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  • FIFA headquarters, Zurich, Switzerland
    1981
    Sepp Blatter

    General Secretary

    FIFA headquarters, Zurich, Switzerland
    1981

    Blatter Then worked at FIFA as general secretary in 1981.




  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
    1981
    Marco van Basten

    Playing for Ajax

    Amsterdam, Netherlands
    1981

    Ajax gave 16 year old Van Basten his debut 1981–82 season after his 20 year old brother Stanley was rejected April 1981, scoring in the 5–0 victory over NEC. He became a top scorer in the league for four seasons from 1983–84 to 1986–87, scoring 118 goals in 112 matches. In the 1985–86 season, he scored 37 goals in 26 league matches, including six goals against Sparta Rotterdam and five against Heracles Almelo, and won the European Golden Boot. He also scored the winning goal in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final against Lokomotive Leipzig in 1987. In total he scored 148 goals in 133 league matches for Ajax.




  • Kosovo
    1981
    Kosovo War

    Open and total war

    Kosovo
    1981

    It paid special attention to Kosovo, arguing that the Kosovo Serbs were being subjected to "physical, political, legal and cultural genocide" in an "open and total war" that had been ongoing since the spring of 1981.




  • Kosovo
    Thursday Jan 1, 1981
    Kosovo War

    4,000 Serbs moved from Kosovo to central Serbia

    Kosovo
    Thursday Jan 1, 1981

    In 1981 it was reported that some 4,000 Serbs moved from Kosovo to central Serbia after the Kosovo Albanian riots in March that resulted in several Serb deaths and the desecration of Serbian Orthodox architecture and graveyards.




  • Finland
    1981
    Nokia

    The world's first international cellular network and the first to allow international roaming

    Finland
    1981

    Nokia also acquired Mobira, a mobile telephony company, which was the foundation of its future mobile phones business. In 1981, Mobira launched the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) service, the world's first international cellular network and the first to allow international roaming.




  • Colombia
    1981
    Colombian conflict

    The Creation of The 1981 Muerte a Secuestradores (MAS)

    Colombia
    1981

    Guerrillas and newly wealthy drug lords had mutually uneven relations and thus numerous incidents occurred between them. Eventually the kidnapping of drug cartel family members by guerrillas led to the creation of the 1981 Muerte a Secuestradores (MAS) death squad ("Death to Kidnappers").




  • Chicago, Illinois , U.S.
    1981
    Christine Lagarde

    Joined Baker & McKenzie

    Chicago, Illinois , U.S.
    1981

    Lagarde joined Baker & McKenzie, a large Chicago-based international law firm, in 1981. She handled major antitrust and labor cases, was made partner after six years and was named head of the firm in Western Europe.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    1981
    Cameras

    Sony Mavica

    Tokyo, Japan
    1981

    Handheld electronic cameras, in the sense of a device meant to be carried and used as a handheld film camera, appeared in 1981 with the demonstration of the Sony Mavica (Magnetic Video Camera). This is not to be confused with the later cameras by Sony that also bore the Mavica name. This was an analog camera, in that it recorded pixel signals continuously, as videotape machines did, without converting them to discrete levels; it recorded television-like signals to a 2 × 2-inch "video floppy". In essence, it was a video movie camera that recorded single frames, 50 per disk in field mode, and 25 per disk in frame mode. The image quality was considered equal to that of then-current televisions.


  • U.S.
    1981
    Computer animation

    SGI

    U.S.
    1981

    Silicon Graphics, Inc (SGI) was a manufacturer of high-performance computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark. His idea, called the Geometry Engine, was to create a series of components in a VLSI processor that would accomplish the main operations required in image synthesis—the matrix transforms, clipping, and the scaling operations that provided the transformation to view space. Clark attempted to shop his design around to computer companies, and finding no takers, he and colleagues at Stanford University, California, started their own company, Silicon Graphics.


