1980 to 1989

What happened in history...

1980 - John Lennon assassinated
1981 - Ronald Regan becomes President, inaugrated on the same day Iran releases hostages
1981 - Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley
1981 - MTV signs on, becoming the first 24-hour cable network dedicated to airing music videos
1981 - The Space Shuttle Columbia launched, marking America's first return to space since 1975
1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor becomes first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court
1981-1982 - The killing of 7-year-old Adam Walsh (1981), and the disappearance fo Johnny Gosch, a 12-year-old newspaper carrier from Des Moines, IA (1982) raises awareness of missing children cases in the United States
1984 - Ronald Reagan is re-elected
1985 - Country music singer Willie Nelson organizes the first Farm Aid, to raise money for family farmers facing financial crisis
1985 - The Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable (as 1986 models), Nintendo Entertainment System are released to the public
1986 - Space shuttle Challenger accident, killing all seven aboard (including school teacher Christa McAuliffe) and grounding the nation's space program for 2 1/2 years
1988 - Severe droughts and massive heat wave grip the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states. The crisis reaches its peak with the Yellowstone fires of 1988
1988 - Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL, becomes the last Major League Baseball park to add lights for night games
1988 - Discovery launched as first post - Challenger space shuttle flight
1988 - George H.W. Bush is elected as President
1989 - Time, Inc and Warner Communication announce plans for a merger, forming Time Warner
1989 - Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound
1989 - Hurricane Hugo strikes the East Coast, causing $7 billion in damage