Celebrate the Century: U.S. History of the 1980s
SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCHED, BERLIN WALL FALLS
NASA launched the space shuttle Columbia, the first reusable spacecraft, April 12, 1981. Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. The Iran-Contra hearings made headlines.
Several events signaled the easing of international tensions. In December 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed a nuclear-arms reduction treaty. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 presaged the end of the cold war.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated November 13, 1982. Americans celebrated a new national holiday, Martin Luther King Day, in January 1986.
The growth of cable television, video games, and compact discs had a major impact on home entertainment. Dallas and The Cosby Show topped TV ratings. Hip-hop culture and music videos gain popularity.
New words: yuppie, infomercial , and biodiversity.
Space shuttles
transformed U.S. space exploration. The reusable craft can launch satellites and
house labs for scientific experiments. NASA launched Columbia, the first
space shuttle, April 12, 1981.
Question 1:
Where did the space shuttle Columbia get its name?
The Web site:
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/columbia.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the
Shuttle Orbiter Columbia Web page, which is part of the Web site of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
.
MUSICAL SMASH
Based on children's
poems by T. S. Eliot, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats opened on
Broadway on October 7, 1982. Wildly popular with people of all ages, it was the
longest-running show in Broadway history. It closed on September 10, 2000.
Question 2:
Cats was nominated for 12 Tony Awards in 1983. How many Tony Awards did Cats
win that year?
The Web site:
http://www.tonys.org/archives/pastwinners/index.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the Tony
Awards Search Engine. (Hint: Type the word Cats into the Title space
on the Tony Awards search engine. Then click SEARCH ; see how many of the
nominees won!)
HOSTAGES COME HOME
On November 4,
1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking hostages.
Following prolonged negotiations, the hostage crisis came to an end after 444
days.
Question 3:
How many people were held hostage until the crisis ended on January 20, 1981?
The Web site:
www.bartleby.com/65/ir/Iranhost.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the Iran
Hostage Crisis page in the online Columbia Encyclopedia.
FIGURE SKATING
Figure skating
gained popularity during the 1980s as fans eagerly followed national and
international rivalries. Americans captured nine World Championships, and
American men won Olympic gold in 1984 and 1988.
Question 4:
The men's figure skating competition at the 1988 Olympics was known as the
"Battle of the Brians." Whom did U.S. skater Brian Boitano defeat in
order to win the gold medal at those Olympic Games?
The Web site:
www.hickoksports.com/biograph.indfigsk.shtml
To find the answer to that question, go to the Figure
Skating Biographies Web page.
VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
Designed by Maya
Lin and dedicated on November 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
Washington, D.C., displays the names of the more than 58,000 Americans who died
in the Vietnam War or are listed as missing.
Question 5:
Maya Lin was one of many people who submitted designs for the memorial. How many
people entered the Vietnam Veterans Memorial design contest?
The Web site:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm022.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the
Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Web page.
COMPACT DISCS
First marketed in
the United States in 1983, compact discs (CDs) dramatically changed the music
industry. Such features as durability, convenience, and sound quality helped CDs
outsell records by the end of the decade.
Question 6:
Consumers bought about 30,000 compact disc players in 1983. That number grew
rapidly. How many CD players did people buy in 1986, only three years after the
introduction of the device?
The Web site:
http://www.geocities.com/columbiaisa/cd_intro.htm
To find the answer to that question, go to the
History
of the Compact Disc Web page.
FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL
Built through the
city of Berlin in 1961 to prevent citizens from fleeing communist East Germany
to the West, the Berlin Wall symbolized the cold war. When travel restrictions
were suddenly lifted November 9, 1989, Germans celebrated the end of Berlin's
division.
Question 7:
The Berlin Wall was built in four generations. How high (in feet) was the last
generation of the wall?
The Web site:
www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall
To find the answer to that question, go to the Berlin
Wall Web page. Click Facts to find the answer.
VIDEO GAMES
As video games
rose in popularity, Americans spent more than 20 billion quarters and countless
hours in arcades in 1981 alone. Home video games, with consoles plugged into
TVs, turned living rooms into personal arcades.
Question 8:
The Super Mario Brothers video game debuted in 1985.
It is the second best selling video game of all time. How many copies
Super Mario Brothers have been sold and what video game is
the only one that has surpassed that?
The Web site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.
To find the answer to that question, go to
Wikipedia and read
about Super Mario Brothers.
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
E.T. the
Extra-Terrestrial tells the story of a boy who befriends a stranded space
alien and helps him "phone home." Winner of four Academy Awards and
one of the most beloved films of all time, E.T. held the record as the
top-grossing film for 15 years.
Question 9:
According to one source (Exhibitor Relations), only four movies have earned
more money than E.T. has. Which movies are they?
The Web site:
http://www.factmonster.com/entertainment/movies/exhibitor-relations-top-box-office.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the
Top 25 All-Time Films at the USA Box Office list on the
factmonster.com Web site.
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
During the 1980s,
personal computers from companies such as Tandy, Commodore, Apple, and IBM
revolutionized desktops. Home and office users could run business software, play
games, or even write their own programs.
Question 10:
How many computers did people in the United States use in 1986?
The Web site:
http://www.computerhope.com/history/198090.htm
To find the answer to that question, go to the
Computer History
Timeline Web page.