  • Mexico
    1981
    Carlos Slim

    Cigarros la Tabacelera Mexicana (Cigatam)

    Mexico
    1981

    In 1981, Slim acquired a majority stake in Cigarros la Tabacelera Mexicana (Cigatam), Mexico's second largest producer and marketer of cigarettes, at a reduced price.


  • Washington D.C., U.S.
    Jan, 1981
    Nicaraguan Revolution

    Ronald Reagan cancelled the dispersal of Economic Aid to Nicaragua

    Washington D.C., U.S.
    Jan, 1981

    Upon taking office in January 1981, Ronald Reagan cancelled the dispersal of economic aid to Nicaragua.


  • California, U.S.
    1981
    Microprocessor

    Intel's First 32-bit Microprocessor

    California, U.S.
    1981

    Intel's first 32-bit microprocessor was the iAPX 432, which was introduced in 1981, but was not a commercial success. It had an advanced capability-based object-oriented architecture, but poor performance compared to contemporary architectures such as Intel's own 80286 (introduced 1982), which was almost four times as fast on typical benchmark tests. However, the results for the iAPX432 was partly due to a rushed and therefore suboptimal Ada compiler.


  • Dezful, Khuzestan Province, Iran
    Sunday Jan 4, 1981
    Iran–Iraq War

    The Battle of Dezful

    Dezful, Khuzestan Province, Iran
    Sunday Jan 4, 1981

    In Battle of Dezful, the Iranian armoured divisions were nearly wiped out in one of the biggest tank battles of the war. When the Iranian tanks tried to manoeuvre, they became stuck in the mud of the marshes, and many tanks were abandoned. The Iraqis lost 45 T-55 and T-62 tanks, while the Iranians lost 100–200 Chieftain and M-60 tanks. Reporters counted roughly 150 destroyed or deserted Iranian tanks , and also 40 Iraqi tanks. 141 Iranians were killed during the battle.


  • Dezful, Khuzestan Province, Iran
    Sunday Jan 4, 1981
    Iran–Iraq War

    Operation Nasr

    Dezful, Khuzestan Province, Iran
    Sunday Jan 4, 1981

    On 5 January 1981, Iran had reorganised its forces enough to launch a large-scale offensive, Operation Nasr (Victory).


  • Algeria
    Monday Jan 19, 1981
    Iranian Revolution

    The Algiers Accords and The hostages release

    Algeria
    Monday Jan 19, 1981

    The hostage crisis ended with the signing of the Algiers Accords in Algeria on 19 January 1981. The hostages were formally released to United States custody the following day, just minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the new American president.


  • Tehran, Iran
    Tuesday Jan 20, 1981
    Jimmy Carter

    Fifty-two American hostage

    Tehran, Iran
    Tuesday Jan 20, 1981

    Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for the next 444 days until they were finally freed immediately after Ronald Reagan succeeded Carter as President on January 20, 1981.


  • Washington D.C., U.S.
    Tuesday Jan 20, 1981
    Ronald Reagan

    A President

    Washington D.C., U.S.
    Tuesday Jan 20, 1981

    The presidency of Ronald Reagan began on January 20, 1981, when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States.


  • San Francisco, California, U.S.
    Wednesday Jan 28, 1981
    Christopher Paul Gardner

    Christopher Jarrett Medina Gardner's Birth

    San Francisco, California, U.S.
    Wednesday Jan 28, 1981

    Their son Christopher Jarrett Gardner Jr. was born on January 28, 1981. Gardner worked as a research lab assistant at UCSF and at the Veterans' Hospital after leaving the service. His position as a research lab assistant paid only about $8,000 a year, which was not enough for him to support a live-in girlfriend and a child. After four years, he quit these jobs and doubled his salary by taking a job as a medical equipment salesman.


  • U.S.
    Wednesday Jan 28, 1981
    Jacintha Darlene Gardner

    Jacintha Darlene's Brother

    U.S.
    Wednesday Jan 28, 1981

    Christopher Jarrett Gardner was born on January 28, 1981. He is Jacintha Darlene's brother.


