1980s Trivia

1. 1980: John Lennon is assassinated outside of his home in New York City. What was the name of this apartment building?

From Quiz Eighties Events

Answer: Dakota

The Dakota Apartments are located on the corner of 72nd street and Central Park West in Manhattan, New York City. It is one of the most prestigious co-operative buildings within the city - apartments sell for between $4 to $30 million each. Construction began in October 1880 and rumour has it that it gained its name because the area was considered as remote as Dakota Territory. Lennon lived at the apartments from 1973 until his murder at its entrance on 8th December 1980.

From Quiz 1980s Time Capsule

Answer: "Thriller"

This album from 1982 also contained the great MJ songs "Beat It" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." Michael passed away on 25 June 2009 just before starting what would have been his "Comeback" tour.

From Quiz An American Kid in the 1980s

Answer: Ronald Reagan

Reagan won the presidency from Jimmy Carter in 1980. He remained president until 1989.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1988

Answer: Iran

On July 3, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing all 290 passengers and crew. The Vincennes crew said that they'd mistaken the aircraft for an Iranian fighter jet. The US government, without admitting liability, paid $2.9 million to the families of non-Iranians killed in the incident. A lawsuit by Iranian families was dismissed because the shootdown occurred in a war zone, at a time that Iran was at war with Iraq.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1987

Answer: Thirtysomething

"Thirtysomething" first broadcast its sixty painful minutes of self-absorbed yuppie angst on September 29, 1987. ALF and LA Law debuted in September 1986. Roseanne premiered in October 1988.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1986

Answer: Lee Iacocca

Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca, himself the son of Italian immigrants, was the head of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. The foundation, established in 1982, raised $450 million so that the statue and Ellis Island would be in outstanding condition in time for public celebrations on July 4, 1986 commemorating France's gift of the statue to the United States.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1985

Answer: We can do business together

Mrs. Thatcher met with Gorbachev, the second-in-command at the Kremlin, in December 1984. "We can do business together," she told the press after the meeting in London, writing later in her memoirs "I hoped that I had been talking to the next Soviet leader." Gorbachev assumed leadership of the Soviet Union on March 11, the day after the death of Konstantin Chernenko. Although a committed Communist, he offered the Soviet people more freedom and access to the West than they'd had for most of the century. The Soviet Union collapsed and gave way to free and democratic republics in 1991.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1984

Answer: Bernhard Goetz

On December 22, four youths approached Bernhard Goetz on the NYC subway. As they surrounded him and asked him for money, he pulled out a weapon and opened fire, hitting all four. Goetz said to one of the youths, Darrell Cabey, "You don't look so bad ... here's another," and fired a shot that paralyzed Cabey. After turning himself in two weeks later, Goetz was acquitted of all charges except one for illegal gun possession. Cabey sued Goetz and won a $43 million judgment. Each of the other three youths has subsequently been convicted of other unrelated serious crimes.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1983

Answer: Senator Orrin Hatch

Representative McDonald was among those killed when the plane was shot down on September 1 after straying into Soviet airspace. He and Senators Hatch, Helms, and Symms were on their way to Korea for a commemoration of the US involvement in the Korean War. Helms and Symms were to have been on the flight, but at the last minute switched to KAL 015, whose route and landing time was similar (broadcaster Geraldo Rivera was also on that flight). Senator Hatch had been in China and flew to Korea from there.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1982

Answer: James Brown

Probably the most famous Eddie Murphy James Brown sketch was the "James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub Party," first broadcast on November 5, 1983. But the first time Murphy played James Brown on the show was the April 24, 1982 episode hosted by Robert Culp. All the other characters mentioned here were first shown in 1981.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1980

Answer: Soviet Union

The most famous game from that tournament was the second-to-last game for the U.S., in which they beat the Soviet Union 4-3 as Al Michaels screamed "Do you believe in miracles?" The U.S. then beat Finland 4-2 to clinch the gold. But because the medals were actually awarded based on overall record in the tournament, the Soviet Union (6-1-0) got the silver medal that year and Sweden (4-1-2) got the bronze. Finland finished fourth with a 3-3-1 record. The only team the U.S. did not beat in the tournament was Sweden - the two teams tied 2-2.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1981

Answer: Algeria

Upon their release, the hostages were flown first to Algeria, then immediately to a US air base in Wiesbaden, West Germany, where they were debriefed and given physicals. They arrived in New York City on January 25.

