Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1981. This year saw 277 significant events. 32 notable figures were born. 6 notable figures passed away.
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia...
"Hill Street Station" is the first episode of the first season of the American serial police drama Hill Street Blues.
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Twenty-year-old Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky becomes the first player in NHL history to score five career hat tricks before age 21, scoring five goals and two assists in a 9-2 Oilers home win against St. Louis
George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for "subconscious plagiarism" of his song "My Sweet Lord" from Ronnie Mack's song "He's So Fine"
The CBS Evening News (titled as CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil since January 3, 2026) is the flagship evening television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network...
Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. is an American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor.
"Chariots of Fire" directed by Hugh Hudson and starring Ben Cross and Ian Charleson premieres at a Royal Command Film Performance (Best Picture 1982)
The 1st Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 31, 1981, at founder John J. B. Wilson's living room alcove to recognize the worst the film industry had to offer in 1980.
The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, returns to Earth after 2 days and 6 hours in space
Bill Shoemaker wins his 8,000th horse race, 2,000 more than any other jockey
American political activist Maureen Reagan (40) weds third and final husband, American public relations CEO Dennis Revell (28), until her death in 2001
Beatle Ringo Starr (40) weds American actress Barbara Bach (33) at Marylebone Town Hall, London, England
After 66 days on hunger strike, 26-year-old Provisional IRA member and British MP Bobby Sands dies in Prison Maze. Nine more hunger strikers die in the next 3 months.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Cats" (based on poetry by T. S. Eliot) directed by Trevor Nunn, opens at the New London Theatre in the West End, London; runs for 8,949 performances
Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005.
Reggae musician Bob Marley receives a Jamaican state funeral
AIDS epidemic officially begins when US Centers for Disease Control reports on pneumonia affecting five homosexual men in Los Angeles
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" (the first Indiana Jones film) directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford, with story by George Lucas premieres
John McEnroe's famous "You cannot be serious" rant in first-round win over Tom Gullikson at Wimbledon
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley in 1979.
Don Estridge unveils the company's first personal computer, the IBM PC, at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, priced at $1,565 with 16 kilobytes of RAM, helping bring computing to the masses [1]
The Smurfs (French: Les Schtroumpfs; Dutch: De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the...
Sandra Day O'Connor (March 26, 1930 – December 1, 2023) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to...
US national debt reaches $1 trillion
Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky becomes the fastest NHL player to reach 100 points in a season (his 38th game), scoring 4 goals and an assist in a 10-3 win over the visiting Los Angeles Kings
"Red Right 88", trailing 14–12 Clevelands Browns attempt an end zone pass play (Red Right 88) and a game-winning field goal in the final minute, but pass intercepted by Raiders safety Mike Davis and Oakland wins
Late night television news program "Nightline" with Ted Koppel extended from 20 mins to 30 mins
50th hat trick in Islander history-John Tonelli scored 5 goals
India all out 63 in one-day international v Australia
Francisco Balsamao elected President of Portugal
El Salvador guerrilla group FMLN opens "general offensive"
British team led by Ranulph Fiennes completes longest & fastest crossing of Antarctica, reaching Scott base after 75 days (2,500 miles)
-35°F (-37°C), Chester, Massachusetts (state record)
Barbara Sonntag, Colo, crochets record 147 stitches/min for 1/2 hour
NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy's 15th career hat trick among his 4 goals, in 6-3 win over visiting Pittsburgh Penquins
US Federal Communications Commission frees stations to air as many commercials an hour as they wish
Pitcher Bob Gibson is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility; after a stellar 17 year career, polls 337 votes from Baseball Writers Association of America
Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged, his assailants even take his gold teeth
There have been a number of international sanctions against Iran imposed by a number of countries, especially the United States, and international entities.
Muhammad Ali talks a despondent 21-year-old out of committing suicide
Stansfield Turner (December 1, 1923 – January 18, 2018) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served as President of the Naval War College (1972–1974), commander of the United States Second...
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system that serves four of the five boroughs of New York City, New York: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips Jr. (September 29, 1923 – October 18, 2013) was an American football coach at the high school, college and professional levels.
Sandeep Patil scores memorable 174 v Australia at Adelaide Oval
Olympic Glory tanker at Galveston Bay, Texas, spills 1 million gallons of oil in a ship collision
AL approves sale of White Sox to Jerry Reinsdorf & Eddie Einhorn for $20 million, & 80% of Mariners to George Argyros for $104 million
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song originally written and performed by Jamaican singer John Holt and his group The Paragons. The track was produced by Duke Reid for his Treasure Isle label.
Dutch Antilles census is 231,932
Gro Harlem Brundtland is a Norwegian politician in the Labour Party, who served three terms as the prime minister of Norway (1981, 1986–1989, and 1990–1996), as the leader of her party from 1981 to...
8 killed and 198 injured by fire at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada; a busboy is later convicted of arson and murder, and sentenced to life in prison [1]
Australia all out 83 v India at MCG chasing 143 to win
Admiral Bobby R Inman, USN, becomes deputy director of CIA
On February 13, 1981, a series of explosions destroyed more than 13 miles (21 km) of sewer lines and streets in the center of Louisville in Kentucky, United States.
The Stardust fire was a fatal fire at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin, Ireland, in the early hours of 14 February (Saint Valentine's Day) 1981.
23rd Daytona 500: Richard Petty wins record 7th title at Daytona, beating Bobby Allison to the line by 3.5 seconds
FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( KRY-slər), is one of the "Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in...
Jeff Erlanger (10), a spinal tumor survivor and quadriplegic, appears on children's television program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", discusses his disability and demonstrates his electric wheelchair
Flight readiness firing of Columbia's main engines; 20 seconds
Charles Rocket clearly says "f*ck" on "Saturday Night Live"
An earthquake registering 6.7 on the Richter scale hits Athens, killing 16 people and destroying buildings in several towns west of the city.
3 Anglican missionaries detained in Iran since Aug 1980 are released
Greatest passenger load on a commercial airliner: 610 on a Boeing 747
Calvin Murphy (Hou), sets NBA record with 78 consecutive free throws
Houston Rockets guard Calvin Murphy misses a free throw in a 102-86 loss in San Antonio, ending his NBA record consecutive free throw streak at 78
Aircraft hijacked by 3 Pakistani terrorists
France performs nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll
First homicide at Disneyland, 18-year-old Mel Yorba is stabbed to death during a fight with James O'Driscoll after allegedly pinching his girlfriend’s bottom
"Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974.
Salyut 6 was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth station of the Salyut programme, and alternatively known DOS-5 as it was the fifth of the Durable Orbital Station series of civilian space...
The 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball.
"Broadway Follies" opens/closes at Nederlander Theater NYC
FC Lisse, Dutch soccer team forms
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern...
Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA.
Argentine ex-president Isabel Peron sentenced to 8 years
9-time World Grand Prix motorcycle champion Mike Hailwood along with his 9-year-old daughter Michelle are killed when his Rover SD1 collides with a truck near their home in Tanworth-in-Arden in England
Salyut 6 was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth station of the Salyut programme, and alternatively known DOS-5 as it was the fifth of the Durable Orbital Station series of civilian space...
