What Happened in 1980
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Jesse Owens dies
After smoking for 35 years, Owens died of lung cancer at age 66 in Tucson, Arizona in 1980. He is buried in Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago. A few... Read more
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Seve Ballesteros wins the 44th Masters Tournament
The 23-year-old Seve Ballesteros won the first of his two Masters championships in 1980, the second of his eventual five victories in majors. He... Read more
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Iron Maiden Release Their Debut Album, "Iron Maiden"
Iron Maiden, released on April 14, 1980, is the debut album by heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released by EMI in the UK, reaching number 4 in... Read more
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52nd Academy Awards
The 52nd Academy Awards were presented April 14, 1980 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Johnny... Read more
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Judas Priest release British Steel
British Steel is the sixth album by the British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 April 1980. It saw the band reprise the commercial... Read more
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Operation Eagle Claw Begins
Operation Eagle Claw (or Operation Evening Light) was a United States military operation that attempted to rescue 52 American hostages from the... Read more
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"Kagemusha" Is Released
Kagemusha (影武者?) is a 1980 film by Akira Kurosawa. The title (which literally translates to "Shadow Warrior" in Japanese) is a term used for an... Read more
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Grateful Dead Release Go to Heaven
Go to Heaven is the eleventh studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was released on April 28, 1980. The album was released for the first time on... Read more
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Alice Cooper releases Flush the Fashion
Flush the Fashion is an album by Alice Cooper, released in 1980. Musically the album was a drastic change of style for Alice Cooper, leaning... Read more
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'Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?' airs on ABC
The Dr. Seuss story Pontoffel Pock is fully animated in this 1980 program. Pontoffel comes across a magic piano which, with the help of a fairy... Read more
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1980 NBA Finals - Lakers Defeat 76ers
The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP. But in a... Read more
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MV Summit Venture collides with Sunshine Skyway Bridge
The southbound span of the original bridge (built in 1969) was destroyed at 7:33 a.m. on May 9, 1980, when the freighter MV Summit Venture collided... Read more
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"The Return Of The King (1980 Film)" Is Released
The Return of the King is an animated musical adaptation of the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien which was released by Rankin/Bass as a TV special in... Read more
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"So Far Away" Is Released
So Far Away is The Chords debut album. Highest chart position: 30, 3 weeks on chart. The cover was inspired by the second LP by The Spencer Davis... Read more
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"Breaker Morant" Is Released
Breaker Morant is a 1980 Australian feature film about the court martial of Breaker Morant, directed by Bruce Beresford and starring British actor... Read more
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Eruption of Mount St. Helens
May 18, 1980. On that fateful day, Mount St. Helens Volcano in Washington exploded violently after 2 months of intense earthquake activity and... Read more
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Kiss releases Unmasked
Unmasked is an album by the American band Kiss released in 1980. It is the group's 8th studio album. At the time it was the last studio album from... Read more
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Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George... Read more
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Namco Releases Pac-Man
Pac-Man (パックマン, Pakkuman) is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the U.S. by Midway, first released in Japan on May... Read more
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U2 releases "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" single
"11 O'Clock Tick Tock" was U2's third single, released May 23, 1980 (1980-05-23). It followed debut EP/single "Out of Control" and "Another Day,"... Read more
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"The Shining" Is Released
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. Though it had mixed... Read more
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New York Islanders win Stanley Cup
The 1980 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the New York Islanders in their first-ever Finals appearance and the Philadelphia Flyers, in their... Read more
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George H.W. Bush Officially Pulls Out of Presidential Race
In the primary election, Bush focused almost entirely on the Iowa caucuses, while Reagan ran a more traditional campaign. Bush represented the... Read more