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On the date

Monday, May 5, 1980

From the day

Perspective: The Future Historian · Tactile

The rough friction of the internal springs clicks through my fingertips as I twist the plastic faces of this Rubik's Cube, searching for an order that seems to defy the chaos of the morning headlines. My Lycra top clings to me with a synthetic heat, its jagged sequins catching the fluorescent light like a disco ball reflecting a world fractured by fervor and faith. I adjust my oversized shoulder pads, feeling the stiff foam push against my neck as if trying to ground me in this frantic decade. If I can't align these six solid colors soon, I'll absolutely lose it—honestly, barf me out—it’s like trying to solve a tragedy with nothing but neon plastic and grit.

Memories from that day

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The Headlines

Nine Killed in Zaire in Crush to Join Pope in Mass; NINE KILLED IN ZAIRE IN CRUSH TO SEE POPE Viewed as a Reconciliation

Read in The New York Times →

#1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Call Me

Blondie

#1 at the box office

Kramer vs. Kramer

$847,617

The must-have

Rubik's Cube

On This Day

  • Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.

    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

16,832 days ago

(46 years, 42 days)