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This Week in the 80s: October 13–19

GenX Dude

GenX Dude

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This Week in the 80s: October 13–19

Welcome back to the 1980s. Every week we travel through all ten years of the decade at once — same calendar dates, ten different years. This week covers October 13-19 across 1980 through 1989. Buckle up.

During the Decade of Decadence, this week ran from October 13 to 22. We aim to list things as close to the date they happened, and each week may have overlaps with adjacent weeks due to this calendar nuance.

📰 The News That Shaped the Decade

1980

  • October 13, 1980: Unprovoked slayings of 6 blacks in Buffalo, NY
  • October 14, 1980: Staggers Rail Act deregulates American railroads
  • October 15, 1980: James Callaghan resigns as leader of the UK's Labour Party

1981

  • October 13, 1981: Hosni Mubarak confirmed as president of Egypt
  • October 13, 1981: Polisario Front guerillas attack Moroccan army garrison at Guelta Zemmur
  • October 13, 1981: Kåre Willoch becomes prime minister of Norway

1982

  • October 11, 1982: The Mary Rose, flagship of Henry VIII, is raised from the Solent
  • October 13, 1982: IOC reinstates Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals
  • October 13, 1982: President Reagan addresses the nation on the economy
  • October 14, 1982: President Reagan proclaims a war on drugs
  • October 15, 1982: Garn-St. Germain Act deregulates U.S. savings and loan industry

1983

  • October 13, 1983: World's first commercial mobile cellular telephone call made in Chicago
  • October 19, 1983: Maurice Bishop, Prime Minister of Grenada, assassinated in military coup

1984

  • October 12, 1984: Brighton hotel bombing: PIRA attempts to assassinate Margaret Thatcher
  • October 19, 1984: Polish secret police kidnap and assassinate Father Jerzy Popiełuszko

1985

  • October 16, 1985: Finnish dry cargo ship MS Hanna-Marjut sinks, 4 drowned
  • October 19, 1985: First Blockbuster store opened in Dallas, Texas

1986

  • October 9, 1986: News Corporation launches Fox Broadcasting Company
  • October 10, 1986: 5.7 Mw San Salvador earthquake kills up to 1,500 people
  • October 11-12, 1986: Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Reykjavík, Iceland
  • October 19, 1986: Mozambican President Samora Machel's plane crashes
  • October 18, 1985: The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is released in North America.

1987

  • October 15, 1987: Military coup in Burkina Faso
  • October 15-16, 1987: Great storm of 1987 strikes Great Britain and France
  • October 19, 1987: Black Monday: Stock market levels fall sharply

1988

  • October 12, 1988: Walsh Street police shootings in Australia
  • October 12, 1988: Birchandra Manu massacre in Tripura, India
  • October 1988: The sitcom 'Roseanne' premiered in October 1988, quickly becoming a popular show depicting working-class American life.

1989

  • October 5, 1989: Dalai Lama wins the Nobel Peace Prize
  • October 7, 1989: Mass demonstration against Communist regime begins in Plauen, East Germany

🎵 Soundtrack of the Week

Here's a taste of what was climbing the charts this week across the decade. Paid members get the full Top 10 for every year — all 100 songs, every one linked so you can listen and watch right now.

1980 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. Late in the Evening — Paul Simon
  2. Drivin' My Life Away — Eddie Rabbitt
  3. Xanadu — Olivia Newton-John / Electric Light Orchestra
  4. I'm Alright — Kenny Loggins
  5. Real Love — The Doobie Brothers

1981 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. The Night Owls — Little River Band
  2. Hard To Say — Dan Fogelberg
  3. Who's Crying Now — Journey
  4. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around — Stevie Nicks w/Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  5. Private Eyes — Daryl Hall & John Oates

1982 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. I Ran — A Flock Of Seagulls
  2. Heart Attack — Olivia Newton-John
  3. You Can Do Magic — America
  4. Somebody's Baby — Jackson Browne
  5. I Keep Forgettin' — Michael McDonald

1983 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. (She’s) Sexy + 17 — The Stray Cats
  2. Tell Her About It — Billy Joel
  3. The Safety Dance — Men Without Hats
  4. All Night Long (All Night) — Lionel Richie
  5. One Thing Leads to Another — The Fixx

1984 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. She Bop — Cyndi Lauper
  2. The Glamorous Life — Sheila E.
  3. Cover Me — Bruce Springsteen
  4. Missing You — John Waite
  5. Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run) — Billy Ocean

