Stories from 1981
Browse a timeline of top world events from 1981. Or, use Proust to tell your life story and share personal
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March 6, 1981
Journalist and anchorman Walter Cronkite, 'the man America most trusted', signed off for the last time on CBS Evening News after broadcasting for almost two decades.
March 30, 1981
Hoping to impress actress Jodie Foster, John Hinckley, Jr. stalked and attempted to assassinate President Reagan.
May 6, 1981
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Washington, D.C.
Yale student Maya Lin won the nationwide competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
July 21, 1981
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Mexico City, Mexico
Tohui the Panda was born at Mexico City's Chapultepec Zoo, the first panda to be born and survive in captivity outside of China.
July 29, 1981
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London, England
Charles, Prince of Wales, wed Lady Diana Spencer in an over-the-top, fairy-tale ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral in front of 2,650 guests and 1 billion TV viewers worldwide.
August 1, 1981
MTV broadcasted for the first time, forever transforming the music industry and American culture and entertainment.
September 25, 1981
Sandra Day O'Connor was sworn in as the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
November 16, 1981
Thirty million viewers tuned in to watch Luke and Laura marry on daytime soap opera General Hospital, which was the highest-rated hour in daytime drama history.
