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On the date

Wednesday, September 17, 1980

From the day

Perspective: The Teenager · Sight

I leaned against the brick wall, twisting my Rubik’s Cube until the neon orange stickers blurred under the flickering streetlights. My shoulder pads felt massive beneath my oversized jacket, and the screech of protesters down at Sydenham Hospital almost drowned out the radio. Diana Ross was belts out "Upside Down" from a passing car, and I couldn't help but spin in circles to the beat. If my mom makes me go to one more rally instead of the arcade for Pac-Man, I’m going to lose it—seriously, gag me with a spoon.

Memories from that day

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The Headlines

Sydenham Scene Of Office Seizure On Its Final Day; Hospital's Closing Begins as Demonstrators March Commotion but No Violence Director's Office Seized Sydenham Hospital Closing Started; Demonstrators Occupy Offices

Read in The New York Times →

#1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Upside Down

Diana Ross

The must-have

Rubik's Cube

On This Day

  • Former Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle is killed in Asunción, Paraguay.

    Wikipedia →
  • After weeks of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, the nationwide independent trade union Solidarity is established.

    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

16,697 days ago

(45 years, 272 days)