  • San Francisco, California, U.S.
    Wednesday Jan 28, 1981
    Christopher Jarrett Medina Gardner

    Birth

    San Francisco, California, U.S.
    Wednesday Jan 28, 1981

    Christopher Jarrett Medina Gardner was born to Chris Gardner and Jackie Medina, on 28 January 1981.


  • United Kingdom
    Friday Feb 6, 1981
    Princess Diana

    Proposed

    United Kingdom
    Friday Feb 6, 1981

    The Prince proposed on 6 February 1981, and Lady Diana accepted, but their engagement was kept secret for the next few weeks.


  • U.S.
    1981
    Internet

    Number of hosts had grown to 213

    U.S.
    1981

    By 1981, the number of hosts had grown to 213, with a new host being added approximately every twenty days. Building on ideas developed in ALOHAnet, the ARPANET grew rapidly.


  • U.S.
    1981
    Internet

    Computer Science Network (CSNET)

    U.S.
    1981

    In 1981 NSF supported the development of the Computer Science Network (CSNET). CSNET connected with ARPANET using TCP/IP, and ran TCP/IP over X.25, but it also supported departments without sophisticated network connections, using automated dial-up mail exchange.


  • La Boca, near Buenos Aires, Argentina
    Friday Feb 20, 1981
    Diego Maradona

    To Boca

    La Boca, near Buenos Aires, Argentina
    Friday Feb 20, 1981

    Maradona signed a contract with Boca Juniors on 20 February 1981.


  • Munich, Germany
    Saturday Feb 21, 1981
    Carlos the Jackal

    Bombing of the Radio Free Europe offices

    Munich, Germany
    Saturday Feb 21, 1981

    Carlos is believed to have planned his attacks on several European targets, including the bombing of the Radio Free Europe offices in Munich in February 1981, which was part of an eventually unsuccessful hunt for Ion Mihai Pacepa ordered and financed by the Romanian government.


  • Helena, Montana
    1981
    Stuart Long

    Long graduation

    Helena, Montana
    1981

    Stuart Long graduated from Capital High School in Helena in 1981.


  • Spain
    Monday Feb 23, 1981
    Juan Carlos I

    Military Coup attempted

    Spain
    Monday Feb 23, 1981

    There was an attempted military coup, known as 23-F, on 23 February 1981, when the Cortes were seized by members of the Guardia Civil in the parliamentary chamber. During the coup, the King, in the uniform of the Captain-General of the Spanish armed forces, gave a public television broadcast calling for unambiguous support for the legitimate democratic government. The broadcast is believed to have been a major factor in foiling the coup.


  • London, England, United Kingdom
    Tuesday Feb 24, 1981
    Princess Diana

    Engagement

    London, England, United Kingdom
    Tuesday Feb 24, 1981

    Their engagement became official on 24 February 1981.


  • Levante, Cordoba, Spain
    Mar, 1981
    Johan Cruyff

    To Levante

    Levante, Cordoba, Spain
    Mar, 1981

    In March 1981, Cruyff took the field for the first time for Levante. Injuries and disagreements with the administration of the club, however, blighted his spell in the Segunda División, and he only made ten appearances, scoring two goals. Having failed to secure promotion to the first division, a contract with Levante fell through.


  • Pristina, Kosovo
    Sunday Mar 1, 1981
    Kosovo War

    The First major outbreak occurred in Kosovo's main city

    Pristina, Kosovo
    Sunday Mar 1, 1981

    The first major outbreak occurred in Kosovo's main city, Pristina, when a protest of University of Pristina students over long queues in their university canteen rapidly escalated and in late March and early April 1981 spread throughout Kosovo, causing mass demonstrations in several towns. The disturbances were quelled by the Presidency of Yugoslavia proclaiming a state of emergency, sending in riot police and the army, which resulted in numerous casualties.


  • Washington D.C., U.S.
    Monday Mar 30, 1981
    Ronald Reagan

    Assassination Attempt

    Washington D.C., U.S.
    Monday Mar 30, 1981

    On March 30, 1981, Reagan, his press secretary James Brady, Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy were struck by gunfire from would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton hotel.