From Quiz The Year Is 1980

Answer: Los Angeles Rams

The Steelers won four Super Bowls in the space of six seasons. Dallas was the victim in both Super Bowls X and XIII, and Minnesota lost to them in Super Bowl IX. In Super Bowl XIV, played in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the Steelers fought off a tough Rams squad to win 31-19. Up through 1980, the Steelers never faced the Redskins, an old rival from their days in the pre-merger NFL, in the Super Bowl.

From Quiz Remember 1986?

Answer: Argentina

The 1986 World Cup match was held in Mexico City. Argentina defeated West Germany 3 - 2.

From Quiz Remember 1985?

Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev

Gorbachev became President in 1989. In 1990 he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

From Quiz Remember 1984?

Answer: Desmond Tutu

Although all these won the Nobel Peace prize, in 1984 Desmond Tutu won. Desmond Tutu, a clergyman and political activist who spoke out against apartheid. He was the first black bishop of Johannesburg and in 1985 became archbishop of Cape Town. He retired in 1996.

From Quiz The Magnificent 80s

Answer: On a Storm Front

"Storm Front" was a Billy Joel album/cd of the 1980s that contained the song "We Didn't Start The Fire". Billy sang about historic events and people from the 50s and 60s saying, "Hey, it wasn't us, we didn't start the fire."

From Quiz Remember the 80s?

Answer: France

He served for 14 years (1981-1995).

From Quiz Remember 1983?

Answer: Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King was the winner of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. He was assasinated in 1968. Congress passed legislation to create the holiday in 1983. His Day is the third Monday in January. President's Day is in February, Memorial Day in May and Columbus Day in October.

From Quiz Remember 1980?

Answer: Evita

Andrew Lloyd Weber's 'Evita' is based on the life of Eva Peron.

From Quiz It Happened in the Eighties

Answer: Cabbage Patch Dolls

It was claimed that no two were alike.

From Quiz 1980s Triumphs and Disasters

Answer: The Challenger exploded

The others were all in 1985. Rock Hudson was also the first famous figure to die of AIDS. October 2.

From Quiz Remember 1981?

Answer: John McEnroe

He also won in 1983 and 1984.

From Quiz Eighties Events

Answer: St Paul's Cathedral

The majority of Royal weddings and comparable events happen at Westminster Abbey but St Paul's was chosen for Charles and Diana's wedding as it has a seating capacity of 3,500 compared with the Abbey's capacity of 2,000. It also provided a much longer procession from Clarence House for the two million spectators that lined the route - plus the 4,000 police officers and over 2,000 military officers needed to manage the crowd. The wedding, on 29th July 1981, was also viewed by 750 million people around the world.

From Quiz 1980s Time Capsule

Answer: Rubik's Cube

The Rubik's cube has been featured in the movies "The Wedding Singer" and "Dude, Where's My Car?"

From Quiz An American Kid in the 1980s

Answer: Madonna

Madonna debuted in 1984 with her "Like a Virgin" album.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1989

Answer: Statue of Liberty

Chinese students, protesting the corruption of their govenment, and hoping for a more democratic nation, began congregating in Tiananmen Square in May. Late that month, they built a 30-foot-high statue out of papier maché and styrofoam. The statue, "Goddess of Democracy," resembled the Statue of Liberty in that the woman was using two hands to hold a torch over her head, and was built to help symbolize the protests for the many television cameras broadcasting the images around the globe. The statue was destroyed on June 4 when the Chinese army crushed the protests.

From Quiz A Look Back at 1988

Answer: Lloyd Bentsen

Lloyd Bentsen, a conservative Texas Democrat, was initially viewed as a mismatched choice for the liberal Dukakis to make, but proved to be an effective advocate for the ticket. He is probably best remembered for his "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy," remark to Dan Quayle during the vice presidential debate.

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