The Year 1982 in Review: Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historic events from the year 1982. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, entertainment trivia, grocery prices, and much more.

1. In 1982, Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States, and George H. W. Bush was the nation’s vice president.
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. The nation’s inflation rate averaged 6.16%. San Francisco experienced the highest rate of inflation between 1981 and 1982 (8.20%). Other metropolitan areas with high inflation rates during the same period were Miami-Fort Lauderdale (7.30%), Houston (7.18%), and Seattle (6.93%).
4. Conversely, Detroit had the lowest rate of inflation between 1981 and 1982 (4.05%). Other cities with low inflation rates at the same time were Boston (4.28%), Philadelphia (4.86%), and New York (5.78%).
5. At the grocery store, a gallon of milk cost $2.24, bacon was $1.79 for a one-pound package, and eggs were 79 cents a dozen.
6. In 1982, the 10 most expensive states for grocery shopping were Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
7. The 10 least expensive states for groceries were Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.
8. In 1982, grocery prices in Washington, DC, were a whopping 27.7% higher than the national average. DC also topped the country for the amount of coupon clipping.
9. American companies and brands established in 1982 included Adobe, Compaq, E-Trade, Great Clips, Jackson-Hewitt, Kenneth Cole, the Silicon Valley Bank, and Vera Bradley.
10. On January 1, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) launched a five-year program to restore the New York subway system.
11. On January 4, the Golden Gate Bridge was forced to close because of a fierce winter storm with hurricane-force winds.
12. On January 8, the Department of Justice and AT&T reached a settlement in the U.S. government’s seven-year-old antitrust suit against the communications giant. Under the terms of the agreement, AT&T would “spin off” its 22 local operating companies into seven regional phone companies.
13. On January 8, the Justice Department also dropped its antitrust case against IBM, stating that the suit was “without merit and should be dismissed.”
14. On January 13, MLB legends Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson were both inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
15. On February 1, Late Night with David Letterman, a late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman, debuted on NBC. The show aired for over a decade until Letterman moved to CBS to host the Late Show.
16. On February 15, the Ocean Ranger, the world’s largest oil rig, sank in the North Atlantic.
17. On February 25, the final episode of The Lawrence Welk Show aired. The show ran for 27 seasons, including 16 years on ABC and 11 in first-run syndication.
18. On March 1, the New York Times raised the price of its weekday edition from 25 cents to 30 cents.
19. On March 10, President Reagan announced that the United States would ban oil imports from Libya because of the country’s continued support of terrorist groups.
20. On March 29, at the 54th Academy Awards, which honored the best films of 1981, Chariots of Fire won an Oscar for Best Picture, and Warren Beatty (Reds) won an Oscar for Best Director. Henry Fonda (On Golden Pond) won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Katherine Hepburn (On Golden Pond) won an Oscar for Best Actress.
21. On April 1, the United States turned over control of the Panama Canal to Panama. History.com explains that “Panama formally assumed responsibility for policing the Canal Zone, moving a step closer toward full ownership of the Panama Canal. The transfer of powers means that the United States special police force in the Canal Zone will be disbanded.”
22. On April 27, the trial of John Hinckley Jr. began for his attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. The trial lasted for seven weeks, with a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. (On March 30, 1981, 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.”)
23. On May 1, the World’s Fair opened in Knoxville, Tennessee. It closed on October 31 after receiving over 11 million visitors. (Just so you know, the World’s Fair also left Knoxville with a staggering $46 million debt.)
24. On May 13, Braniff Airlines filed for bankruptcy. CSMonitor.com tells us that Braniff International became the first major American airline in 20 years to file for bankruptcy protection. The airline, famous for its multicolored jets, ended a corporate lifespan that began in 1928 when it started operating a flight between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. When it stopped flying, Braniff had 8,500 employees and nearly $1 billion in debt.
