Cost of Living
Yearly Inflation Rate ― 10.35%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average ― 875
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve ― 15.75% (Thank you, Jimmy Carter!)
Average Cost of new house ― $78,200
Median Price Of and Existing Home ― $66,400
Average Income per year ― $21,050.00
Average Monthly Rent ― $315.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas ― $1.25
Tandy TRS 80 PC1 ― $149.95
19 inch Color TV ― $399.95
Under Counter Dishwasher ― $249.95
Miracle Whip ― $1.27
Events of 1981
The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place during July of 1981. The wedding, held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, attracted crowds of more than 600,000 people to witness the historic event. 3,500 guests, many of them royalty or celebrities, attended the ceremony and an estimated 750 million people, worldwide, watched it on television. The Royal Wedding drew the public’s interest in such an extreme way partially due to Lady Diana Spencer’s attractiveness and charm as well as the perception that Diana and Charles’ relationship was a modern fairy tale.
In April of 1981, NASA launched the very first Space Shuttle mission. The Space Shuttle Columbia successfully carried two astronauts, Robert Crippen and John Young, into space to complete the inaugural flight of the Space Shuttle program. The purpose of the mission was to test the stability of the new spacecraft and to safely launch the vehicle into space and return it to Earth so that the craft was reusable. The total length of the mission was two days, six hours, twenty minutes, fifty-three seconds.
The Venera 13 Spacecraft is launched by the USSR on October 30th, 1981. Venera 13 was created, along with the identical Venera 14 spacecraft, as two-part spacecrafts. One part was the lander that would be dropped to the surface of Venus to conduct experiments and the other was the bus that would carry the landers and relay data between the landers and Earth as well as conducting other experiments. The Venera 13 spacecraft reached Venus on March 1, 1982 and successfully deposited its lander. Once on the surface of Venus it took the first panoramic color photos of the landscape and drilled into the surface of the planet to take a sample. The spacecraft also studied cosmic gamma-ray bursts. The craft stopped communicating results in March of 1983.
Soliarity1. The military leaders of Poland declare a state of emergency and place the nation under martial law during December of 1981.
2. The government arrested the leaders of the Solidarity trade union who had been making progress in what was described as a peaceful revolution up to that point.
3. The move cut off the Polish people from the rest of the world and imposed curfews.
4. The United States responded by placing economic sanctions on the country.
5. The authoritarian-led government claimed that the crackdown was necessary to prevent a civil war, but it was more likely used as a means to crush political opposition coming from the Solidarity movement.
6. Martial law was kept in place until July of 1983 and many of the political prisoners were not released until 1986.
Sandra Day O'Connor
1. President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the US Supreme Court on July 7th.
2. The confirmation hearing was held at the beginning of September and by the end of the month the US Senate voted in favor of adding her to the court with a 99-0 vote (one Senator was absent).
3. Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female justice on the United States Supreme Court on September 25th. Her votes and opinions while on the court cast her as a moderate conservative.
4. She had previously held positions as an Arizona state senator (1969 - 1975), Superior Court judge for Maricopa County (1975 - 1979), and a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals (1979 - 1981).
5. She announced that she would retire on July 1st of 2005.
6. She was replaced by Justice Samuel Alito in January 31st of 2006.
On May 13th of 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot by would-be assassin Mehment Ali Agca. The Pope survived the attack but sustained gunshot wounds to his left hand, right arm, and abdomen. Agca’s motive for the attempted assassination was unknown although at one point he suggested that the KGB and the country of Bulgaria were behind it. In July of 1981 he was sentenced to prison for life in Italy. Soon after the shooting Pope John Paul II publicly stated that he had already forgiven Agca. In 2010, Agca was released from prison. Agca was a Turkish national who had been previously convicted of the murder of a journalist in 1979 but had escaped his incarceration.
The first DeLorean DMC-12 futuristic sports car were produced on January 21st. Known for its distinctive gull-wing doors and stainless steel body panels, the vehicle garnered a lot of attention for its unusual look. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro who had also designed cars for major companies including Alfa Romeo, BMW, Fiat, and Maserati, throughout his career. The DeLorean was only manufactured for two years and about 9,000 vehicles were produced in total. The company quickly ran into financial troubles and its founder, John DeLorean, was charged with conspiracy to smuggle drugs. The DeLorean was most well-known for being featured as the time travel machine used in the popular 1985 film “Back to the Future.”
The first London Marathon is held in March of 1981. About 7,000 people participated in the first marathon with 6,255 participants completing the 26 mile race. It was created by former Olympians Chris Brasher and John Disley with the intention to raise money for charity. Thousands of spectators gathered along the route of the first race to cheer on the participants, and since it began it has been held during the spring every year, continuing to grow in size and popularity. The first winners were Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen for the men, crossing the finish line together, and Joyce Smith for the women.
In February of 1981 it is announced that the Bavarian State Library in Germany had acquired a previously unknown piece of music written by famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The piece of music was described as a three-movement symphony in F-Major that had been composed by Mozart at the age of nine while he had been living in London in 1765. The library stated that they had found the symphony in a bundle of 107 manuscripts that had been purchased from an anonymous seller for about $300,000. They also announced that a concert would be held to perform it.
