Annual

1985 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1985World-Changing Event: Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet Premier in March 1985, launching the era of “Glasnost,” a policy of openness and transparency that began unraveling the Soviet Union from the inside. The Cold War had a new character, and he was surprisingly reasonable.Top Song: Careless Whisper by Wham! featuring

1984 Trivia, History, and Fun FactsQuick Facts from 1984World-Changing Event: Apple Computer unveiled the Macintosh personal computer on January 24, 1984, introduced by one of the most celebrated commercials in advertising history and priced at $1,995. Nearly 250,000 were sold that year. Personal computing had a face.Top Song: Like a Virgin by Madonna, which launched

1983 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1983World-Changing Event: President Reagan called the Soviet Union an “Evil Empire” in a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida, on March 8, 1983 — the most confrontational framing of U.S.-Soviet relations by an American president in decades, and a signal that the Cold War’s

1981 History, Facts, and TriviaIn 1981, MTV launched with Video Killed the Radio Star and immediately began transforming how music was sold, consumed, and experienced. Raiders of the Lost Ark arrived in theaters, and Harrison Ford became the dominant action hero of his generation. Prince Charles married Lady Diana before a television audience of 750

1980 Fun Facts, Trivia, and HistoryQuick Facts from 1980World Changing Event: On February 22, the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. The Soviets had won every Olympic gold medal since 1964. The Americans were college kids. Sportscaster Al Michaels asked: “Do you believe in miracles?” The

1978 Trivia, History, and Fun FactsIn 1978, a human being was conceived outside the human body for the first time and born healthy in an English hospital, permanently altering the boundary of what medicine could do. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John told everyone they were getting chills that kept multiplying. 918 people died in the

1977 History, Facts, and TriviaIn 1977, Star Wars arrived, and the world was permanently divided into people who had seen it and those who were about to. Elvis Presley died in August. The Son of Sam was arrested. Roots aired on eight consecutive nights and drew the largest television audience in American history. Debby Boone

1976 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1976World Changing Event: Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer on April 1, 1976, in the Jobses’ family garage in Los Altos, California. The first Apple I computer sold for $666.66.Top Song: “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod StewartInfluential Songs: “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “Do

1975 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1975World-Changing Event: HBO put itself on the pop culture map when it broadcast the “Thrilla in Manila” live from the Philippines — the heavyweight championship rematch between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Pay cable television had just announced itself.Top Song: Love Will Keep Us Together by Captain and

1974 Fun Facts, History, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1974World-Changing Event: Richard Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974 — the first and only American president to do so — rather than face certain impeachment over the Watergate scandal. Gerald Ford was sworn in immediately and told the country, “Our long national nightmare is over.”

1973 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1973World-Changing Event: The Paris Peace Accords were signed on January 27, 1973, ending direct U.S. military involvement in Vietnam — a war that had cost over 58,000 American lives, divided the country more sharply than any conflict since the Civil War, and produced the most sustained domestic protest

1972 History, Facts, and TriviaIn 1972, Richard Nixon went to China, signed an arms control treaty with the Soviets, won re-election in a landslide, and authorized a break-in at a Washington office complex that would eventually end his presidency. The Godfather arrived in theaters. Atari was founded with $250. HBO launched. ABBA came together in

1971 History, Facts, and TriviaIn 1971, cigarette advertising was banned from American television and radio, ending an era and beginning a public health reckoning that would take decades to complete. D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane, collected $200,000 in ransom, jumped out into a Pacific Northwest night, and was never conclusively identified. Jim Morrison died in

1969 History, Facts, and TriviaIn 1969, a human being stood on the Moon’s surface and spoke into a radio. The signal traveled 240,000 miles to Earth in 1.3 seconds and was heard by an estimated 600 million people. Four months later, half a million people gathered in a field in upstate New York for three

1967 History, Facts, and TriviaIn 1967, the Summer of Love drew somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 young people to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, the largest countercultural gathering the United States had seen. Aretha Franklin recorded Respect and defined what the word meant. Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant in Cape Town. Thurgood

 1966 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1966World Changing Event: Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution in China — a decade-long political campaign that resulted in the persecution of millions, the destruction of cultural artifacts, and an estimated death toll of up to 2 million people.Top Song: “I’m a Believer” by The MonkeesMust-See Movies: Alfie,

1963 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1963World-Changing Event: President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. He was 46 years old. The country had four days of uninterrupted television coverage and has never quite stopped talking about it.Other World-Changing Event: Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique and Martin Luther