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About Wiki80s.org

Yep, even the 80's aren't immune to their own Wiki! Wiki80s.org is a brand new project all about the 1980s inspired by our other 80's websites i80s.com and 80s-music.net. Having a whole bunch of 80s information at our disposal seemed to be a great idea, and having it in a Wiki format will keep the information more organized. If you would like to be a part of our Wiki80s project, scroll down and you will see where to submit your page to us.

The 1980's

The 1980's was the decade which spanned 1980-1989, also called "The Eighties". It was the "me" generation hosting hostile takeovers, buyouts, mega-mergers and billionaires. Shopping 'till you drop became the motto for many credit card owners. The 80's decade saw social, economic and general upheaval as wealth, production and western culture migrated to new industrializing economies. Aerobics, camcorders, minivans, talk shows and video games became a big part of our lives in the 80's. Inflation was high, Nancy Reagan declared war on drugs, hospital costs rose, we lost many great talents to the AIDS virus and unemployment rose.

On the flip side, the US Constitution had it's 200th birthday, Gone with the Wind turned 50, ET phoned home, and in 1989 Americans gave $115,000,000,000 to charity. Internationally, at the end of the decade the Berlin Wall was removed to pave the way for decades to come.

Science & Technology

There were a few great strides in science and technology such as: Americans began using personal computers in their homes, offices and schools. America's first reusable spacecraft Columbia was launched in 1981, however, in 1986 the space shuttle Challenger sadly exploded 74 seconds after liftoff at Cape Canaveral, Florida -- killing all seven astronauts, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe. There were new studies and new treatments for heart, cancer and other diseases. Major advances in genetics research led to the 1988 funding of the Human Genome Project -- This project will locate the estimated 80,000 genes contained in human DNA.

Pop Culture

The 1980s are also well known for the popular U.S. culture of the time such as the over-the-top fashion, the commercialization of music and film (putting it together with Mtv), and wacky hair styles sometimes in different shades of red, purple or blue.

In the early 1980s, the first generation of computer, video and arcade games produced the popular Space Invaders arcade game (first released in 1978), then Pac-Man, Frogger and Donkey Kong among others followed. Video game consoles came out in the late 80's which took the place of many arcades where many teenagers used to hang out.

Computer technology crossed over into movies such as WarGames (1983) and Tron (1982). The Rubik's Cube, Cabbage Patch Kids, "Baby on Board" signs, Teddy Ruxpin and Trivial Pursuit were all fads of the 80's. There were many cartoons in the eighties including: Smurfs, Rainbow Bright, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Garfield, GI Joe, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Transformers among many others.

Karate Kid was a hit and so was Martial Arts and Ninja type things. Raybans were popular sunglasses of the time as were Nike sneakers (and still are today), Members Only jackets, sweats, jerseys and athletic wear were also "in".

Americans were much more health-concious with the help of Jane Fonda, MTV, an all-music 24 hours-a-day television station, debuted in the Unites States in 1981.

Australian pop culture made its way into the U.S. by the means of Olivia Newton-John, INXS, Midnight Oil, Men at Work, Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max movies.

Rap music came onto the scene and also gave us breakdancing with a string of movies sporting this new dance. Two major Spanish television and radio networks came into the market (Univision - 1985 and Telemundo - 1986). The De Lorean car debuted in 1981, was produced for three years before the company went bankrupt in 1983. The De Lorean was later popularized in the 1985 film Back to the Future.

Population Growth

The 1980s was also an era of tremendous population growth around the world, surpassing even the 1970s and 1990s for arguably being the largest in human history. This growth occurred not only in developing regions but also developed western nations, where many newborns were the offspring of Baby Boomers.

Social Trends

Social trends of the 80's included the increased homophobia due to the rise of AIDS, political correctness became a concern in mainstream politics, White American and African Americans attitudes towards each other eased, radio stations drop disco music in 1980, conservative radio starts thanks to Rush Limbaugh. Child abuse gained public attention, social welfare for handicapped children improved, alcohol and drug education expanded (M.A.D.D., Just Say No campaign, and D.A.R.E.). By 1990, every state in the U.S. mandated the drinking age to be 21. Smoking cigarettes was perceived as more unhealthy and deadly than previous decades -- "Smoking" and "Non-Smoking" sections at restaurants became common. After the 1986 Chernobyl accident opposition to nuclear power plants grew, and environmental concerns intensified.

In the United States, the early 1980s were characterized by a disco backlash connected with a religious revival (Moral Majority) and conservative revival (known as the "Reagan revolution") that led to the end of the liberalism of the 1970s. New Right activists generally denounced abortion, pornography, same-sex marriage, feminism, drug legalization, and affirmative action.

Sports

Sports in the 80's included the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow which was boycotted by the US and 64 other countries in protest of the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The US Olympic hockey team beat the USSR, 4-3 known as the Miracle on Ice, in Major League Baseball, nine different teams won the World Series, Mike Tyson dominated Professional Boxing and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were the stars of the basketball courts. Michael Jordon was the new comer and people were starting to take notice. In retaliation of the 1980 Winter Olympics, the Soviet Union lead a boycott to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

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