  • H-3 Airbase, Iraq
    Friday Apr 3, 1981
    Iran–Iraq War

    Attack on H3

    H-3 Airbase, Iraq
    Friday Apr 3, 1981

    The Iraqi Air Force, badly damaged by the Iranians, was moved to the H-3 Airbase in Western Iraq, near the Jordanian border and away from Iran. However, on 3 April 1981, the Iranian air force used eight F-4 Phantom fighter bombers, four F-14 Tomcats, three Boeing 707 refuelling tankers, and one Boeing 747 command plane to launch a surprise attack on H3, destroying 27–50 Iraqi fighter jets and bombers.


  • New York, U.S.
    Friday Apr 3, 1981
    Juan Trippe

    Death

    New York, U.S.
    Friday Apr 3, 1981

    Trippe suffered a stroke in September 1980, which forced him to cut back on his workload; he died after suffering a second stroke at his New York City home on April 3, 1981, at the age of 81. He is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.


  • Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
    Saturday Apr 11, 1981
    Hillsborough events

    FA Cup semi-final 1981

    Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
    Saturday Apr 11, 1981

    Hillsborough hosted five FA Cup semi-finals in the 1980s. A crush occurred at the Leppings Lane end of the ground during the 1981 semi-final between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers after hundreds more spectators were permitted to enter the terrace than could safely be accommodated, resulting in 38 injuries, including broken arms, legs and ribs.


  • U.S. and United Kingdom
    1981
    Freddie Mercury

    Mercury recorded several tracks with Michael Jackson

    U.S. and United Kingdom
    1981

    In 1981–1983 Mercury recorded several tracks with Michael Jackson, including a demo of "State of Shock", "Victory", and "There Must Be More to Life Than This".


  • University of Miami Hospital, Miami, U.S.
    Monday May 11, 1981
    Bob Marley

    Death

    University of Miami Hospital, Miami, U.S.
    Monday May 11, 1981

    Marley died on 11 May 1981 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital), aged 36. The spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain caused his death. His final words to his son Ziggy were "Money can't buy life."


  • Vatican City
    Wednesday May 13, 1981
    Pope John Paul II

    Unsuccessful Assassination

    Vatican City
    Wednesday May 13, 1981

    As he entered St. Peter's Square to address an audience on 13 May 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot and critically wounded by Mehmet Ali Ağca, an expert Turkish gunman who was a member of the militant fascist group Grey Wolves.


  • Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
    Wednesday May 13, 1981
    Greyfriars Bobby

    Red granite monument

    Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
    Wednesday May 13, 1981

    A red granite monument was erected close to Bobby's grave by The Dog Aid Society of Scotland and unveiled by the Duke of Gloucester on 13 May 1981.


  • England, United Kingdom
    1981
    Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

    Llewellyn married Tatiana Soskin

    England, United Kingdom
    1981

    In 1981, Llewellyn married Tatiana Soskin, whom he had known for 10 years. Margaret remained close friends with them both.


  • U.S.
    May, 1981
    Russell Bufalino

    Conspiring to kill the witness

    U.S.
    May, 1981

    Bufalino was released in May 1981, but was indicted again, this time for conspiring to kill the witness, Napoli. The main prosecution witness, Jimmy Fratianno, said that he and Michael Rizzitello had been asked by Bufalino to kill Napoli in 1976.


  • Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica
    Thursday May 21, 1981
    Bob Marley

    State Funeral

    Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica
    Thursday May 21, 1981

    Marley received a state funeral in Jamaica on 21 May 1981, which combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari tradition. He was buried in a chapel near his birthplace with his guitar, and the Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga delivered the final funeral eulogy to Marley.


  • Iran
    Thursday Jun 11, 1981
    10:24:00 AM
    Disasters with highest death tolls

    1981 Golbaf Earthquake

    Iran
    Thursday Jun 11, 1981
    10:24:00 AM

    The 1981 Golbaf earthquake occurred on June 11 at 10:54:25 local time with a moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII+ (Severe). Total damage was considered moderate and amounted to $5 million in financial losses, with many injured, and 1,400–3,000 killed.


