199 Fun Facts About The 80s

MTV opened in 1981 with images of which event?

Apollo 11 moon landing footage, restyled with MTV's logo, opened the channel and aired at the top of every hour; it lives on as the VMAs' Moonman trophy.

Which Michael Jackson album is the best-selling album of all time worldwide?

Thriller's title-track video got made only after Jackson's label refused to fund it: MTV and Showtime helped pay by buying a making-of documentary.

Which song opened MTV when it launched in 1981?

Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles was co-written by Bruce Woolley, who left during recording and cut his own version with his band, the Camera Club.

In 'Back to the Future,' what speed must the DeLorean reach to travel through time?

88 mph was more than a real car's speedometer could show, since a 1979 US law capped speedometers at 85 mph, so the Back to the Future crew built a custom one.

Who directed the 1982 film 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'?

Steven Spielberg based E.T. on an imaginary alien friend he dreamed up as a boy to fill the void after his parents divorced.

Which actor starred as the Ghostbusters' Peter Venkman?

Bill Murray took a Ghostbusters part Dan Aykroyd had written with John Belushi in mind; Belushi died of an overdose in 1982 while Aykroyd was still writing.

What portable music device did Sony introduce in 1979 that defined 80s culture?

Walkman started because Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka, tired of lugging a bulky cassette recorder on business trips, asked for a small playback-only stereo player.

Which toy robot did Nintendo sell with the NES to win over wary US stores?

R.O.B. helped Nintendo pitch the NES as a sophisticated toy rather than a video game console, since US retailers had lost faith in games after the 1983 crash.

Before entering politics, the US president who served for most of the 1980s twice led which organisation?

Screen Actors Guild leader Ronald Reagan, who held the job twice, also secretly informed the FBI about suspected Communists in Hollywood.

Which country's botched 1989 announcement opened the Berlin Wall?

East Germany's unofficial spokesman Günter Schabowski, unaware the new travel rules were embargoed, told reporters they applied 'immediately', and crowds headed for the border that night.

Which pop star was known as the 'Material Girl'?

Madonna's 'Material Girl' video restaged Marilyn Monroe's 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' number from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, pink gown and all.

Which country's nuclear plant first detected the 1986 Chernobyl fallout, forcing Moscow to admit the disaster?

Sweden's Forsmark plant found radiation on a worker's shoes on April 28, 1986, and when Sweden pressed for answers, Moscow admitted the Chernobyl accident.

'Don't Stop Believin'' was an 80s hit for which band?

Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin'' won a new generation of fans after it closed The Sopranos' 2007 finale and Glee covered it in 2009.

What Apple product was famously introduced with a '1984' Super Bowl commercial?

Macintosh's '1984' ad nearly didn't air: Apple ordered its Super Bowl airtime sold off, but agency Chiat/Day resold only part of it, so the spot ran anyway.

Which 80s sitcom featured the Huxtable family?

The Cosby Show was turned down by ABC before NBC picked it up, and it became TV's No. 1 show.

What was the name of the Space Shuttle that tragically exploded in January 1986?

Challenger launched after Morton Thiokol engineers warned the night before that record cold could keep the booster O-rings from sealing; managers overruled them.

Which 1984 Prince album, also the soundtrack to his film of the same name, included 'When Doves Cry' and 'Let's Go Crazy'?

Purple Rain's 'Darling Nikki' so alarmed Tipper Gore, after she heard her daughter's copy, that she pushed record labels to put warning stickers on albums.

Which 80s toy craze had children 'adopt' dolls that came with birth certificates?

Cabbage Patch Kids began as Xavier Roberts's own version of Kentucky artist Martha Nelson Thomas's handmade Doll Babies; she sued him, and they settled out of court.

Which movie first featured Arnold Schwarzenegger's line 'I'll be back'?

The Terminator's studio wanted Schwarzenegger as the hero and O.J. Simpson as the killer cyborg, until James Cameron met him and cast him as the Terminator.

Unsold cartridges of Atari's notorious 1982 E.T. game were buried in a landfill in which US state?

New Mexico's Alamogordo landfill took Atari's buried cartridges in 1983; licensing talks had dragged on so long that E.T.'s designer got only about five weeks to build the game.

Which 1985 supergroup recorded the charity single 'We Are the World'?

USA for Africa recorded 'We Are the World' after the 1985 American Music Awards, but Prince, who was expected to join, skipped the session and gave the album a song instead.

Which 1980s haircut got its popular name from a 1994 Beastie Boys song?

Mullet stumped the Oxford English Dictionary: people remember the name from the 80s, but it found no printed use before the Beastie Boys' song and appealed for one.

Which 1984 Eddie Murphy film briefly overtook Ghostbusters as the highest-grossing comedy ever?

Beverly Hills Cop was nearly a Sylvester Stallone movie: he signed on and rewrote it as an action film before the part went to Eddie Murphy.

Which encouraging shout from Jane Fonda's workout videos became a common 80s saying?

'Feel the burn!' came from Jane Fonda's Workout, a 1982 tape she first turned down because she didn't know a single person who owned a VCR.

Which iconic 80s movie featured a group of kids searching for pirate treasure?

The Goonies' pirate ship was a full-size set that director Richard Donner kept hidden from the young cast, so their first look on camera was real.

Which symbol did Americans display for the US hostages held in Iran from 1979 to 1981?

