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On the date

Tuesday, November 18, 1980

From the day

Perspective: The Anxious Local · Sound

The radio is a constant hiss of bad news today, with Kenny Rogers crooning "Lady" just before the announcer barked that the prime rate hit sixteen percent. I can’t even enjoy the walk to the theater without hearing the screech of tires and everyone fretting about Reagan and the nukes. Even the line for *Private Benjamin* feels tense; five dollars for a ticket is getting steep for a comedy, and the neon posters look a bit cheesy against the gray November slush. My hands are shaking too much to even solve this Rubik's Cube while I wait for the world to end.

Memories from that day

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The Headlines

Prime Rate Up to 16 % From 15 %; Warnings Given That Recovery Could Suffer Benchmark for Other Loans Federal Funds Rate Jumps Prime Rate Rises to 16 % Cost of Funds Put at 16 Percent

Read in The New York Times →

World Mood

#1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Lady

Kenny Rogers

The must-have

Rubik's Cube

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

16,636 days ago

(45 years, 211 days)