80 moments from the '80s
Olympic upset in Moscow: British runner Sebastian Coe crosses the finish line to win the 1,500-meter final at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. This was considered a huge upset and one of the most memorable moments of that year's Games. Coe later entered politics and led London's winning bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.
80 moments from the '80s
Sabra and Shatila massacre: In this Pulitzer Prize-winning photo taken September 27, 1982, by Associated Press photographer Bill Foley, a woman holds up helmets that she believes were worn by those who killed hundreds of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps during the 1982 Israel-Lebanon war. The murders were committed by Lebanese militia members, but an Israeli government inquiry determined Israel was complicit in the massacre.
80 moments from the '80s
Another magical kingdom: Epcot Center, Disney's second theme park based in Florida, opened its doors on October 1, 1982, and launched perhaps its most iconic attraction: the giant, spherical Spaceship Earth ride, which explores the history of human communications.
80 moments from the '80s
Rivalry reignited: Magic Johnson, right, and Larry Bird go head to head as the Los Angeles Lakers battle the Boston Celtics for the NBA title in June 1984. The seven-game playoff series, won by the Celtics, added fuel to a Johnson-Bird rivalry that went back to their college days.
80 moments from the '80s
Sure shot: Jack Nicklaus, who many consider to be the greatest golfer of all time, won his sixth Masters title on April 13, 1986. He was 46 years old -- the second-oldest player to ever win a major tournament.
80 moments from the '80s
'Going postal': On August 20, 1986, an Oklahoma mailman opened fire on his co-workers, killing 14 before turning the gun on himself. The part-time postal worker was facing the possibility he might be fired from his Edmond, Oklahoma, post office. The incident came to be seen as one of the first -- and the deadliest -- in a series of post-office shooting rampages. It lead to the expression "going postal" to describe someone arbitrarily opening fire on a group of people.
80 moments from the '80s
'It gets through Buckner!': The Boston Red Sox were up three games to two in the 1986 World Series when the team's first baseman, Bill Buckner, misplayed a ball hit to him, allowing the New York Mets to win Game 6. The Mets went on to win Game 7, making Buckner a scapegoat for the World Series loss. Boston hadn't won a World Series since 1918.
80 moments from the '80s
Iran + Contra?: It was the 1980s equivalent of the Watergate scandal. President Reagan's administration was funneling money to the anti-Communist Contras in Nicaragua by selling arms to Iran in exchange for hostages -- despite a congressional ban on such sales. And when Congress began holding hearings into the matter, a riveted nation came to know Lt. Col. Oliver North, an official with the National Security Council who directed the secret operation. North portrayed his actions as nothing less than patriotic.
80 moments from the '80s
Baby Jessica: When an 18-month-old baby fell into an abandoned water well in her aunt's backyard in October 1987, millions of Americans spent three days glued to their televisions to see if she had been rescued. After being trapped 22 feet underground for three days, "Baby Jessica" -- as she was known by the end of the week -- was finally rescued on October 16, 1987.
80 moments from the '80s
Black Monday: At the time, it seemed almost unimaginable that the Dow Jones Industrial Average could drop 500 points in a single day of trading. And yet that was exactly what happened on October 19, 1987, a day that would become known as Black Monday. The market began falling at the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange, and as panic ensued, the losses accelerated until the closing bell. It was the largest drop since 1914, with the Dow losing 22% of its value.
80 moments from the '80s
Prelude to the Gulf War: For much of the 1980s, Americans knew vaguely that Iraq was locked in a war with Iran. But in 1988, news of chemical attacks by Iraq against a Kurdish minority began to surface. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered the attacks in an effort to squelch a challenge by separatist Kurds. The grisly chemical attacks came after Hussein had deployed thousands of soldiers to the region where most Kurds live in Iraq. These skirmishes would eventually lead to the first Gulf War.
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