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1980s - Stories

During the 1980s, conservative politics and Reaganomics held sway as the Berlin Wall crumbled, new computer technologies emerged, AIDS ravaged the United States, especially the gay male community, and blockbuster movies and MTV reshaped pop culture.

Teenagers dressed in long prom dresses and suits crowning the prom queen, with streamers radiating behind them like the rays of the sun

How Prom Traditions Have Evolved Through History

Prom wasn’t always about the dress, the limo and the ‘prom-posals.’

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Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol at a benefit for the Brooklyn Academy of Music on November 7, 1984 at Area Nightclub in New York City.

Basquiat and Warhol: Inside Their Unlikely Artistic Collaborations

The young New York graffiti artist and Pop Art icon produced more than 150 works together. Critics in the ’80s panned them. Now, some sell for millions.

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AIDS activist group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) protest at the headquarters of the Food and Drug Administration on October 11, 1988 in Rockville, Maryland.

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.

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Motorola alphanumeric pager Memo Express

8 Essential Gadgets From the 1980s That Are Now Obsolete

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

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Underwater explorer and marine biologist Mike Barnette and wreck diver Jimmy Gadomski explore a 20-foot segment of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger that the team discovered in the waters off the coast of Florida.

HISTORY Channel Discovers Segment of Space Shuttle Challenger

The 20-foot piece of the NASA space shuttle was found off the coast of Florida during the filming of the new HISTORY Channel series, ‘The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters.’

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First video game 'Pong," mother with son, Germany, circa 1976

5 of the Most Influential Early Video Games

‘Pong,’ ‘Space Invaders’ and ‘Pac-Man’ helped spawn a juggernaut industry.

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A drugstore clerk removes Tylenol capsules from the shelves of a pharmacy on September 30, 1982 in New York City after reports of tampering. Seven people died in Chicago after taking Tylenol.

How the 1982 Tylenol Poisonings Nearly Canceled Halloween

The shocking deaths of seven people in the Chicago area from tampered bottles led to a massive recall—and generated fears around candy poisonings.

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What Countries Made Up the Soviet Union?

What Countries Were Part of the Soviet Union?

At its height, the USSR comprised of more than a dozen republics stretching across Europe and Asia. After the collapse, each forged a different path.

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Five Pop Culture Trends That Helped Shape the 1980s

Five Pop Culture Trends That Helped Shape the 1980s

Power dressing. ’Eatertainment.’ Fad toys that sparked near-riots. Which trends did you participate in?

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Six of the Wildest Moments from the 1986 New York Mets Championship Season

6 of the Wildest Moments from the 1986 New York Mets Championship Season

New York’s ‘traveling rock show’ made headlines on and off the field and beat the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

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LOS ANGELES, CA - CIRCA 1984: Gymnast Mary Lou Retton of the United States competes in the vault competition in gymnastics during the Games of the XXIII Olympiad in the 1984 Summer Olympics circa 1984 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

How Gymnast Mary Lou Retton Soared After She Won Gold at 1984 OIympics

With a dazzling performance in Los Angeles, the West Virginia native helped lay the foundation for future U.S. stars.

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Greg Louganis of the USA sets his feet on the edge of the diving board before attempting a dive in the men's spring board competition during the 1988 Summer Olympic Games held in Seoul, South Korea.

How Greg Louganis’ Olympic Diving Accident Forced a Conversation About AIDS

During a time when fear and stigma around AIDS and LGBTQ identity were pervasive, Louganis kept his diagnosis secret until years later.

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