The Year 1981 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1981. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, computer trivia, entertainment trivia, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. In 1981, Jimmy Carter was the 39th U.S. president until January 20. On that day, Ronald Reagan, the former movie actor and governor of California, was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States.
2. From July 1981 to November 1982, the U.S. economy experienced the most significant economic downturn since the Great Depression. According to Federal Reserve History, “The economy officially entered a recession in the third quarter of 1981, as high interest rates put pressure on sectors of the economy reliant on borrowing, like manufacturing and construction. Unemployment grew from 7.4 percent at the start of the recession to nearly 10 percent a year later.”
3. GDP growth for 1981 was 2.5%, the nation’s inflation rate was 10.32%, and the average credit card interest rate was 17.78%.
4. The violent crime rate in America was 58.6 per 100,000 residents. On the other hand, about 53 of every 100,000 Americans were victims of property crime.
5. How much did a computer cost in 1981? According to ComputerHope.com, the IBM 5150 PC retailed at $1,565. (Just so you know, $1,565 in 1981 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $5,500 today.)
6. At the grocery store, white potatoes cost $1.25 for a ten-pound bag, bread was 59 cents for a 16-ounce loaf, and eggs were 95 cents a dozen. Pepsi cost $1.39 for a two-liter bottle, Pillsbury flour was 89 cents for a five-pound bag, and three pounds of bananas were $1.00.
7. Tide laundry detergent cost $1.69 for a 49-ounce jug, and a gallon of Purex bleach was 59 cents. Kleenex facial tissue was 69 cents for a 200-count box, and Scott toilet tissue cost $1.00 for three 1,000-sheet rolls.
8. Christmas gift wrap cost $1.99 to $2.60 for a 50-foot roll, and a 6.5’ Scotch Pine artificial Christmas tree was $19.99 to $31.85.
9. On January 3, American golfer Johnny Miller won golf’s first $1 million tournament when he beat Seve Ballesteros of Spain at the Million Dollar Challenge in Sun City, South Africa.
10. On January 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “freed the nation's 8,900 radio stations from several major regulations, including specific maximum limits on commercials and minimum percentage requirements for news and public affairs programming.”
11. On January 19, the United States and Iran signed an agreement to free 52 American hostages.
12. On January 20, the 52 U.S. citizens held hostage for 444 days in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, began their journey home.
13. On February 13, the New York Times published its longest sentence ever—a 1,286-word soliloquy by essayist Teju Cole. (For the record, Jonathan Coe's 2001 novel, The Rotters' Club, has a sentence with 13,955 words.)
14. On February 17, Chrysler reported that it had lost $1.71 billion for 1980, “eclipsing the record held briefly by the Ford Motor Company for the largest loss in American corporate history.”
15. On February 24, the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer ended months of speculation by announcing that they were getting married.
16. On March 2, American astronomer Schelte J. Bus discovered the minor planet Asimov. (Isaac Asimov, author and scientist, “produced nearly 500 works of science fiction and nonfiction, covering topics ranging from mathematics and physics to Shakespeare and history.”)
17. On March 11, Johnny Mize and Rube Foster became members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
18. On March 22, the price of a first-class stamp increased from 15 cents to 18 cents.
19. On March 30, President Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C., “as he was returning to his limousine after a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel.”
20. At the 53rd Academy Awards on March 31—which honored the best films of 1980—Ordinary People won an Oscar for Best Picture, and Robert Redford (Ordinary People) won an Oscar for Best Director. Robert De Niro (Raging Bull) won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner’s Daughter) won an Oscar for Best Actress.
21. On April 27, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) “changed the way people interacted with machines forever by introducing the [computer] mouse as part of the 8010 Star Information System workstation. The small, hand-guided box with two clickable buttons finally made the computer personal, leading to a revolution in technology that continues to this day.”
22. On April 29, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton became the first lefty to strike out 3,000 batters.
23. On May 13, Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded by a gunman in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City.
24. On May 25, Carl Yastrzemski (Boston Red Sox) became the fourth MLB player to play 3,000 games. (Only Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, and Hank Aaron have played more games.)
25. On June 4, 13-year-old Paige Pipkin of El Paso, Texas, won the 54th National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word “sarcophagus.”
