A Year In The Life: 1983
Sharp dressed fam in 1983.
Part of an ongoing series that highlights some of what was happening during one of my trips around Spaceship Earth. When possible, I will include any meaningful memories and/or photos from a particular year.
This is my fourth dive into what was going on in the world during a given year of my life: in this case, 1983!
U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly proposes the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) during a televised address (March).
U.S. Embassy in Beirut bombed (April 18)
Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space (June 18).
Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 21 (August).
The United States invades Grenada (October 25th of 1983).
THE SPORTING NEWS IN 1983:
The Baltimore Orioles beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.
The North Carolina State Wolfpack beat the Houston Cougars in the Men’s College Basketball Championship game.
The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
The Washington Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.
THE TOP TEN SONGS OF 1983:
Every Breath You Take by the Police
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Flashdance…What A Feeling by Irene Cara
Down Under by Men At Work
Beat It by Michael Jackson
Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler
Maneater by Hall & Oates
Baby, Come to Me by Patti Austin and James Ingram
Maniac by Michael Sembello
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by the Eurythmics
FIVE MEANINGFUL (TO ME) ALBUMS RELEASED IN 1983:
Speaking in Tongues by the Talking Heads
Let’s Dance by David Bowie
Subterranean Jungle by the Ramones
Kill ‘Em All by Metallica
The Final Cut by Pink Floyd
SOME FILMS FROM 1983 THAT I LOVE:
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Christine
Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life
Strange Brew
National Lampoon’s Vacation
A Christmas Story
A SMATTERING OF BOOKS FROM 1983 THAT I ENJOY:
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England by William Cronon
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King
MEMORY LANE:
Still working from a very incomplete and blurry set of memories at this point. I do know that factually this is the year that my mother was pregnant with my brother, Nick, and that I spent time attending “sibling” classes offered at the hospital where he was going to be born. And, I guess technically he was born while I was three (his birthday is June 02 and mine is June 26th). That said, some of the most foundational memories I have that I know are mine came after he came on the scene, so I’m going to wait and include them in my next entry (aka: 1984!)