The Eighties

The Eighties

The decade of the 1980s noted a sudden conversion headed for enhanced conservative outlook after the earth-shattering historical metamorphosis which happened in the 1960s and 1970s.The disease that attacked the immune system was given a name, which was AIDS. The 80's was also a decade of Reaganomics, big hair, bad fashion and great music. A huge variety of music styles emerged in the 80's such as Rap, new wave and big hair rock bands. There was also an accelerated advancement in electronics such as Personal Computers, cd players and gaming systems like Atari and Nintendo.

On June 5, 1981; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that five homosexual men in Los Angeles, California have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems (these were the first recognized cases of AIDS). Rapid increase of AIDS in the 1980s corresponded to the emergence of the explosive epidemics of recreational drug use in the US and Europe in the 1980s

Pop culture and entertainment in the 1980s was filled with triumph and tragedy. The 1980's started off with a bang literally; On December 8, 1980 John Lennon, the outspoken, peace-loving voice of a generation raised on rock 'n' roll, was shot out side of his New York apartment. (wikipedia) He world wads shocked John Lennon was one of the most influential entertainers in music. He used his music as a platform to fight for world peace. The killer was 25 year old Mark Chapman, who earlier in the day had been given an autograph by Lennon. ()

On August 1, 1981 the Music Television (MTV) was launched. Today, MTV is the No. 1 cable network for the influential age group of 12- to 24-year-olds, and it's viewed in 342 million households worldwide.(Derogatis) MTV was the first station of its kind devoted entirely to music and especially music videos. MTV now has expanded their music empire to motion pictures, reality television, and another channel to extend the video watching. The Eighties was considered the decade Michael Jackson ruled the world of music. The following year pop singer Michael Jackson, the youngest brother from the pop group the Jackson 5 hit the music world with his ground and record breaking album Thriller. The album thriller still holds the record title of being the best selling album in history having sold over 60 million copies world wide. Michael Jackson also was famous for the moon walk. E wasn't the astronaut but a really great dancer. In May 1983 Motown 25th Anniversary Special, where he premiered his gravity-defying "Moonwalk," (Michael) dance move that marked his place as the king of pop.

While Jackson ruled the stage another Michael ruled the court. In 1984, Michael Jordan an alumni on university of north Carolina entered the NBA. He was a first round draft pick and third overall. Michael Jordan is considered by most the best basketball player of the mid-1980s and in the 1990s. Throughout his NBA Basketball career, he won many awards, recognitions, and honors. Some of his honors included a NCAA title, College Player of the Year, Two Olympic Gold Medals, Five NBA MVP trophies, Six NBA championships and Ten NBA scoring titles.(NBA)

Hair styles of the 80s are the most diverse and funny characteristics of this decade. . After the early 80s hair extravagance of strange colors and cuts, the fashion settled down by about 1984, and focused on one simple concept Ð'- volume, the bigger the better. This was largely influence by the big hair bands of the eighties. The shoulder padded suit look was brought on by the popular eighties television show