1980 As the continued miniaturization continues new technology allows for new consumer products that could never have existed to appear including Domestic Camcorders and Fax Machines , One other notable is the release of the Pac-Man arcade game. Politics enters the Olympic games with the boycott by the US of the Moscow Olympics and War breaks out between Iraq and Iran. This was also a bad year for natural disasters including Mount St. Helens eruption on 27th March and a major heat wave in the US. Also the world tunes in to the answer of Who Shot JR? on the popular soap Dallas.
1980 was 30 years ago this year

Cost of Living 1980

How Much things cost in 1980
Yearly Inflation Rate USA13.58%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 963
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 21.50%
Average Cost of new house $68,700.00
Average Income per year $19,500.00
Average Monthly Rent $300.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas $1.19
Average cost new car $7,200.00
Mens Casual Shirt $14.00

Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Stirling
Average House Price 13,650
Gallon of Petrol 0.79
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 18%
Interest Rates Year End Bank of England 14.00%

What Events Happened in 1980

Iran

• Start of Iran -- Iraq War

Rhodesia / Zimbabwe

• Zimbabwe formerly Rhodesia gains independence

Rhodesia / Zimbabwe

• Majority black rule in Zimbabwe

Poland

• Solidarity Trade Union Formed in Poland and shipyard workers go on strike

Iran

• Failed operation by US to free hostages in Iran

Palestine

• Yassar Arafat is elected the President of the Palestinian National Council

U.S.

• Ronald Reagan Elected President of the USA

UK

• Terrorists seize Iran embassy and hostages in London leading to the British SAS storming embassy and releasing hostages

Japan

• Japan becomes the worlds largest auto producing country

Russia

• US leads boycott of Moscow Olympics in protest at Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

Cuba

• Mariel boat lift mass exodus of political refugees from Cuba to the United States

Gibralta

• Spain and United Kingdom agree to reopen the border between Gibraltar and Spain, closed since 1969.

U.S.

• Mount St. Helens erupts on May 18th in Washington killing 57

U.S.

• Latest Cencus reveals US Population is 226,504,825

U.S.

• Severe Summer Heat Wave in Southern US Causes 1,117 deaths in 20 States

Iran

• Iran and Iraq begin a war that lasts 8 years

Australia

• Mini Gold Rush in Australian outback after gold is discovered.

U.S.

• US Passes "Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act" to tax high profits by oil companies

U.S.

• The Killer Clown ( John Wayne Gacy Jr ) sentenced to death for the murder of 33 boys and young men.

U.S.

• Former Beatle John Lennon is shot to death

Israel

• Israel Replaces the Pound with a new currency the Shekel

U.S.

• Fire Destroys the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas

Italy

• Right wing terrorists explode a bomb at Bologna railway station, Italy killing over 70

Italy

• 6.0 earthquake strikes southern Italy causing the death of more than 3,000 people

U.S.

• Rioting Liberty City, Miami leaving 18 dead

U.S.

• A severe and destructive thunderstorm strikes four counties in western   Wisconsin  

Jamaica

• Hurricane Allen hits landfall on Haiti and Jamaica

UK

• Alexander Kielland platform capsized in the North Sea with the loss of 123

U.S.

• The Winter Olympic Games are held in Lake Placid, New York, United States

Technology

• First available Domestic Camcorders available in Japan



• First Available Fax Machines in Japan



• 30% of US car sales are imports



• In Mexico first ever natural birth in captivity of a Giant panda



• Voyager 1 probe sends the first high resolution images of Saturn back to scientists and confirms the existence of Janus, a moon of Saturn.



• Release of Pac-Man arcade game



• CNN becomes the first 24hrs News Station



• Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel and Xerox introduce the DIX standard for Ethernet

Popular Culture 1980

• Millions of viewers tune into the TV soap opera Dallas to learn who shot lead character J.R. Ewing.
• John Lennon is shot outside his New York apartment

Popular Films

• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
• Superman II
• Nine to Five
• Raging Bull
• Coal Miner's Daughter

Check out our Television Programmes From The 80s whenever possible we have included a trailer to jog your memory. Series trailers and more information are found on the decade they started.

Popular Musicians

• ABBA
• AC/DC
• Adam and the Ants
• Black Sabbath
• Blondie with " Call Me "
• David Bowie
• The Cars
• Eric Clapton
• Alice Cooper
• Elvis Costello
• KC and The Sunshine Band
• Michael Jackson
• Queen with " Another One Bites the Dust "
• Pink Floyd
• Diana Ross " Upside Down "
• Paul McCartney
• Olivia Newton-John with " Magic "
• Electric Light Orchestra
• David Bowie
• The Police

Major World Political Leaders 1980

Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser

Brazil President João Figueiredo

Canada Prime Minister Joe Clark till March 3,
Canada Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau from March 3,

China Chairman of the People's Republic of China Post Abolished

France President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Germany Chancellor Helmut Schmidt

India Prime Minister Charan Singh To 14 January
India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi From 14 January

Italy Prime Minister Francesco Cossiga Till 18 October
Italy Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani From 18 October

Japan Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira Till 12 June
Japan Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki From 17 July

Mexico President José López Portillo

Russia / Soviet Union
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Leonid Brezhnev

South Africa Prime Minister Pieter Willem Botha

United States President Jimmy Carter

United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

Political Elections 1980

Canadian Federal Election 1980 Pierre Trudeau (Liberal) defeats Joe Clark (Progressive Conservatives)


United States Presidential Election 1980 Ronald Reagan (Republican) Defeats Jimmy Carter (Democratic) and John B. Anderson (no party) and Ed Clark (Libertarian)


The Information above is taken from our new page that gives world leaders from 1920 to current.
WorldLeaders