Amadeusopens on Broadway, where it runs for
1,181 performances; the drama will receive 1981
Tony Awards for Best Play (playwright Peter
Shaffer), Best Actor (Ian McKellan), and Best Di-
rector (Peter Hall).
Popular culture:The Empire Strikes Backearns $290
million at the box office. (Sept. 23) Reggae musi-
cian Bob Marley plays his final live performance
at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva-
nia. (Nov. 21) Millions of viewers tune into the
television programDallasto learn who shot lead
character J. R. Ewing, the largest audience for a
television show up to that point.
Sports:(Jan. 20) The Pittsburgh Steelers become
the first National Football League (NFL) team to
win four Super Bowls, defeating the Los Angeles
Rams, 31-19. (Feb. 22) In what is called the Mira-
cle on Ice, the U.S. hockey team defeats the Soviet
Union in the semifinals of the Winter Olympics;
the United States goes on to win the gold medal.
(Mar. 21) President Jimmy Carter announces that
the United States will boycott the 1980 Summer
Olympics in Moscow. (Apr. 21) Rosie Ruiz wins
the Boston Marathon but is later exposed as a
fraud and stripped of her medal. (Jul. 19-Aug. 3)
The Summer Olympic Games are held in Mos-
cow. (Oct. 21) The Philadelphia Phillies win their
first World Series, beating the Kansas City Royals,
4-1, in game 6.
Crime:(May 7) Paul Geidel, convicted of second-
degree murder in 1911, is released from prison in
Beacon, New York, after 68 years and 245 days, the
longest time ever served by an American inmate.
(Oct. 15) Terrorist James Hoskins forces his way
into a Cincinnati, Ohio, television studio, holding
nine employees hostage for several hours before
releasing them and taking his own life. (Dec. 8)
Former Beatle John Lennon is shot and killed
outside his New York City apartment by Mark Da-
vid Chapman, a deranged fan.
1981
International events:(May 13) Pope John Paul II is
shot and nearly killed by Mehmet Ali Agca, a
Turkish gunman, as he enters St. Peter’s Square
in Rome to address a general audience. (May 21)
Socialist François Mitterrand becomes president
of France. (Oct. 6) Egyptian president Anwar
Sadat is assassinated during a parade by army
members who were part of the Egyptian Islamic
Jihad organization, a group opposed to his nego-
tiations with Israel. (Dec. 13) Polish president
Wojciech Jaruzelski declares martial law in re-
sponse to growing government opposition by the
Solidarity trade union.
Government and politics:(Jan. 19) Officials from
the United States and Iran sign an agreement to
release fifty-two American hostages after 444 days
of captivity. (Jan. 20) Ronald Reagan becomes the
fortieth president of the United States; minutes
after his inauguration, Iran releases the fifty-two
American hostages. (Mar. 30) President Reagan is
shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., ho-
tel by John Hinckley, Jr.; two police officers and
Press Secretary James Brady are also wounded.
(Aug. 19) President Reagan appoints Sandra Day
O’Connor to be the first woman justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court.
Military and war:(Aug. 19) Libyan leader Muammar
al-Qaddafi sends two fighter jets to intercept two
U.S. fighter jets over the Gulf of Sidra; the Ameri-
can jets destroy the Libyan fighters. (Aug. 31) A
bomb explodes at the U.S. Air Force base in
Ramstein, West Germany, injuring twenty people.
Society:Pac-Man, a Japanese video arcade game, is
introduced in the United States. (Jul.) Christine
Craft, an anchorwoman on a Kansas City televi-
sion station, is demoted to reporter after focus
group research concludes she is “too old, too un-
attractive, and wouldn’t defer to men.” (Jul. 29)
Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of
Wales.
Business and economics:G. D. Searle and Company
begins selling NutraSweet, the brand name for as-
partame, an artificial sugar, after the FDA ap-
proves the product. (Jan. 21) The first De Lorean,
a stainless steel sports car with gull-wing doors,
moves off the production line.
Transportation and communications:(Mar. 6) Wal-
ter Cronkite signs off for the last time after an-
choring theCBS Evening Newsfor nineteen years.
(Aug. 3) The Professional Air Traffic Controllers
Organization (PATCO) goes on strike. (Aug. 5)
President Reagan fires 11,359 striking air traffic
controllers who ignore his order to return to
work. (Aug. 7) TheWashington Starceases opera-
tions after 128 years of publication. (Sept. 26)
The Boeing 767 airliner makes its debut flight.
Science and technology:(Mar. 19) Three workers
are killed and five are injured during a test of theThe Eighties in America Time Line 1145