Quiz: How Well You Know The Key Events Of The 1980s
For those who lived through them, it’s usually jarring to realize that the 1980s were up to 40 years ago. Time moves by quicker than we think, which can also mean that memories of that bright and shiny decade can fade before we know it.
For that reason, it’s worthwhile to look back and test how much you really remember the ’80s. It wasn’t all neon lights and synth-pop, but it was certainly a wild time. So much so that even 20 years ago, it would be easy to forget a few things that happened.
What iconic ’80s cartoon spawned a franchise that endures now?
A. Thundercats
B. SilverHawks
C. Transformers
D. Voltron
Answer: Transformers
Although the American media deregulation of the 1980s led to a bevy of cartoons that were mainly intended to sell toys, the Transformers proved the most popular of all of them. Not only would it spawn the just as beloved series Beast Wars in the ’90s, but also a series of massive blockbuster films throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
What caused the Chernobyl disaster of 1986?
A. A reactor’s uranium fuel overheated after a low-power test
B. A reactor exploded after the power plant was abandoned a decade earlier
C. A military strike triggered a disastrous chain reaction
D. Nobody knows to this day
Answer: A reactor’s uranium fuel overheated after a low-power test
While the International Atomic Energy Agency attributed much of the disaster to long-term negligence in maintaining safety standards at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the most immediate catalyst was a low-power test that led the uranium fuel in the Number Four RBMK reactor to overheat, causing an explosion.
How many Rocky movies came out during the ’80s?
A. 3
B. 5
C. 2
D. 1
Answer: 2
Although the ’80s were certainly Sylvester Stallone’s commercial heyday, it’s easy to forget that only two movies from his flagship series came out during that decade. Although the first Rocky movie has the distinct feel of the ’70s, that decade wasn’t quite over when Rocky II came out. Indeed, only Rocky III and Rocky IV were released in the ’80s.
What country didn’t gain official independence from Britain?
A. Canada
B. Australia
C. Jamaica
D. New Zealand
Answer: Jamaica
Although Canada still has space for the British monarchy in its government, the Canada Act of 1982 enshrined its official independence from the United Kingdom into law. Through similar acts in 1986, Australia and New Zealand both gained full independence. Although a political movement in Jamaica to sever ties with the British monarchy started gaining serious traction in 2023, that was a far less realistic goal during the 1980s.
What caused the video game crash of 1983?
A. Moral panics based on accusations that video games were making kids violent
B. A shortage of microprocessors that left publishers unable to meet demand
C. Saturation of the market with low-quality games intended to grab quick cash
D. A trade dispute between Japan and the United States prompted an embargo
Answer: Saturation of the market with low-quality games intended to grab quick cash
According to Paste Magazine, the video game landscape of the early 1980s was such that 24,000 arcades existed across the United States and video games were proving just as popular on home consoles. This not only led various companies to flood the market with inferior products to get a piece of the action, but industry leaders like Atari to try similar tactics, leading to a disastrous home port of Pac-Man and an infamously terrible E.T. Atari game. Demand dried up practically overnight until Nintendo released the NES.
What album and movie transformed Prince into a superstar?
A. Under The Cherry Moon
B. 1999
C. Sign ‘O’ The Times
D. Purple Rain
Answer: Purple Rain
In 1984, Purple Rain was a tour de force for the rising star and his band, The Revolution. But while it’s true that the movie’s impressive soundtrack remains as gorgeous to listen to as it was at the time, the quality of the movie itself and his iconic purple look only added to his star power.
Who coined the phrase “Just Say No?”
A. Ronald Reagan
B. Mr. T
C. Nancy Reagan
D. Clint Eastwood
Answer: Nancy Reagan
Although the “Just Say No” campaign was a part of President Reagan’s overall “War” on narcotics trafficking, the term was coined and popularized by the First Lady Nancy Reagan. Yet, while it was a popular at the time, the campaign has since been considered ineffective at curtailing addiction rates and educating children about the realities of drug use.
What was the goal of the Parents Music Resource Center?