US Supreme Court rules states could require, with some exceptions, parental notification when teen-age girls sought abortions
Bombay beat Delhi by innings & 46 to win Ranji Cricket Trophy
Police & Albanian demonstrators battle in Kosovo, Yugoslavia
East German Christa Rothenburger skates ladies' world record 500 m (40.18 sec); she later breaks her own record twice
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards is a retired Antiguan cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991.
Belgium's 4th government of Martens resigns
Arnie Boldt of Saskatchewan jumps 6' 8.25," with 1 leg
Henry Gabriel Cisneros is an American politician and businessman. He served as the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, from 1981 to 1989, the second Latino mayor of a major American city and the city's...
Philadelphia Flyers amass a record 2,621 penalty minutes
Belgian government of Mark Eyskens forms
This is a list of players who have scored five or more goals in a National Hockey League (NHL) game.
Computer glitch keeps Space Shuttle Columbia grounded
Maiden voyage Space Transit System-space shuttle Columbia launched
The Pulitzer Prizes for 1981 were announced on April 13, 1981. The winner in each category is listed first, in bold, followed by the other finalists.
Janet Cooke says her Pulitzer award-winning story about an 8-year-old heroin addict is a lie, Washington Post relinquishes Pulitzer Prize on fabricated story
Longest game in Professional Baseball: Pawtucket Red Sox tie Rochester Red Wings 2-2 in 32 innings (game resumed 23rd June)
The 1981 Oakland Athletics season was the 81st season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 14th season in Oakland.
"Fire and Smoke" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Earl Thomas Conley.
US furnishes $1 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia
10,000 copper workers in Chile strike
More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of a nuclear power plant in Tsuruga, Japan
First female soccer official is hired by the NASL
"We’re Fighting Back" premieres on CBS in the US, based on the formation of the Guardian Angels
Abscam, sometimes written ABSCAM, was a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members from both chambers of the...
Radio Shack re-releases Model III TRSDOS 1.3 with 2 fixes
"Moony, Shapiro Songbook" opens & closes at Morosco Theater NYC
Rockline premieres on KLOS FM in Los Angeles
16th and final MLB pre-season Mayor's Trophy Game prior to inter-league play; NY Mets beat NY Yankees, 4-1 to hold 8-7-1 edge
US expels Libyan diplomats
Ron Davis pitches 10th consecutive strike out, 1 short of record
Kazimiroff Blvd in Bronx named for a Bronx historian
NY Islanders tie their own record with two shorthanded playoff goals in a period vs Minnesota North Stars
The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S.
George Harrison releases single "All Those Years Ago" in UK: the song was a tribute to John Lennon, and featured Ringo Starr on drums, and Paul and Linda McCartney on backing vocals [1]
This is a list of players who have scored five or more goals in a National Hockey League (NHL) game.
Five British Army soldiers are killed when their armoured vehicle is ripped apart by a Provisional Irish Republican Army roadside bomb near Bessbrook, County Armagh
William Finn's musical "March of the Falsettos" opens Off-Broadway in NYC
Soyuz 40 returns to Earth
Barcelona fascists take 200 people hostage
Hostage situation ends at Central Bank in Barcelona, Spain
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, and the lead ship of her class.
34th Cannes Film Festival: "Man of Iron" directed by Andrzej Wajda wins the Palme d'Or
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
Nightline (or ABC News Nightline) is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the...
Jaffna Public Library, repository of Tamil culture and one of the largest libraries in Asia, is burnt to the ground by a Sinhalese crowd
The 54th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 3–4, 1981, sponsored by the E.W.
A passenger train travelling between Mansi and Saharsa, India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the Bagmati river, killing 268 officially with another 300 or more missing
The 35th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS television on June 7, 1981, from the Mark Hellinger Theatre. The hosts were Ellen Burstyn and Richard Chamberlain.
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division.
IRA's Joseph Doherty escapes from Crumlin Road Jail
Cannibal Issei Sagawa kills Dutch student
The Unification Church, officially the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU; 세계평화통일가정연합) is an Abrahamic monotheistic new religious movement, whose members are called...
No Nukes concert at Hollywood Bowl
Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate. It is home to more than 10.5 million people.
Kimberley Ann Smith, of NC, 17, crowned America's Junior Miss
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors.
Guitarist Gerry Cott quits Boomtown Rats
12-bottle case of 1979 Napamedoc Cabernet wine auctioned for $24,000
2 Habash terrorists attack a travel agency in Greece killing 2
Amanda Maccaro becomes 1st American to win Russian Ballet Competition
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington.
74 government officials die in attack on Islamic Republican Party conference in Tehran, Iran, including Chief Justice Mohammad Beheshti
Bomb attack on headquarters of Islamic Party in Tehran, 72 killed
Laurel Canyon California murders (4 die, 1 wounded)
NYC transit fare rises from 60 cents to 75 cents, new brass Y-cut-out token
Likud, officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major right-wing political party in Israel.
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons. Estimates of Israel's stockpile range from 90 to 400 warheads, and the country is believed to possess a nuclear triad of delivery options: by...
Jacksons begin a 36-city tour
France performs nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll
Kevin Wade's "Key Exchange" premieres in London
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons. Estimates of Israel's stockpile range from 90 to 400 warheads, and the country is believed to possess a nuclear triad of delivery options: by...
Fulton County (Atlanta) grand jury indicts Wayne B William 23-year-old photographers, for murder of 2 of 28 blacks killed in Atlanta
Polish communist party expels former party leader Edward Gierek, blaming him for the rise of the Solidarity movement
South African Springbok rugby team arrives in New Zealand beginning 56 days of 'near civil war' in the country between anti-apartheid protesters and tour supporters [1]
England set for innings loss v Aust, Botham hits 100 in 87 balls
Robert George Dylan Willis (30 May 1949 – 4 December 2019) was an English cricketer, who represented England between 1971 and 1984.
Ali Hosseini Khamenei is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third president of Iran from 1981 to 1989.
Anti-apartheid protesters in Hamilton, New Zealand, force the cancellation of a rugby match between the provincial team Waikato and South Africa’s Springboks by invading the pitch during the game [1]
Anti-apartheid protesters against the Springbok rugby tour are confronted by police, who use batons to stop them from marching to the South African consulate in New Zealand
Belgian Senate accepts laws against racism
The National Bar Association (NBA) was founded in 1925 and is the United States' oldest and largest national network of predominantly African American attorneys and judges.
Columbia is mated with SRBs and an external tank for the STS-2 mission
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
Isabel Martínez de Perón is an Argentine politician who served as the president of Argentina from 1974 to 1976.
The Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981.
