By Books Writer Denise Turney
Rubik’s Cube, BET and MTV videos, double ditching, the best movies and outdoor face-to-face fun are just a few things that make the 1980s such a good decade. Reality TV was just getting started back then, thanks to MTV’s first reality show “The Real World”. Looking back, life seemed so much simpler during the 1980s.
Powering Good Memories
But that’s the way life often feels while looking back. Simply put, challenges are mere memories when it comes to reviewing the past. There’s nothing for fear to attach to. You’ve overcome more than you expected. Life should feel great!
Yet, there really are 1980s events, inventions and happenings that set the decade apart, that help to make it so gorgeous. If you’re a sports fan, you may have loved watching Dayton, Ohio’s Edwin Moses win one 400-meter hurdle race after another. Talk about an athletic phenomenon. Edwin Moses would go on to win gold medals in the hurdles in the 1976 and the 1984 Olympics, winning more than 100 consecutive finals over a 10-year span.
Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo Jo), Magic Johnson, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Wayne Gretzky, Lindsay Vonn, Lawrence Taylor, Ingrid Kristiansen and Carl Lewis, to mention only a few athletic greats, were among the best sports icons from the 1980s. Chance to watch top-notch athletes compete was easy, especially considering that many home televisions still only had three channels.
Ready for Fun!
ABC Wide World of Sports caught so much of the action, which brings up another point. During the 1980s, fun was often and outdoors experience. There was no Internet to keep you indoors. Cell phones weren’t around then either.
Fortunately, if you wanted to connect with friends, you had to get outside, even if you only ventured outdoors to go to a friend’s house. Ice cream trucks still rang down neighborhood streets. Kids sang cool songs as they double ditched on the sidewalk. At the back of houses or down the street at the Boys Club or Girls Club, kids played basketball.
1980s Had The Best Movies
Soccer and throwing frisbees at the park were other fun activities. Then, there were blockbuster movies. Do you remember standing in line at the theater to pay for a ticket to see the latest hit film? See if any of these hit movies1 ring a bell, pulling up fond memories:
- Raging Bull starring Robert DeNiro
- E.T., a Steven Spielberg hit
- Indiana Jones
- The Color Purple
- The Killing Fields
- Moonstruck starring Cher
- Do The Right Thing, a Spike Lee production
- The Elephant Man
- Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman
- The Terminator
- Die Hard starring Bruce Willis
- Scarface starring Al Pacino
- Terms of Endearment starring Shirley McClain and Debra Winger
That list could go on and on. It really is amazing how many incredible movies were produced and released during the 1980s.
Check Out These 1980s Inventions
As it is with the movies, greatness calls for creativity. Courage and smart risk taking are other must-haves when it comes to greatness. In that vein, among memorable 1980s inventions2, there’s:
- Doppler radar – Welcome to the world of better weather forecasting
- Apple MacIntosh – And it begins; talk about a dynasty
- Disposable camera – A start toward the digital camera
- DNA Fingerprinting
- CD-ROM
- Human growth hormone
- Video games – The video game industry has never looked back!
- Artificial heart
- Chicken McNuggets – Who knew?
- Space shuttle
- Walkman
- Hepatitis-B vaccine
- Personal computer – They were big and clunky; gotta start somewhere
Were People Nicer – What Do You Think?
People seemed nicer in the 1980s too. Could be that you mirrored the respectful behavior you saw others emulating. There was no computer screen to hide mean thoughts and sayings behind. You said what you did right in someone’s face, which might have encouraged more civility.
Friends made time to hang out, even if they had to drive across town to meet up. Another thing, when the telephone rang at home, you answered. Before answering machines and cell phones became the norm, you could miss an important message if you just let the phone ring.
Here’s To The Great 1980s
Wonder if that encouraged stronger communication skills. However you look at it, the 1980s definitely was an amazing time, filled with ups and downs, fortunes and regrets. It was also a time you can’t forget. From the inventions to the sports to the entertainment to the friendships to the lessons learned to the fun – the 1980s was among the best decades.
Love Pour Over Me captures the glory of the 1980s. It’s also a page-turning romantic suspense. Raymond Clarke will remind you of some of the world’s top athletes, even as he struggles through hardships brought on from his childhood. Believe in soul mates? You may absolutely love witnessing Raymond’s and Brenda’s love relationship; it’s deeply moving. Treat yourself to a copy! Here’s to the great 1980s!
Resources:
- IMDB – https://www.imdb.com/list/ls005747458/
- Techspirited – https://techspirited.com/inventions-of-1980s#:~:text=%20Some%20famous%2080s%20inventions%3A%20%201%20MS-DOS,12%20The%20Columbia%20space%20shuttle%20%281981%29%20More%20
Buy Love Pour Over Me – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Z2GXM2D