A. Ban any music that the action committee considered objectionable
B. Increase parental control and awareness over music their children listened to
C. To void the contracts of musicians whose music offended them
D. To exert direct control over radio and TV stations who played “offensive” music
Answer: Increase parental control and awareness over music their children listened to
Although The Washington Post reported that the Parents Music Resource Center did propose some more extreme acts of censorship like pressuring radio and TV stations to ban music they deemed objectionable and labels to “reassess” the contracts of controversial artists, the main aim of their campaign included warning labels about the specific content of certain albums so parents could control and understand what their children wanted to listen to. Following a 1985 Senate hearing, this measure was adjusted to a more generic “parental advisory explicit content” warning label.
What Middle Eastern nations were at war for most of the ’80s?
A. Israel and Lebanon
B. Lebanon and Syria
C. Iran and Iraq
D. Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia
Answer: Iran and Iraq
Although Israel and Lebanon were also at war during the early-to-mid 1980s, the Iran-Iraq War was an even longer-term conflict that started almost as soon as the decade did and only abated in 1988. One of the more horrific aspects of the bloody war concerned the Iraqi military’s use of chemical weapons against Iran and its own Kurdish population.
Where did the popular animated sitcom The Simpsons start?
A. The Tracey Ullman Show
B. Pee-Wee’s Playhouse
C. Fridays
D. It’s Garry Shandling’s Show
Answer: The Tracey Ullman Show
Although The Simpsons first aired as a standalone series in 1989, that opportunity came after more primitive Simpsons shorts had aired on The Tracey Ullman Show since 1987. Ullman would voluntarily end the show that gave The Simpsons its start in 1990.
What was “We Are The World” intended to accomplish?
A. Ending Apartheid in South Africa
B. Supporting refugees of the Second Sudanese Civil War
C. Alleviating the disastrous effects of famine in Ethiopia
D. Supporting refugees of the Ugandan Bush War
Answer: Alleviating the disastrous effects of famine in Ethiopia
Although charity singles like “We Are The World” are largely considered a passé way to raise money nowadays, CBS News quoted Lionel Richie as saying that the 1985 single proved popular enough to raise between $40 million and $50 million for Ethiopian famine relief.
What ’80s movie was Eddie Murphy’s biggest box office hit?
A. Beverly Hills Cop
B. Coming To America
C. Beverly Hills Cop II
D. Trading Places
Answer: Beverly Hills Cop
Although Eddie Murphy’s filmography since the ’80s can be described as “inconsistent,” there is no denying how utterly white-hot he was as a star back then. Not only was he one of the most popular comedians in the world (if not the most popular) but he saw hit after hit in the movie world. However, none were as big (at least in terms of box office performance) as Beverly Hills Cop.
What volcano infamously erupted in 1980?
A. Mount Rainier
B. Mount Saint Helens
C. Mauna Loa
D. Mount Spurr
Answer: Mount Saint Helens
According to the United States Geological Survey, a West Coast earthquake on May 18, 1980, was accompanied by the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Saint Helens in Washington state, which spread 540 million tons of ash throughout the nation. UPI reported that at least 62 people lost their lives in the disaster.
Who did the United States overthrow while invading Panama?
![[redacted] Standing at Attention](https://media.tellmebest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/redacted-Standing-at-Attention-73074.jpeg)
A. Manuel Noriega
B. Augusto Pinochet Ugarte
C. Jorge Rafael Videla
D. Pablo Escobar
Answer: Manuel Noriega
According to the Library Of Congress, the 1989 invasion of Panama was not only an effort to depose Manuel Noriega as the nation’s dictator, but to make him susceptible to narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering charges. He was eventually imprisoned in Panama, where he remained until his death in 2017.
What space shuttle exploded in an unprecedented 1986 disaster?
A. Challenger
B. Atlantis
C. Columbia
D. Endeavor
Answer: Challenger
During a live nationwide broadcast, the space shuttle Challenger fell apart in a fiery explosion 73 seconds after its launch, claiming the lives of all seven crew members on board. According to Space.com, the likely culprit was a faulty I-ring intended to seal solid rocket boosters, which was damaged by the cold weather of the launch. The decision to launch Challenger on the coldest launch date in history was a major contributing factor.
Who did Ronald Reagan tell to tear down the Berlin Wall?
A. Helmut Kohl
B. Konstantin Chernenko
C. Mikhail Gorbachev
D. Erich Ernst Paul Honecker
Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev
Even before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the expansive nation was in the process of undergoing significant changes that would have seemed unthinkable 20 years earlier. Considering how intent the final Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, was at reforming the bloc’s government, there was no better time to demand he tear down the long-standing Berlin Wall.
