left what became known as the world’s biggest tip. Dining at his regular spot at Sal’s Italian Restaurant in Yonkers Cunningham didn’t have enough cash for a proper tip and jokingly offered to split a $1 lottery ticket with...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 80s history 80s news it could happen to you lottery ticket phyllis penzo robert cunningham
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  3. On This Day: March 30 1980 The Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Was Ordered to Liquidate

    On This Day: March 30 1980 The Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Was Ordered to Liquidate

    On this day March 30 1980 the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was officially ordered to liquidate its assets after years of financial trouble. Once a major player in American rail transport the railroad had been struggling with debt and declining freight and passenger service through...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 80s history 80s news final train ride rock island and pacific railroad
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  4. On This Day: March 29 1983 Erno Rubik Received a Patent for the Rubik’s Cube

    On This Day: March 29 1983 Erno Rubik Received a Patent for the Rubik’s Cube

    On this day March 29 1983 Erno Rubik was officially granted a patent for the Rubik’s Cube in the United States. Although the colorful 3D puzzle was invented in 1974 and originally called the Magic Cube it wouldn’t take long after the patent for it to become a full-blown international craze. The...
  5. On This Day: March 26 1989 The Soviet Union Held Its First Partially Free Elections

    On This Day: March 26 1989 The Soviet Union Held Its First Partially Free Elections

    On this day March 26 1989 the Soviet Union conducted its first partially free nationwide elections for the Congress of People's Deputies. This historic event marked a significant shift in Soviet politics allowing for a degree of electoral competition previously unseen in the country's history...
  6. On This Day: March 26 1982 First Ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Held in Washington DC

    On This Day: March 26 1982 First Ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Held in Washington DC

    On this day March 26 1982 the first ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was held in Washington DC. Though the memorial would not be officially dedicated until later that year this early ceremony marked a powerful moment of recognition for the more than 58000 Americans who lost their lives...
  7. On This Day: March 24 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Occurred in Alaska

    On This Day: March 24 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Occurred in Alaska

    On this day March 24 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck a reef in Prince William Sound Alaska and spilled an estimated 240000 barrels of crude oil into the ocean. The spill quickly became one of the worst environmental disasters in US history contaminating over 1300 miles of coastline and...
  8. On This Day: March 23 1983 President Reagan Introduced Star Wars Missile Defense System

    On This Day: March 23 1983 President Reagan Introduced Star Wars Missile Defense System

    On this day March 23 1983 President Ronald Reagan introduced the Strategic Defense Initiative to the American people. The plan aimed to develop a space-based missile defense system to protect the United States from nuclear attacks. The media quickly dubbed it Star Wars due to its futuristic...
  9. On This Day: March 22 1982 NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia Launched on Its Third Mission (STS-3)

    On This Day: March 22 1982 NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia Launched on Its Third Mission (STS-3)

    On this day March 22 1982 NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia was launched from Kennedy Space Center on its third mission STS-3. This was Columbia's final test flight before operational missions began marking another major step in the Space Shuttle program. The mission was piloted by Commander Jack...
  10. On This Day: March 22 1984 Teachers at McMartin Preschool Were Charged With Satanic Ritual Abuse

    On This Day: March 22 1984 Teachers at McMartin Preschool Were Charged With Satanic Ritual Abuse

    On this day March 22 1984 several teachers at McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach California were charged with allegations of satanic ritual abuse of children. The case became one of the most infamous and controversial criminal investigations of the 1980s fueled by mass hysteria and the...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 80s history 80s news manhattan beach california mcmartin preschool satanic rituals
    • Category: On This Day in 80s News
  11. On This Day: March 21 1988 Mike Tyson Knocked Out Tony Tubbs to Retain the WBA WBC and IBF Heavyweight Titles

    On This Day: March 21 1988 Mike Tyson Knocked Out Tony Tubbs to Retain the WBA WBC and IBF Heavyweight Titles

    On this day March 21 1988 Mike Tyson defended his WBA WBC and IBF heavyweight championships by knocking out Tony Tubbs in the second round at the Tokyo Dome. The dominant performance extended Tyson’s undefeated professional record to 34-0 further solidifying his reputation as the most feared...
  12. On This Day: March 21 1984 Part of Central Park Was Named Strawberry Fields in Honor of John Lennon

