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On the date

Friday, April 18, 1980

From the day

Perspective: The Future Historian · Sound

The rhythmic pulse of Blondie’s "Call Me" bleeds through the static of a transistor radio, competing with the heavy thrum of steel mill machinery and the nervous chatter of Pittsburghers debating a dismal ballot. I drop **$0.50** onto the counter for a loaf of white bread, the meager clink of change echoing the hollow uncertainty of a city bracing for a shift it can't quite hear coming yet. Between the screech of city buses and the synthetic digital chirps from the new arcade cabinets, everyone is whispering "Who shot J.R.?" as if the television screen holds more answers than the upcoming primary. The air smells of rain and hot transistors, punctuated by the rustle of oversized polyester suits as voters shuffle toward a future where the mechanical roar of the seventies is being replaced by the high-pitched hum of the silicon age.

Memories from that day

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The Headlines

A Pittsburgh Lament: 'You've Got to Vote For Someone Tuesday'; 'Putting Down Carter' A Pittsburgh Lament: 'You've Got to Vote for Someone' A Voter's Dilemma Children of Immigrants Uncertainty About Vote

Read in The New York Times →

#1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Call Me

Blondie

#1 at the box office

Kramer vs. Kramer

$1,335,476

The must-have

Rubik's Cube

On This Day

  • The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country's first President. The Zimbabwean dollar replaces the Rhodesian dollar as the official currency.

    Wikipedia →
  • The town of Elmore City, Oklahoma holds its first dance in the town's history.

    Wikipedia →

Slang

Slang of the decade

General

awesomebodaciouscheesychill

Valley Girl

as ifbarf me outgag me with a spoongrodytotally

Hip Hop

baddefdopeflyfreshword

Yuppie

greed is goodpower lunchnetworking

Catchphrases of 1980

  • Here's Johnny!
  • Who shot J.R.?

Tech Check

Fax Machine Boom, Pac-Man & Flash Memory.

Style of 1980

Silhouette: Oversized inverted triangle

Material: Lycra and sequins

  • Shoulder pads
  • Perms
  • Neon accessories

Cost of Living (1980)

Loaf of Bread

$0.50

Gallon of Gas

$1.19

Average Home

$47,200

New Car

$7,200

Time Elapsed

16,850 days ago

(46 years, 60 days)