1980's
Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades: 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s - 1980s - 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Events and trends
Computers, technology
Science
War, peace and politics
Economics
Culture
Others
World Leaders
Entertainers
- Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Glory)
- Phoebe Cates (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Gremlins)
- Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Rain Man, Risky Business, The Color of Money)
- Emilio Estevez (The Breakfast Club, The Outsiders, Young Guns)
- Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones series, Star Wars series, Blade Runner, Witness)
- Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future series)
- Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon series, Mad Max series)
- Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee)
- Michael Keaton (Batman, Mr. Mom, Night Shift)
- George Lucas (Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Captain Eo)
- Eddie Murphy (Saturday Night Live, Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places)
- Jack Nicholson (Terms of Endearment, The Shining, Batman, Prizzi's Honor, Ironweed, Reds)
- Michelle Pfeiffer (Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator, Predator, Conan the Barbarian)
Film
Television
Sports figures
Music
- Compact Disc introduced, gradually replaces vinyl records.
- see hip hop, old school rap, heavy metal music, twee pop, hair metal, New Wave music, New Romantic, shoegazing, jangle pop, alternative rock, dream pop, techno, house, acid house, two-tone
- Aerosmith (Pump)
- Afrika Bambaataa (Planet Rock)
- Alabama (awarded ACM "Artists of the Decade")
- Anthrax (State of Euphoria)
- a-ha (Hunting High and Low)
- Public Enemy (It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back)
- The B-52's (The B-52's)
- Bad Religion (Suffer)
- The Bangles (All Over the Place)
- Beastie Boys (License to Ill)
- Clint Black (Killin' Time)
- Black Flag
- David Byrne (The Catherine Wheel)
- Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Blow)
- The Cars (Heartbeat City)
- Celtic Frost (Into the Pandemonium)
- Tracy Chapman (Tracy Chapman)
- The Clash (London Calling)
- Cocteau Twins (Head over Heels)
- Phil Collins (Face Value)
- De La Soul (Three Feet High and Rising)
- Def Leppard (Pyromania)
- Devo (Freedom of Choice)
- Dokken (Tooth and Nail)
- Duran Duran (Rio)
- Embrace (Embrace)
- Brian Eno & David Byrne (My Life in the Bush of Ghosts)
- Eric B. & Rakim (Follow the Leader)
- Faith No More (The Real Thing)
- Fields of the Nephilim (Dawnrazor)
- A Flock of Seagulls (A Flock of Seagulls)
- John Fogerty (Centerfield)
- Peter Gabriel (Gabriel III (melting face cover))
- The Go-Go's (The Beauty and the Beat)
- Amy Grant (Straight Ahead)
- Guns n' Roses (Appetite for Destruction)
- Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (The Message)
- Hüsker Dü (Zen Arcade)
- John Cougar Mellencamp (Scarecrow)
- Menudo (Reaching Out)
- Mercyful Fate (Don't Break the Oath)
- Michael Jackson (Thriller)
- Mission UK (The First Chapter)
- The Jam (Sound Affects)
- Jane's Addiction (Nothing's Shocking)
- Jesus & Mary Chain (Pyschocandy)
- Joy Division (Closer)
- Kraftwerk (Computer World)
- Cyndi Lauper (She's So Unusual)
- k.d. lang (Shadowland)
- LL Cool J (Radio)
- Madonna (Like a Virgin)
- Bob Marley (Uprising)
- Ministry (The Land of Rape and Honey)
- Sugar Minnott (Good Thing Going)
- Mötley Crüe (Shout at the Devil)
- My Bloody Valentine (Isn't Anything)
- My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (I See Good Spirits & I See Bad Spirits)
- Nine Inch Nails (Pretty Hate Machine)
- N.W.A. (Straight Outta Compton)
- The Offspring (The Offspring)
- Quiet Riot (Metal Health)
- Augustus Pablo (Earth's Rightful Ruler)
- Pennywise (Pennywise)
- Pixies (Doolittle)
- Poison (Open Up & Say...Ahh!)
- The Police (Synchronicity)
- The Pogues (Rum Sodomy & the Lash)
- The Pretenders (The Pretenders)
- Prince (Purple Rain)
- R.E.M. (Murmur)
- Rainbow (Down to Earth)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers (Freaky Styley)
- The Replacements (Tim)
- Rick Springfield (Working Class Dog)
- Rockin' Sidney (My Zydeco Shoes Got the Zydeco Blues)
- Run DMC (Kings of Rock)
- Sepultura (Beneath the Remains)
- Simple Minds (Once Upon a Time)
- The Sisters of Mercy (Floodland)
- Skinny Puppy ((VIVISect VI)
- Slick Rick (The Great Adventures of Slick Rick)
- The Smiths (The Queen Is Dead)
- Soft Cell (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing)
- Sonic Youth (Daydream Nation)
- Sting (The Dream of the Blue Turtles)
- The Specials (More Specials)
- Bruce Springsteen (Born in the U.S.A.)
- Stryper (The Yellow and Black Attack)
- Talking Heads (Speaking in Tongues)
- Tina Turner (Private Dancer)
- Randy Travis (Storms of Life)
- Peter Tosh (Mama Africa)
- U2 (The Joshua Tree)
- Van Halen (Women and Children First)
- Violent Femmes (Violent Femmes)
- W.A.S.P. (F**k Like a Beast)
- Wham! (Make It Big)
- Whitesnake (Saints and Sinners)
- Yellowman (Mister Yellowman)
- Yo La Tengo (New Wave Hot Dogs)
- Dwight Yoakam (Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.)
- ZZ Topp (Afterburner)
