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On the date

Saturday, December 17, 1983

From the day

Perspective: The Future Historian · Sound

The rhythmic pulse of McCartney and Jackson’s "Say Say Say" blares from a passing shoulder-mounted boombox, competing with the screech of brakes as commuters howl over the new subway fare hike. I watch a frustrated driver mutter "greed is good" while pumping high-lead at $1.19 a gallon, his eyes darting toward the neon-lit theater marquee for *Sudden Impact*. The digital beep of a nearby Motorola DynaTAC cuts through the cold December air, signaling a frantic future that is already arriving in jagged, technological bursts. Somewhere in the distance, the muffled static of car radios and the frantic chatter about sold-out Cabbage Patch Kids blend into a dissonant symphony of late-century consumerism.

Memories from that day

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#1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Say Say Say

Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

The must-have

Cabbage Patch Kids

On This Day

  • Provisional IRA members detonate a car bomb at Harrods Department Store in London. Three police officers and three civilians are killed.

    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 1983

  • Whatcha talkin' 'bout, Willis?
  • Say hello to my little friend

Tech Check

Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, Internet (TCP/IP Standard) & Microsoft Word.

Cost of Living (1980)

Loaf of Bread

$0.50

Gallon of Gas

$1.19

Average Home

$47,200

New Car

$7,200

Time Elapsed

15,512 days ago

(42 years, 182 days)