Yellow ribbons caught on after Penne Laingen, whose diplomat husband Bruce was a hostage, tied one around the oak tree outside her Maryland home.

Which band's 1987 debut album included 'Sweet Child O' Mine'?

Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose based 'Sweet Child O' Mine' on girlfriend Erin Everly; they wed in 1990, and the marriage was annulled within a year.

In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Elliott lures the alien with a trail of which candy?

Reese's Pieces got the E.T. part only after Mars turned down the chance to use M&M's in the film.

Which 1980s TV show featured a talking car named KITT?

Knight Rider's KITT was voiced by William Daniels, who recorded his lines in a studio apart from the cast and asked not to be credited.

Before Ideal Toy renamed it after its Hungarian inventor in 1980, the Rubik's Cube was sold under what name?

Magic Cube was the puzzle's Hungarian name, and even Ernő Rubik needed weeks to solve his own creation after scrambling it for the first time.

Jane Fonda's workout videos helped popularize which ballet-studio garment in 80s fashion?

Leg warmers were Jane Fonda's ballet habit: she always wore them because ballet was her real love, and her Workout tapes boosted a trend already underway.

Who won Super Bowl XX in January 1986 with a dominant defensive performance?

The Chicago Bears shot the video for 'The Super Bowl Shuffle' the morning after their only loss of the 1985 season, weeks before they won Super Bowl XX.

What 1983 movie featured Matthew Broderick as a teen hacker who nearly starts World War III?

WarGames (1983) starred Matthew Broderick as a young hacker who accidentally accesses a military supercomputer and nearly triggers a nuclear war.

Which cola's 1985 reformulation was reversed within three months after public backlash?

Coca-Cola changed its formula because blind taste tests, including the company's own, showed people preferred the sweeter taste of Pepsi.

Which British band released 'Every Breath You Take' in 1983?

The Police's 'Every Breath You Take' sounds like a love song, but Sting has called it very sinister, a song about obsession, surveillance and control.

Which fast-food chain's 1984 Olympics promotion, giving away food when US athletes won, backfired?

McDonald's promised free food for US medals in chosen events, and an Eastern Bloc boycott of the Games let American athletes win far more than expected.

Which John Hughes film featured the 'Brat Pack' spending a Saturday in detention?

The Breakfast Club's theme, 'Don't You (Forget About Me)', was first offered to Bryan Ferry, who turned it down, before Simple Minds recorded it and took it to No. 1 in the US.

What was the name of the Live Aid concert venue in London?

Wembley Stadium hosted Live Aid's London show, and Phil Collins played there, then flew Concorde to New York so he could also play the Philadelphia show that day.

Which video game character, introduced in 1981, was originally called 'Jumpman'?

Mario got his name when Nintendo renamed Jumpman after its warehouse landlord, businessman Mario Segale.

In which 1983 film does Jennifer Beals's Pittsburgh welder dream of becoming a ballerina?

Flashdance's famous look, Jennifer Beals's wide-neck sweatshirt, began by accident: it had shrunk, so she cut a bigger hole to get her head through.

Which TV show set in a Boston bar premiered on NBC in 1982?

Cheers was nearly canceled after ranking just 74th in the ratings in its first season, but critics loved it and NBC kept it on the air.

What did the CDC's June 1981 report on pneumonia in five previously healthy young men first describe?

HIV/AIDS was first called GRID, for gay-related immune deficiency, but after the same infections turned up in people with hemophilia, the CDC adopted the name AIDS in 1982.

Which 80s sitcom featured an alien named Gordon Shumway living with a suburban family?

ALF's NBC run ended on a cliffhanger with ALF captured by the military, and the story wasn't wrapped up until ABC's 1996 TV movie Project: ALF.

Which Federal Reserve chairman's high interest rates broke US inflation in the early 1980s?

Paul Volcker, Fed chairman from 1979 to 1987, let the federal funds rate climb past 19 percent in 1981; annual inflation fell from 13.5 percent in 1980 to about 3 percent by 1983.

Which athlete set a 100m world record at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, only to be stripped of gold for doping?

Ben Johnson's steroid test cost him the Seoul gold, and so many of the finalists were later tied to doping that the race is called 'the dirtiest in history'.

What 1980 film starring Robert De Niro told the story of boxer Jake LaMotta?

Raging Bull's Robert De Niro put on about 60 pounds to play Jake LaMotta in his later years.

Which 1984 Hasbro toy line was built from Japanese toymaker Takara's Diaclone robots?

Transformers came from Hasbro buying Takara's shape-changing Diaclone and Micro Change toys and relaunching them under one brand with a new backstory.

Which 1989 comedy, starring John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, has Bruce Willis as the voice of baby Mikey?

Look Who's Talking drew on writer-director Amy Heckerling's own experience of motherhood, and its success made her a hot director again.

Which center, nicknamed 'the Dream', did Houston take first in the 1984 NBA Draft, two picks before Michael Jordan?

Hakeem Olajuwon went first, then Portland took Sam Bowie because it already had shooting guard Clyde Drexler, leaving Michael Jordan to go third to the Bulls.

In which 1988 film does Bob Hoskins play a detective helping a cartoon star accused of murder?

Who Framed Roger Rabbit could pair Bugs Bunny with Mickey Mouse only because Warner Bros. demanded both characters get exactly equal screen time.

Which 1987 film introduced Gordon Gekko and the line 'Greed is good'?

