January 15th, 1981, was a Thursday. It was Day 15 of 1981. The decade was the Eighties.
42 years, 8 months, and 19 days have passed since January 15th, 1981.
The zodiac star sign for this date is Capricorn.
People who were born on this exact date.
These songs were on top of the music charts in the United States and the United Kingdom on January 15th, 1981.
These were the top five songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart:
The movie "9 to 5" was at the top of the box office on this day.
Ready for a walk down memory lane?
The date is January 15th, 1981, and it's a Thursday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Capricorn. The Christmas holiday season is long over, the decorations have been taken down and a sense of normality has returned.
In America, the song Starting Over by John Lennon is at the top of the singles charts. Over in the UK, Imagine by John Lennon is the number-one hit song. Jimmy Carter is the President of the United States, and the movie 9 to 5 is at the top of the box office.
Margaret Thatcher is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. On television, people are watching popular shows such as "The Jeffersons", "Three's Company", "Eight Is Enough", and "The Dukes of Hazzard". In fashion, women are wearing jelly shoes, turtleneck sweaters, loose high-waist pants, crop tops, and puffer jackets lined with fur. Meanwhile, men have been ditching the disco look of the 1970s in favor of athletic clothing such as tracksuits and sports jerseys. The "preppy" look has also been making a comeback.
Because it's 1981, the radio stations are being dominated by artists such as Kim Carnes, Soft Cell, Phil Collins, John Lennon, Stars On 45, Diana Ross and Olivia Newton-John. If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as Bob Marley, Terry Fox, Adam Walsh, and Bill Shankly would all still be alive. People are playing video games such as "Breakout", "Space Invaders", "Lunar Lander", and "Galaxian".
Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "Happy Days", "The All New Popeye Hour", "Diff'rent Strokes", and "The New Adventures of Flash Gordon". Children are playing with toys such as Magna Doodle, Water Ring Toss, Speak & Spell, and the Big Wheel (tricycle).
These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on January 15th, 1981.
Popular music artists in 1981 included Kim Carnes, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Rick Springfield, Kool & the Gang, Hall & Oates, Eddie Rabbitt, Dolly Parton and REO Speedwagon.
The Rubik's Cube became a craze in 1981 and 1982. The toy was so popular that books on how to solve it regularly made it into the top ten selling books list.
The best NBA players in 1981 were Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Gervin and Dennis Johnson.
Movies released in 1981 included Raiders of the Lost Ark, On Golden Pond, Superman II, Arthur, Stripes, The Cannonball Run, Chariots of Fire, For Your Eyes Only, The Four Seasons, Escape from New York, The Evil Dead, Mad Max 2, An American Werewolf in London and Time Bandits.
In 1981, the best soccer players were Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Paul Breitner, Bernd Schuster, Michel Platini, Oleg Blokhin, Dino Zoff, Ramaz Shengelia, Alexsandr Chivadze, Liam Brady and John Wark.
"Chariots of Fire" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1981.
The architect of the Gdansk Agreement, Lech Walesa, was named Time Person of the Year in 1981.
"Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes won a Grammy for 1981's Song of the Year.
Between September 1980 and August 1988, an armed conflict was being fought between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iraqi Republic.
The early 1980s saw a minimalist approach to fashion, with some trends carrying over from the late 1970s. Sweaters, fur-lined puffer jackets, tunics, ripped jeans, leotards, velour tracksuits, tube tops, knee-length skirts, high-waisted pants, and embroidered jeans were all popular. The colors during the early 1980s were subdued, quiet, and basic. Varying shades of brown, tan, and orange were in fashion.
Desktop computers were beginning to replace typewriters in offices.
Although TV remotes existed, many homes didn't have one. Infrared technology was still relatively new.
The Atari 2600 was the dominant video game system.
The Iran hostage crisis was ongoing. Between November 4th, 1979, and January 20th, 1981, 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage in Iran. The hostages were taken into captivity after a group of Iranian college students stormed the US embassy in Tehran.
During this time, the Atlanta murders of 1979–1981 were taking place. At least 28 children and young adults were murdered before Wayne Williams was eventually arrested and convicted.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, portable cassette players such as the "Sony Walkman" were becoming more common.
Wallpaper was extremely common in people's homes throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It wasn't until the mid-late 1980s that "modernism" started to creep in.
Basic facts and information about this date:
Check out our personality summary for people who were born on January 15th, 1981.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around January 15th, 1981.