At a summit, South African trade unions resolve to defy apartheid and labor laws
Six English lifeguards set a relay swim record in the English Channel (7:17)
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. agrees to invest $34 million in Black-owned businesses
American swimmer Jon Erikson becomes the first to complete a three-way crossing of the English Channel in 38 hours and 27 minutes [1]
American swimmer Mary T. Meagher breaks her own world women's 200 m butterfly record with a time of 2:05.96 in Brown Deer, Wisconsin
George Foster hits his 8th home run into the red seats at Riverfront
Phillies' Mike Schmidt hits his 300th career home run off New York Met Mike Scott
Robin Leamy of the US swims a record 7.98 kph for 50 m
American swimmer Mary T. Meagher breaks her own world women's 100 m butterfly record (57.93) in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, and holds the 100/200 m double world record
Football running back Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia takes out a Lloyd's of London insurance policy for $1 million
Renaldo Nehemiah of the US runs the 110 m hurdles in a world record time of 12.93 seconds
Charles "Charlie the Tuna" Chapman is an American distance swimmer specializing in the butterfly stroke, who in 1981 became the first Black swimmer to successfully cross the English channel, and in...
Jeff Schwartz sets a solo record for trampoline bouncing, jumping for 246 hours (more than 10 consecutive days)
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S.
Divers begin to recover a safe found aboard the Italian liner Andrea Doria, which sank on July 26, 1956, but the safe does not yield the rumored jewels
Phillies minor leaguer Jeff Stone steals a professional baseball record 121st base en route to 122 (Spartanburg, South Atlantic League)
The tour by the Australian cricket team in England in 1981 included the 51st Ashes series of Test matches between Australia and England.
Fast bowler Terry Alderman takes his 42nd wicket of the series on the last day of the 5th cricket Test vs England at The Oval; haul remains record by an Australian bowler in England; England wins series 3-1
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons. Estimates of Israel's stockpile range from 90 to 400 warheads, and the country is believed to possess a nuclear triad of delivery options: by...
Longest MLB game in Fenway Park history is suspended after 19 innings with Seattle Mariners 7, Boston Red Sox 7; Mariners win 8-7 in the 20th inning the following morning
Longest MLB game at Fenway Park ends in 20 innings as Seattle Mariners beat Boston Red Sox 8-7
Newscaster David Brinkley is released by NBC
Robert Granville Lemon (September 22, 1920 – January 11, 2000) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland.
Jerry Lewis's 16th Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $31,500,000
British TV comedy "Only Fools and Horses," created by John Sullivan and starring David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, and Lennard Pearce, premieres on BBC One
Vernon E. Jordan resigns as president of National Urban League in the US
"Guernica," a painting by Pablo Picasso, returns to Spain
Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt was a Dutch politician, jurist and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982.
Springbok tour of New Zealand: "All hell breaks loose" as anti-tour supporters fight police and planes flour-bomb the deciding third match won by the All Blacks 25-22 [1]
Red Sox rookie Bob Ojeda no-hits the Yankees for 8 innings before Rick Cerone and Dave Winfield lead off the 9th with back-to-back doubles
Entertainment Tonight (or simply ET) is an American first-run syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by...
The 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 135th season for the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), their 67th season in Los Angeles, California, and their 63rd season...
Capital punishment in France (French: peine de mort en France) is banned by Article 66-1 of the Constitution of the French Republic, voted as a constitutional amendment by the Congress of the French...
Satellites China 10 & 11 launched into Earth orbit by B-1 rocket
Joseph Peter Danelo is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and...
British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America — specifically located on the southern edge of the Yucatán Peninsula from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony — renamed...
MLB Philadelphia Phillies lefthander Steve Carlton strikes out NL record 3,118th (Andre Dawson)
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
MLB Houston Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan throws his 5th career no-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Astrodome
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. Located within the geo-political region of the Middle East, it is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Turkey to the north, Iran to...
Joseph Paul Franklin, an avowed racist, is sentenced to life imprisonment for killing two Black joggers in Salt Lake City
French parliament, led by Minister of Justice Robert Badinter, votes to abolish the death penalty
J. Chodorov and N. Panama's "A Talent for Murder" premieres in London
Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford,...
Dutch guilder and Deutsche mark are revalued up 5.5%
Fokker Fellowship plane crashes at Moerdijk, Netherlands, killing all 17 passengers
Capital punishment in France (French: peine de mort en France) is banned by Article 66-1 of the Constitution of the French Republic, voted as a constitutional amendment by the Congress of the French...
LeRoy Irvin sets the record for yards gained on punt returns with 207 yards
Citing official misconduct in the investigation and trial, Amnesty International charges U.S. government with holding Richard Marshall of the American Indian Movement as a political prisoner
Professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson leads what is believed to be the first audience wave in Oakland, California
Torch Song Trilogy is a collection of three plays by Harvey Fierstein rendered in three acts: International Stud, Fugue in a Nursery, and Widows and Children First! The story centers on Arnold...
Brazilian Nelson Piquet, driving for Brabham, finishes 5th in the season-ending Caesars Palace Grand Prix in Las Vegas to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship by 1 point from Carlos Reutemann
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou was a Greek academic and economist who was prime minister of Greece from 1981 to 1989 and again from 1993 to 1996.
The Montreal Expos (French: Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal.
Bomb attack on a synagogue in Antwerp, Belgium, leaves one person dead and injures 80
The PATCO Strike of 1981 was a union-organized work stoppage by air traffic controllers (ATCs) in the United States.
"Concerto for Orchestra" by American composer Roger Sessions premieres with Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra
,000 demonstrate in Brussels against cruise missile
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner scuffles with 2 fans in a hotel elevator
Andrew Jackson Young Jr. is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of...
Edward M. McIntyre is elected as the first Black mayor of Augusta, Georgia
1st Class US Mail raised from 18 cents to 20 cents
Darrell Waltrip wins his 4th straight NASCAR Cup race, the American 500 at North Carolina Motor Speedway; ties Richard Petty record 1967; 12th win of season; goes on to win Winston Cup crown
Beth Henley's "Crimes of the Heart" premieres in NYC
Former NFL Miami Dolphins player Mercury Morris is sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking, conspiracy, and possession of cocaine; reaches plea bargain while conviction was in appeal, serves only 3-1/2 years
France performs nuclear test
Christian Democrats looses Belgium parliamentary election
Ernest Thompson's "West Side Waltz" premieres in NYC
2nd shuttle mission-1st time spacecraft launched twice (Columbia 2)
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman and manager, who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the...
"Raise!" 11th studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1982)
In the first world championship fight between 2 Puerto Ricans in boxing history, WBC Super Welterweight champion Wilfred Benitez beats Carlos Santos in a 15-round unanimous decision at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas
Dennis Lillee kicks Javed Miandad after he had waved his bat at Dennis
NBA NY Knick Bill Cartwright, ties record of 19 of 19 free throws
Marathon Oil Corporation was an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration.
Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa.
Stop and Smell the Roses is the eighth studio album by the English rock musician Ringo Starr.
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian and former Soviet chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, and politician.
