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Fun Facts From 1980

FUN FACTS FROM 1980--

The federal debt: $909.1 billion
United States Population: 227,224,681
World Population: 4.453 billion
Unemployment: 7.1%
James Earl Carter, Jr. was President and Walter F. Mondale was Vice President in 1980
Cost of a first class postage stamp: 15 cents
January 7: U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation approving $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to bail out the Chrysler Corporation
March 8: The first rock music festival kicks off in the Soviet Union
April 7: US breaks diplomatic ties with Iran
April 25: Eight US servicemen are killed and five are injured as helicopter and cargo plane collide in abortive desert raid to rescue American hostages in Teheran

TELEVISION/RADIO FUN FACTS FROM 1980-

February 1: The soap opera "Love of Life" airs its last episode
February 14: Walter Cronkite announces his retirement from the CBS Evening News
March 21: On the season finale of "Dallas", J.R. Ewing is shot, leading to the catchphrase "Who Shot JR?"
May 24: The Not Ready For Prime Time Players appear in their final episode on NBC's "Saturday Night Live "
June 1: The Cable News Network (CNN) is officially launched
June 20: "Hollywood Squares" presents its 3,536th and final network telecast on NBC
June 23: "The David Letterman Show" debuts on NBC, in the morning. The show is soon cancelled, but Letterman goes on to host a late night show two years later
December 11: "Magnum, P.I." premieres on CBS

SPORTS FUN FACTS FROM 1980—

"The Miracle on Ice" took place at the XIIIth Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The American team of college hockey players won the gold.
April 21, 1980: Twenty-six year old Rosie Ruiz cheated in the New York Marathon, taking a subway to the last part of the marathon, where she joined in, and was crowned as the winner. People recalled talking to her on the subway when she was supposedly running the marathon. She was soon stripped of her title.
1980 World Series: The Philadelphia Phillies vs. Kansas City Royals. (4-2)
NFL Championship: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Rams (31–19)
Masters Tournament: Seve Ballesteros
PGA Championship: Jack Nicklaus
Kentucky Derby: Genuine Risk
NASCAR Championship: Dale Earnhardt
NCAA Basketball Championship: Louisville vs. UCLA (59-54)
Tennis French Open: Chris Evert
October 2- Larry Holmes defeats Muhammad Ali

ACADEMY AWARDS for 1980-

The 1980 Academy Awards were presented March 31, 1981 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles
Best Motion Picture: "Ordinary People"
Best Director: Robert Redford for "Ordinary People"
Best Actor: Robert De Niro in "Raging Bull"
Best Actress: Sissy Spacek in "Coal Miner's Daughter"

MUSIC FUN FACTS FROM 1980--

Doobie Brothers win Grammy for Record of the Year: "What a Fool Believes"
Billy Joel wins Grammy for Album of the Year: "52nd Street"
February 19: Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC, dies in London
March 14: Record producer Quincy Jones receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
December 4: Led Zeppelin disbands following the death of drummer John Bonham
September 20: Ozzy Osbourne's debut album "Blizzard of Ozz" is released in the UK
December 8: John Lennon is killed