Stories from 1980
Browse a timeline of top world events from 1980. Or, use Proust to tell your life story and share personal
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February 1, 1980
The Rubik's Cube, named after its creator Erno Rubik, was imported from Hungary to the U.S.
February 22, 1980
The U.S. hockey team had a 'miracle on ice' when it defeated the Soviet Union in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history.
March 21, 1980
President Jimmy Carter decided that the U.S. will boycott the summer Olympics in Moscow after the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan, the only time in history that U.S. athletes have been prohibited from attending.
May 18, 1980
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WA
Washington's Mount St. Helens erupted, killing 57 people.
May 22, 1980
Japanese arcade game Pac-Man became a cultural craze.
June 1, 1980
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Atlanta, GA
Ted Turner launched CNN, the only station to report around-the-clock news as it happened.
September 5, 1980
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Switzerland
The St. Gotthard Tunnel, connecting southern Switzerland to Italy, was the longest tunnel in the world upon its completion.
September 19, 1980
After having already made a name for himself in acting, Robert Redford made his directorial debut with Ordinary People, a film based on Judith Guest's novel that would win an Oscar for both best picture and best director.
October 25, 1980
'You Shook Me All Night Long' rattled the pop charts, giving band ACDC their first top 40 hit.
November 21, 1980
The mystery of who shot J.R. on primetime soap opera Dallas was finally solved in front of a TV audience of 350 million.
December 8, 1980
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New York, NY
Mark David Chapman assassinated Beatles legend John Lennon in front of his apartment building in New York City.
December 19, 1980
Director Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull, starring Robert De Niro as a middleweight boxer, hit the silver screen.
