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Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium
Events and trends
Computers, technology
Science
War, peace and politics
Economics
Culture - The "Me Generation" manifests itself in conspicuous consumption among American yuppies, but fashions and dialogue trend conservative
- Television networks are challenged by cable television. In the U.S., Cheers and The Cosby Show top ratings and the Fox network is launched. CNN becomes the first 24-hour news channel.
- The video game console outstrips the arcade game
- Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial opens in 1982 and shatters records for box office gross receipts
- Music videos (and MTV) begin to have an effect on record industry in the United States. Pop artists Michael Jackson and Madonna are pioneers; groups such as Duran Duran benefit
- Massive sales for Ethiopian famine relief records by Band Aid ("Do They Know It's Christmas?") and USA for Africa ("We Are the World"), followed by Live Aid famine relief concert in London and Philadelphia. Other artists push for nuclear disarmament
- In the United States, hair metal enjoys popularity
- Andrew Lloyd Webber and Schönberg and Boublil's Les Misérables dominate musical theatre
- He-Man, the first animated children's television program built exclusively around a toyline, starts a new trend of increasing the connection between children's programming and toy advertising, alarming many parents and watchdog organizations; an explosive number of toy tie-in cartoons follow
- Hip hop began to achieve mainstream success in the United States, with artists like Kurtis Blow and N.W.A.; hip hop's spread outside of New York City, especially to Los Angeles, accelerates
- "Gorbymania"
- The Rubik's cube, Cabbage Patch Kids, "Baby on Board" signs, and Trivial Pursuit fads capture the interest of the American public
- Soap operas gain popularity among high-schoolers and college students in the United States, thanks in part to the supercoupling of Luke and Laura on the most popular soap of the day, General Hospital.
Others
People
World Leaders
Entertainers - Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Glory)
- Phoebe Cates (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Gremlins)
- Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Rain Man, Risky Business, The Color of Money)
- Emilio Estevez (The Breakfast Club, The Outsiders, Young Guns)
- Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones series, Star Wars series, Blade Runner, Witness)
- Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future series)
- Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon series, Mad Max series)
- Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee)
- Michael Keaton (Batman, Mr. Mom, Night Shift)
- George Lucas (Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Captain Eo)
- Eddie Murphy (Saturday Night Live, Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places)
- Jack Nicholson (Terms of Endearment, The Shining, Batman, Prizzi's Honor, Ironweed, Reds)
- Michelle Pfeiffer (Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator, Predator, Conan the Barbarian)
Sports figures
Film
Television See Also: 1980s in television
Music Musical genres popular during the 1980s include hip hop, old school rap, heavy metal music, twee pop, hair metal, New Wave music, New Romantic, shoegazing, jangle pop, alternative rock, dream pop, techno, house, acid house, two-tone
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