January 19
January 19
Butcher of Lyons arrested in Bolivia
Klaus Barbie, the Nazi Gestapo chief of Lyons, France, during the German occupation, is arrested in Bolivia for his crimes against humanity four decades earlier. As chief of Nazi Germany’s…
A Year In History: 1983
This Year in History:
1983
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
January 23
January 23
The A‑Team debuts on NBC
In the pilot episode of the NBC television series The A‑Team, which airs on this day in 1983, the go‑getting newspaper reporter Amy Allen (Melinda Culea) seeks the help of…
February 4
February 4
Singer‑songwriter Karen Carpenter dies
Karen Carpenter, a singer who long suffered under the burden of the expectations that came with pop stardom, died on February 4, 1983, succumbing to heart failure brought on by…
February 8
February 8
Irish race horse stolen
Gunmen steal the champion Irish race horse Shergar from a stud farm owned by the Aga Khan in County Kildare, Ireland. The five‑year‑old thoroughbred stallion, named European horse of the…
February 13
February 13
Cinema burns in Turin
On this day in 1983, 74 people are killed when a fire blazes through a cinema in Turin, Italy. The Statuto Cinema in Turin had a capacity of just over…
February 16
February 16
Brush fires ravage South Australia
Brush fires rage across South Australia on this day in 1983, burning thousands of acres, killing 75 people and injuring another 800. There were 24 major fires in total across…
February 22
February 22
“Moose Murders” opens—and closes—on Broadway
The notorious play “Moose Murders” bombs on Broadway, opening and closing at New York’s Eugene O’Neill Theater on the same night. In doing so, its name becomes synonymous for an…
February 28
February 28
Final episode of M*A*S*H airs
On February 28, 1983, the celebrated sitcom M*A*S*H bows out after 11 seasons, airing a special two‑and‑a‑half hour episode watched by 77 percent of the television viewing audience. It was…
March 6
March 6
Helmut Kohl elected West German chancellor
Helmut Kohl, the interim chancellor of West Germany since the fall of Helmut Schmidt’s Social Democrat government in 1982, is elected German chancellor as his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party…
March 8
March 8
Reagan refers to U.S.S.R. as “evil empire,” again
Speaking to a convention of the National Association of Evangelicals in Florida on March 8, 1983, President Ronald Reagan publicly refers to the Soviet Union as an evil empire for…
March 22
March 22
The origins of the Hummer
On March 22, 1983, the Pentagon awards a production contract worth more than $1 billion to AM General Corporation to develop 55,000 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV). Nicknamed the…
March 23
March 23
President Reagan calls for new antimissile technology
In an address to the nation, President Ronald Reagan proposes that the United States embark on a program to develop antimissile technology that would make the country nearly impervious to…
March 23
March 23
First artificial heart patient dies
On March 23, 1983, Barney Clark dies 112 days after becoming the world’s first recipient of a permanent artificial heart. The 61‑year‑old dentist spent the last four months of his…
March 25
March 25
The Motown “family” stages a bittersweet reunion performance
Technically, the 25th anniversary of Motown Records should have been celebrated nine months later, in January 1984, but that was only one of several details glossed over in staging the…
April 18
April 18
Joan Benoit wins Boston Marathon, besting women’s record by almost three minutes
On April 18, 1983, Joan Benoit wins her second Boston Marathon in the women’s division with a time of 2:22:43, shattering the record time by nearly three minutes. The following…
April 18
April 18
Suicide bomber destroys U.S. embassy in Beirut
The U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, is almost completely destroyed by a car‑bomb explosion that kills 63 people, including the suicide bomber and 17 Americans. The terrorist attack was carried…
April 24
April 24
German endurance driver killed in crash
On this day in 1983, Rolf Stommelen, a four‑time 24 Hours of Daytona champ as well as a Formula One driver, is killed at the age of 39 in a…
April 25
April 25
Andropov writes to an American fifth‑grader
The Soviet Union releases a letter that Russian leader Yuri Andropov wrote to Samantha Smith, an American fifth‑grader. This rather unusual piece of Soviet propaganda was in direct response to…
April 26
April 26
Soviet leader Yuri Andropov writes letter to U.S. fifth‑grader Samantha Smith
On April 26, 1983, the Soviet Union releases a letter that Russian leader Yuri Andropov wrote to Samantha Smith, an American fifth‑grader from Manchester, Maine, inviting her to visit his…
May 17
May 17
Islanders win fourth consecutive Stanley Cup
On May 17, 1983, the New York Islanders win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup, sweeping the Edmonton Oilers four games to none with a 4‑2 win at home on New…