Wall Street's Gordon Gekko was a composite of real financiers such as Ivan Boesky and Carl Icahn, and co-writer Stanley Weiser said his rants echoed Oliver Stone's own.

Which 1983 ABC TV film about nuclear war left President Reagan 'greatly depressed', as he wrote in his diary?

The Day After left Ronald Reagan resolved, he wrote in his diary, to do all he could to keep a deterrent and see there is never a nuclear war.

Who played the young Republican Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties?

Michael J. Fox wasn't the first Marty McFly: Family Ties' creator wouldn't release him at first, so Eric Stoltz filmed for weeks before Fox took over.

Pac-Man's designer Toru Iwatani said the character's shape came from which food with a slice missing?

A pizza with a slice gone inspired Pac-Man, Toru Iwatani said, though he later called that only partly true: he also rounded off the Japanese character for 'mouth'.

The 1980 'Who Shot J.R.?' cliffhanger came from which primetime soap?

Dallas's reveal was a global event: a session of Turkey's parliament was suspended so lawmakers could get home in time to see who shot J.R.

Which 1981 arcade game had players cross a busy highway and a log-filled river?

Frogger got a famous cameo in a 1998 Seinfeld episode, when George buys the old arcade machine to preserve his high score.

Which gunman, obsessed with actress Jodie Foster, shot President Reagan in March 1981?

John Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and the public outcry pushed Congress to tighten the insanity defense in a 1984 law.

Which 1986 Oliver Stone Vietnam film won the Academy Award for Best Picture?

Platoon (1986), drawn from Oliver Stone's own infantry service in Vietnam, won four Oscars at the March 1987 ceremony, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Which 1983 film had Tom Cruise sliding across the floor to 'Old Time Rock and Roll'?

Risky Business had a happier ending than its director wanted: Paul Brickman's original was more melancholic, and the upbeat one replaced it.

What did the singer of 'Like a Virgin' wear to perform it at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984?

A wedding dress: when one of her high heels slipped off on the cake steps, she dove to the floor and rolled around, turning the mishap into the act.

Which nickname did a Soviet newspaper give Margaret Thatcher in 1976?

The Iron Lady was a jibe in the Soviet army paper Red Star, but a week later Thatcher embraced it, telling a Finchley audience, 'Yes I am an iron lady.'

Which 1987 Fox sitcom introduced shoe salesman Al Bundy and his family?

Married... with Children got a ratings boost in 1989 when Michigan housewife Terry Rakolta's boycott campaign made curious viewers tune in.

Which talking bear, driven by a cassette in its back, was a best-selling toy of 1985?

Teddy Ruxpin was a runaway hit, yet its maker, Worlds of Wonder, sought bankruptcy protection little more than two years after the bear's 1985 debut.

Which Boston Celtics forward won three straight NBA MVP awards from 1984 to 1986?

Larry Bird walked into the locker room before the first NBA Three-Point Shootout in 1986 and asked who was finishing second, then won it.

Which tailoring feature defined 1980s power dressing?

Shoulder pads got a big push from Dynasty, whose costume designer Nolan Miller put its stars in strong-shouldered power suits and set a trend for thick pads.

Which 1986 Tom Cruise film is about US Navy fighter pilots?

Top Gun worked as such a recruiting ad that Navy recruiters set up in some cinemas showing it, answering questions from would-be pilots.

Which TV show featured undercover detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs?

Miami Vice ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989 with Don Johnson as Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Tubbs; executive producer Michael Mann banned earth tones from the pastel-soaked production.

Which 1984 Bruce Springsteen album sent seven singles into the Billboard top 10?

Born in the U.S.A.'s title track was praised as patriotic by President Reagan in 1984, though its bitter lyrics tell of a disaffected Vietnam veteran.

Which company's 1981 Personal Computer made 'PC' a household term?

IBM announced its Personal Computer, model 5150, on August 12, 1981 at $1,565, and its open architecture let other companies build compatible 'PC clones'.

Which 1987 Rob Reiner film gave us 'As you wish' and Inigo Montoya?

The Princess Bride (1987), directed by Rob Reiner from William Goldman's novel, features Mandy Patinkin's Inigo Montoya and Cary Elwes's Westley, whose 'As you wish' means 'I love you'.

Whose single-season NHL scoring mark did Wayne Gretzky shatter in 1981-82 on the way to 92 goals?

Phil Esposito followed Wayne Gretzky from city to city at the league's request so he could be there when the record fell, and he presented Gretzky the game puck.

Which 1986 Bon Jovi #1 tells of the working-class couple Tommy and Gina?

Livin' on a Prayer's working-class couple Tommy and Gina returned 14 years later, name-checked in Bon Jovi's 2000 hit 'It's My Life'.

Which 1980s series followed vigilante ex-commandos led by George Peppard's cigar-chomping colonel?

The A-Team began as an NBC memo from Brandon Tartikoff pitching Road Warrior, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen and Mission: Impossible, with Mr. T driving the car.

Which 1984-96 series starred Angela Lansbury as mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher?

Murder, She Wrote's lead role was first meant for Jean Stapleton, who turned it down before Angela Lansbury signed on.

Which song was Michael Jackson performing when he unveiled the moonwalk on TV's Motown 25 in 1983?

Billie Jean wasn't sung live on Motown 25: Jackson lip-synced to the original studio recording while he danced.

Which 1986 movie follows a high schooler who fakes being sick to skip school?

