People who Helped us Survive the 80s

The Eighties, the decade that began January 1, 1980, was a time period of many terrible foreign events, from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iran-Iraq War, to the terrorist bombing in Beirut. And just as many dreadful events happening right here in America, from the eruption of Mount St. Helens and the El Nino climate chaos, to the tragic incident with the Challenger, to the AIDS and crack epidemic.

But America survived. Ronald Reagan, with his trickle- down theories, drug awareness campaigns, and anti-communists views, kept America strong and moving forward during his presidency. And even more, we managed to discover and develop admired items, trends, and passions from our short-comings. The 80s, in America, saw a rise in better cars, colorful fashions, big hair trends, and MTV, and an introduction of products such as the synthesizer, the Nintendo, and Ray-Ban sunglasses.

Perhaps, America never would have made it through the difficult times of the 80s, if not for a number of popular, unforgettable public icons that we chose to pay attention to, imitated, or completely ignored. Some of the memorable people who left a lasting impression on the 80s include musicians, actors, and athletes.

Musicians from the 80s created fresh dance, pop, rock and hip-hop sounds that spoke to us, calmed us down, or made us jam. And the launching of the MTV network delivered these tuneful sounds and music videos to the masses.

Actors from the 80s, starring in noteworthy movies and television programs such as: E.T., Rain Man, The Breakfast Club, Growing Pains, The Color Purple, Back to the Future, Footloose, Risky Business, and The Cosby Show provided us with famous quotes, scenes, styles, and attitudes that are lasting for decades to come. Actors making television/ movie character roles most memorable include:

To sum things up, the 80s experienced some fairly tragic events, however, it also produced positive and memorable social and political events, and great motivating entertainment. And we were fortunate; we had our family and friends, and our musicians, actors, and athletes. Through these individuals and their influences and inspirations, we carried on right past the obstacles of the decade. Many of us managed to ‘Moonwalk’, ‘Flashdance’, and ‘Just Say No’ right through the 80s.