August 21st, 1981.

What happened on this date?

Notable events that occurred on August 21st, 1981.

• The horror comedy film "An American Werewolf in London" is released in movie theaters.

Top songs.

These songs were on top of the music charts in the United States and the United Kingdom on August 21st, 1981.

• United States: Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
• United Kingdom: Green Door - Shakin' Stevens

Take me back to August 21st, 1981!

Let's take a walk down memory lane.

The date is August 21st, 1981, and it's a Friday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Leo. Currently, people have "that Friday feeling" and are looking forward to the weekend.

The summer of 1981 is coming to an end and fall is just around the corner. In America, the song Endless Love by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie is on top of the singles charts. Over in the UK, Green Door by Shakin' Stevens is the number one hit song.

Ronald Reagan is currently the President of the United States, and the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark is at the top of the Box Office. In the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher is the current Prime Minister. In fashion, women are currently 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 70s 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 Bill Shankly, William Holden, Natalie Wood and John Belushi would all be still alive. On TV, people are watching popular shows such as "The Incredible Hulk", "WKRP in Cincinnati", "The Facts of Life" and "Knots Landing".

Meanwhile, gamers are playing titles such as "Space Invaders", "Galaxian", "Missile Command" and "Donkey Kong". Kids and teenagers are watching TV shows such as "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", "Schoolhouse Rock!", "Battle of the Planets" and "Mork & Mindy". Popular toys at the moment include the likes of Screwball Scramble, Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine, Big wheel (tricycle) and Monchhichi / Chicaboo.

News topics, fads & culture.

These are trending news stories and fads that were prevalent at this time. These are topics that would have been in the media on August 21st, 1981.

• 

  The AIDS epidemic begins.

  In the middle of 1981, the AIDS epidemic officially began after the CDC reported that an unusual type of pneumonia had been discovered in five homosexual men in LA.

• 

  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.

• 

  The Rubik's Cube.

  During 1981 and 1982, the Rubik's Cube became a craze. The toy was so popular that books on how to solve it regularly made it into the top ten selling books list.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  Who were the best football players in 1981?

  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.

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

• 

  Lech Walesa.

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

• 

  Kim Carnes - "Bette Davis Eyes"

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

• 

  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.

• 

  Early 1980s fashion.

  The early 80s 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 during this period. The colors during the early 1980s were subdued, quiet and basic. Varying shades of brown, tan, and orange were in fashion.

• 

  The Atari 2600.

  During this period, the Atari 2600 was the dominant game system.

• 

  The Walkman.

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

• 

  People are using wallpaper to decorate their homes.

  Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, wallpaper was extremely common in people's homes. It wasn't until the mid-late 1980s that "modernism" started to creep in.

Basic facts.

Basic facts and information about this date.

• 41 years, 1 months and 9 days have passed since August 21st, 1981.
• Week Number: This date occurred during Week 34 of 1981.
• Leap Year: 1981 was not a leap year.
• Age: A person born on August 21st, 1981 will be 41 years old.
• Generation: People born in 1981 belong to the Generation Y (Millennial) generation.
• Unix Timestamp: The Unix Timestamp for this date is 367196400.

Around this time.

News stories and other events that happened around August 21st, 1981.

• July 27th, 1981: The infamous murder of 6-year-old Adam Walsh occurs in Hollywood, Florida.
• July 29th, 1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana are married in London, England.
• July 30th, 1981: Thousands of people take part in several hunger demonstrations across Poland.
• August 1st, 1981: The music channel MTV is launched.
• August 1st, 1981: Diana Ross and Lionel Richie release the song "Endless Love".
• August 3rd, 1981: 13,000 air traffic controllers go on strike in the United States.
• August 7th, 1981: The daily afternoon newspaper "The Washington Star" ceases all operations and files for bankruptcy.
• August 10th, 1981: The remains of missing 6-year-old boy Adam Walsh are found in a drainage canal in rural Indian River County, Florida.
• August 12th, 1981: The operating system "MS DOS" is released.
• August 16th, 1981: Thin Lizzy headline at Slane.
• August 19th, 1981: Gulf of Sidra incident: Two Libyan fighter jets are shot down by US forces off the Libyan coast.
• This date: August 21st, 1981
• August 22nd, 1981: 110 people die after Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103 disintegrates over Taiwan.
• August 24th, 1981: Mark Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the murder of Beatles singer John Lennon.
• September 6th, 1981: Linebacker Lawrence Taylor makes his NFL debut for the New York Giants.
• September 8th, 1981: The first episode of British sitcom "Only Fools and Horses" is aired.
• September 15th, 1981: Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first female justice of the US Supreme Court.
• September 17th, 1981: Das Boot (1981) is released.

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 August 21st, 1981, will have the star sign Leo.
• Zodiac Element: Fire.
• Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1981 was the year of the Rooster (Yin Water).
• The Life Path Number for this date is 3.
• Native American Zodiac: August 21st, 1981 falls under the Salmon.
• Birthstone: Anyone born during the month of August will have the birthstone Peridot.
• Birth flower (August): The Gladiolus and the Poppy.

Personality traits.

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on August 21st, 1981.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

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 from their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out August 21st, 1987 instead.

Conception dates.

Conception estimates for this date.

Warning! These conception dates are based on broad estimates.

• A baby that was born on August 21st, 1981 was most likely conceived around November 28th, 1980.
• The due date for a baby that was conceived on August 21st, 1981 is close to May 14th, 1982.

How old was I?

Find out what your age was on August 21st, 1981, by entering your DOB below.
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Time difference & statistics.

Here are some fun statistics about August 21st, 1981.

• A total of 15,015 days have passed since this date.
• 2,145 weeks have passed.
• 1,297,296,000 seconds have passed since the August 21st, 1981.
• If you were born on this day, your heart has beated approximately 1,513,512,000 times.
• Since August 21st, 1981, the Earth has travelled approximately 669,404,736,000 miles through space.
• If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 216,216,000 times.
• If you were born on this day, you have taken approximately 111,567,456 steps. That's about 49,586 miles!
• Since this date, 15,567,552 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere!

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