  • United Kingdom
    Wednesday Jun 24, 1981
    James Bond

    For Your Eyes Only

    United Kingdom
    Wednesday Jun 24, 1981

    For Your Eyes Only is a 1981 spy film and the twelfth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the fifth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It marked the directorial debut of John Glen, who had worked as editor and second unit director on three other Bond films.


  • Washington, U.S.
    Thursday Jun 25, 1981
    Bill Gates

    Microsoft's company restructuring

    Washington, U.S.
    Thursday Jun 25, 1981

    Gates oversaw Microsoft's company restructuring on June 25, 1981, which re-incorporated the company in Washington state and made Gates the president of Microsoft and its board chairman.


  • Washington, U.S.
    Thursday Jun 25, 1981
    Bill Gates

    Microsoft's company restructuring

    Washington, U.S.
    Thursday Jun 25, 1981

    Gates oversaw Microsoft's company restructuring on June 25, 1981, which re-incorporated the company in Washington state and made Gates the president of Microsoft and its board chairman.


  • Washington D.C., U.S.
    Wednesday Jul 1, 1981
    World Bank

    Alden Winship "Tom" Clausen was President of the World Bank

    Washington D.C., U.S.
    Wednesday Jul 1, 1981

    Alden Winship "Tom" Clausen was President of the World Bank from 1981 to 1986.


  • Ambato, Tungurahua, Ecuador
    Tuesday Jul 7, 1981
    Pedro López (serial killer)

    López confessed murders

    Ambato, Tungurahua, Ecuador
    Tuesday Jul 7, 1981

    On July 31, 1981, 33-year-old Lopez plead guilty to the murders of 57 girls and was imprisoned in Ambato, where he was officially diagnosed as a sociopath.


  • Canada
    1981
    Trivial Pursuit

    The game released

    Canada
    1981

    With the help of John Haney and Ed Werner, they completed development of the game, which was released in 1981.


  • St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England
    Wednesday Jul 29, 1981
    Prince Charles

    1st Marriage

    St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England
    Wednesday Jul 29, 1981

    Prince Charles proposed to Diana in February 1981; she accepted and they married in St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July of that year. Upon his marriage, Charles reduced his voluntary tax contribution from the profits generated by the Duchy of Cornwall from 50% to 25%.


  • London, England, United Kingdom
    Wednesday Jul 29, 1981
    Princess Diana

    "Fairytale Wedding"

    London, England, United Kingdom
    Wednesday Jul 29, 1981

    Twenty-year-old Diana became Princess of Wales when she married the Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral, which offered more seating than Westminster Abbey, a church that was generally used for royal nuptials. The couple had residences at Kensington Palace and Highgrove House, near Tetbury.


  • Mauritius
    1981
    KFC

    The African Branches

    Mauritius
    1981

    KFC first opened in Africa was in Mauritius in 1981. The company is slowly expanding across the African continent, opening 70 outlets, but progress has been hampered by sourcing issues, such as lack of quality suppliers.


  • Los Angeles, California, U.S.
    Tuesday Aug 4, 1981
    Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

    Birth

    Los Angeles, California, U.S.
    Tuesday Aug 4, 1981

    Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981, in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Doria Ragland, is a former social worker and yoga instructor living in View Park–Windsor Hills, California. Markle has often been described as having a very close friendship with her mother. Her father, Thomas Markle Sr., lives in Rosarito, Mexico, and is a retired television director of photography and lighting director whose profession resulted in his young daughter often visiting the set of Married...with Children. Markle's parents divorced when she was six years old. Her older paternal half-siblings are Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr., from whom she is reportedly estranged.