Zodiac and birthstone information.
NEW! Check out our personality summary image for this birth date.
Photographs of early 1980s fashion and hairstyles.
Television shows that people were watching in January 1981.
Magnum, P.I.
Starring Tom Selleck as Private Investigator Thomas Magnum.
Knots Landing
American soap opera.
Archie Bunker's Place
Sitcom starring Carroll O'Connor.
Trapper John, M.D.
Medical drama.
Hart to Hart
TV show about a couple who moonlight as detectives.
The Facts of Life
Sitcom about a girls boarding school in Peekskill, New York. Starring Charlotte Rae as housemother Edna Garrett.
The Dukes of Hazzard
American television series.
WKRP in Cincinnati
Sitcom about staff members who work at a radio station in Cincinnati.
Taxi
American sitcom starring Andy Kaufman and Danny DeVito.
Dallas
Soap opera.
The Incredible Hulk
Starring Lou Ferrigno.
The Love Boat
Television series that was set on a cruise ship. Starring Gavin MacLeod as Captain Merrill Stubing.
Chips
TV show about two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers called Jon Baker and Frank "Ponch" Poncherello.
Soap
Comedy series / satire about soap operas. Starring Billy Crystal as Jodie Dallas.
Eight Is Enough
Television series about the "Bradford brood" and their father.
Three's Company
Sitcom about two girls and their male room mate.
Quincy, M.E.
TV show about a Los Angeles County medical examiner called Dr. Quincy.
Charlie's Angels
TV show about three female police academy-trained private detectives.
Laverne & Shirley
Series about two roommates called Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney.
Barney Miller
Sitcom about a police station in New York City. Starring Hal Linden as Captain Bernard "Barney" Miller.
The Jeffersons
TV show about an African- American couple that have moved into an upscale high-rise building.
Little House on the Prairie
TV show that was set in the 1870s.
Happy Days
TV show that is set in the 1950s / 1960s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Last of the Summer Wine
British sitcom about three senior citizens in the Yorkshire Dales.
M*A*S*H
TV series about an American military medical unit during the Korean War.
The Waltons
TV series about a family living in rural Virginia during the Great Depression.
The Two Ronnies
British comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett.
1981 saw the introduction of cars such as the Chevrolet Cavalier, the DMC DeLorean, the Honda City, the Nissan Maxima, the BMW 5 Series (E28) and the Chevrolet Camaro (third generation).
Cartoons and TV shows that children and teenagers were watching on this day in 1981.
Thundarr the Barbarian
Cockleshell Bay
The New Adventures of Flash Gordon
Mork & Mindy
Battle of the Planets
The All New Popeye Hour
The Muppet Show
Happy Days
Schoolhouse Rock!
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Sesame Street
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
The Bugs Bunny Show
Captain Kangaroo
Toys and games that were popular on this date in 1981.
Space Lego
Fischer Price cassette player
Monchhichi / Chicaboo
Rubik's Cube
Strawberry Shortcake dolls
The Big Wheel (tricycle)
Intellivision (games console)
The Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine
Screwball Scramble
Cabbage Patch Kids
Speak & Spell
Simon (memory game)
Hungry Hungry Hippos
Water Ring Toss
The Atari 2600
Star Wars action figures
Lego Technic
Dungeons & Dragons
Magna Doodle
Big Jim (action figure)
VertiBird (toy helicopter)
Lite-Brite
Operation
The Easy-Bake Oven
Popular video games that people were playing in January of 1981.
Missile Command
Arcade game developed by Atari.
Pac-Man
Maze arcade game.
Galaxian
Fixed shooter arcade game.
Asteroids
Space-themed shooter arcade game.
Lunar Lander
In which the player controls a lunar landing module.
Space Invaders
Shooter arcade game.
Breakout
Arcade game published by Atari.
If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1981.
This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories of their early childhood.
If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out January 15th, 1987, instead.
Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on January 15th.
Activist. Deceased
Born on January 15th, 1929
He was not alive on this date.
NFL player.
Born on January 15th, 1979
He turned 2 on this day in 1981.
American political commentator.
Born on January 15th, 1984
He was born exactly 3 years after this date.
Dance producer.
Born on January 15th, 1988
He was born exactly 7 years after this date.
Jimmy Carter was the President of the United States on January 15th, 1981.
Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Charles Haughey was the Taoiseach of Ireland.
Conception estimates for this date.
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