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Social Changes

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Fashion
The 1980s had a new, odd type of style that was never seen before. Big hair, colorful clothes, spandex,
mullets, and fanny packs were all in style in the 80s. Music and pop culture had big influence on what
people were wearing, rap music introduced new styles of clothing that people had never seen before, such
as bucket hats and parachute pants. Fashion went through many different changes between the 70s and
the 80s. The fashion of the 80s was also influential among the fashion of the 90s, where people were
bright neon clothes and jeans, but 80s fashion died somewhere in the 90s.
Many new fads had come out of the 80s as well. People carried boomboxes, break danced, played hacky
sack, and played with their rubix cubes.

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Sport
Sports became a prominent part of society in the 1980s. Sports became very popular among the
younger population, as football, basketball, and baseball had some of the greatest years they will ever
have. Pete Rose broke the record for most MLB hits with 4,192 hits, breaking a 57 year old record.
The 1984 NBA draft is still considered the greatest draft ever, introducing players like Michael Jordan
and Charles Barkley. The Summer Olympics, held in Moscow, Russia, had been boycotted by 60
countries, with the United States leading the way.
There was also a giant leap in gaming in the 1980s as well. The rubix cube was invented, and was the
hottest new toy to play with for a long time. Video games started being a staple among teens, with the
first pac man game ever coming out and many more legendary games coming with it as well. Arcades
started appearing all across the nation.

Music
A new, great generation of music was birthed in the 1980s. Rock saw a new
face, as many new bands were coming out, as well as popular bands from the
1960s and 1970s still had a big effect on music. A new, heavier type of music
also came out of the 1980s, known as Metal. Pop and R&B were very popular,
with Michael Jackson, the King of Pop being one of the most, if not the most,
influential and popular musicians and writers. Concerts became very popular,
as many younger people started going to them with friends instead of going to
clubs and other popular hang out destinations in the 70s.

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Movies a
Movies and television were also an important part of the 1980s. Families and
friends would join together to sit in front of the television and watch their favorite
television show. Groups of friends would go to the movie theatre, or drive to a
drive through to watch a new film that came out, as there would be a constant
film rotation for people to come and see. Movie previews were appearing during
the commercials that were shown as a break during tv shows.

Important
People

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Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the US, was a very influential person
among American culture. He is well known for his system of economics,
nicknamed Reaganomics, and the way he ran the country from 1981-1989.
He is one of the most controversial presidents as well, as people seem to either
think he was a great president, or a horrible president. He fought a War on
Drugs, improved the economy, ended the Cold War, and was one of the
peoples favorite presidents for the way he ran the country, but he also raised
the taxes for the poor, lowered the taxes for the rich, and he also majorly cut
school funding. He was the oldest president ever elected, and was also very
popular as an actor. He passed away on June 5th, 2004 of pneumonia.

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Michael Jackson was an American singer, who was very
popular in the 1980s for his pop music. He was given the
title King of Pop because of his influence and popularity
among listeners. His solo work in the 1980s produced
some of the most popular songs in the 1980s, such as
Thriller and Billie Jean. He was also very popular for his
dance moves, he would move very fluidly and his moves
were unfamiliar to many people.

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Steve
Steven Spielberg is an American movie director. He made
some of the most famous films of the 1980s, and was very
influential among people across the country for his
consistency in producing great movies and ability to turn a
movie into a masterpiece. He has directed many popular
movies, including Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones, Back to the
Future, and Poltergeist. He had a large influence over
television and film culture in the 1980s.

Citations
"What Made The 1980s Memorable." Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Chicago
Tribune, 19 Jan. 1990. Web. 12 May 2015.
Lad, Kashmira. "1980s' Timeline: Important Events of the 1980s." Buzzle.
Buzzle.com, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015.
"Ronald Reagan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015.
"Michael Jackson." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015.

