Time Warp: 1981

With my fortieth birthday fast approaching, I've decided to take a look at some of the big news stories for certain years of my life.  Let's take a look at a couple of these years, starting with 1981.  

1981 Recap

• January 20: Just minutes after new US president Ronald Reagan is sworn into office, Iran releases fifty-two Americans whom they had held as hostages.  In total, the hostages spent four hundred and forty-four days as captives of the Iranians (1).  

• March 30: Ronald Reagan is shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr., an obsessed fan of actress Jodie Foster.  Hinckley believed that the assassination attempt would impress the actress, thereby winning her favor (2, 3).  

• April 12: Columbia, the world's first reusable spacecraft, is launched on its maiden mission (STS-1) by NASA (4).  

• May 5: In Northern Ireland, Irish Republican Army ("IRA") member and political activist Bobby Sands dies while on a hunger strike.  Sands was attempting to secure better prison conditions for himself and his fellow inmates, many of whom had been branded as terrorists by the then government of the United Kingdom (5).   

  

• May 13: In Vatican City, Pope John Paul II is shot and wounded by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca (6).  

• May 18: Reports begin to emerge surrounding an "exotic new disease" occurring in gay men.  This disease is later named "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome", or "AIDS".  By the end of the 1990s, it is estimated that five to ten million people (worldwide) are living with HIV/AIDS (7). 

 (Note: The following video may be difficult for some to watch....use your discretion) (8)

• August 1: MTV makes its first broadcast, promising that "you'll never look at music the same way again" (9).  

Next up: 1986, and my fifth birthday.  

Sources:

1. "Iran Hostage Crisis - Wikipedia". En.Wikipedia.Org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_hostage_crisis#Release. Accessed 31 Aug 2021.

2. "Attempted Assassination Of Ronald Reagan - Wikipedia". En.Wikipedia.Org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Ronald_Reagan. Accessed 31 Aug 2021.

3. NBC Washington. 40 Years Later: President Ronald Reagan's Assassination Attempt. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n-JbA7T5ig. Accessed 31 Aug 2021.

4. "What Happened In 1981 - Significant Events, Prices, 40 Years Ago Top Movies, TV And Music". Thepeoplehistory.Com, https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1981.html. Accessed 31 Aug 2021.

5. "Bobby Sands - Wikipedia". En.Wikipedia.Org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sands#Death. Accessed 31 Aug 2021.

6. "Attempted Assassination Of Pope John Paul II - Wikipedia". En.Wikipedia.Org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Pope_John_Paul_II. Accessed 31 Aug 2021.

7. "History Of HIV And AIDS Overview". Avert, 2019, https://www.avert.org/professionals/history-hiv-aids/overview. Accessed 31 Aug 2021.

8. National Broadcasting Company. NBC's Earliest Report On AIDS 1982. 2009, https://youtu.be/1LKJ5ZzzL0w. Accessed 31 Aug 2021.

9. "MTV - Wikipedia". En.Wikipedia.Org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV#Official_launch. Accessed 31 Aug 2021.