Ferris Bueller's Day Off detours through the Art Institute because John Hughes loved that museum; the scene was his personal ode to it.

Which Def Leppard album was the band's first after drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a 1984 crash?

Hysteria came out in 1987 after Rick Allen relearned the drums on a custom kit whose pedals let his left foot play what his left arm once did.

In which 1988 film does a Zoltar fortune-telling machine turn a boy into an adult?

Big was nearly a Robert De Niro film: he agreed to play the grown-up Josh but dropped out, and Tom Hanks took the part.

Which 1982 Survivor song was written for the film Rocky III?

Eye of the Tiger exists because Queen denied Sylvester Stallone the rights to 'Another One Bites the Dust', so he asked Survivor for a new song for Rocky III.

Which 1982 film follows a former cop hunting escaped synthetic humans in a dystopian 2019?

Blade Runner underperformed and split critics on release, but its influence kept growing until it was ranked among the greatest science fiction films.

Which 1986 Nintendo game introduced Link and let NES players save progress on the cartridge?

The Legend of Zelda grew from Shigeru Miyamoto's boyhood explorations of the woods and caves around Kyoto, a sense of wonder he wanted players to feel.

What 1989 animated film, released by Disney, marked the beginning of the 'Disney Renaissance' era?

The Little Mermaid was first considered at Disney in the late 1930s, and Kay Nielsen's pastel sketches from then, pulled from the archives, inspired the 1989 artists.

Which fitness personality made the 'Sweatin' to the Oldies' workout videos?

Richard Simmons knew the struggle firsthand: he weighed 268 pounds when he left high school, and later opened his Slimmons gym for people who weren't already in shape.

Which company's Intellivision console challenged the Atari 2600 in the early 1980s?

Mattel hired writer George Plimpton for TV ads that set Intellivision's games side by side with the Atari 2600's to show off its superior graphics and sound.

Which 1983 spreadsheet program became the IBM PC's killer application?

Lotus 1-2-3 ran far faster than rivals such as SuperCalc and Multiplan, and it quickly overtook VisiCalc, the spreadsheet that had turned the Apple II into a business machine.

Which square's 1989 protests produced the famous photo of 'Tank Man' blocking a column of tanks?

Tiananmen Square had been cleared by troops on 3 to 4 June; the next day, a man carrying two shopping bags stood in front of the tanks until two men pulled him away.

Which 1985 Dire Straits hit had one of the first music videos with computer-animated characters?

Money for Nothing began in a New York appliance store, where Mark Knopfler heard a worker griping while watching MTV and wrote the song down on the spot.

Which Soviet officer dismissed a 1983 satellite missile alarm as false?

Stanislav Petrov kept the warning from his superiors, suspecting a false alarm, and waited for a confirmation that never came.

Agents of which country's intelligence service sank Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior in Auckland in July 1985?

France's secret service agents bombed the ship to stop its protest voyage against nuclear tests at Moruroa; photographer Fernando Pereira drowned after the second blast.

Leon Klinghoffer was murdered during the October 1985 hijacking of which Italian cruise liner?

The Achille Lauro's four Palestinian hijackers later fled on an Egyptian airliner, which US F-14s forced down at Sigonella in Sicily, where US and Italian troops faced off.

Which brick-sized Motorola phone was the first handheld cellphone sold to the public?

DynaTAC phones grew from Martin Cooper's 1973 prototype, which he used on a Manhattan street to call his counterpart at rival Bell Labs.

In November 1987, a masked hijacker posing as Max Headroom cut into a PBS station's broadcast of which sci-fi series?

Doctor Who was cut off for about 90 seconds; two hours earlier, the same Max Headroom impostor had hijacked a newscast on another station for under half a minute.

Farman, Gardiner and Shanklin, whose 1985 paper revealed the ozone hole, worked for which organisation?

British Antarctic Survey scientists' discovery helped push nations to a 1987 treaty that phased out CFCs and other ozone-destroying chemicals.

Which US Navy warship shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf on 3 July 1988?

USS Vincennes shot down the Iran Air Airbus in 1988, and in 1996 the United States agreed to pay the families of its Iranian passengers.

In 1984 the infant known as Baby Fae became the first baby to receive a heart from which animal?

The baboon heart kept Baby Fae alive for 21 days, longer than any earlier animal-heart recipient, before her body rejected it.

Which Caribbean island nation did US forces invade in October 1983?

Grenada was invaded after a coup in which its prime minister was killed, with the US citing the safety of American medical students there.

Which October 1987 crash sent the Dow down 22.6 percent in a single day?

Black Monday's plunge may have been worsened by computer-driven 'portfolio insurance' selling, and it led exchanges to adopt circuit breakers that pause trading.

The 1982 Tylenol murders involved capsules laced with which poison?

Potassium cyanide in Tylenol capsules killed seven people in 1982; James Lewis went to prison for an extortion letter about the case but was never charged with the murders.

The Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in March 1987 moments after leaving which Belgian port?

The Herald of Free Enterprise left Zeebrugge for Dover on 6 March 1987 with its bow doors open and capsized within minutes of clearing the harbour, killing 193 passengers and crew.

Which E Street Band guitarist wrote the 1985 anti-apartheid single 'Sun City'?

Steven Van Zandt's song had its stars vow never to play the Sun City resort, where many entertainers had performed despite the cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa.

Trivial Pursuit was created by two Canadian journalists in which city?

