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1980s

decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1980

The 1980s was the decade that began on January 1, 1980 and ended on December 31, 1989. It is distinct from the decade known as the 199th decade which began on January 1, 1981 and ended on December 31, 1990.

STS-1End of the Cold WarIran–Iraq WarFall of the Berlin WallLive AidIBM Personal ComputerChernobyl disaster
From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev become less aggressive towards each other, leading to the end of the Cold War; The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989; In 1981, the IBM Personal Computer is released; In 1985, the Live Aid concert is held in order to help stop the famine in Ethiopia during the time Mengistu Haile Mariam ruled the country; Ukraine and much of the world is filled with radioactive debris from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster; The Iran–Iraq War kills over one million people.
Millennium: 2nd millennium
Centuries: 19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades: 1950s 1960s 1970s – 1980s – 1990s 2000s 2010s
Years: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Categories: Births – Deaths – Architecture
Establishments – Disestablishments

This decade (group of ten years) is sometimes called the "Greed decade" in English speaking countries. Unlike the 1960s and 1970s, this is when the word yuppie was used to describe "young urban professionals" – young adults who lived in cities and started to get good jobs. This was also the rise of a more conservative period in these countries – Ronald Reagan was president for most of this time in the United States, Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister of Canada.

This decade also saw the Soviet Union fight a war that seemed endless in Afghanistan, civil war in Ethiopia. It saw the fall of the Berlin Wall; this started the end of the Cold War and the end of Communism in Eastern Europe.

The "eighties" are also well known for their extreme fashions, such as "big hair", New Wave, punk rock, funk, or preppies. Rap music first started to get big in the 80s. It often went with breakdancing in what is now called the "old school" days. Many developments were also made in computer technology during these years; and video games became popular.

In sports, Italy and Argentina won the FIFA World Cup. The Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics won the World Series. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Raiders, Chicago Bears and New York Giants won the Super Bowl. Finally, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the NBA, with only the Houston Rockets winning a title.

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