  • Washington D.C., U.S.
    Thursday Aug 6, 1981
    Nicaraguan Revolution

    President Reagan Signed National Security Decision Directive Number 7

    Washington D.C., U.S.
    Thursday Aug 6, 1981

    and on 6 August 1981 he signed National Security Decision Directive number 7, which authorized the production and shipment of arms to the region but not their deployment.


  • U.S.
    1981
    Xanax

    Approved

    U.S.
    1981

    In 1981, Xanax was approved for medical use in the United States.


  • Palisades, New York, United States
    1981
    Angelina Jolie

    To New York

    Palisades, New York, United States
    1981

    When Jolie was six years old, her mother Bertrand, and her live-in partner, filmmaker Bill Day, moved the family to Palisades, New York.


  • U.S.
    1981
    Bicycle

    Mountain Bike

    U.S.
    1981

    In 1981, the first mass-produced mountain bike appeared in the U.S., intended for use off-pavement over a variety of surfaces. It was an immediate success, and examples flew off retailers' shelves during the 1980s, their popularity spurred by the novelty of all-terrain cycling and the increasing desire of urban dwellers to escape their surroundings via mountain biking and other extreme sports.


  • California, U.S.
    1981
    Stan Lee

    Moving to California

    California, U.S.
    1981

    He moved to California in 1981 to develop Marvel's TV and movie properties. He was an executive producer for, and made cameo appearances in Marvel film adaptations and other movies.


  • U.S.
    1981
    IBM

    Financial Swaps

    U.S.
    1981

    IBM and the World Bank first introduced financial swaps to the public in 1981 when they entered into a swap agreement.


  • Abadan, Khuzestan Province, Iran
    Saturday Sep 26, 1981
    Iran–Iraq War

    Ending The Iraqi Siege of Abadan

    Abadan, Khuzestan Province, Iran
    Saturday Sep 26, 1981

    By late 1981 , Iran returned to the offensive and launched a new operation (Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh (The Eighth Imam)), ending the Iraqi Siege of Abadan on 27–29 September 1981.


  • California, U.S.
    1981
    Christopher Jarrett Medina Gardner

    Hard days

    California, U.S.
    1981

    About four months after Jackie disappeared with their son, she returned and left him with Gardner. By then, he was earning a small salary and was able to afford rooming in a flophouse. He willingly accepted sole custody of his child; however, the rooming house where he lived did not allow children. Although he was gainfully employed, Gardner and his son secretly struggled with homelessness while he saved money for a rental house in Berkeley.


  • Malmö, Sweden
    Saturday Oct 3, 1981
    Zlatan Ibrahimović

    Born

    Malmö, Sweden
    Saturday Oct 3, 1981

    Ibrahimović was born in Malmö, Sweden, on 3 October 1981.


  • Cairo, Egypt
    Tuesday Oct 6, 1981
    Ayman al-Zawahiri

    The assassination of President Anwar Sadat

    Cairo, Egypt
    Tuesday Oct 6, 1981

    In 1981, Al-Zawahiri was one of hundreds arrested following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat.


  • Florida, U.S.
    Oct, 1981
    Ted Bundy

    Not allowed at Raiford Prison

    Florida, U.S.
    Oct, 1981

    In October 1981, Boone gave birth to a daughter and named Bundy as the father. While conjugal visits were not allowed at Raiford Prison, inmates were known to pool their money in order to bribe guards to allow them intimate time alone with their female visitors.


  • Iran
    Wednesday Oct 14, 1981
    Iran–Iraq War

    The Ambush

    Iran
    Wednesday Oct 14, 1981

    On 15 October, after breaking the siege, a large Iranian convoy was ambushed by Iraqi tanks, and during the ensuing tank battle Iran lost 20 Chieftains and other armored vehicles and withdrew from the previously gained territory.


  • United Kingdom
    1981
    James Bond

    Licence Renewed was published

    United Kingdom
    1981

    In 1981 the thriller writer John Gardner picked up the series with Licence Renewed.


  • New York City, New York, U.S.
    1981
    James Bond

    Marvel Comics published a two-issue comic book adaptation of the film For Your Eyes Only

    New York City, New York, U.S.
    1981

    With the release of the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only, Marvel Comics published a two-issue comic book adaptation of the film.