25. On June 3, 12-year-old Molly Dieveney of Denver, Colorado, won the 55th National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word “psoriasis.”
26. On June 23, the temperature hit an all-time low of -117°F at the South Pole.
27. On August 17 and 18, the longest baseball game ever played at Chicago’s Wrigley Field lasted for 21 innings. The game lasted for six hours and 10 minutes.
28. Grace Kelly, a movie star born and raised in Philadelphia's East Falls neighborhood, gained fame for her roles in box office hits such as Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, and The Country Girl. Tragically, on September 13, 1982, she lost her life in a car accident when her vehicle veered off the road and fell down a 45-foot embankment in France.
29. On September 15, the first issue of USA Today hit the newsstands.
30. On September 21, NFL players began a 57-day strike that reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine-game schedule.
31. On September 22, San Francisco’s cable cars made a final run before shutting down for two years for repairs.
32. On September 29, Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide killed seven in Chicago.
33. On October 1, the Sony CDP-101—”the world’s first commercially released compact disc player”—was introduced in Japan.
34. On October 1, Marvin Gaye released his last studio album, Midnight Love, which featured his well-known single, Sexual Healing.
35. On November 13, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, was dedicated.
36. On November 23, the Department of Justice and the broadcasting industry agreed to eliminate restraints on the length of television commercials.
37. On December 14, the largest cash heist in history took place at the Sentry Armored Courier Co. in the Bronx. An estimated $11.2 million was taken in the robbery.
38. On December 31, the TV soap Doctors ended a 19-year run on NBC.
39. In 1982, Diet Coke, Crystal Light, Pepsi Free, French’s Bold ‘n Spicy mustard, and Viennetta all appeared on grocery store shelves for the first time.
40. Fashion trends for the younger crowd featured vibrant sunglasses and bangles, voluminous hairstyles, bold makeup, and neon colors. For the older group, skin-tight cotton stirrup pants, oversized turtleneck sweaters, parachute pants, and high-waisted belts were extremely popular.
41. Popular holiday gifts were BMX bikes, the Arcadia 2001 Game Console, Smurfs, the Atari 5200 Super System, Trivial Pursuit, and Strawberry Shortcake.
42. American food trends for the year included crème brûlée, kiwi fruit, lobster bisque, pasta primavera, pasta salad, Reese’s Pieces, sloppy joes, and Totino’s pizza rolls.
43. Three best-selling books were E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Storybook by William Kotzwinkle, Space by James A. Michener, and The Parsifal Mosaic by Robert Ludlum.
44. The most popular television shows were 60 Minutes (CBS), Dallas (CBS), M*A*S*H (CBS), Magnum, P.I. (CBS), and Dynasty (ABC).
45. The highest-grossing films included E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Tootsie, An Officer and a Gentleman, Rocky III, and Porky’s.
46. The board game, Trivial Pursuit, and the standalone card game, Illuminati, were both introduced.
47. In 1982 as well, the words “barista,” “biochip,” “cyberspace,” “domain name,” “hard drive,” “help screen,” “home theater,” “managed care,” “mind frame,” “MRI,” “netiquette,” “rust belt,” “snail mail,” “type 1 diabetes,” “type 2 diabetes,” “Valley girl,” and “Yukon Gold” all appeared in print for the first time.
48. FIFA World Cup: Italy
49. Indianapolis 500: Gordon Johncock
50. Kentucky Derby: Gato Del Sol
51. NBA champions: Los Angeles Lakers
52. NCAA basketball champions: North Carolina
53. NCAA football champs: Penn State
54. Orange Bowl: Clemson over Nebraska
55. Rose Bowl: Washington over Iowa
56. Stanley Cup champs: New York Islanders
57. Sugar Bowl: Pittsburgh over Georgia
58. Super Bowl XVI champions: San Francisco 49ers
59. U.S. Open Golf: Tom Watson
60. World Series champions: St. Louis Cardinals

References:

1. https://popculturemadness.com/1982-fun-facts-history-and-trivia/
2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1982
3. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1982
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_in_the_United_States
5. https://www.onthisday.com/date/1982
6. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1982.html
7. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1981.html#:~:text=1982%20Crystal%20Light%20powdered%20drink,an%20average%20cow's%20daily%20output.
8. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices
9. https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1982.htm
10. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/1982/

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.

© 026 Gregory DeVictor