,000 demonstrate in Amsterdam against cruise missiles
Olivia Newton-John's single "Physical" goes to #1 and stays for ten weeks
Browns' QB Brian Sipe sets a club record by being intercepted six times
1st air-launched cruise missile tested
The 1981 Seychelles coup d'état attempt, sometimes referred to as the Seychelles affair or Operation Angela, was a failed South African–orchestrated coup to overthrow the government of Prime Minister...
Bear Bryant wins his 315th game to surpass Amos Alonzo Stagg, becoming college football's winningest coach
The Liberation of Bostan, that codenamed Operation Tariq al-Quds was a military operation launched by Iran during the Iran–Iraq War to free Bostan in the Khuzestan province.
Cold War: In Geneva, representatives from the United States and the Soviet Union begin to negotiate intermediate-range nuclear weapon reductions in Europe (the meetings ended inconclusively on December 17)
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball...
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passes Oscar Robertson (26,710) to become the NBA’s second all-time leading scorer behind Wilt Chamberlain; scores 14 points in 117-86 Lakers' win over Utah Jazz in Los Angeles
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with a population of 867,567 in 2024.
Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela becomes 3rd consecutive Los Angeles Dodgers player to be named National League Rookie of the Year, after Rick Sutcliffe (1979), and Steve Howe (1980)
US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
The following is the list of episodes from the American prime time television soap opera Falcon Crest, which aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. Total of 227 episodes.
47th Heisman Trophy Award: Marcus Allen, Southern Cal (RB)
The Rotterdam Marathon is a road race of 42.195 km across the city of Rotterdam that has been contested by men and women annually since 1981.
Spain becomes a member of the NATO
France performs nuclear test
-13] El Salvador army kills 900
Argentine President General Roberto Viola flees
The earliest inhabitants of The Gambia are unknown, but they left behind large shell middens and enigmatic stone circles attesting to diverse subsistence strategies and well-organized, hierarchical...
Poland's authoritarian communist government declares martial law and arrests Solidarity activists in a failed attempt to crush the opposition
The Golan Heights, or simply the Golan, is a basaltic plateau at the southwest corner of Syria.
Intelsat V F-3, then named Intelsat 503, was a communications satellite operated by COMSAT. Launched on 15 December 1981, it was the third of fifteen Intelsat V satellites to be launched.
Dutch Van Agt's 2nd government falls
The Red Brigades were an Italian far-left Marxist–Leninist militant group. It was responsible for numerous violent attacks during Italy's Years of Lead, including the kidnapping and murder of Aldo...
Romuald Spasowski, Polish ambassador to the United States defects to show support for the Solidarity movement amid a crackdown
Browns set team records for most fumbles (9) & most turnovers (10)
Cincinnati beats Bradley 75-73 in 7 OTs (NCAA record)
Geoffrey Boycott becomes leading run-scorer in Test Cricket with 8033
USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
The history of the West Indian cricket team begins in the 1880s when the first combined West Indian team was formed and toured Canada and the United States.
1st American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr is born in Norfolk, Virginia
Ballon d'Or: German 1-2-3 with Bayern Munich forward Karl-Heinz Rummenigge taking title of Europe's best football player for the 2nd straight year; beats teammate Paul Breitner and Barcelona midfielder Bernd Schuster
Cable news channels are television networks devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable...
Eli Manning, American athlete, known for american football player, was born on 1981-01-03.
Jared Kushner, American businessman, known for american businessman, was born on 1981-01-10. Jared Corey Kushner is an American businessman and investor.
Alicia Keys, American musician, known for american singer and songwriter, was born on 1981-01-25.
Elijah Wood, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1981-01-28. Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor and producer.
Justin Timberlake, American singer, songwriter, and actor, known for american singer, songwriter, and actor, was born on 1981-01-31.
Tom Hiddleston, British actor, known for english actor, was born on 1981-02-09. Thomas William Hiddleston is a British actor.
Christina Ricci, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1981-02-12. Christina Ricci is an American actress.
Gucci Mane, American musician, known for american rapper and music executive, was born on 1981-02-12.
Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish athlete, known for spanish tennis player, was born on 1981-02-12. Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a Spanish former professional tennis player and current coach.
Paris Hilton, American media personality, known for american media personality, was born on 1981-02-17. Paris Whitney Hilton is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite.
Rebel Wilson, Australian actress, known for australian actress, was born on 1981-03-02. Rebel Melanie Elizabeth Wilson is an Australian actress, comedian and producer.
Ronaldinho, Brazilian athlete, known for brazilian footballer, was born on 1981-03-21.
Randy Orton, American professional wrestler, known for american professional wrestler, was born on 1981-04-01. Randal Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler.
Rishi Sunak is born
Ben Feldman, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1981-05-27. Benjamin Feldman is an American actor.
Abby Wambach, American athlete, known for american soccer player, was born on 1981-06-02.
Venus Williams, American athlete, known for american tennis player, was born on 1981-06-17. Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked as the world No.
Olivia Munn, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1981-07-03. Lisa Olivia Munn is an American actress.
Jessica Simpson, American musician, known for american singer and actress, was born on 1981-07-10. Jessica Ann Johnson is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer.
Kristen Bell, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1981-07-18. Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress and singer.
Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian fashion model, known for brazilian fashion model, was born on 1981-07-20. Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian model and activist.
Jacinda Ardern is born
Macaulay Culkin, American actor and musician, known for american actor and musician, was born on 1981-08-26. Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin) is an American actor and musician.
Michelle Williams, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1981-09-09. Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress.
Martina Hingis, Swiss athlete, known for swiss tennis player, was born on 1981-09-30. Martina Hingis is a Swiss former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No.
Nick Cannon, American comedian, known for american comedian, was born on 1981-10-08. Nicholas Scott Cannon is an American comedian, television presenter, actor, and rapper.
Kim Kardashian, American media personality, known for american media personality, was born on 1981-10-21. Kimberly Noel Kardashian is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman.
Vanessa Lachey, American filipino-born american actress, model, and host, known for filipino-born american actress, model, and host, was born on 1981-11-09.
Ryan Gosling, Canadian actor, known for canadian actor, was born on 1981-11-12. Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor.
Christina Aguilera, American singer and songwriter, known for american singer and songwriter, was born on 1981-12-18.
Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1981-12-19. Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal is an American actor whose career on screen and stage has spanned more than three decades.
Richie McCaw, New Zealand athlete, known for new zealand international rugby union player, was born on 1981-12-31. Richard Hugh McCaw is a New Zealand retired professional rugby union player.
Donald Wills Douglas aircraft industrialist, known for american aircraft industrialist, died on 1981-02-01. Donald Wills Douglas Sr.
Howard Hanson, American composer and music theorist, known for american composer and music theorist, died on 1981-02-26.
William Wyler, American german-born american filmmaker, known for german-born american filmmaker, died on 1981-07-27.
Albert Speer, German architect, known for german architect, died on 1981-09-01. Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer was a German architect who served as Minister of Armaments and War Production in…
Anwar Sadat dies
Walter Knott, American knott's berry farm founder, known for knott's berry farm founder, died on 1981-12-03.
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia...
"Hill Street Station" is the first episode of the first season of the American serial police drama Hill Street Blues.
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Twenty-year-old Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky becomes the first player in NHL history to score five career hat tricks before age 21, scoring five goals and two assists in a 9-2 Oilers home win against St. Louis
George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for "subconscious plagiarism" of his song "My Sweet Lord" from Ronnie Mack's song "He's So Fine"
The CBS Evening News (titled as CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil since January 3, 2026) is the flagship evening television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network...
Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. is an American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor.
"Chariots of Fire" directed by Hugh Hudson and starring Ben Cross and Ian Charleson premieres at a Royal Command Film Performance (Best Picture 1982)
The 1st Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 31, 1981, at founder John J. B. Wilson's living room alcove to recognize the worst the film industry had to offer in 1980.
The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, returns to Earth after 2 days and 6 hours in space
Bill Shoemaker wins his 8,000th horse race, 2,000 more than any other jockey
American political activist Maureen Reagan (40) weds third and final husband, American public relations CEO Dennis Revell (28), until her death in 2001
Beatle Ringo Starr (40) weds American actress Barbara Bach (33) at Marylebone Town Hall, London, England
After 66 days on hunger strike, 26-year-old Provisional IRA member and British MP Bobby Sands dies in Prison Maze. Nine more hunger strikers die in the next 3 months.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Cats" (based on poetry by T. S. Eliot) directed by Trevor Nunn, opens at the New London Theatre in the West End, London; runs for 8,949 performances
Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005.
Reggae musician Bob Marley receives a Jamaican state funeral
AIDS epidemic officially begins when US Centers for Disease Control reports on pneumonia affecting five homosexual men in Los Angeles
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" (the first Indiana Jones film) directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford, with story by George Lucas premieres
John McEnroe's famous "You cannot be serious" rant in first-round win over Tom Gullikson at Wimbledon
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley in 1979.
Don Estridge unveils the company's first personal computer, the IBM PC, at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, priced at $1,565 with 16 kilobytes of RAM, helping bring computing to the masses [1]
The Smurfs (French: Les Schtroumpfs; Dutch: De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the...
Sandra Day O'Connor (March 26, 1930 – December 1, 2023) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to...
US national debt reaches $1 trillion
Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky becomes the fastest NHL player to reach 100 points in a season (his 38th game), scoring 4 goals and an assist in a 10-3 win over the visiting Los Angeles Kings
"Red Right 88", trailing 14–12 Clevelands Browns attempt an end zone pass play (Red Right 88) and a game-winning field goal in the final minute, but pass intercepted by Raiders safety Mike Davis and Oakland wins
Late night television news program "Nightline" with Ted Koppel extended from 20 mins to 30 mins
50th hat trick in Islander history-John Tonelli scored 5 goals
India all out 63 in one-day international v Australia
Francisco Balsamao elected President of Portugal
El Salvador guerrilla group FMLN opens "general offensive"
British team led by Ranulph Fiennes completes longest & fastest crossing of Antarctica, reaching Scott base after 75 days (2,500 miles)
-35°F (-37°C), Chester, Massachusetts (state record)
Barbara Sonntag, Colo, crochets record 147 stitches/min for 1/2 hour
NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy's 15th career hat trick among his 4 goals, in 6-3 win over visiting Pittsburgh Penquins
US Federal Communications Commission frees stations to air as many commercials an hour as they wish
Pitcher Bob Gibson is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility; after a stellar 17 year career, polls 337 votes from Baseball Writers Association of America
Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged, his assailants even take his gold teeth
There have been a number of international sanctions against Iran imposed by a number of countries, especially the United States, and international entities.
Muhammad Ali talks a despondent 21-year-old out of committing suicide
Stansfield Turner (December 1, 1923 – January 18, 2018) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served as President of the Naval War College (1972–1974), commander of the United States Second...
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system that serves four of the five boroughs of New York City, New York: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips Jr. (September 29, 1923 – October 18, 2013) was an American football coach at the high school, college and professional levels.
Sandeep Patil scores memorable 174 v Australia at Adelaide Oval
Olympic Glory tanker at Galveston Bay, Texas, spills 1 million gallons of oil in a ship collision
AL approves sale of White Sox to Jerry Reinsdorf & Eddie Einhorn for $20 million, & 80% of Mariners to George Argyros for $104 million
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song originally written and performed by Jamaican singer John Holt and his group The Paragons. The track was produced by Duke Reid for his Treasure Isle label.
Dutch Antilles census is 231,932
Gro Harlem Brundtland is a Norwegian politician in the Labour Party, who served three terms as the prime minister of Norway (1981, 1986–1989, and 1990–1996), as the leader of her party from 1981 to...
8 killed and 198 injured by fire at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada; a busboy is later convicted of arson and murder, and sentenced to life in prison [1]
Australia all out 83 v India at MCG chasing 143 to win
Admiral Bobby R Inman, USN, becomes deputy director of CIA
On February 13, 1981, a series of explosions destroyed more than 13 miles (21 km) of sewer lines and streets in the center of Louisville in Kentucky, United States.
The Stardust fire was a fatal fire at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin, Ireland, in the early hours of 14 February (Saint Valentine's Day) 1981.
23rd Daytona 500: Richard Petty wins record 7th title at Daytona, beating Bobby Allison to the line by 3.5 seconds
FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( KRY-slər), is one of the "Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in...
Jeff Erlanger (10), a spinal tumor survivor and quadriplegic, appears on children's television program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", discusses his disability and demonstrates his electric wheelchair
Flight readiness firing of Columbia's main engines; 20 seconds
Charles Rocket clearly says "f*ck" on "Saturday Night Live"
An earthquake registering 6.7 on the Richter scale hits Athens, killing 16 people and destroying buildings in several towns west of the city.
3 Anglican missionaries detained in Iran since Aug 1980 are released
Greatest passenger load on a commercial airliner: 610 on a Boeing 747
Calvin Murphy (Hou), sets NBA record with 78 consecutive free throws
Houston Rockets guard Calvin Murphy misses a free throw in a 102-86 loss in San Antonio, ending his NBA record consecutive free throw streak at 78
Aircraft hijacked by 3 Pakistani terrorists
France performs nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll
First homicide at Disneyland, 18-year-old Mel Yorba is stabbed to death during a fight with James O'Driscoll after allegedly pinching his girlfriend’s bottom
"Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974.
Salyut 6 was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth station of the Salyut programme, and alternatively known DOS-5 as it was the fifth of the Durable Orbital Station series of civilian space...
The 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball.
"Broadway Follies" opens/closes at Nederlander Theater NYC
FC Lisse, Dutch soccer team forms
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern...
Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA.
Argentine ex-president Isabel Peron sentenced to 8 years
9-time World Grand Prix motorcycle champion Mike Hailwood along with his 9-year-old daughter Michelle are killed when his Rover SD1 collides with a truck near their home in Tanworth-in-Arden in England
Salyut 6 was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth station of the Salyut programme, and alternatively known DOS-5 as it was the fifth of the Durable Orbital Station series of civilian space...
US Supreme Court rules states could require, with some exceptions, parental notification when teen-age girls sought abortions
Bombay beat Delhi by innings & 46 to win Ranji Cricket Trophy
Police & Albanian demonstrators battle in Kosovo, Yugoslavia
East German Christa Rothenburger skates ladies' world record 500 m (40.18 sec); she later breaks her own record twice
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards is a retired Antiguan cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991.
Belgium's 4th government of Martens resigns
Arnie Boldt of Saskatchewan jumps 6' 8.25," with 1 leg
Henry Gabriel Cisneros is an American politician and businessman. He served as the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, from 1981 to 1989, the second Latino mayor of a major American city and the city's...
Philadelphia Flyers amass a record 2,621 penalty minutes
Belgian government of Mark Eyskens forms
This is a list of players who have scored five or more goals in a National Hockey League (NHL) game.
Computer glitch keeps Space Shuttle Columbia grounded
Maiden voyage Space Transit System-space shuttle Columbia launched
The Pulitzer Prizes for 1981 were announced on April 13, 1981. The winner in each category is listed first, in bold, followed by the other finalists.
Janet Cooke says her Pulitzer award-winning story about an 8-year-old heroin addict is a lie, Washington Post relinquishes Pulitzer Prize on fabricated story
Longest game in Professional Baseball: Pawtucket Red Sox tie Rochester Red Wings 2-2 in 32 innings (game resumed 23rd June)
The 1981 Oakland Athletics season was the 81st season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 14th season in Oakland.
"Fire and Smoke" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Earl Thomas Conley.
US furnishes $1 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia
10,000 copper workers in Chile strike
More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of a nuclear power plant in Tsuruga, Japan
First female soccer official is hired by the NASL
"We’re Fighting Back" premieres on CBS in the US, based on the formation of the Guardian Angels
Abscam, sometimes written ABSCAM, was a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members from both chambers of the...
Radio Shack re-releases Model III TRSDOS 1.3 with 2 fixes
"Moony, Shapiro Songbook" opens & closes at Morosco Theater NYC
Rockline premieres on KLOS FM in Los Angeles
16th and final MLB pre-season Mayor's Trophy Game prior to inter-league play; NY Mets beat NY Yankees, 4-1 to hold 8-7-1 edge
US expels Libyan diplomats
Ron Davis pitches 10th consecutive strike out, 1 short of record
Kazimiroff Blvd in Bronx named for a Bronx historian
NY Islanders tie their own record with two shorthanded playoff goals in a period vs Minnesota North Stars
The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S.
George Harrison releases single "All Those Years Ago" in UK: the song was a tribute to John Lennon, and featured Ringo Starr on drums, and Paul and Linda McCartney on backing vocals [1]
This is a list of players who have scored five or more goals in a National Hockey League (NHL) game.
Five British Army soldiers are killed when their armoured vehicle is ripped apart by a Provisional Irish Republican Army roadside bomb near Bessbrook, County Armagh
William Finn's musical "March of the Falsettos" opens Off-Broadway in NYC
Soyuz 40 returns to Earth
Barcelona fascists take 200 people hostage
Hostage situation ends at Central Bank in Barcelona, Spain
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, and the lead ship of her class.
34th Cannes Film Festival: "Man of Iron" directed by Andrzej Wajda wins the Palme d'Or
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
Nightline (or ABC News Nightline) is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the...
Jaffna Public Library, repository of Tamil culture and one of the largest libraries in Asia, is burnt to the ground by a Sinhalese crowd
The 54th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 3–4, 1981, sponsored by the E.W.
A passenger train travelling between Mansi and Saharsa, India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the Bagmati river, killing 268 officially with another 300 or more missing
The 35th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS television on June 7, 1981, from the Mark Hellinger Theatre. The hosts were Ellen Burstyn and Richard Chamberlain.
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division.
IRA's Joseph Doherty escapes from Crumlin Road Jail
Cannibal Issei Sagawa kills Dutch student
The Unification Church, officially the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU; 세계평화통일가정연합) is an Abrahamic monotheistic new religious movement, whose members are called...
No Nukes concert at Hollywood Bowl
Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate. It is home to more than 10.5 million people.
Kimberley Ann Smith, of NC, 17, crowned America's Junior Miss
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors.
Guitarist Gerry Cott quits Boomtown Rats
12-bottle case of 1979 Napamedoc Cabernet wine auctioned for $24,000
2 Habash terrorists attack a travel agency in Greece killing 2
Amanda Maccaro becomes 1st American to win Russian Ballet Competition
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington.
74 government officials die in attack on Islamic Republican Party conference in Tehran, Iran, including Chief Justice Mohammad Beheshti
Bomb attack on headquarters of Islamic Party in Tehran, 72 killed
Laurel Canyon California murders (4 die, 1 wounded)
NYC transit fare rises from 60 cents to 75 cents, new brass Y-cut-out token
Likud, officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major right-wing political party in Israel.
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons. Estimates of Israel's stockpile range from 90 to 400 warheads, and the country is believed to possess a nuclear triad of delivery options: by...
Jacksons begin a 36-city tour
France performs nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll
Kevin Wade's "Key Exchange" premieres in London
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons. Estimates of Israel's stockpile range from 90 to 400 warheads, and the country is believed to possess a nuclear triad of delivery options: by...
Fulton County (Atlanta) grand jury indicts Wayne B William 23-year-old photographers, for murder of 2 of 28 blacks killed in Atlanta
Polish communist party expels former party leader Edward Gierek, blaming him for the rise of the Solidarity movement
South African Springbok rugby team arrives in New Zealand beginning 56 days of 'near civil war' in the country between anti-apartheid protesters and tour supporters [1]
England set for innings loss v Aust, Botham hits 100 in 87 balls
Robert George Dylan Willis (30 May 1949 – 4 December 2019) was an English cricketer, who represented England between 1971 and 1984.
Ali Hosseini Khamenei is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third president of Iran from 1981 to 1989.
Anti-apartheid protesters in Hamilton, New Zealand, force the cancellation of a rugby match between the provincial team Waikato and South Africa’s Springboks by invading the pitch during the game [1]
Anti-apartheid protesters against the Springbok rugby tour are confronted by police, who use batons to stop them from marching to the South African consulate in New Zealand
Belgian Senate accepts laws against racism
The National Bar Association (NBA) was founded in 1925 and is the United States' oldest and largest national network of predominantly African American attorneys and judges.
Columbia is mated with SRBs and an external tank for the STS-2 mission
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
Isabel Martínez de Perón is an Argentine politician who served as the president of Argentina from 1974 to 1976.
The Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981.
