Important Events
This former movie actor was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States on January 21st
Who is Ronald Reagan?
This movie, starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, opened in theaters on June 12th
What is Raiders of the Lost Ark?
The royal wedding of these two on July 29th was watched by 750 million television viewers worldwide
Who are Charles and Diana?
A first class one of these cost 18 cents in 1981.
What is a stamp?
This singer, who would go on to be a Mouseketeer and a member of NSYNC, was born January 31, 1981.
Who is Justin Timberlake?
She became the first female justice on the Supreme Court on September 25th
Who is Sandra Day O'Connor?
This music television channel launched on cable TV on August 1st.
What is MTV?
On August 12th, IBM released their new computer called the IBM PC, which began the popularization of the term "PC", which stands for this
What is personal computer?
This was $3.35 per hour in 1981.
What is the federal minimum wage?
This female singer, winner of a record-breaking 28 Grammy Awards, 26 MTV Video Music Awards, 24 NAACP Image Awards, 31 BET Awards, and 17 Soul Train Music Awards, was born on September 4, 1981.
Who is Beyonce?
On June 5th, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that five homosexual men in Los Angeles, California, have a rare form of pneumonia, which will later become known as this
What is AIDS?
The marriage of these two characters on General Hospital occurred on November 16th and remains the highest rated hour in daytime television history
Who are Luke and Laura?
This baby girl's name was ranked number 3 or 4 in 1981 (depending on what chart you look at).
What is Sarah?
A gallon of this cost $1.25 in 1981.
What is gas?
This female professional tennis player, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, was born September 26, 1981.
Who is Serena Williams?
This US president was shot in the chest outside of a Washington DC hotel by John Hinkley Jr. On March 30th
Who is Ronald Reagan?
This arcade game, which focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms to ascend a construction site, all while avoiding or jumping over obstacles, debuted in Japan and later the US. The originally unnamed character, who was later called Jumpman, then Mario, must rescue a damsel in distress, Pauline, from a giant ape.
What is Donkey Kong?
This American actress died on November 29, 1981, apparently falling overboard after a day/night sailing with hubby Robert Wagner and mutual friend Christopher Walken
Who is Natalie Wood?
A gallon of this cost $1.83 in 1981.
What is milk?
This socialite and hotel heiress, who is credited with reviving the "famous for being famous" phenomenon in the 2000s, was born February 17, 2021.
Who is Paris Hilton?
The first American baby conceived using this technology was born on December 28, 1981, in Norfolk, VA
What is IVF?
This primetime TV soap opera, which featured the affluent and feuding family, the Ewings, was the #1 rated show in 1981
What is Dallas?
This artificial sweetener was approved by the FDA for tabletop use in 1981
What is aspartame?
The average cost of a new one of these was $78,000 in 1981.
What is a house?
This American actress, who would become England's Duchess of Sussex in 2018, was born on August 8, 1981
Who is Meghan Markle?