May 1st, 1981

On this day.

What happened on May 1st, 1981?

• The horror movie Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) is released.

Music charts.

Songs that were on top of the music singles charts in the USA and the United Kingdom on May 1st, 1981.

• United States: Morning Train - Sheena Easton
• United Kingdom: Making Your Mind Up - Bucks Fizz

Take me back to May 1st, 1981!

Let's take a stroll down memory lane!

The date is May 1st, 1981, and it's a Friday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Taurus. Most people have "that Friday feeling" and are looking forward to the weekend.

The summer of 1981 has finally arrived. The weather has warmed up, and the evenings are brighter than usual. In America, the song Morning Train by Sheena Easton is at the top of the singles charts. Over in the UK, Making Your Mind Up by Bucks Fizz is the number-one hit song.

Ronald Reagan is the President of the United States, and the movie Excalibur 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 "Columbo", "Happy Days", "Quincy, M.E.", and "The Incredible Hulk".

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", "Galaxian", and "Missile Command". Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "Battle of the Planets", "Mork & Mindy", "Diff'rent Strokes", and "Thundarr the Barbarian". Children are playing with toys such as Lego Technic, Cabbage Patch Kids, Screwball Scramble, and Rubik's Cube.

News topics, nostalgic fads, and pop culture events.

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on May 1st, 1981.

• 

  1981 in music.

  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.

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  The Rubik's Cube.

  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.

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  Who were the best NBA players in 1981?

  The best NBA players in 1981 were Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Gervin and Dennis Johnson.

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  1981 in movies.

  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.

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  Best soccer players.

  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.

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  Chariots of Fire.

  "Chariots of Fire" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1981.

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  Lech Walesa.

  The architect of the Gdansk Agreement, Lech Walesa, was named Time Person of the Year in 1981.

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  Kim Carnes - "Bette Davis Eyes"

  "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes won a Grammy for 1981's Song of the Year.

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  Iran-Iraq War.

  Between September 1980 and August 1988, an armed conflict was being fought between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iraqi Republic.

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  Early 1980s fashion.

  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.

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  Computers are replacing typewriters.

  Desktop computers were beginning to replace typewriters in offices.

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  TV remotes.

  Although TV remotes existed, many homes didn't have one. Infrared technology was still relatively new.

• 

  The Atari 2600.

  The Atari 2600 was the dominant video game system.

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  The Atlanta murders of 1979–1981.

  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.

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  The Walkman.

  In the late 1970s and 1980s, portable cassette players such as the "Sony Walkman" were becoming more common.

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  Wallpaper.

  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.

Facts.

Basic facts and information about this date:

• 42 years and 27 days have passed since May 1st, 1981.
• Week Number: This date occurred during Week 18 of 1981.
• Leap Year: 1981 was not a leap year.
• Age: People born on May 1st, 1981, are now 42 years old.
• Generation: People born in 1981 belong to the Generation Y (Millennial) generation.
• Unix Timestamp: The Unix Timestamp for this date is 357519600.

Personality traits.

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on May 1st, 1981.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

Around this time.

News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around May 1st, 1981.

• April 4th, 1981: The Iranian air force destroys 48 aircraft at an Iraqi airbase.
• April 9th, 1981: A Japanese cargo ship sinks after a US Navy nuclear submarine accidentally collides with it.
• April 10th, 1981: Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands is elected as an MP in Northern Ireland.
• April 11th, 1981: The 1981 Brixton riots occur.
• April 12th, 1981: Boxing legend Joe Louis passes away at the age of 66.
• April 27th, 1981: The first PC with a computer mouse is released by Xerox.
• This date: May 1st, 1981
• May 5th, 1981: Provisional IRA member Bobby Sands dies while on hunger strike in prison.
• May 11th, 1981: Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley dies from cancer at the age of 38.
• May 12th, 1981: Provisional IRA hunger striker Francis Hughes dies in prison.
• May 13th, 1981: A man attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II.
• May 14th, 1981: FA Cup Final 1981: Tottenham Hotspur defeat Manchester City 3-2 in a replay.
• May 14th, 1981: The Boston Celtics win the 1981 NBA Finals after they defeat the Houston Rockets 4-2.
• May 15th, 1981: American serial killer Lemuel Smith murders a female correctional officer by the name of Donna Payant.
• May 21st, 1981: The state funeral of reggae singer Bob Marley takes place in Jamaica.
• May 22nd, 1981: Peter Sutcliffe is found guilty of being the Yorkshire Ripper.
• May 24th, 1981: Ecuadorian President Jaime Roldós Aguilera and his wife, Martha Bucaram, are killed in a plane crash.
• May 27th, 1981: Football: Liverpool win the European Cup after defeating Real Madrid 1-0.
• May 30th, 1981: Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman is assassinated by a group of army officers in Chittagong.

Horoscope, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Zodiac and birthstone information.

NEW! Check out our personality summary image for this birth date.

• Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on May 1st, 1981, will have the star sign Taurus.
• Zodiac Element: Earth.
• Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1981 was the year of the Rooster (Yin Water).
• The Life Path Number for this date is 7.
• Native American Zodiac: May 1st, 1981 falls under the Beaver.
• Birthstone: A person during the month of May will have the birthstone Emerald.
• Birth flower (May): The Lily of the Valley and the Hawthorn.

Photos of early 1980s fashion.

Photographs of early 1980s fashion and hairstyles.

Cars in 1981.

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).

Were you born on this date?

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 May 1st, 1987, instead.

Holidays.

National holidays and famous events that fall on the 1st of May.

• May Day / Labour Day (France)
• International Workers' Day

Conception dates.

Conception estimates for this date.

Warning! These conception dates are based on broad estimates.

• A baby that was born on May 1st, 1981 was most likely conceived around August 8th, 1980.
• The due date for a baby that was conceived on May 1st, 1981 is close to January 22nd, 1982.

How old was I?

Find out what your age was on May 1st, 1981, by entering your DOB below.
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Time difference & statistics.

Here are some fun statistics about May 1st, 1981.

• A total of 15,367 days have passed since this date.
• 2,195 weeks have passed.
• 1,327,708,800 seconds have passed since the May 1st, 1981.
• If you were born on this day, your heart has beated approximately 1,548,993,600 times.
• Since May 1st, 1981, the Earth has travelled approximately 685,097,740,800 miles through space.
• If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 221,284,800 times.
• If you were born on this day, you have taken approximately 114,182,957 steps. That's about 50,748 miles!
• Since this date, 15,932,506 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere!
• How many years ago was 1981?

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