  • Dunedin, New Zealand
    Oct, 1981
    Queen Elizabeth II

    Elizabeth II visited New Zealand

    Dunedin, New Zealand
    Oct, 1981

    Elizabeth II visited New Zealand with her husband Prince Philip in October 1981.


  • England, United Kingdom
    Monday Oct 26, 1981
    Freddie Mercury

    Greatest Hits

    England, United Kingdom
    Monday Oct 26, 1981

    Mercury wrote 10 of the 17 songs on Queen's Greatest Hits album: "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy", "We Are the Champions", "Bicycle Race", "Don't Stop Me Now", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", and "Play the Game".


  • Burnsville, Minnesota, U.S.
    1981
    Best Buy

    Burnsville location featured a high-volume

    Burnsville, Minnesota, U.S.
    1981

    The company also expanded its product offerings to include home appliances and VCRs, in an attempt to expand beyond its then-core customer base of 15- to 18-year-old males. Later that year, Best Buy opened its first superstore in Burnsville, Minnesota. The Burnsville location featured a high-volume, low-price business model, which was borrowed partially from Schulze's successful Tornado Sale in 1981.


  • England
    Friday Nov 6, 1981
    Margaret Thatcher

    The Anglo-Irish Inter-Governmental Council

    England
    Friday Nov 6, 1981

    On 6 November 1981, Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald had established the Anglo-Irish Inter-Governmental Council, a forum for meetings between the two governments.


  • Japan
    Tuesday Nov 10, 1981
    3D printing

    Hideo Kodama filed a patent for this XYZ plotter

    Japan
    Tuesday Nov 10, 1981

    Hideo Kodama filed a patent for this XYZ plotter, which was published on November 10, 1981. (JP S56-144478).


  • U.S.
    1981
    Xerox

    Xerox released a system similar to the Alto

    U.S.
    1981

    In 1981, Xerox released a system similar to the Alto, the Xerox Star. It was the first commercial system to incorporate technologies that have subsequently become commonplace in personal computers, such as a bitmapped display, window-based GUI, mouse, Ethernet networking, file servers, print servers and e-mail. The Xerox Star and its successor the Xerox Daybreak, despite their technological breakthroughs, did not sell well due to its high price, costing $16,000 per unit. A typical Xerox Star-based office, complete with network and printers, would have cost $100,000.


  • Washington D.C., U.S.
    Tuesday Nov 17, 1981
    Nicaraguan Revolution

    President Reagan Signed National Security Directive 17

    Washington D.C., U.S.
    Tuesday Nov 17, 1981

    On 17 November 1981, President Reagan signed National Security Directive 17, authorizing covert support to anti-Sandinista forces.


  • Leavenworth, Washington, U.S.
    Nov, 1981
    Russell Bufalino

    Bufalino was sentenced to 10 Years

    Leavenworth, Washington, U.S.
    Nov, 1981

    In November 1981, Bufalino was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, held at United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth.


  • U.S.
    Friday Nov 20, 1981
    Audrey Hepburn

    They All Laughed

    U.S.
    Friday Nov 20, 1981

    Hepburn's last starring role in a feature film was opposite Gazzara in the comedy They All Laughed (1981), directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The film was overshadowed by the murder of one of its stars, Dorothy Stratten, and received only a limited release.


  • Iran
    Saturday Nov 28, 1981
    Iran–Iraq War

    Operation Tariq al-Qods

    Iran
    Saturday Nov 28, 1981

    On 29 November 1981, Iran began Operation Tariq al-Qods with three army brigades and seven Revolutionary Guard brigades.


  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
    Saturday Nov 28, 1981
    Black Friday

    The earliest known published reference to this explanation occurs

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
    Saturday Nov 28, 1981

    When this was recorded in the financial records, once-common accounting practices would use red ink to show negative amounts and black ink to show positive amounts. Black Friday, under this theory, is the beginning of the period when retailers would no longer be "in the red", instead taking in the year's profits. The earliest known published reference to this explanation occurs in The Philadelphia Inquirer for November 28, 1981.


