Name that Decade
This decade was full of Happy Days. (The decade the show was set it, not when it ran.)
What is the 1950s? Although the show ran from 1974 to 1984, the story of the Cunningham family was set much earlier.
He said, “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.”
Who is Gerald Ford? The quote comes from his first presidential address in 1974. This event occurred on August 9, 1974, as a result of the Watergate scandal. Ford's words signified the end of the public's distress and division caused by the Watergate scandal and Nixon's resignation.
Her novel The Handmaid’s Tale has been made into a popular modern TV series.
Who is Margaret Atwood? Her other titles include 1989’s Cat’s Eye and a recent novel, The Testaments, from 2019.
The ’80s were a time for female leaders, including Corazon Aquino, who became the first woman president of this Southeast Asian island nation.
What is the Philippines? María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino CCLH was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from 1986 to 1992.
Before his breakthrough role on the big screen, this beloved actor was cracking us up as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties.
Who is Michael J. Fox? His big break would come in Back to the Future, in which he stars as Marty McFly. In 1998, Fox disclosed his 1991 diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. He became an advocate for finding a cure and founded The Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund research. Worsening symptoms forced him to reduce his acting work.
The backstory for Dallas starts the Ewing family drama during this decade.
What is the 1930s? Star-crossed lovers, family dynamics, and drama abound in this soap opera.
In one of his most beloved songs, he says, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”
Who is John Lennon? The 1971 tune “Imagine” is still popular and has been used during two Olympics ceremonies, in 2012 and 2018.
Danielle Steel is an author most noted for her bestsellers in this genre.
What is romance? Her first novel, Going Home, was published in 1973
A 1986 disaster saw the explosion of this nuclear power plant in the Ukraine.
What is Chernobyl? The explosion caused widespread damage, with radioactive particles reaching as far away as Sweden. Today, Chernobyl is a mix of abandoned, decaying urban areas within the exclusion zone and thriving, albeit radioactive, natural ecosystems. While the immediate area surrounding the power plant is uninhabitable for humans for centuries due to high radiation levels, the exclusion zone has become a unique sanctuary for wildlife and a subject of scientific research.
This decade was the setting for M*A*S*H
What is the 1950s? It tells the story of an army hospital during the Korean War and is one of the most beloved shows from the ’70s and early ’80s
After rejecting his Best Actor Oscar, he said, “If we are not our brother’s keeper, at least let us not be his executioner.”
He sent Sacheen Littlefeather to decline the award on his behalf as a protest against the portrayal of Native Americans in Hollywood films and the events at Wounded Knee.
This English author is known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE. Christie was born into a wealthy upper-middle-class family in Torquay, Devon, and was largely home-schooled. She was initially an unsuccessful writer with six consecutive rejections, but this changed in 1920 when The Mysterious Affair at Styles, featuring detective Hercule Poirot, was published.
In 1982, it became illegal worldwide to hunt these large marine mammals
What are whales? The International Whaling Commission put an indefinite moratorium on commercial whaling to protect the animals.
The Downton Abbey series started in this decade.
1910s. The first series of Downton Abbey comprises seven episodes, was broadcast in the UK from 26 September 2010, and explored the lives of the Crawley family and their servants from the day after the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912 to the outbreak of the First World War on 4 August 1914.
This British politician once said, “I don’t think there will be a woman prime minister in my lifetime.”
Who is Margaret Thatcher? Just six years later, she became that first female PM. The only British prime minister in the 20th century to win three consecutive terms and, at the time of her resignation, Britain’s longest continuously serving prime minister since 1827, she accelerated the evolution of the British economy from stateism to liberalism
This American novelist's 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and became a classic of modern American literature. She assisted her close friend Truman Capote in his research for the book In Cold Blood.
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird has had a profound and lasting impact on society. Published in 1960, the novel became a cultural touchstone, sparking conversations about racism, justice, and childhood innocence in America. Its themes continue to resonate with readers, making it a frequently assigned text in schools and a source of ongoing discussion.
In 1985, this Soviet leader introduced two concepts to revive the economy: glasnost, or “openness,” and perestroika, or “restructuring.”
Who is Gorbachev? These movements yielded few improvements or results. Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991.
The television series Gunsmoke is set during the post-Civil War era of the American West, specifically during the thriving cattle days. The show focuses on U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon's efforts to maintain law and order in the frontier town.
1870s. Gunsmoke, American television western that aired on CBS for 20 seasons (1955–75), becoming the longest-running prime-time television western in history. The series was the top-rated show from 1957 to 1961 and maintained excellent ratings throughout its run.
Her anti-drug campaign slogan told ’80s kids to “just say no.”
Who is Nancy Reagan? The slogan was on posters and in films distributed to U.S. schools throughout the 1980s and ’90s.
This American writer's most notable works include Winter Garden, The Nightingale, Firefly Lane, The Great Alone, and The Four Winds. In 2024 The Women was published. It is set in the United States in the 1960s during the Vietnam War.
Kristin Hannah's best-selling work, The Nightingale, has sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide and has been published in 45 languages. She has written more than twenty novels in 35 years. The Nightingale won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction in 2015 and was also named the People's Choice Award for best fiction.
A famous tune of 1985, “We Are the World” helped raise funds to fight famine and poverty in this African nation.
What is Ethiopia? The song was organized by Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones and features many famous voices.