Reagan Assassination Attempt
John Hinckley Jr. shot President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton. Reagan joked to surgeons: 'I hope you're all Republicans.' He recovered and his approval ratings soared.
πΊπΈUnited States Β· 80s
Morning in America Begins
Reagan shot, MTV launches, and the Space Shuttle flies.
5 milestones of 1981
John Hinckley Jr. shot President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton. Reagan joked to surgeons: 'I hope you're all Republicans.' He recovered and his approval ratings soared.
'Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.' MTV launched at 12:01 AM with 'Video Killed the Radio Star.' Music would never be the same. The visual era had arrived.
Space Shuttle Columbia launched on the first shuttle mission. A reusable spacecraft β the future of spaceflight. John Young and Robert Crippen flew the maiden voyage.
Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman on the Supreme Court. Reagan fulfilled a campaign promise. The 191-year all-male streak was over.
13,000 air traffic controllers went on strike. Reagan fired them all. It was the most dramatic confrontation between a president and organized labor since the New Deal. The labor movement never fully recovered.
70% local Β· 30% international

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Steven Spielberg β Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. Spielberg and Lucas created the greatest adventure film.

Chariots of Fire
Hugh Hudson β That Vangelis theme. British runners at the 1924 Olympics. Won Best Picture.

An American Werewolf in London
John Landis β The greatest werewolf transformation in cinema history.

The Evil Dead
Sam Raimi β Bruce Campbell in the cabin. Micro-budget horror genius.

On Golden Pond
Mark Rydell β Henry Fonda won his only Oscar. Father and daughter reconciled β on screen and off.
Dynasty
1981-1989 β The Carringtons vs. Dallas's Ewings. Shoulder pads and cat fights.
Hill Street Blues
1981-1987 β 'Let's be careful out there.' Reinvented the cop drama.
MTV
1981-present β Music Television launched and transformed how music was consumed.
Dallas
1978-1991 β 'Who shot J.R.?' was resolved. 83 million watched. Still a record.
M*A*S*H
1972-1983 β Approaching its final seasons. Still beloved.
Currency: USD
Inflation: 10.3%
Volcker's Fed kept interest rates painfully high to crush inflation. Mortgage rates hit 18%. A recession was beginning.
Inflation-adjusted values
IBM PC
IBM released its Personal Computer. The PC revolution went mainstream.
Space Shuttle Columbia
The first reusable spacecraft launched, beginning the shuttle era.
MS-DOS
Microsoft's DOS became the operating system for IBM PCs.
DeLorean DMC-12
John DeLorean's gull-wing sports car went on sale. It would become famous in a movie four years later.
Hepatitis B vaccine
The first genetically engineered vaccine was approved.