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On the date

Friday, December 12, 1980

From the day

Perspective: The Street Photographer · Tactile

The bite of the winter air cuts through my denim, but the city is electric with the neon glow of a **Pac-Man** machine buzzing from the corner bodega. I adjust the focus on my Leica, framing a woman whose oversized wool coat hides a sharp Lycra dress, her silhouette a jagged triangle of heavy shoulder pads and hair stiff with spray. I catch the reflection of a businessman rushing past with a stack of thermal paper, grumbling about the **Fax Machine Boom** and the speed of the new **Flash Memory** chips while the smell of roasting nuts lingers on the damp pavement. It is truly **awesome** how the gritty texture of these streets persists, even as the world waits for Reagan to fix the economy or for the next nuclear siren to wail.

Memories from that day

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The Headlines

REAGAN DESIGNATES EIGHT TO FILL POSTS AT CABINET LEVEL; SEES A NEW START FOR NATION Regan, Weinberger, Smith, Lewis, Baldrige, Schweiker, Casey and Stockman Selected Designees for Top Posts Reagan Announces First 8 Cabinet-Level Appointments Delay on Haig Announcement Departure From Tradition Regan Stresses Inflation Peril Smith a Long Friend of Reagan

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

16,611 days ago

(45 years, 186 days)