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Politics
(background)
The 80s, much like the previous decade, was
marked by a time of change
The Cold War still raged
Fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 ended Cold War
Arms Race
clash of ideals

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- Reaganomics: promoted free market trade
and lower taxes
- reduce government growth

- labor and capital tax reduction

- reduce regulation and inflation

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Civil Righ
- the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement
were undone

- President Reagan overlooked Racism

- His first campaign speech was against Civil Rights

- Taxes were lowered for the rich

- Poor became poorer and rich became richer

- over 1 million were homeless in 1980 with an
increase over the decade

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Feminism
- President Reagan was also opposed to
Womens rights
- government agencies were closed
- was against outlawing sexual discrimination

- Feminism embraced affirmative action

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supported and regulated daycare

were divided on prostitution and sex work
was the third wave of the movement
this movement lasts to modern times

Works cited
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-wave_f
eminism
- http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guide
Desc.asp?catid=237&type=issue
- http://abhmuseum.org/2012/06/turning-thetables-on-civil-rights-the-1970s-and-1980
s/
- http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc1/Reag
anomics.html

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- the 1980s was marked by a time of change,
advancement, and tragedy
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Ronald Reagan elected on November 4, 1980

Military operations to combat Communism
The fall of Communism
NASA advancements
deaths

- It also marked a step forward for the U.S.

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- Assassinated on December 8, 1980

- suspect was drunk and deranged fan named Mark

Chapman

- Was a co-founder of the Beatles

- The lead singer of the Beatles

- was born in Liverpool, England

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The Challen
- took place on January 28, 1986

- was the shuttles 10th mission

- happened seventy-eight seconds into the flight

- O-rings were too cold

- outside temperatures were under fifty degrees

- This tragedy caused wide-spread fear

- NASA shut down this program for over two years (32
months to be exact)

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Berlin Wa
- Berlin Wall fell in 1989
- The wall was meant to separate the
democratic western Germany from the
Soviet-controlled Eastern
- graffiti on the west side, none on the east
- People in Eastern Germany tried to escape

- Marked as a victory for Democracy

- ended Communism in Europe (until recent times)

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Science
Hepatitis vaccine was approved by the FDA in 1981. Hepatitis affects the liver.
Blumberg discovered the antigen that released antibodies into the bloodstream
which fought the hepatitis virus. It was considered a real breakthrough in the field
of medicine. (1981)
Geneticist Alec Jeffreys accidentally discovered that every person has a unique
DNA profile. The unique genetic profiles are derived from one of the parent's
which means that they can trace back through generations with the DNA testing.
DNA fingerprinting is the result of Jeffreys work and the forensic science owes its
development to DNA fingerprinting.

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Space Shuttle- it was a spacecraft with wings that could rocket into space and
then glide back to Earth. The first space shuttle, Columbia,left its pad in Florida
on April 12, 1981. The shuttle completed 87 missions.
AIDS- researchers identified a disease which caused otherwise healthy young men
to become sick and die. It was called AIDS (acquired immune deficiency
syndrome). It weakens the immune system,lowering resistance to illness such as
pneumonia and several types of cancer. (1981)
Apple Mackintosh- the first successful home computer. Brought to retail sales in
1984.The success of the computer was due largely to the use of the mouse. Quick
draw was the picture language.

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Artificial Human Heart-December, 1982 the first artificial heart was implanted
into a man who then survived 112 days. The heart was created by a physician,
Robert Jarvik who made the shape and design oval so it would fit into the human
chest.
Motorola launched the first mobile phone in 1983. It measured 12x2x3.5 inches
and weighed about 2 pounds.
Disposable contact lenses in 1987 changed the eye industry. Improving upon soft
contact lenses, disposable lenses gave wears convenience and comfort.

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CD-ROM-Compact Disc-Read Only Memory was invented in 1985. Initially
intended to being for music it was later made into a form so any data
could be stored. The CD-ROM was used to transfer games and other
computer software.
Disposable Camera-Developed in 1986 the first disposable camera was
made by Fujifilm. Utsurun-Desu (it takes pictures) became widely
popular and many of the major film companies developed their own
disposable cameras. Additional features like flash and waterproofing soon
followed.

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Here are a few more interesting developments in science and technology
during the 80s
MS-DOS
Doppler radar
Apple Lisa
RU-486 (abortion pill)
Windows operating system
Synthetic skin
First 3-D video game
Human growth hormone
High-definition television
Scanning tunneling microscope
Indiglo night light

Works Cited
Borkar, Rujuta. Buzzle.com.10 Best invention of the 80s. 9
June 2014. Text. 3 May 2015.
iLab 14. Wordpress.com. Back to the past:TOP 10 BEST
Invention of 1980s. 30 March 2012. Text. 3 May 2015
Joyce Appleby Ph.D., Alan Brinkley Ph.D., Albert S. Broussard
Ph.D., James M. McPherson Ph.D., Donald A. Ritchie Ph.D.,
National Geographic Society. The American Vision Modern
Times. Columbus: McGraw Hill Glencoe, 2006.