1980s
The decade saw a dominance of conservatism and free market economics, and a socioeconomic change due to advances in technology and a worldwide move away from planned economies and towards laissez-faire capitalism compared to the 1970s.
The world came perilously close to nuclear war for the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, but the second half of the decade saw a dramatic easing of superpower tensions and ultimately the total collapse of Soviet communism.
By 1986, nationalism was making a comeback in the Eastern Bloc, and the desire for democracy in socialist states, combined with economic recession, resulted in Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika, which reduced Communist Party power, legalized dissent and sanctioned limited forms of capitalism such as joint ventures with companies from capitalist countries.
The first "designer babies", a pair of female twins, were created in a laboratory in late 1989 and born in July 1990 after being sex-selected via the controversial assisted reproductive technology procedure preimplantation genetic diagnosis.
In full view of the world, a faulty O-ring on the right solid rocket booster allowed hot gases to burn through the external fuel tank and cause it to explode, destroying the shuttle in the process.
In the same year, Chrysler bought AMC from Renault laying to rest the last significant independent US automaker, but acquiring the hugely profitable Jeep line and continuing the Eagle brand until the late 1990s.
The scene also helped 1970s hard rock artists and bands such as AC/DC, Heart, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Blue Öyster Cult, Deep Purple, Queen, Van Halen, KISS, Ronnie James Dio, Rush and Judas Priest reach a new generation of fans.
The Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Run-D.M.C., Grandmaster Flash, the Furious Five, N.W.A, LL Cool J, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Ice-T, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Tone Lōc, Biz Markie, The Sugar Hill Gang and others experienced success in this genre.
Groundbreaking artists such as Alabama, Hank Williams Jr., Reba McEntire, George Strait, Ricky Skaggs, Janie Fricke, The Judds, and Randy Travis achieved multiple platinum and award status, foreshadowing the genre's popularity explosion in the 1990s.
Artists and bands included Seiko Matsuda, Akina Nakamori, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Yōko Oginome, Yoko Minamino, Chisato Moritaka, Wink, Saki Kubota, Rebecca, the Southern All Stars, Eiichi Ohtaki and Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Artists who topped the UK annual singles chart included The Human League, Dexys Midnight Runners, Culture Club, Jennifer Rush, The Communards, Cliff Richard and Black Box.
Other famous and popular female singers included Belinda Carlisle, Bette Midler, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, Debbie Gibson, Deniece Williams, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, Joan Jett, Kate Bush, Kim Wilde, Laura Branigan, Martika, Nena, Pat Benatar, Paula Abdul, Samantha Fox, Sheena Easton, Tiffany Darwish and Tina Turner.
Other famous and popular bands included Bee Gees, Boston, Cheap Trick, The Cure, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Genesis, Hall & Oates, Imagination, The Jackson 5, KC and the Sunshine Band, Kool & the Gang, Lipps Inc., Miami Sound Machine, Mike and the Mechanics, Men at Work, Motörhead, New Kids on the Block, The Pointer Sisters, The Rolling Stones, The Stranglers, Tight Fit, Toto, UB40, Whitesnake, Yes and ZZ Top.
Other artists with US number 1 singles included John Cougar, Captain & Tennille, Rupert Holmes, Eddie Rabbitt, Stars on 45, Air Supply, The J. Geils Band, Steve Miller Band, Patti Austin, James Ingram, John Waite, Huey Lewis and the News, Ready for the World, Jan Hammer, Mr. Mister, Marilyn Martin, Falco, Simply Red, Peter Cetera, Amy Grant, Steve Winwood, Patti LaBelle, Michael McDonald, Bruce Hornsby, Gregory Abbott, Billy Vera, Club Nouveau, Aretha Franklin, Cutting Crew, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Atlantic Starr, Los Lobos, Bob Seger, Siedah Garrett, Billy Idol, Exposé, Bobby McFerrin, Richard Marx, The Beach Boys, The Escape Club, Will to Power, Sheriff, Roxette, Fine Young Cannibals, Michael Damian, Milli Vanilli and Bad English.
Other artists contributing music to cinema films included Vangelis, Limahl, Ray Parker Jr., Survivor, Starship, Simple Minds, Kenny Loggins, Azumi Inoue, Michael Sembello, Lindsey Buckingham and John Parr.
Other musicians included Earth Wind & Fire, Frank Zappa, Gloria Gaynor, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Luther Vandross, Paul Anka, Queensrÿche, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Talking Heads, Twisted Sister and the Village People.
[54] A significant development in the home media business is the establishment of The Criterion Collection in 1984, an American company "dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality".
Class, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Risky Business, Mannequin, Porky's, Valley Girl, and John Hughes directed or written Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful, were popular teen comedies, and their stars include Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Matthew Broderick, Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Sean Penn and Nicolas Cage.
Comedies included The Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, Stir Crazy, Private Benjamin, 9 to 5, Trading Places, Splash, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Three Men and a Baby, Harry and the Hendersons, Throw Momma from the Train, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Twins, The 'Burbs and two Ghostbusters films, and their stars included Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, Goldie Hawn, Jane Fonda, Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg, Tom Selleck, John Lithgow, Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, Steve Martin and John Candy.
Stars of these films included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Charlie Sheen, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Gary Busey, Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Kurt Russell, Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen and Brian Dennehy.
Hong Kong action cinema and martial arts films were revolutionized by a new wave of inventive filmmakers that included Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Tsui Hark, and John Woo.
[58] Science fiction films include Blade Runner, Outland, The Return of Godzilla, The Dead Zone, The Fly, The Abyss, The Running Man, Flash Gordon, Innerspace, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Back to the Future.
Their stars include Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, Rutger Hauer, Daryl Hannah, Jeff Goldblum, Max von Sydow, Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, Michael J.
Other popular Japanese films included Imperial Navy, Antarctica, Legend of the Eight Samurai, The Burmese Harp, The Adventures of Milo and Otis, Hachikō Monogatari and The Silk Road.
The live-action animated hybrid Robert Zemeckis directed Who Framed Roger Rabbit co-produced with Steven Spielberg was successful, and the Disney Renaissance began with The Little Mermaid, starring Jodi Benson.
During the 1980s, sitcoms were popular, including Bosom Buddies, Family Ties, Newhart, Too Close for Comfort, The Cosby Show, Night Court, Full House, The Wonder Years and Married... with Children.
Scandal rocked TV evangelism when in 1987 evangelist Jim Bakker, founder of PTL and Heritage USA, was defrocked for having an affair years earlier and later sent to prison for fraud.
The 1980s was prominent for spawning popular animated shows such as The Smurfs, ThunderCats, The Transformers, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Henry's Cat, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Alias the Jester, Yakari, Lucky Luke, Heathcliff (Mel Blanc's final series), Masters of the Universe, Inspector Gadget, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Bananaman, Thomas & Friends, Muppet Babies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Babar, The Raccoons, DuckTales, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Dennis the Menace, M.A.S.K., Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, Garfield and Friends, Pingu, Postman Pat and Fireman Sam.
Popular video games include Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Metroid, Mega Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Dig Dug, and Tetris.
On the religious front, 1988 also saw the "unraveling of the decade's conservative dominance" with the release of The Last Temptation of Christ and the three televangelist scandals of Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, and Oral Roberts.