26. On June 5, the AIDS epidemic officially began when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that five homosexual men in Los Angeles were being treated for pneumocystis pneumonia.
27. On June 12, major league baseball players began a 50-day strike that ended on July 31. During that time, a total of 713 MLB games were lost.
28. On August 3, 13,000 members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO)—one of the few unions that endorsed Reagan during the election of 1980—walked off the job over better pay and working conditions. At a press conference that day, President Reagan stated, “They are in violation of the law, and if they do not report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated.” (On August 5, when most PATCO workers had not returned to work, President Reagan fired 11,345 of them.)
29. On August 7, the Washington Star, once regarded as one of the best afternoon newspapers in the U.S., ceased publication and filed for bankruptcy after 128 years. At the bankruptcy sale, the Washington Post “purchased the land and buildings owned by the Star, including its printing presses.”
30. On September 4, the longest MLB game at Fenway Park ended in 20 innings when the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox, 8-7.
31. At the 33rd Primetime Emmy Awards on September 13, Taxi (ABC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and Hill Street Blues (NBC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. Judd Hirsch (Taxi) won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Isabel Sanford (The Jeffersons) won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
32. On September 14, The People’s Court, a reality court show that featured small claims disputes in a simulated courtroom, premiered on syndicated television.
33. On September 25, Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
34. On October 8, President Reagan “greeted all three living former presidents in the White House, including Richard M. Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter. They had agreed to represent him at the funeral of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who had been assassinated in Cairo on October 6.”
35. On October 22, the FDA approved the artificial sweetener aspartame for tabletop use.
36. On October 23, the U.S. national debt crossed the $1 trillion mark for the first time.
37. In 1981, Lean Cuisine frozen dinners, Yukon Gold potatoes, and Jell-O Pudding Pops all appeared in the marketplace for the first time.
38. The USDA announced that ketchup could now be counted as a vegetable in the school lunch program.
39. Hunt’s increased the number of tomatoes in its tomato sauce from 4 to 4 ½ to satisfy the consumer demand for a thicker sauce.
40. Popular Halloween costumes in 1981 included Cabbage Patch Kids, Pac-Man, Barbie, Superman, Star Wars, Michael Jackson, and the “Jason” hockey mask.
41. America’s favorite Halloween candy items were Bazooka gum, Good & Plenty, Necco wafers, Sweet Tarts, Sugar Daddy, Clark bars, Pixy Stix, PayDay candy bars, Razzles, and Chick-o-Sticks.
42. Must-have back-to-school supplies for the year included the Trapper Keeper, Casio wrist calculators, pencil cases, up-to-the-knee gym socks, manual pencil sharpeners, square metal lunch boxes, glue in a jar, and Mead Composition notebooks.
43. Fashion trends in 1981 were high-waisted jeans, leg warmers, ripped denim, leotards, and punk leather items.
44. Dallas was the most popular TV show, Raiders of the Lost Ark was the highest-grossing film, and James Michener’s The Covenant was a best-selling book.
45. During the 1981-82 television season, there were six Procter & Gamble (P&G) soap operas that aired on the major TV networks, including Another World, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, Search for Tomorrow, Texas, and The Edge of Night.
46. Other soaps from the 1981-82 TV season were The Doctors, General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, One Life to Live, All My Children, and Ryan’s Hope.
47. Here are some sports facts from the year 1981: The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, the Oakland Raiders were the Super Bowl champs, and the New York Islanders clinched the Stanley Cup.
48. The cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad was $275,000.
49. Tickets for the World Series games at Dodger Stadium “were as low as $15 for the bleachers.”
50. In 1981 as well, the words "autocorrect," "boom box," "buffalo wing," "cable modem," "camcorder," "canola oil," "connect-the-dots," "glycemic index," "lemon law," "screen saver," "spellchecker," "spreadsheet," and "unsubscribe" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://popculturemadness.com/1981-history-trivia-and-fun-facts/
2. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1981
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_in_the_United_States
4. https://calltothepen.com/2011/11/09/baseball-history-the-mlb-strike-of-1981/
5. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1981.html
6. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1981.html
7. https://www.lovefood.com/gallerylist/61275/food-and-drink-we-loved-in-the-1980s
8. https://www.onthisday.com/date/1981

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor