[South40]

One of the worst -- The Challenger disaster.

One of the best -- President Ronald Reagan.

[Stonewall Jackson]

The '80s were full of memorable events. Personally, the top ones I remember are:
The assassination attempts on President Reagan and Pope John Paul II.
The Falklands War.
The Challenger disaster.
Chernobyl.
The Carrollton Bus Crash (I had several friends on this bus; some lived and some did not).
The Berlin Wall comes down.