    On This Day: March 21 1984 Part of Central Park Was Named Strawberry Fields in Honor of John Lennon

    On this day March 21 1984 a section of Central Park in New York City was officially named Strawberry Fields in honor of John Lennon. The 2.5-acre area located near West 72nd Street and Central Park West was dedicated as a peaceful memorial to the legendary Beatles musician who was tragically...
  13. On This Day: March 20 1986 Chaos Ensued After New York City Passed Its First Lesbian and Gay Rights Legislation

    On This Day: March 20 1986 Chaos Ensued After New York City Passed Its First Lesbian and Gay Rights Legislation

    On this day March 20 1986 New York City officially passed its first lesbian and gay rights legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing employment and public accommodations. The landmark decision was a major victory for LGBTQ+ rights activists after years of...
  14. On This Day: March 20 1985 The Coca-Cola Company Purchased Tandem Productions and Embassy Television for 485 Million Dollars

    On This Day: March 20 1985 The Coca-Cola Company Purchased Tandem Productions and Embassy Television for 485 Million Dollars

    On this day March 20 1985 The Coca-Cola Company made a major move into the entertainment industry by purchasing Tandem Productions and Embassy Television for 485 million dollars. The acquisition gave Coca-Cola control over some of the most popular television shows of the time including hits like...
    • Pete
    • News story
    • 80s history 80s news coca cola embassy television tandem productions
    • Category: On This Day in 80s TV
  15. On This Day: March 20 1987 The FDA Approved AZT as the First AIDS Treatment

    On This Day: March 20 1987 The FDA Approved AZT as the First AIDS Treatment

    On this day March 20 1987 the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug AZT making it the first successful treatment for AIDS. AZT also known as zidovudine was initially developed as a cancer drug but was later found to slow the progression of HIV giving patients hope for the first time...
  16. On This Day: March 20 1985 Canadian Paraplegic Rick Hansen Began His Wheelchair Journey Around the Globe

    On This Day: March 20 1985 Canadian Paraplegic Rick Hansen Began His Wheelchair Journey Around the Globe

    On this day March 20 1985 Canadian athlete and activist Rick Hansen began his historic Man in Motion World Tour a wheelchair journey around the globe to raise awareness and funds for spinal cord injury research. Hansen traveled through 34 countries covering more than 40000 kilometers over two...
  17. On This Day: March 19 1984 Mobil Oil Tanker Spilled 200000 Gallons of Oil Into the Columbia River

    On This Day: March 19 1984 Mobil Oil Tanker Spilled 200000 Gallons of Oil Into the Columbia River

    On this day March 19 1984 a Mobil Oil tanker spilled 200000 gallons of oil into the Columbia River creating one of the worst environmental disasters in the region’s history. The spill contaminated miles of water affecting local wildlife fish populations and the surrounding ecosystem. The...
  18. On This Day: March 19 1987 Televangelist Jim Bakker Resigned as Head of the PTL Club

    On This Day: March 19 1987 Televangelist Jim Bakker Resigned as Head of the PTL Club

    On this day March 19 1987 televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as head of the PTL Club also known as The Jim and Tammy Show following a highly publicized sex scandal. Bakker who had built a massive religious broadcasting empire stepped down after it was revealed that he had paid hush money to...
  19. On This Day: March 19 1982 Ozzy Osbourne’s Lead Guitarist Randy Rhoads Was Killed in a Plane Crash

    On This Day: March 19 1982 Ozzy Osbourne’s Lead Guitarist Randy Rhoads Was Killed in a Plane Crash

    On this day March 19 1982 Randy Rhoads the legendary lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne was tragically killed in a plane crash at the age of 25. The accident occurred in Leesburg Florida when Rhoads and two others took an unauthorized flight in a small plane that crashed into a house after...
  20. On This Day: March 18 1988 Gilda Radner Made Her Last TV Appearance on The Garry Shandling Show

    On This Day: March 18 1988 Gilda Radner Made Her Last TV Appearance on The Garry Shandling Show

    On this day March 18 1988 comedian and actress Gilda Radner made her final television appearance on The Garry Shandling Show. Just over a year later on May 20 1989 she passed away at age 42 from ovarian cancer. Radner was one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live where she became...
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