Chris Haney and Scott Abbott dreamed up Trivial Pursuit in Montreal in December 1979, after a game of Scrabble got them wondering if they could invent as good a game.

Which 1982 home computer does Guinness World Records list as the best-selling desktop computer model?

The Commodore 64 shocked rivals with its $595 launch price, helped by Commodore owning MOS Technology, whose engineers designed its graphics and sound chips.

The 1982 Falklands War was fought between the United Kingdom and which country?

Argentina's defeat brought down its military rulers, and by December 1983 the country had an elected civilian president, Raúl Alfonsín.

In which Alaskan body of water did the Exxon Valdez run aground on March 24, 1989?

The Prince William Sound spill led Congress to pass the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which strengthened how the US prevents and responds to oil spills.

Over which Scottish town was Pan Am Flight 103 destroyed by a bomb on 21 December 1988?

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, and Scotland's release of him on compassionate grounds in 2009 drew fierce criticism.

Which company's pesticide plant leaked methyl isocyanate gas in Bhopal, India, in December 1984?

Union Carbide's Bhopal plant had cut back on safety as profits fell; when a runaway reaction burst a valve, 40 tons of toxic gas escaped into the city.

Mount St. Helens erupted catastrophically on May 18, 1980, in which US state?

Washington's Mount St. Helens erupted when a magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook loose its bulging north face, the largest debris avalanche in recorded history.

Outside which Manhattan building was John Lennon shot on 8 December 1980?

The Dakota is where Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon; he then stayed at the building, carrying a copy of The Catcher in the Rye, until police arrived.

Where did Prince Charles marry Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981?

St Paul's Cathedral was chosen over Westminster Abbey partly because it could hold more guests; an estimated 750 million people watched on television.

Who shot and wounded Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square on 13 May 1981?

Mehmet Ali Ağca, a Turkish gunman, was later visited in prison by John Paul II, who met him privately in 1983 and forgave him.

Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October 1984 by whom?

Two of her bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, fired; Beant, a Sikh, had been taken off her staff after Operation Blue Star, but she had him brought back.

Which Solidarity leader received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983?

Lech Wałęsa, a Gdańsk shipyard electrician, could not travel to Oslo to receive the prize, so his wife Danuta read his acceptance speech for him.

What does Gorbachev's policy term 'perestroika' mean?

Perestroika means 'restructuring'; under it, a 1988 law let citizens form cooperative businesses outside the state sector.

Where did the US and Soviet leaders sign the INF Treaty in December 1987?

The White House hosted the signing, and by May 1991 the two sides had eliminated 2,692 missiles under the treaty.

Which Space Shuttle flew the first mission, STS-1, on April 12, 1981?

Columbia, the first orbiter to fly, was lost with its seven crew during re-entry over Texas on 1 February 2003.

Which astronaut made the first untethered spacewalk, in February 1984?

Bruce McCandless had helped develop the Manned Maneuvering Unit, the backpack that carried him untethered from the shuttle.

Which ESA probe flew within 600 km of Halley's Comet's nucleus in March 1986?

Giotto was named after painter Giotto di Bondone, who saw Halley's Comet in 1301 and painted it as the Star of Bethlehem in his Adoration of the Magi.

Which ocean explorer co-led the 1985 expedition that found the wreck of the Titanic?

Robert Ballard could search for Titanic only after finishing a secret US Navy mission to survey the wrecks of two sunken nuclear submarines.

The Hands Across America human chain of May 1986 raised money for which cause?

Hunger and homelessness were its targets, but after costs Hands Across America raised only about $15 million, far less than its organizers had hoped.

In which Texas city did 18-month-old 'Baby Jessica' fall down a well in October 1987?

Jessica McClure fell into a well in her aunt's backyard in Midland on October 14, 1987; rescuers drilled a parallel shaft and freed her from the 8-inch casing after 58 hours.

The Iran-Contra affair funneled arms-sale proceeds to rebels fighting the government of which country?

Nicaragua's Contra rebels were backed in secret: officials sold arms to Iran and supported the Contras while repeatedly denying both to Congress and the public.

Which two companies co-developed the compact disc?

Philips and Sony's disc is often said to be sized to hold Beethoven's Ninth, a story Philips engineer Kees Immink calls a myth.

Which game was bundled with the Game Boy in North America in 1989?

Tetris came packed with the Game Boy after Henk Rogers flew to Moscow to secure its handheld rights, having won over Nintendo of America's Minoru Arakawa.

In 1984, the NBA objected to rookie Michael Jordan's new Nike shoes because of what?

Their colors broke the NBA's rule that shoes be mostly white and match teammates', and Nike turned the dispute into its 'Banned' Air Jordan ad.

Band Aid's 1984 charity single 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' was written by which two musicians?

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wrote it after Geldof saw a BBC report on the famine in Ethiopia; Band Aid recorded the song in a single day.

Which U2 album won the Grammy for Album of the Year at the 1988 ceremony?

The Joshua Tree's desert imagery came from how U2 saw mid-1980s America, which bassist Adam Clayton called a 'spiritual desert' of greed and money.

In April 1985, Wham! became the first Western pop group to perform in which country?

China let Wham! in after manager Simon Napier-Bell outmanoeuvred Queen, who were also trying to become the first Western band to play there.

Which production team wrote and produced Rick Astley's 1987 hit 'Never Gonna Give You Up'?

