1980's Stamps
SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCHED, BERLIN WALL FALLS
NASA launched the space shuttle Columbia, the first reusable spacecraft, April 12, 1981. Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. The Iran-Contra hearings made headlines.
Several events signaled the easing of international tensions. In December 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed a nuclear-arms reduction treaty. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 presaged the end of the cold war.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated November 13, 1982. Americans celebrated a new national holiday, Martin Luther King Day, in January 1986.
The growth of cable television, video games, and compact discs had a major impact on home entertainment. Dallas and The Cosby Show topped TV ratings. Hip-hop culture and music videos gain popularity.
SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM
Space shuttles transformed U.S. space exploration. The reusable craft can launch
satellites and house labs for scientific experiments. NASA launched Columbia,
the first space shuttle, April 12, 1981.
Question 1:
Where did the space shuttle Columbia get its name?
The Web site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia
To find the answer to that question, go to the
Shuttle Orbiter Columbia
Web page.
MUSICAL SMASH
Based on children's poems by T. S. Eliot, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical
Cats opened on Broadway on October 7, 1982. Wildly popular with people of
all ages, it was the longest-running show in Broadway history. It closed on
September 10, 2000.
Question 2:
Cats was nominated for 12 Tony Awards in 1983. How many Tony Awards did
Cats win that year?
The Web site:
http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/archive/pastwinners/index.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the Tony Awards
Search Engine. (Hint: Type the word Cats into the Title space on the
Tony Awards search engine. Then click SEARCH ; see how many of the
nominees won!)
HOSTAGES COME HOME
On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking
hostages. Following prolonged negotiations, the hostage crisis came to an end
after 444 days.
Question 3:
Originally, 66 Americans were taken hostage. How many
Americans were held hostage for all 444days?
The Web site:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/04/middle_east_iran_hostage_crisis/html/1.stm
To find the answer to that question, go to the
Iran Hostage Crisis
in pictures and go through the phots.
FIGURE SKATING
Figure skating gained popularity during the 1980s as fans eagerly followed
national and international rivalries. Americans captured nine World
Championships, and American men won Olympic gold in 1984 and 1988.
Question 4:
The men's figure skating competition at the 1988 Olympics was known as the
"Battle of the Brians." Whom did U.S. skater Brian Boitano defeat in order to
win the gold medal at those Olympic Games?
The Web site:
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-21/sports/sp-44164_1_figure-skating-observers
To find the answer to that question, go to the
La Times and read about the 1988 Olympics.
VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
Designed by Maya Lin and dedicated on November 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington, D.C., displays the names of the more than 58,000
Americans who died in the Vietnam War or are listed as missing.
Question 5:
Maya Lin was one of many people who submitted designs for the memorial. How many
people/teams submitted entries for
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial design contest?
The Web site:
http://thewall-usa.com/information.asp
To find the answer to that question, go to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Web
page.
COMPACT DISCS
First marketed in the United States in 1983, compact discs (CDs) dramatically
changed the music industry. Such features as durability, convenience, and sound
quality helped CDs outsell records by the end of the decade.
Question 6:
Consumers bought about 30,000 compact disc players in 1983. That number grew
rapidly. How many CD players did people buy by 2007?
The Web site:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_4868284_what-history-cd-player.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the
History of the Compact Disc
Web page.
FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL
Built through the city of Berlin in 1961 to prevent citizens from fleeing
communist East Germany to the West, the Berlin Wall symbolized the cold war.
When travel restrictions were suddenly lifted November 9, 1989, Germans
celebrated the end of Berlin's division.
Question 7:
The Berlin Wall was built in four generations. How high (in feet) was the last
generation of the wall?
The Web site:
www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall
To find the answer to that question, go to the
Berlin Wall Web page. Click
Facts and then Fourth Generation to find the answer.
VIDEO GAMES
As video games rose in popularity, Americans spent more than 20 billion quarters
and countless hours in arcades in 1981 alone. Home video games, with consoles
plugged into TVs, turned living rooms into personal arcades.
Question 8:
The Super Mario Brothers 3 video game debuted in Japan in
1988. According to the
Guinness Book of World Records, by 2008 how many copies of that
video game have been sold?
The Web site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros._3
To find the answer to that question, go to
Wikipedia and read
about Super Mario Brothers.
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial tells the story of a boy who befriends a
stranded space alien and helps him "phone home." Winner of four Academy Awards
and one of the most beloved films of all time, E.T. held the record as
the top-grossing film for 15 years.
Question 9:
According to one source (Exhibitor Relations), only five movies have earned
more money than E.T. has. Which movies are they? How
many of the top 25 have you seen?
The Web site:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0150077.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the
Top 25 All-Time
Films at the info please Web site.
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
During the 1980s, personal computers from companies such as Tandy, Commodore,
Apple, and IBM revolutionized desktops. Home and office users could run business
software, play games, or even write their own programs.
Question 10:
How many computers did people in the United States use in 1986?
The Web site:
http://www.computerhope.com/history/198090.htm
To find the answer to that question, go to the
Computer History
Timeline Web page.