More News and Key Events From 1981
MTV (Music Television) is launched August 1st
Simon And Garfunkel Reunite for concert in New Yorks Central Park
Popular Films
Popular Musicians and Songs
Born This Year
Technology
Inventions
From thepeoplehistory and Wikipedia
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average ― 875
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve ― 15.75% (Thank you, Jimmy Carter!)
Average Cost of new house ― $78,200
Median Price Of and Existing Home ― $66,400
Average Income per year ― $21,050.00
Average Monthly Rent ― $315.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas ― $1.25
Tandy TRS 80 PC1 ― $149.95
19 inch Color TV ― $399.95
Under Counter Dishwasher ― $249.95
Miracle Whip ― $1.27
Events of 1981
The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place during July of 1981. The wedding, held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, attracted crowds of more than 600,000 people to witness the historic event. 3,500 guests, many of them royalty or celebrities, attended the ceremony and an estimated 750 million people, worldwide, watched it on television. The Royal Wedding drew the public’s interest in such an extreme way partially due to Lady Diana Spencer’s attractiveness and charm as well as the perception that Diana and Charles’ relationship was a modern fairy tale.
In April of 1981, NASA launched the very first Space Shuttle mission. The Space Shuttle Columbia successfully carried two astronauts, Robert Crippen and John Young, into space to complete the inaugural flight of the Space Shuttle program. The purpose of the mission was to test the stability of the new spacecraft and to safely launch the vehicle into space and return it to Earth so that the craft was reusable. The total length of the mission was two days, six hours, twenty minutes, fifty-three seconds.
The Venera 13 Spacecraft is launched by the USSR on October 30th, 1981. Venera 13 was created, along with the identical Venera 14 spacecraft, as two-part spacecrafts. One part was the lander that would be dropped to the surface of Venus to conduct experiments and the other was the bus that would carry the landers and relay data between the landers and Earth as well as conducting other experiments. The Venera 13 spacecraft reached Venus on March 1, 1982 and successfully deposited its lander. Once on the surface of Venus it took the first panoramic color photos of the landscape and drilled into the surface of the planet to take a sample. The spacecraft also studied cosmic gamma-ray bursts. The craft stopped communicating results in March of 1983.
Soliarity1. The military leaders of Poland declare a state of emergency and place the nation under martial law during December of 1981.
2. The government arrested the leaders of the Solidarity trade union who had been making progress in what was described as a peaceful revolution up to that point.
3. The move cut off the Polish people from the rest of the world and imposed curfews.
4. The United States responded by placing economic sanctions on the country.
5. The authoritarian-led government claimed that the crackdown was necessary to prevent a civil war, but it was more likely used as a means to crush political opposition coming from the Solidarity movement.
6. Martial law was kept in place until July of 1983 and many of the political prisoners were not released until 1986.
Sandra Day O'Connor
1. President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the US Supreme Court on July 7th.
2. The confirmation hearing was held at the beginning of September and by the end of the month the US Senate voted in favor of adding her to the court with a 99-0 vote (one Senator was absent).
3. Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female justice on the United States Supreme Court on September 25th. Her votes and opinions while on the court cast her as a moderate conservative.
4. She had previously held positions as an Arizona state senator (1969 - 1975), Superior Court judge for Maricopa County (1975 - 1979), and a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals (1979 - 1981).
5. She announced that she would retire on July 1st of 2005.
6. She was replaced by Justice Samuel Alito in January 31st of 2006.
On May 13th of 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot by would-be assassin Mehment Ali Agca. The Pope survived the attack but sustained gunshot wounds to his left hand, right arm, and abdomen. Agca’s motive for the attempted assassination was unknown although at one point he suggested that the KGB and the country of Bulgaria were behind it. In July of 1981 he was sentenced to prison for life in Italy. Soon after the shooting Pope John Paul II publicly stated that he had already forgiven Agca. In 2010, Agca was released from prison. Agca was a Turkish national who had been previously convicted of the murder of a journalist in 1979 but had escaped his incarceration.
The first DeLorean DMC-12 futuristic sports car were produced on January 21st. Known for its distinctive gull-wing doors and stainless steel body panels, the vehicle garnered a lot of attention for its unusual look. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro who had also designed cars for major companies including Alfa Romeo, BMW, Fiat, and Maserati, throughout his career. The DeLorean was only manufactured for two years and about 9,000 vehicles were produced in total. The company quickly ran into financial troubles and its founder, John DeLorean, was charged with conspiracy to smuggle drugs. The DeLorean was most well-known for being featured as the time travel machine used in the popular 1985 film “Back to the Future.”
The first London Marathon is held in March of 1981. About 7,000 people participated in the first marathon with 6,255 participants completing the 26 mile race. It was created by former Olympians Chris Brasher and John Disley with the intention to raise money for charity. Thousands of spectators gathered along the route of the first race to cheer on the participants, and since it began it has been held during the spring every year, continuing to grow in size and popularity. The first winners were Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen for the men, crossing the finish line together, and Joyce Smith for the women.