At a summit, South African trade unions resolve to defy apartheid and labor laws
Six English lifeguards set a relay swim record in the English Channel (7:17)
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. agrees to invest $34 million in Black-owned businesses
American swimmer Jon Erikson becomes the first to complete a three-way crossing of the English Channel in 38 hours and 27 minutes [1]
American swimmer Mary T. Meagher breaks her own world women's 200 m butterfly record with a time of 2:05.96 in Brown Deer, Wisconsin
George Foster hits his 8th home run into the red seats at Riverfront
Phillies' Mike Schmidt hits his 300th career home run off New York Met Mike Scott
Robin Leamy of the US swims a record 7.98 kph for 50 m
American swimmer Mary T. Meagher breaks her own world women's 100 m butterfly record (57.93) in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, and holds the 100/200 m double world record
Football running back Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia takes out a Lloyd's of London insurance policy for $1 million
Renaldo Nehemiah of the US runs the 110 m hurdles in a world record time of 12.93 seconds
Charles "Charlie the Tuna" Chapman is an American distance swimmer specializing in the butterfly stroke, who in 1981 became the first Black swimmer to successfully cross the English channel, and in...
Jeff Schwartz sets a solo record for trampoline bouncing, jumping for 246 hours (more than 10 consecutive days)
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S.
Divers begin to recover a safe found aboard the Italian liner Andrea Doria, which sank on July 26, 1956, but the safe does not yield the rumored jewels
Phillies minor leaguer Jeff Stone steals a professional baseball record 121st base en route to 122 (Spartanburg, South Atlantic League)
The tour by the Australian cricket team in England in 1981 included the 51st Ashes series of Test matches between Australia and England.
Fast bowler Terry Alderman takes his 42nd wicket of the series on the last day of the 5th cricket Test vs England at The Oval; haul remains record by an Australian bowler in England; England wins series 3-1
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons. Estimates of Israel's stockpile range from 90 to 400 warheads, and the country is believed to possess a nuclear triad of delivery options: by...
Longest MLB game in Fenway Park history is suspended after 19 innings with Seattle Mariners 7, Boston Red Sox 7; Mariners win 8-7 in the 20th inning the following morning
Longest MLB game at Fenway Park ends in 20 innings as Seattle Mariners beat Boston Red Sox 8-7
Newscaster David Brinkley is released by NBC
Robert Granville Lemon (September 22, 1920 – January 11, 2000) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland.
Jerry Lewis's 16th Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $31,500,000
British TV comedy "Only Fools and Horses," created by John Sullivan and starring David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, and Lennard Pearce, premieres on BBC One
Vernon E. Jordan resigns as president of National Urban League in the US
"Guernica," a painting by Pablo Picasso, returns to Spain
Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt was a Dutch politician, jurist and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982.
Springbok tour of New Zealand: "All hell breaks loose" as anti-tour supporters fight police and planes flour-bomb the deciding third match won by the All Blacks 25-22 [1]
Red Sox rookie Bob Ojeda no-hits the Yankees for 8 innings before Rick Cerone and Dave Winfield lead off the 9th with back-to-back doubles
Entertainment Tonight (or simply ET) is an American first-run syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by...
The 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 135th season for the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), their 67th season in Los Angeles, California, and their 63rd season...
Capital punishment in France (French: peine de mort en France) is banned by Article 66-1 of the Constitution of the French Republic, voted as a constitutional amendment by the Congress of the French...
Satellites China 10 & 11 launched into Earth orbit by B-1 rocket
Joseph Peter Danelo is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and...
British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America — specifically located on the southern edge of the Yucatán Peninsula from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony — renamed...
MLB Philadelphia Phillies lefthander Steve Carlton strikes out NL record 3,118th (Andre Dawson)
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
MLB Houston Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan throws his 5th career no-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Astrodome
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. Located within the geo-political region of the Middle East, it is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Turkey to the north, Iran to...
Joseph Paul Franklin, an avowed racist, is sentenced to life imprisonment for killing two Black joggers in Salt Lake City
French parliament, led by Minister of Justice Robert Badinter, votes to abolish the death penalty
J. Chodorov and N. Panama's "A Talent for Murder" premieres in London
Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford,...
Dutch guilder and Deutsche mark are revalued up 5.5%
Fokker Fellowship plane crashes at Moerdijk, Netherlands, killing all 17 passengers
Capital punishment in France (French: peine de mort en France) is banned by Article 66-1 of the Constitution of the French Republic, voted as a constitutional amendment by the Congress of the French...
LeRoy Irvin sets the record for yards gained on punt returns with 207 yards
Citing official misconduct in the investigation and trial, Amnesty International charges U.S. government with holding Richard Marshall of the American Indian Movement as a political prisoner
Professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson leads what is believed to be the first audience wave in Oakland, California
Torch Song Trilogy is a collection of three plays by Harvey Fierstein rendered in three acts: International Stud, Fugue in a Nursery, and Widows and Children First! The story centers on Arnold...
Brazilian Nelson Piquet, driving for Brabham, finishes 5th in the season-ending Caesars Palace Grand Prix in Las Vegas to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship by 1 point from Carlos Reutemann
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou was a Greek academic and economist who was prime minister of Greece from 1981 to 1989 and again from 1993 to 1996.
The Montreal Expos (French: Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal.
Bomb attack on a synagogue in Antwerp, Belgium, leaves one person dead and injures 80
The PATCO Strike of 1981 was a union-organized work stoppage by air traffic controllers (ATCs) in the United States.
"Concerto for Orchestra" by American composer Roger Sessions premieres with Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra
,000 demonstrate in Brussels against cruise missile
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner scuffles with 2 fans in a hotel elevator
Andrew Jackson Young Jr. is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of...
Edward M. McIntyre is elected as the first Black mayor of Augusta, Georgia
1st Class US Mail raised from 18 cents to 20 cents
Darrell Waltrip wins his 4th straight NASCAR Cup race, the American 500 at North Carolina Motor Speedway; ties Richard Petty record 1967; 12th win of season; goes on to win Winston Cup crown
Beth Henley's "Crimes of the Heart" premieres in NYC
Former NFL Miami Dolphins player Mercury Morris is sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking, conspiracy, and possession of cocaine; reaches plea bargain while conviction was in appeal, serves only 3-1/2 years
France performs nuclear test
Christian Democrats looses Belgium parliamentary election
Ernest Thompson's "West Side Waltz" premieres in NYC
2nd shuttle mission-1st time spacecraft launched twice (Columbia 2)
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman and manager, who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the...
"Raise!" 11th studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1982)
In the first world championship fight between 2 Puerto Ricans in boxing history, WBC Super Welterweight champion Wilfred Benitez beats Carlos Santos in a 15-round unanimous decision at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas
Dennis Lillee kicks Javed Miandad after he had waved his bat at Dennis
NBA NY Knick Bill Cartwright, ties record of 19 of 19 free throws
Marathon Oil Corporation was an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration.
Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa.
Stop and Smell the Roses is the eighth studio album by the English rock musician Ringo Starr.
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian and former Soviet chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, and politician.