1985 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. Head Over Heels — Tears For Fears
  2. Fortress Around Your Heart — Sting
  3. Dancing In The Street — Mick Jagger & David Bowie
  4. Money For Nothing — Dire Straits
  5. Lonely Ol’ Night — John Cougar Mellencamp

1986 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. A Matter of Trust — Billy Joel
  2. All Cried Out — Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam With Full Force
  3. I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On — Robert Palmer
  4. Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone) — Glass Tiger
  5. Two of Hearts — Stacey Q

1987 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. Jump Start — Natalie Cole
  2. Causing A Commotion — Madonna
  3. Let Me Be The One — Expose
  4. Didn't We Almost Have It All — Whitney Houston
  5. Here I Go Again — Whitesnake

1988 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. Simply Irresistible — Robert Palmer
  2. Wild, Wild West — The Escape Club
  3. Please Don't Go Girl — New Kids On The Block
  4. Don't Be Cruel — Cheap Trick
  5. Groovy Kind of Love — Phil Collins

1989 — Songs #10 to #6

  1. Heaven — Warrant
  2. Girl I'm Gonna Miss You — Milli Vanilli
  3. Bust A Move — Young M.C.
  4. Sowing The Seeds Of Love — Tears For Fears
  5. When I Looked At Him — Expose

Every song. Every year. Click to listen and watch.

1980

  1. 🏆 Another One Bites the Dust — Queen
  2. Woman in Love — Barbra Streisand
  3. Upside Down — Diana Ross
  4. All Out of Love — Air Supply
  5. He's So Shy — The Pointer Sisters
  6. Real Love — The Doobie Brothers
  7. I'm Alright — Kenny Loggins
  8. Xanadu — Olivia Newton-John / Electric Light Orchestra
  9. Drivin' My Life Away — Eddie Rabbitt
  10. Late in the Evening — Paul Simon

1981

  1. 🏆 Arthur's Theme — Christopher Cross
  2. Endless Love — Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
  3. Start Me Up — The Rolling Stones
  4. For Your Eyes Only — Sheena Easton
  5. Step By Step — Eddie Rabbitt
  6. Private Eyes — Daryl Hall & John Oates
  7. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around — Stevie Nicks w/Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  8. Who's Crying Now — Journey
  9. Hard To Say — Dan Fogelberg
  10. The Night Owls — Little River Band

1982

  1. 🏆 Jack And Diane — John Cougar
  2. Who Can It Be Now? — Men At Work
  3. Eye In The Sky — Alan Parsons Project
  4. Hard To Say I'm Sorry — Chicago
  5. Abracadabra — Steve Miller Band
  6. I Keep Forgettin' — Michael McDonald
  7. Somebody's Baby — Jackson Browne
  8. You Can Do Magic — America
  9. Heart Attack — Olivia Newton-John
  10. I Ran — A Flock Of Seagulls

1983

  1. 🏆 Total Eclipse of the Heart — Bonnie Tyler
  2. Making Love Out of Nothing At All — Air Supply
  3. King of Pain — The Police
  4. True — Spandau Ballet
  5. Islands in the Stream — Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton
  6. One Thing Leads to Another — The Fixx
  7. All Night Long (All Night) — Lionel Richie
  8. The Safety Dance — Men Without Hats
  9. Tell Her About It — Billy Joel
  10. (She’s) Sexy + 17 — The Stray Cats

1984

  1. 🏆 I Just Called To Say I Love You — Stevie Wonder
  2. Let’s Go Crazy — Prince & The Revolution
  3. Drive — The Cars
  4. Hard Habit To Break — Chicago
  5. Lucky Star — Madonna
  6. Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run) — Billy Ocean
  7. Missing You — John Waite
  8. Cover Me — Bruce Springsteen
  9. The Glamorous Life — Sheila E.
  10. She Bop — Cyndi Lauper

1985

  1. 🏆 Take On Me — A-Ha
  2. Saving All My Love For You — Whitney Houston
  3. Part Time Lover — Stevie Wonder
  4. Oh Sheila — Ready For The World
  5. Miami Vice Theme — Jan Hammer
  6. Lonely Ol’ Night — John Cougar Mellencamp
  7. Money For Nothing — Dire Straits
  8. Dancing In The Street — Mick Jagger & David Bowie
  9. Fortress Around Your Heart — Sting
  10. Head Over Heels — Tears For Fears

1986

  1. 🏆 When I Think of You — Janet Jackson
  2. Typical Male — Tina Turner
  3. True Colors — Cyndi Lauper
  4. Throwing It All Away — Genesis
  5. Heartbeat — Don Johnson
  6. Two of Hearts — Stacey Q
  7. Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone) — Glass Tiger
  8. I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On — Robert Palmer
  9. All Cried Out — Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam With Full Force
  10. A Matter of Trust — Billy Joel

