I was born in 1974 so was a range of age in the 80’s. Here are the historical events that had an impact on me:
Ronald Reagan’s election. I was too young to understand why my parents were so happy after the Carter years (now I know!)
His shooting.
John Lennon’s death.
The Prince Charles and Princess Diana wedding.
The first space shuttle taking off.
The bombing in Beirut. We were near the hospital (Wiesbaden) where the wounded were taken and our class wrote letters to the Marines. Our family friend was a military forensic photographer and took pictures of the remains.
The hijacking of the Achille Laurel.
The Space Shuttle blowing up. I still remember the morning vividly- and the shock and tears of a classroom of 6th graders as we turned on the classroom tv at the news.
Pan Am Flight 103.
The fall of the Iron Curtain.
Seeing a Madonna video for the first time. I can’t stand her now, but my friend and I were mesmerized.
Another event that stunned me was the shooting down by the Soviets of Korean Air Lines flight 007. To this day, there are people out there (including Sen. Jesse Helms) who believe that the aircraft landed safely in a Russian province close to Sakhalin island, and that all passengers were taken as prisoners, and converted into Soviets and Soviet society. When the USSR opened up in ‘91, Yeltsin gave Helms’ staff some other evidence that supposedly bolsters their claims.
Wow! You wrote all that I was thinking! Even the Madonna video! I was born in 1975.
I have to add, The Olympics, with Mary Lou Retton.