1980s

AIDS Crisis Timeline

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a virus that had previously appeared sporadically around the world began to spread throughout the United States. Originally identified as a “gay disease” because gay men were one of the primary groups afflicted, HIV and the syndrome it causes, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, were unknown in 1981 but […]

The Central Park Five

In 1989, five Black and Hispanic teens were accused of assaulting a jogger in New York City’s Central Park. Each served time before DNA evidence exonerated them.

Chernobyl

Where Is Chernobyl? Chernobyl is located in northern Ukraine, about 80 miles north of Kiev. A small town, Pripyat, was constructed a few miles from the site of the nuclear plant to accommodate workers and their families. Construction of the Chernobyl power plant began in 1977, when the country was still part of the Soviet […]

Challenger Explosion

On January 28, 1986, the tenth mission of the space shuttle Challenger ended in tragic disaster. We remember the seven astronauts who lost their lives that day, including Christa McAuliffe, who was chosen by NASA to pioneer its Teacher in Space program.

This Day in History Video: What Happened on November 13

This Day in History Video: What Happened on December 8

How AIDS Activists Fought for Patients’ Rights

ACT UP pressured the government, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies for more patient‑centered care during the worst years of the AIDS epidemic.

8 Essential Gadgets From the 1980s That Are Now Obsolete

Once cutting‑edge and status‑conferring, these technologies have since been overshadowed.

The Mariel Boatlift: How Cold War Politics Drove Thousands of Cubans to Florida in 1980

After Fidel Castro loosened emigration policies, some 125,000 Cubans landed on U.S. shores over a span of five months.