The Eighties
See the collapse of traditional communism and the ending of the Cold War, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, and Apple begin to have an impact on all our lives as small Computers become cheaper and more widespread including home and Business. Famine in Ethiopia causes major music stars to band together to raise money and awareness, and the early beginnings of mobile phones as technology gets cheaper and smaller.
Eighties Inventions – The Year Invented Inventors and Country or attributed to First Use
Artificial Heart —– 1982 USA
MTV —– 1981 UK, the very first music video played was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles
Chicken Nuggets —– 1983 USA by McDonald's
DNA Fingerprinting —– 1984 by the geneticist Dr. Alec Jeffries at the University of Leicester, UK
Disposable Camera —– 1987 USA, Kodak introduced a 24-shot disposable camera called “The Fling”
Nintendo Game Boy —– 1989 Japan
Personal Computer —– 1981 USA, IBM 5150 PC had an Intel 8088 processor and ran version 1.0 of the PC DOS operating system sold for $1565 which converted for today is around $4400
Walkman —– 1980 Japan, Sony launched the TPS-L2, called "Pressman" but swapped in the verb ‘Walk’ as a way to describe what it was for
Commercial Mobile Phone —– 1983 by Motorola, DynaTAC 8000x is the poster child for the earliest mobile phones. It was a giant brick and became the most famous of the early handsets. It cost $4000. Converted for today that’s over $10,000. .
Space Shuttle —– 1981 USA by Nasa when the first Space Shuttle launched on April 12, 1981, when the Columbia made its maiden voyage
Apple MacIntosh —– 1984 USA
Microsoft Windows —– 1981 USA by Bill Gates
CD-Player —– 1982 Japan when Sony launched the world’s first industrial compact disc participant, the CDP-101
Camcorder —– 1982 Japan by Sony when introducing its Betamax digital camera
Eighties Money and Inflation
If you have $100 Converted from 1980 to 2020 it would be equivalent to $313.25 today
A new house cost $68,714.00 and by 1989 was $120,00.00
The average income per year was $19,170.00 and by 1989 was $27,210.00
A gallon of gas was $1.19 and by 1989 was 97 cents
The average cost of a new car was $7,210.00 and by 1989 was $15,400.00
A few more prices from the ’80s and how much things cost:
Camaro Coupe $7,571 Pontiac Grand AM $9,965
Nike Air Force Basketball Shoes $54.90
Tailored Style Silk Blouse $15.99
Amiga 500 with Color Monitor $849
Hands-Free Operating Car Phone History of Mobile Phones $788
Milk 85 cents 1/2 gallon
Bunk Beds with Mattress $148
Cheer Laundry Detergent $1.59
Eighties Popular Culture
John Lennon is shot outside his New York apartment
MTV (Music Television) is launched
Floppy shirts, Backcombed hair, Padded shoulders, big hairdos, and white stilettos
The Simpsons Is First Seen On Tracey Ullman Show April 5th, 1987
Michael Jackson releases his second adult solo album, Thriller...
Eighties Fashion
There was no such thing as subtlety in the 1980s—if you wanted to be cool, that is. Bright statement colors (and by bright, we mean neon), acid-wash jeans, Members Only jackets, and Swatch watches were the definition of totally tubular
Eighties Homes
It is interesting looking at the furniture and fixtures you might find in a home from each decade, as we move to smaller computers why have a Computer Work Station, VHS Tapes No Longer used, Bean Bags not anywhere near as popular as during the Eighties. The kitchen got an upgrade and the mainstays of '80s living room decor were furnishings, curtains, and carpets in earthy beige tones within light rooms ideally with large windows but if not then the light was accentuated by the use of wall mirrors, mirrored cabinets, and glass coffee tables.
As technology improves the size gets smaller and smaller and more and more powerful. The “Portable Camcorder” replaced by today’s Mobile Phone, The Timex Sinclair Color Computer replaced a much more powerful Tablet, Stereo Sound Television now exists as a smaller more energy efficient flatscreen TV, and the latest 50-inch Projection Screen TV can now be found as Flat Screen TV up to 100 inches