Stock Aitken Waterman's 1987 hit found a second life in the late 2000s, when 'Rickrolling' pranks tricked people into clicking links to its video.

Which Golden Girls star played Sophia, the widowed mother of Dorothy?

Estelle Getty was cast as Dorothy's mother even though in real life she was a year younger than Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy.

Which TV series signed off in February 1983 with the finale 'Goodbye, Farewell and Amen'?

M*A*S*H's finale was still being filmed when a real brush fire destroyed much of its outdoor set, so the fire was written into the episode.

Which 1985 film earned Oprah Winfrey an Oscar nomination?

The Color Purple cast Oprah Winfrey, then a TV host who had never acted, after Quincy Jones saw her on television and insisted on her.

Whom did Mike Tyson beat in November 1986 to win his first heavyweight title, aged 20?

Trevor Berbick had upset Pinklon Thomas for the WBC title only eight months earlier, and Tyson sent him staggering from one knockdown to the next in round two.

Which England goalkeeper was beaten by Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal in 1986?

Maradona beat Peter Shilton to the ball with his hand, then dribbled past England's defence for a stunning second goal.

Which unseeded 17-year-old became the youngest men's Wimbledon champion in 1985?

Boris Becker was ranked 20th but went unseeded, because Wimbledon then seeded only the top 16 players; he beat Kevin Curren in four sets.

In September 1985, Pete Rose broke which player's long-standing career hits record?

Ty Cobb's hits record fell to Rose, who in 1989 was declared permanently ineligible from baseball and was reinstated only in 2025.

Which closer gave up Kirk Gibson's pinch-hit walk-off homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series?

Dennis Eckersley gave up the homer to a hobbled Kirk Gibson, and the stunned A's won only one more game as the Dodgers took the Series.

Whom did Steffi Graf beat for Olympic gold in Seoul to complete the 1988 'Golden Slam'?

Gabriela Sabatini fell 6-3, 6-3 as tennis returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1924; Graf had won the 1984 event too, but only as a demonstration sport.

Which 1988 film won Best Picture, Director, Actor and Original Screenplay Oscars?

Rain Man's Raymond Babbitt was modelled on real-life savant Kim Peek, whose memory let him recall thousands of books.

Die Hard (1988) was based on which 1979 novel?

Nothing Lasts Forever was a sequel to The Detective, which Fox had filmed with Frank Sinatra, so by contract the Die Hard role was first offered to Sinatra, then 70.

Who directed the 1989 Batman film starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson?

Tim Burton's choice of Michael Keaton, then known for comedies, alarmed many fans, a backlash forgotten once the film became a critical and financial hit.

Stand by Me (1986) is based on which Stephen King novella?

The Body was turned down by the major studios before Embassy Pictures took it on, and along the way the film was retitled Stand by Me.

The Simpsons began as short cartoons on which TV variety program?

The Tracey Ullman Show aired the first Simpsons shorts; creator Matt Groening named Homer, Lisa and Maggie after his own father and sisters.

Which Colombian volcano's November 1985 eruption buried the town of Armero?

Nevado del Ruiz's relatively small eruption melted part of its summit ice cap, releasing mudflows that killed more than 20,000 people in Armero.

Who coached the amateur US hockey team that pulled off the 1980 'Miracle on Ice'?

Herb Brooks built his team from college players and drove them so hard that it was probably the best-conditioned US Olympic hockey team ever.

Which team did the US beat two days after the 'Miracle on Ice' to clinch the 1980 Olympic gold?

Finland led the US until the Americans came back from behind to win 4-2 and clinch the gold medal.

Which team traded Wayne Gretzky to the Kings in 1988?

The Edmonton Oilers' owner Peter Pocklington traded Gretzky for cash and players, after Gretzky had led the team to four Stanley Cups in five years.

Which company published the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic in 1984?

Mirage Studios was Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's company, and their Turtles' origin paid homage to Daredevil's, down to the radioactive ooze.

Which actress demanded 'Where's the beef?' in Wendy's 1984 TV ads?

Clara Peller's line became a political jab when Walter Mondale used it against Gary Hart in the 1984 Democratic primaries.

Which gymnast became the first American woman to win Olympic all-around gold, in 1984?

Mary Lou Retton had knee surgery just weeks before the Games, then scored perfect 10s on floor and vault to beat Romania's Ecaterina Szabo by 0.05 points.

Which character, a puppet voiced and operated by Frank Oz, made his debut in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back?

Yoda was going to be voiced by another actor, until George Lucas decided no one could match a voice to Oz's puppetry. Three other puppeteers helped bring the Jedi Master to life.

Which 1987 film, set at a Catskills resort, has Patrick Swayze's Johnny Castle say 'Nobody puts Baby in a corner'?

Dirty Dancing was meant to play in theaters for one weekend before going to home video. It became the first film to sell a million copies on video.

Which singer beat a record shared by the Beatles and the Bee Gees with a seventh consecutive US number one in 1988?

Whitney Houston set the mark in April 1988 when 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go' topped the Billboard Hot 100. The previous best was six in a row.

Which 1987 sitcom has widower Danny Tanner raising three daughters in San Francisco with two other men?

Full House credited twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as one person, 'Mary Kate Ashley Olsen', because producers did not want viewers to know two children played Michelle.

In which 1980 film does Jack Nicholson's character leer through a broken bathroom door and say 'Here's Johnny!'?