In February of 1981 it is announced that the Bavarian State Library in Germany had acquired a previously unknown piece of music written by famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The piece of music was described as a three-movement symphony in F-Major that had been composed by Mozart at the age of nine while he had been living in London in 1765. The library stated that they had found the symphony in a bundle of 107 manuscripts that had been purchased from an anonymous seller for about $300,000. They also announced that a concert would be held to perform it.
More News and Key Events From 1981
- The first high speed train service in Europe begins with the French TGV / high-speed train between Paris and Lyon
- Following plans between European Countries and the US to base Nuclear Missiles in Europe protesters including those at Greenham Common picket US bases
- Anti nuclear protesters invade the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Reactor in California
- Iran releases 52 American hostages, who had been held for 444 days
- Thatcher Government in England begin privatisation of Nationalised Industries creating economic revival , this format is later emulated in many other countries throughout the world
- Air traffic controllers strike causing chaos in the US and The US President Ronald Reagan Fires Them
- Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands dies on May 5th while on the hunger strike, During that time Bobby Sands is elected to Westminster as the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
- Jack Grimm announces that he believed he found part of the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, he and his researchers did not in fact find the location of the wreck but had passed close by it unknowingly. A joint French-American expedition run by Robert D. Ballard would go on to find the location of the wreck in 1985.
- Muhammad Ali finally retires with career record of 55 wins and 5 defeats
- U.S. brings in new disability eligibility rules for those claiming disability affecting 500,000 who lose benefits
- Rupert Murdoch shuts down the Sunday Times due to an industrial dispute
- Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke admits her feature was fabricated and relinquished the Pulitzer Prize
- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could require parental notification when teenage girls seek abortions .
- Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper is caught, and imprisoned for life for 13 counts of murder
- Earthquake hits Athens, killing 16 people
- Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is assassinated
- Sandra Day O'Connor is nominated to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
- The first American test-tube baby, is born
- Riots break out in a number of UK Cities including Brixton ( London ), Toxteth ( Liverpool ), and Moss Side ( Manchester )
- The introduction of the first Frequent Flyer Miles AAdvantage introduced by American Airlines ( frequent flyer miles can be redeemed for free air travel )
- Four senior Labour MP'S announce they will breakaway from Labour Party and set up the Social Democratic Party SDP under the leadership of Roy Jenkins
- 147 passengers and crew of a Pakistan Airways are taken hostage and released in Syria
- Attempted coup in Bangladesh and the President Ziaur Rahman is murdered
- Antigua and Barbuda Gains Independence From Great Britain
Popular Culture
MTV (Music Television) is launched August 1st
Sports
AFC ― Cincinnati Bengals
Super Bowl ― San Francisco defeats Cincinnati in SB XVI (1981 season)
NHL ― New York Islanders
Masters Tournament – Tom Watson
U.S. Open – David Graham
British Open – Bill Rogers
PGA Championship – Larry Nelson
LPGA Championship – Donna caponi
U.S. Women's Open – Pat Bradley
NFC ― San Francisco 49ers
AFC ― Cincinnati Bengals
Super Bowl ― San Francisco defeats Cincinnati in SB XVI (1981 season)
NCAA Football ―Clemson University
MLB ― New York Yankees
NCAA Baseball ― Arizona State
NBA ― Boston Celtics
NBA ― Boston Celtics
NCAA Basketball ― Indiana University
NCAA Hockey ― University of Wisconsin
GolfMasters Tournament – Tom Watson
U.S. Open – David Graham
British Open – Bill Rogers
PGA Championship – Larry Nelson
LPGA Championship – Donna caponi
U.S. Women's Open – Pat Bradley
Popular Films
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Superman II
- Nine to Five
- Any Which Way You Can
- Arthur
- The Cannonball Run
- For Your Eyes Only
- On Golden Pond
- Chariots of Fire
Popular Musicians and Songs
- John Lennon
- Blondie
- Dolly Parton " 9 to 5 "
- Sheena Easton
- Diana Ross and Lionel Richie with " Endless Love "
- Olivia Newton-John With " Physical "
- Roxy Music
- Bucks Fizz
- Adam and The Ants
- Michael Jackson
- Queen
- David Bowie
Born This Year
- Jennifer Tisdale ― September 18th
- Allison Crowe ― November 16th
- Britney Spears ― December 2nd
- Justin Timberlake ― January 31st
Technology
- Scientists identifyThe Aids Virus
- First Flight of US Space Shuttle Columbia
- The European Rocket "Ariane" is launched
- IBM in US launches it's first PC which uses Microsoft Software MS DOS
- The term INTERNET first mentioned
- Post It Notes launched by 3M Corp
- The Worlds Fastest Train The French TGV goes into service between Paris and Lyons
- China Clones the first fish ( Golden Carp )
- Artificially Produced Insulin becomes the worlds first genetically engineered protein to treat human disease Diabetes
- MS-DOS released by Microsoft
Inventions
- Space Shuttle USA Columbia was first reusable space vehicle
- Scanning Tunnelling Microscope
From thepeoplehistory and Wikipedia
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