  • San Francisco, California, U.S.
    1981
    Christopher Jarrett Medina Gardner

    Year of Struggle

    San Francisco, California, U.S.
    1981

    Meanwhile, none of Gardner's co-workers knew that he and his son were homeless in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco for nearly a year. Gardner often scrambled to place his child in daycare, stood in soup kitchens, and slept wherever he and his son could find safety—in his office after hours, at flophouses, motels, parks, airports, on public transport, and even in a locked bathroom at a BART station.


  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Dec, 1981
    Johan Cruyff

    Returned to Ajax

    Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Dec, 1981

    In December 1981, Cruyff signed a contract extension with Ajax.


  • Bostan, Khuzestan Province, Iran
    Sunday Dec 6, 1981
    Iran–Iraq War

    Retaken The town of Bostan

    Bostan, Khuzestan Province, Iran
    Sunday Dec 6, 1981

    The Iraqis failed to properly patrol their occupied areas , and the Iranians constructed a 14 km (14,000 m; 8.7 mi) road through the unguarded sand dunes, launching their attack from the Iraqi rear. The town of Bostan was retaken from Iraqi divisions by 7 December.


  • Florida, U.S.
    1981
    Ted Bundy

    Bundy initiated a series of interviews with Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth

    Florida, U.S.
    1981

    Shortly after the conclusion of the Leach trial and the beginning of the long appeals process that followed, Bundy initiated a series of interviews with Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth. Speaking mostly in the third person to avoid "the stigma of confession", he began for the first time to divulge details of his crimes and thought processes. He recounted his career as a thief, confirming Kloepfer's long-time suspicion that he had shoplifted virtually everything of substance that he owned. "The big payoff for me," he said, "was actually possessing whatever it was I had stolen. I really enjoyed having something ... that I had wanted and gone out and taken." Possession proved to be an important motive for rape and murder as well. Sexual assault, he said, fulfilled his need to "totally possess" his victims. At first, he killed his victims "as a matter of expediency ... to eliminate the possibility of [being] caught"; but later, murder became part of the "adventure". "The ultimate possession was, in fact, the taking of the life", he said. "And then ... the physical possession of the remains."


  • Nassau, Bahamas
    Friday Dec 11, 1981
    Muhammad Ali Clay

    Last match

    Nassau, Bahamas
    Friday Dec 11, 1981

    Despite pleas to definitively retire, Ali fought one last time on December 11, 1981, in Nassau, Bahamas, against Trevor Berbick, losing a ten-round decision.


  • United Kingdom
    1981
    Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

    Philip wrote to his eldest son counseling him to make up his mind

    United Kingdom
    1981

    At the beginning of 1981, Philip wrote to his eldest son, Charles, counseling him to make up his mind to either propose to Lady Diana Spencer or break off their courtship. Charles felt pressured by his father to make a decision and did so, proposing to Diana in February.


  • Iran
    Dec, 1981
    Qasem Soleimani

    Seriously Injured

    Iran
    Dec, 1981

    He was seriously injured in Operation Tariq-ol-Qods.


  • Washington D.C., U.S.
    1981
    Joe Biden

    Biden became a ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee

    Washington D.C., U.S.
    1981

    Biden became a ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1981.


  • U.S.
    1981
    IBM

    IBM PC

    U.S.
    1981

    In 1981, the IBM PC, originally designated IBM 5150, was introduced, and it soon became an industry standard.


  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
    1981
    Joe Biden

    Biden has received honorary degrees from Saint Joseph's University

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
    1981

    Biden has received honorary degrees from Saint Joseph's University (LL.D 1981).


  • Iran
    1981
    Gulf War

    Arms Sales to Iraq reached a record spike

    Iran
    1981

    With Iraq's newfound success in the war, and the Iranian rebuff of a peace offer in July, arms sales to Iraq reached a record spike in 1982.


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