The Shining's door scene echoes one in the 1921 Swedish horror film The Phantom Carriage. The line ranked 68th on the American Film Institute's list of 100 movie quotes.

Which videotape format, introduced in 1975, lost the home-video 'format war' of the 1980s to JVC's rival VHS?

Betamax lost partly because JVC licensed VHS widely, which spurred competition and pushed prices down. Blank Beta cassettes were nonetheless sold until 2016.

Which wrestler slammed the 525-pound André the Giant to keep his WWF title at WrestleMania III in 1987?

Hulk Hogan had failed to lift André a minute into the match and was nearly pinned. The WWF claimed a crowd of 93,173, though later analyses put it at about 78,000.

In which 1984 film must a furry pet mogwai named Gizmo be kept out of water and never fed after midnight?

Gremlins was dark enough for a PG film that complaints about it helped prompt a new PG-13 rating within two months of its release.

'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' and 'Time After Time' both came from which singer's debut album, She's So Unusual?

Cyndi Lauper's record was the first debut album by a female artist to land four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100. It also won her the Grammy for Best New Artist.

Which food did a famous 1987 anti-drug TV ad drop into a hot frying pan to show 'your brain on drugs'?

An egg stood for the brain and the pan for drugs in the Partnership for a Drug-Free America spot, which ended with the actor asking the camera, 'Any questions?'

Which TV actor was cast as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark but had to withdraw over a series contract?

Tom Selleck dropped out when CBS greenlit his detective series Magnum, P.I., leaving the film without a lead only weeks before shooting. Harrison Ford took the part.

In which 1984 film does Mr. Miyagi train bullied teenager Daniel LaRusso through days of menial chores?

The Karate Kid turns those chores into lessons: repeating them teaches Daniel defensive blocks through muscle memory. Pat Morita's Miyagi earned an Oscar nomination.

Which Wheel of Fortune co-host began working beside Pat Sajak in December 1982 after Susan Stafford stepped down?

Vanna White was one of three substitutes tried out for the job. In 2013 Guinness World Records certified her as the 'most frequent clapper'.

Which cartoon characters, created by the Belgian artist Peyo, starred in an NBC Saturday-morning hit that began in 1981?

The Smurfs ran for 256 episodes on NBC, from 1981 to 1989. In Peyo's original French they are 'les Schtroumpfs'.

In 1984's Ghostbusters, the god Gozer finally stomps through New York City in the form of a giant what?

A marshmallow man, the Stay Puft mascot, is the shape Gozer takes. Its look blended two real brand mascots, the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Michelin Man.

Which cable channel, launched from Atlanta in June 1980, became the first on television to offer 24-hour news coverage?

CNN went on air with the husband-and-wife team of David Walker and Lois Hart anchoring its first newscast. It was also the first all-news television channel in the United States.

Which comedian turned Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' into 'Eat It', a 1984 parody about a picky child's dinner?

Weird Al Yankovic won a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording with the song. Jackson approved the parody himself, and its guitar solo was reproduced by producer Rick Derringer.

Which villain with a bladed glove kills teenagers in their dreams in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street?

Freddy Krueger was played by Robert Englund throughout the original film series, his burned face set off by a brown fedora and a red-and-green striped sweater.

Which hot-tempered American tennis star made 'You cannot be serious!' famous by shouting it at umpires?

John McEnroe later used the line as the title of his autobiography. At Wimbledon in 1981 he was fined $1,500 for calling umpire Ted James 'the pits of the world'.

Which country star first acted on screen in the 1980 office comedy 9 to 5 and sang its chart-topping theme?

Dolly Parton's theme gave her a first solo number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1981. It is one of the few chart hits to feature a clacking typewriter.

Which 1988 film's 'bio-exorcist', played by Michael Keaton, is summoned by saying his name three times?

Beetlejuice spells the ghost's own name Betelgeuse. The film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, and one critic found Keaton 'unrecognizable behind pounds of makeup'.

Which 1980 film has Leslie Nielsen answer 'Surely you can't be serious' with 'I am serious. And don't call me Shirley'?

Airplane! borrowed its plot, main characters and even some dialogue from Zero Hour!, a straight-faced 1957 film. The Shirley line ranks 79th on AFI's list of movie quotes.

Which 1989 romantic comedy has a deli customer watch Meg Ryan's character and order 'I'll have what she's having'?

When Harry Met Sally... gave the line to the mother of director Rob Reiner. Billy Crystal thought up the punchline, and Meg Ryan suggested setting the scene in a restaurant.

In which 1984 film does Kevin Bacon's big-city teenager fight a small town's ban on rock music and dances?

Footloose is loosely based on the town of Elmore City, Oklahoma. Its title song by Kenny Loggins was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Which sitcom's catchphrase was Gary Coleman's Arnold Jackson asking his older brother 'What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?'

Diff'rent Strokes cast Coleman and Todd Bridges as Harlem brothers taken in by a wealthy Park Avenue businessman. Its working title was 45 Minutes from Harlem.

Which cartoon hero does Prince Adam of Eternia become when he raises his sword and cries 'By the Power of Grayskull'?

He-Man's show was built around a toy line, and its success in syndication pushed other studios to make half-hour 'cartoon commercials' of their own.

Which Canadian-born host fronted the syndicated quiz Jeopardy! for 37 seasons, starting with its 1984 revival?