What car was famously featured in Back To The Future?
A. Lamborghini Countach
B. Chevrolet Corvette
C. Porsche 959
D. DeLorean DMC-12
Answer: DeLorean DMC-12
Despite its iconic association with the Back To The Future movies, the Delorean DMC-12 was such a short-lived commercial product that the DeLorean motor company had already went out of business by the time the first movie was released.
Which iconic video featured Michael Jackson on lit-up tiles?
A. Beat It
B. Bad
C. Thriller
D. Billie Jean
Answer: Billie Jean
Although 1982’s Thriller was chock-full of timeless singles that made it a best-selling classic, the album’s promotion was also helped by a series of iconic videos that put Jackson’s impressive dancing and signature fashions in the minds of millions nationwide.
What movie full of supernatural fun practically defined 1984?
A. Ghost
B. Fright Night
C. Ghostbusters
D. Poltergiest
Answer: Ghostbusters
Although there was no shortage of movies about ghosts in the ’80s and early ’90s, Ghostbusters blended humor and genuinely tense scenes in a way that hadn’t been done before up to that point. Although it’s often been hard for future Ghostbusters properties to stick the landing the way the original did, those attempts persist because the movie remains so beloved.
What landmark product revitalized the home video game market?
A. The Nintendo Entertainment System
B. The Sega Master System
C. The Atari 7800
D. The TurboGrafx-16
Answer: The Nintendo Entertainment System
Although all of these game consoles were available on the market between 1986 and 1987, most of them were created in direct competition with the hyped Nintendo Entertainment System. Since the market was still reeling from the video game crash of 1983, Nintendo were careful to call the NES an “entertainment system” rather than a “video game console.” This made it easier to sell in toy stores.
What bands were considered the “big four” in ’80s heavy metal?
A. Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer
B. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Testament, and Overkill
C. Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Sepultura, and Pantera
D. Def Leppard, Slayer, Megadeth, and Exodus
Answer: Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer
Although bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were major stars in the British heavy metal scene and their success did cross over to America, all of the canonized “big four” acts were American. Metallica and Megadeth (started by former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine) hailed from Los Angeles, while Slayer formed in nearby Hunting Park. Meanwhile, Anthrax formed in New York City’s Queens borough.
What pioneering PC dominated the market in the early ’80s?
![[redacted] with printer, 1981.](https://media.tellmebest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/redacted-with-printer-1981-82152.jpeg)
A. IBM Model 5150
B. Macintosh 128K
C. Commodore 64
D. Amiga 500
Answer: IBM Model 5150
Since it was the first among the home computers listed here to hit the market and the first to be compatible with Microsoft’s DOS system, the IBM Model 5150 was the dominant PC for business applications throughout the early ’80s. Of course, Apple and Commodore products would gain significant ground throughout the decade that followed.
What kind of keyboard is Edgar Winter playing in this photo?
![Photo of Edgar WINTER and [redacted] and KEYBOARD](https://media.tellmebest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Photo-of-Edgar-WINTER-and-redacted-and-KEYBOARD-68990.jpeg)
A. Piano
B. Synthesizer
C. Keytar
D. Harpsichord
Answer: Synthesizer
Although synthesizers existed before the 1980s, National Museums Liverpool noted that MIDI sequencing technology made them easier to use than before, and thus more accessible to bands throughout the decade. That’s why the number of synth-pop bands in the world only grew as the ’80s progressed.
What was the global stock market crash of 1987 called in the US?
A. The Great Storm Of 1987
B. Blue Tuesday
C. Black Monday
D. The 1987 Flash Crash
Answer: Black Monday
Although it was called “Blue Tuesday” in Japan, most of the world refers to the widespread yet short-lived stock market crash of 1987 as “Black Monday.” According to the Federal Reserve, a combination of unusually high stock price appreciations and the rise of “portfolio insurance” policies encouraged panic-selling during a particular price decrease. The issue was resolved with temporary trading halts nicknamed “circuit breakers.”
What country had free elections due to the Solidarity movement?
A. Ukraine
B. Hungary
C. Romania
D. Poland
Answer: Poland
Although the Communist Polish government at the time outlawed and tried to repress the Solidarity trade union that demanded political reform and democracy, the union received widespread international support from groups that included the CIA and the Roman Catholic Church. Not only did the trade union survive (and does so to this day) but Poland started seeing democratic elections in 1989.
