1981 the Year in Review
January 1981
Jan 20, 1981-Ronald Reagan takes the oath of office to become the 40th President of the U.S.
Jan 20, 1981-Just about the same moment that Ronald Reagan was taking the oath, the American hostages are freed in Iran ending the 444 day ordeal.
Jan 27-The Oakland Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 in Super Bowl XV held at the New Orleans Superdome. This was the Eagles first Super Bowl appearance. Jim Plunkett was voted the Super Bowl MVP.
February 1981
February 15 1981- Richard Petty wins the 23nd running of the Daytona 500. The average speed was 169.651MPH and the margin of victory was 3.5 seconds.
March 1981
March 6, 1981-Walter Cronkite steps down as anchor of CBS Evening News after 19 years. He would be replaced by Dan Rather.
March 30-Secret Service Agents surround John Hinckley, after the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan after giving a speech at the Washington Hilton.
April 1981
April 12, 1981-The Space Shuttle launches for the first time from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission was designated STS-1.
May 1981
May 13, 1981-Pope John Paul II is rushed to the hospital after an assassination attempt while riding through St. Peter's Square in Rome during a Papal audience. A Turkish National, Mehmet Ali Agca, is later convicted of the crime. Pope John Paul II later met Agca in person and forgave him.
May 14, 1981-The Boston Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets 104-92 to take the 1981 NBA Championship four games to two.
June 1981
June 5, 1981-Doctors report a new "gay cancer" affecting mainly gay men and people with weakened immune systems. The disease would eventually be known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
June 12, 1981-A baseball strike lasting 50 days cancels 713 games or 38 % of the season. When play resumed, the season was split into two separate seasons. The playoffs pitted the respective leaders of the two seasons against each other.
July 1981
July 7, 1981-President Ronald Reagan appoints Sandra Day O'Connor first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
July 17, 1981-Two of three skyways in the atrium of the Kansas City Hyatt collapse due to structural failure killing 113 people and injuring 186.
July 29, 1981-Millions of people from all over the world tuned in to watch the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
August 1981
August 1, 1981-MTV or Music Television goes on the air for the first time at 12:01 AM with the words, "Ladies and Gentlemen, let's rock and roll." The all music channel featured concert footage, movies, and of course videos. The channel was, and still is noted for its social activism.
August 3, 1981-More than 13,000 Air Traffic Controllers represented by PATCO go on strike seeking better pay, working conditions and a 32 hour work week.
August 12, 1981-IBM introduced the first personal computer or PC. Designated the IBM PC 5150, it had 64 kilobytes of RAM, was powered by a 4.77 MhZ 8088 processor, and included a 160K 5.25" single sided floppy drive. This model retailed for $2,880 when it went on sale in the fall of 1981.
August 24, 1981-Mark David Chapman is convicted in the killing of former Beatle John Lennon the previous December in Manhattan.
September 1981
September 25, 1981-The Rolling Stones kick off their "Tattoo You" tour with a concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.
September 26, 1981-The Boeing 767 makes its first flight.
September 27, 1981-The TGV high speed train makes its first trip from Paris to Lyon, France.
October 1981
October 6, 1981-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, is assassinated while watching a military parade in Cairo by militants disguised as soldiers.
October 28, 1981-Steve Garvey, Steve Yeager and Steve Howe are all jubilant as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees 9-2 in Game 6 of the 1981 World Series at Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers won the Series four games to two.
November 1981
November 1, 1981-Antigua and Barbuda gain independence from the United Kingdom.
November 16, 1981-Thirty million viewers tuned in to watch the wedding of the year, (no not Charles and Diana), the other storybook wedding, between Luke and Laura from the daytime soap opera, General Hospital. It is still ranked as the most watched hour on daytime television.
December 1981
December 13, 1981-Tanks are dispatched to Warsaw as martial law is declared in Poland by Prime Minister, General Wojciech Jaruzelski in response to the growing threat from Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement.