Results: The 80s -- From Big Hair To Big Greed
Published on 07/22/2020
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1.
1.
The 80s was a decade where everything was bigger -- especially the hair. It was a decade of nonstop glamour, unchecked excess, ruthless ambition and explosive technological innovation that combined to produce the historic changes and global events that defined the 80s. The 80s has been called many things from the "Me-First Decade", the "Decade of Greed", the "Yuppie Decade", the "Reagan Decade" to the "Greatest Decade". Which of these names referencing the 80s have you heard?
"Me-First Decade"
13%
312 votes
"Decade Of Greed"
7%
180 votes
"Yuppie Decade"
18%
431 votes
"Reagan Decade"
15%
359 votes
"Greatest Decade"
9%
213 votes
I've heard all of them
8%
192 votes
None of them
55%
1342 votes
2.
2.
How many of these important events did you know happened in the 80s? In May 1980, Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington state, leading to the deaths of 57 people.
44%
1081 votes
The United States led the boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, to protest the late 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In total, 65 nations refused to participate in the games, whereas 80 countries sent athletes to compete.
35%
849 votes
Just two months into his presidency, President Reagan was the target of an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr. in March 1981
50%
1234 votes
In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor is nominated as the first female Supreme Court Justice by President Reagan.
30%
730 votes
In 1983, Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.
37%
907 votes
The Chernobyl nuclear reactor explodes in the USSR, in 1986
44%
1072 votes
In 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster takes place when the space shuttle disintegrates after being launched, killing all on board.
49%
1205 votes
The decade of greed and excess was marked by Wall Street's great crash of 1987. Between October 14 and 19 approximately $US1 trillion of wealth was lost, in part due to untested financial instruments, with the crash making reverberations globally.
25%
600 votes
The Iran-Iraq war ends in 1988 when Iran accepted the UN-brokered ceasefire.
25%
620 votes
In 1989, he Berlin Wall is torn down at the end of the Cold War.
48%
1167 votes
On 5 June 1981, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the first official report on what would come to be known as the AIDS epidemic.
30%
722 votes
All of them
20%
494 votes
None
22%
537 votes
Other (please specify)
0%
12 votes
3.
3.
The pop culture moments of the 80s that made an impression -- both memorable, good and tragic -- is long, but here are some of the highlights. How many of these do you remember?
On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was fatally shot in front of his New York City home by crazed fan Mark David Chapman.
51%
1236 votes
After the infamous "Who Shot J.R?" episode aired March 21,1980, viewers had to wait eight months to find out if the Ewing patriarch played by Larry Hagman would survive and who shot him. It was estimated that 83 million people watched the episode, more than the number of voters in that year's presidential election.
43%
1045 votes
MTV: Music Television launched on August 1, 1981 with the now iconic and ironic "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles the first music video to air.
25%
621 votes
Time Magazine put the computer on its cover as "Machine of the Year" in 1982, foreshadowing perhaps the impact computers would make.
12%
303 votes
Motorola introduces the first mobile phones to the United States in 1983.
16%
388 votes
Disposable contact lenses are first sold in 1987.
12%
286 votes
"The Simpsons" make their debut in 1987, on the Tracy Ullman Show.
26%
637 votes
The Nintendo Game Boy portable video game system is released in 1989.
23%
569 votes
All
16%
382 votes
None
21%
517 votes
Other (please specify)
0%
8 votes
Millions tuned in on July 29, 1981 to watch Princess Diana and Prince Charles tie the knot. An estimated global TV audience of 750 million watched the nuptials. The event, dubbed "the wedding of the century," was attended by 3,500 guests.
49%
1194 votes
After an 11 season run the finale of M*A*S*H, on February 28,1983 broke all ratings records. With an audience of almost 106 million, it was a TV record unbeaten until 2010.
36%
874 votes
In the 1987 movie "Wall Street," Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko gave an insightful speech where he said, "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good." This one line has been used to sum up the 80s by many
19%
470 votes
4.
4.
And then there are the truly odd moments that stand out, and the hair. The 80s were known for their fashion, especially the big hair. This decade even saw a genre of music attributed to that hair -- hair metal. These bands all had one thing in common -- you guessed it, big defining hair. Think Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Stryper, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, and Poisson, to name a few. Were you a fan of hair metal bands?
Loved them
15%
367 votes
Some were OK
28%
697 votes
Not really
36%
886 votes
Do not remember or know any hair metal bands
17%
411 votes
Knew these bands as glam metal more than hair metal
3%
85 votes
5.
5.
Which of these strange 80s events were you familiar with?
The Cabbage Patch craze of 1983 may go down as one of America's greatest mysteries. Here are supposedly normal, sane human beings coming to blows over something that looks like a potato with eyes. The stores couldn't keep them in stock, and fights broke out over what was left on the shelves.
51%
1258 votes
In 1985, as Coke saw some of its sales flip to the Pepsi camp, the company "reinvented" the original formula. They marketed it as the "New taste of Coke," and people hated it. Within months, Coke reversed back to the now-"Classic" formula and actually saw a rise in sales.
35%
847 votes
The Chicago Bears released the "Super Bowl Shuffle," in 1985, two months prior to their win in Super Bowl XX over the New England Patriots. And -- since this was the '80s -- they also recorded a stunning music video. It peaked at Number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, pretty good for a sports team. It was even nominated for a Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance by a duo or group.
23%
562 votes
Every decade has its fashion moments, but there was something about the 80s that stood out -- and not just because of the bright neon colours everywhere. Fashion, like the hair, was big and bold. Spandex, lacey shirts, high waisted jeans huge shoulder pads (thank you Dynasty), leg warmers, mullets, cut-off sweatshirts (thank you Flashdance) and of course, neon. Plus, am I the only one who "crimped" her hair -- I think not!
33%
812 votes
All of them
18%
429 votes
None
26%
639 votes
Other (please specify)
0%
11 votes
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