,000 demonstrate in Amsterdam against cruise missiles
Olivia Newton-John's single "Physical" goes to #1 and stays for ten weeks
Browns' QB Brian Sipe sets a club record by being intercepted six times
1st air-launched cruise missile tested
The 1981 Seychelles coup d'état attempt, sometimes referred to as the Seychelles affair or Operation Angela, was a failed South African–orchestrated coup to overthrow the government of Prime Minister...
Bear Bryant wins his 315th game to surpass Amos Alonzo Stagg, becoming college football's winningest coach
The Liberation of Bostan, that codenamed Operation Tariq al-Quds was a military operation launched by Iran during the Iran–Iraq War to free Bostan in the Khuzestan province.
Cold War: In Geneva, representatives from the United States and the Soviet Union begin to negotiate intermediate-range nuclear weapon reductions in Europe (the meetings ended inconclusively on December 17)
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball...
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passes Oscar Robertson (26,710) to become the NBA’s second all-time leading scorer behind Wilt Chamberlain; scores 14 points in 117-86 Lakers' win over Utah Jazz in Los Angeles
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with a population of 867,567 in 2024.
Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela becomes 3rd consecutive Los Angeles Dodgers player to be named National League Rookie of the Year, after Rick Sutcliffe (1979), and Steve Howe (1980)
US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
The following is the list of episodes from the American prime time television soap opera Falcon Crest, which aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. Total of 227 episodes.
47th Heisman Trophy Award: Marcus Allen, Southern Cal (RB)
The Rotterdam Marathon is a road race of 42.195 km across the city of Rotterdam that has been contested by men and women annually since 1981.
Spain becomes a member of the NATO
France performs nuclear test
-13] El Salvador army kills 900
Argentine President General Roberto Viola flees
The earliest inhabitants of The Gambia are unknown, but they left behind large shell middens and enigmatic stone circles attesting to diverse subsistence strategies and well-organized, hierarchical...
Poland's authoritarian communist government declares martial law and arrests Solidarity activists in a failed attempt to crush the opposition
The Golan Heights, or simply the Golan, is a basaltic plateau at the southwest corner of Syria.
Intelsat V F-3, then named Intelsat 503, was a communications satellite operated by COMSAT. Launched on 15 December 1981, it was the third of fifteen Intelsat V satellites to be launched.
Dutch Van Agt's 2nd government falls
The Red Brigades were an Italian far-left Marxist–Leninist militant group. It was responsible for numerous violent attacks during Italy's Years of Lead, including the kidnapping and murder of Aldo...
Romuald Spasowski, Polish ambassador to the United States defects to show support for the Solidarity movement amid a crackdown
Browns set team records for most fumbles (9) & most turnovers (10)
Cincinnati beats Bradley 75-73 in 7 OTs (NCAA record)
Geoffrey Boycott becomes leading run-scorer in Test Cricket with 8033
USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
The history of the West Indian cricket team begins in the 1880s when the first combined West Indian team was formed and toured Canada and the United States.
1st American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr is born in Norfolk, Virginia
Ballon d'Or: German 1-2-3 with Bayern Munich forward Karl-Heinz Rummenigge taking title of Europe's best football player for the 2nd straight year; beats teammate Paul Breitner and Barcelona midfielder Bernd Schuster
Cable news channels are television networks devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable...
Eli Manning, American athlete, known for american football player, was born on 1981-01-03.
Jared Kushner, American businessman, known for american businessman, was born on 1981-01-10. Jared Corey Kushner is an American businessman and investor.
Alicia Keys, American musician, known for american singer and songwriter, was born on 1981-01-25.
Elijah Wood, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1981-01-28. Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor and producer.
Justin Timberlake, American singer, songwriter, and actor, known for american singer, songwriter, and actor, was born on 1981-01-31.
Tom Hiddleston, British actor, known for english actor, was born on 1981-02-09. Thomas William Hiddleston is a British actor.
Christina Ricci, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1981-02-12. Christina Ricci is an American actress.
Gucci Mane, American musician, known for american rapper and music executive, was born on 1981-02-12.
Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish athlete, known for spanish tennis player, was born on 1981-02-12. Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a Spanish former professional tennis player and current coach.
Paris Hilton, American media personality, known for american media personality, was born on 1981-02-17. Paris Whitney Hilton is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite.
Rebel Wilson, Australian actress, known for australian actress, was born on 1981-03-02. Rebel Melanie Elizabeth Wilson is an Australian actress, comedian and producer.
Ronaldinho, Brazilian athlete, known for brazilian footballer, was born on 1981-03-21.
Randy Orton, American professional wrestler, known for american professional wrestler, was born on 1981-04-01. Randal Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler.
Rishi Sunak is born
Ben Feldman, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1981-05-27. Benjamin Feldman is an American actor.
Abby Wambach, American athlete, known for american soccer player, was born on 1981-06-02.
Venus Williams, American athlete, known for american tennis player, was born on 1981-06-17. Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked as the world No.
Olivia Munn, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1981-07-03. Lisa Olivia Munn is an American actress.
Jessica Simpson, American musician, known for american singer and actress, was born on 1981-07-10. Jessica Ann Johnson is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer.
Kristen Bell, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1981-07-18. Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress and singer.
Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian fashion model, known for brazilian fashion model, was born on 1981-07-20. Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian model and activist.
Jacinda Ardern is born
Macaulay Culkin, American actor and musician, known for american actor and musician, was born on 1981-08-26. Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin) is an American actor and musician.
Michelle Williams, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1981-09-09. Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress.
Martina Hingis, Swiss athlete, known for swiss tennis player, was born on 1981-09-30. Martina Hingis is a Swiss former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No.
Nick Cannon, American comedian, known for american comedian, was born on 1981-10-08. Nicholas Scott Cannon is an American comedian, television presenter, actor, and rapper.
Kim Kardashian, American media personality, known for american media personality, was born on 1981-10-21. Kimberly Noel Kardashian is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman.
Vanessa Lachey, American filipino-born american actress, model, and host, known for filipino-born american actress, model, and host, was born on 1981-11-09.
Ryan Gosling, Canadian actor, known for canadian actor, was born on 1981-11-12. Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor.
Christina Aguilera, American singer and songwriter, known for american singer and songwriter, was born on 1981-12-18.
Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1981-12-19. Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal is an American actor whose career on screen and stage has spanned more than three decades.
Richie McCaw, New Zealand athlete, known for new zealand international rugby union player, was born on 1981-12-31. Richard Hugh McCaw is a New Zealand retired professional rugby union player.
Donald Wills Douglas aircraft industrialist, known for american aircraft industrialist, died on 1981-02-01. Donald Wills Douglas Sr.
Howard Hanson, American composer and music theorist, known for american composer and music theorist, died on 1981-02-26.
William Wyler, American german-born american filmmaker, known for german-born american filmmaker, died on 1981-07-27.
Albert Speer, German architect, known for german architect, died on 1981-09-01. Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer was a German architect who served as Minister of Armaments and War Production in…
Anwar Sadat dies
Walter Knott, American knott's berry farm founder, known for knott's berry farm founder, died on 1981-12-03.