Alex Trebek, born in Sudbury, Ontario, hosted until his death in 2020. He was once one of two hosts emceeing game shows in the United States and Canada at the same time.

Which synth-pop band's 1985 chart-topper 'Take On Me' had a video mixing live action with pencil-sketch animation?

A-ha, from Norway, saw the video take six months to make. It won six trophies at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.

Which singer's 1984 comeback album Private Dancer produced her only US number one, 'What's Love Got to Do with It'?

Tina Turner had just two weeks to record the album. Its biggest single won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1985.

Which Nintendo game had players aim the NES Zapper light gun at their TV while a smug dog laughed at every miss?

Duck Hunt sold more than 28 million copies worldwide. Its dog was made impossible to shoot on home consoles to keep the game family-friendly.

Which actress became a teen idol as the lead in John Hughes's films Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink?

Molly Ringwald made the cover of Time in May 1986. She then turned down Hughes's Some Kind of Wonderful, feeling it was too similar to her earlier roles for him.

Which rock star played Jareth the Goblin King opposite Jim Henson's puppets in the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth?

David Bowie also recorded five songs for the film, including 'Underground'. Jareth's crystal-ball tricks were performed by juggler Michael Moschen.

Which primetime soap followed Denver oil magnate Blake Carrington, his wife Krystle and his scheming former wife Alexis?

Dynasty drew unimpressive ratings in its first season. A revamp that brought in Alexis for the second season lifted the series into the top 20.

Which series, launched after the 1988 Super Bowl, starred Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold growing up in the late 1960s?

The Wonder Years is narrated by Daniel Stern as the adult Kevin, looking back on a suburban boyhood that runs from 1968 to 1973.

Which rock band's career was revived in 1986 when the rap group Run-DMC covered its 1970s hit 'Walk This Way'?

Aerosmith saw the cover outdo the original: it peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, six places higher than the band's own version had managed in 1977.

Which star played Live Aid in London, then crossed the Atlantic by Concorde to play Philadelphia the same day?

Phil Collins was the only performer to appear at both concerts on 13 July 1985, thanks to that supersonic flight.

Which band's hit 'Down Under', with its Vegemite sandwich lyric, is jokingly called the real Australian national anthem?

Men at Work took the song to number one in Australia in December 1981. Parts of its flute line were later found to be based on the 1932 song 'Kookaburra'.

Which San Francisco 49ers quarterback threw 'The Catch' to Dwight Clark in the January 1982 NFC Championship Game?

Joe Montana capped a 14-play, 89-yard drive with the six-yard pass. Clark's leaping grab in the final minute sent the 49ers on to win Super Bowl XVI.

Which comic strip about a six-year-old boy and his stuffed tiger did Bill Watterson launch in November 1985?

Calvin and Hobbes never became toys or cartoons during its ten-year run, because Watterson firmly opposed licensing his characters for merchandise.

Which musical, set to T. S. Eliot's poems, opened on Broadway in 1982 and ran there for 18 years?

Cats ran for 7,485 Broadway performances. Its composer had started setting the poems to music in 1977 and first presented them as a song cycle in 1980.

Which singer's 1988 hit 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' became the first a cappella song to top the Billboard Hot 100?

Bobby McFerrin made every 'instrument' on the record with overdubbed parts of his own voice. It held number one for two weeks in the autumn of 1988.

Which rock band topped the US charts in 1984 with 'Jump', built on a synthesizer line its members had first rejected?

Van Halen made it their most successful single. The keyboard part dated from about 1981 and sat unused until producer Ted Templeman asked the singer to listen to it in 1983.

Which Lakers rookie started at center in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals and scored 42 points to clinch the title?

Magic Johnson was filling in for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had sprained an ankle in Game 5. He became the first rookie to be named NBA Finals MVP.

Which American won four gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, matching Jesse Owens's feat of 1936?

Carl Lewis won the same four events Owens had: the 100 m, 200 m, long jump and 4 × 100 m relay. The lucrative endorsement offers he expected did not follow.

Which 1984 film about teenage guerrillas fighting Soviet-led troops in Colorado was the first released as PG-13?

Red Dawn came out under the modified rating system introduced on July 1, 1984. Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen play guerrillas who name themselves the Wolverines after their school mascot.

On which daytime soap did the characters Luke and Laura marry before 30 million viewers in November 1981?

General Hospital even took a call from Elizabeth Taylor, who rang the studio after reading that the ceremony was being postponed. The serial had been close to cancellation in 1978.

Which TV host opened Al Capone's supposed secret vault live on air in 1986, finding only dirt and empty bottles?

Geraldo Rivera drew thirty million viewers all the same, a ratings record for a syndicated special. He had recently been fired by ABC News and saw the broadcast as a comeback.

Which Austrian act topped the US charts in 1986 with 'Rock Me Amadeus', a German-language song about Mozart?

Falco reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1986, a first for a song sung in German. It was his only chart-topper in either Britain or America.

Which boxer quit in the eighth round of a 1980 rematch with Sugar Ray Leonard, reportedly saying 'No más'?

Roberto Durán later insisted he never said the words and blamed stomach cramps that began in the fifth round. The bout became known as the No Más Fight.

Which beer brand's late-1980s ads starred Spuds MacKenzie, a bull terrier billed as 'The Original Party Animal'?

Bud Light introduced Spuds in a 1987 Super Bowl commercial. The mascot was presented as male but was played by a female dog named Honey Tree Evil Eye.