1987

  1. 🏆 Lost In Emotion — Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
  2. U Got The Look — Prince
  3. Carrie — Europe
  4. Bad — Michael Jackson
  5. I Heard A Rumour — Bananarama
  6. Here I Go Again — Whitesnake
  7. Didn't We Almost Have It All — Whitney Houston
  8. Let Me Be The One — Expose
  9. Causing A Commotion — Madonna
  10. Jump Start — Natalie Cole

1988

  1. 🏆 Don't Worry, Be Happy — Bobby McFerrin
  2. Love Bites — Def Leppard
  3. Red, Red Wine — UB40
  4. One Good Woman — Peter Cetera
  5. What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy) — Information Society
  6. Groovy Kind of Love — Phil Collins
  7. Don't Be Cruel — Cheap Trick
  8. Please Don't Go Girl — New Kids On The Block
  9. Wild, Wild West — The Escape Club
  10. Simply Irresistible — Robert Palmer

1989

  1. 🏆 Miss You Much — Janet Jackson
  2. Mixed Emotions — The Rolling Stones
  3. Listen To Your Heart — Roxette
  4. Healing Hands — Elton John
  5. Love Song — The Cure
  6. When I Looked At Him — Expose
  7. Sowing The Seeds Of Love — Tears For Fears
  8. Bust A Move — Young M.C.
  9. Girl I'm Gonna Miss You — Milli Vanilli
  10. Heaven — Warrant

🎬 Box Office #1 This Week

The biggest movie in America during this week, for each year of the decade.

YearFilmWeekend GrossWatch Now
1980Private Benjamin$6,333,303Stream →
1981Paternity$3,216,456Stream →
1982First Blood$6,642,005Stream →
1983Mr. Mom$3,124,567Stream →
1984The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension$4,545,969Stream →
1985Jagged Edge$4,130,287Stream →
1986Crocodile Dundee$8,038,855Stream →
1987Fatal Attraction$7,634,295Stream →
1988A Fish Called Wanda$2,111,109Stream →
1989Look Who's Talking$12,107,784Stream →

📺 Primetime TV Spotlight

What America was watching in primetime this week across the decade.

1980 — Dallas (CBS)

Dallas was in its fourth season, continuing its popular run with the 'Who Shot J.R.?' storyline still fresh in viewers' minds from the previous season's cliffhanger.

📺 Where to Watch Dallas →

1981 — M*A*S*H (CBS)

M*A*S*H was in its tenth season, continuing its critically acclaimed run as one of television's most beloved comedies.

📺 Where to Watch M*A*S*H →

1982 — Cheers (NBC)

The first season of Cheers premiered on September 30, 1982. The show was finding its footing and building the ensemble cast that would make it a television classic.

📺 Where to Watch Cheers →

1983 — Family Ties (NBC)

Family Ties was in its second season, establishing itself as a popular sitcom with a focus on generational differences and family values.

📺 Where to Watch Family Ties →

1984 — The Cosby Show (NBC)

The Cosby Show premiered in September 1984 and quickly became a ratings phenomenon, revitalizing the sitcom genre.

📺 Where to Watch The Cosby Show →

1985 — MacGyver (ABC)

MacGyver premiered in September 1985 and quickly became a hit, known for its resourceful protagonist who solved problems using science and everyday objects.

📺 Where to Watch MacGyver →

1986 — Miami Vice (NBC)

Miami Vice was in its third season, continuing its iconic blend of action, fashion, and music that defined 80s cool.

📺 Where to Watch Miami Vice →

1987 — The Cosby Show (NBC)

The Cosby Show was in its fourth season, continuing its dominance as a top-rated family sitcom.

📺 Where to Watch The Cosby Show →

1988 — The Wonder Years (ABC)

The Wonder Years premiered in January 1988 and was in its first full season, capturing the hearts of viewers with its nostalgic look at adolescence.

📺 Where to Watch The Wonder Years →

1989 — Life Goes On (ABC)

Life Goes On premiered in September 1989, breaking ground as one of the first network series to feature a main character with Down syndrome.

📺 Where to Watch Life Goes On →

📺 Commercial Spotlight: Wendy's (1984)

The iconic 'Where's the Beef?' commercial featured elderly women comically questioning the small patties on competitors' hamburgers. It became a cultural phenomenon and a popular catchphrase.

▶ Watch the commercial on YouTube

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