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U.S. History in the 1980s Trivia Quiz

The 1980s! Each question will list a year and three significant events that happened during that year. Select the event that DID NOT take place during the year listed. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by jessesky1969. Estimated time: 9 mins.

Author
jessesky1969

Time
9 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
90,439

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
5540

Last 3 plays: Guest 50 (3/10), Guest 136 (8/10), Guest 66 (8/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which event did NOT take place in 1980? Hint

On January 25, in his State of the Union address President Ronald Reagan called for budget cuts of $100 billion over three years, but opposed increased taxes.

On December 8, former Beatle John Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment building in New York City.

On November 4, Ronald Reagan was elected 40th President of the United States, defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter.

On May 18 in Washington, Mt. St. Helens erupted in a violent blast estimated to be 500 times as powerful as the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which event did NOT take place in 1981? Hint

On April 12, the world's first reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle Columbia, was sent into space and completed its successful mission two days later.

On August 3, Federal air traffic controllers began an illegal nationwide strike after their union rejected the government's final offer for the new contract.

On December 20, United States Troops invaded Panama, overthrowing the government of Manuel Noriega, who eluded capture, took refuge in the Vatican mission, then surrendered to the U.S. on January 3rd of the next year.

On September 21, a 99-0 vote, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Sandra Day O'Connor as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. She was the first woman appointed to that body.

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which event did NOT take place in 1982? Hint

On December 2, a retired dentist, Dr. Barney B. Clark, 61, became the first recipient of a permanent artificial heart during a 7-� hour operation in Salt Lake City.

On January 5, President Reagan produced the nation's first trillion-dollar budget.

The Equal Rights Amendment was defeated after a 10-year struggle for ratification.

On June 12, in New York City's Central Park, hundreds of thousands demonstrated against nuclear arms.

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which event did NOT take place in 1983? Hint

On April 20, President Regan signed a compromise, bipartisan bill designed to rescue the Social Security System from bankruptcy.

On June 18, Sally Ride became the first American woman to travel in space when the space shuttle Challenger was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

On January 20, for the first time, the United States officially observed Martin Luther King Day.

On May 24, in an 8-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Internal Revenue Service could deny tax exemption to private schools that practiced racial discrimination.

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which event did NOT take place in 1984? Hint

From April 26 to May 1, President Reagan visited China for the first time, holding discussions with Chinese leaders.

On May 7, American veterans of the Vietnam War reached an out-of-court settlement with seven chemical companies in their class action suit the herbicide Agent Orange.

During March 22, the U.S. Senate rejected two Constitutional amendments that would have permitted prayer in the public schools.

On April 24, eight Americans were killed and five wounded in an ill-fated attempt to rescue the hostages held by Iranian militants at the U.S. Embassy in Teheran, Iran.

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which event did NOT take place in 1985? Hint

On July 13, "Live Aid," a 17-hour rock concert broadcasted on radio and TV from London and Philadelphia to 152 countries, raised $70 million for the starving peoples of Africa.

On November 8, George Bush, vice-president under Reagan, was elected 41st U.S. President. Bush defeated the Democratic nominee, Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts.

The controversial MX missile survived critical votes in the Senate and House. The Senate, Mar 19 and 21, voted to authorize the missiles and to appropriate 1.5 million for the construction of 21 missiles. The House gave its endorsement March 26 and 28.

On May 2, E.F. Hutton, one of the nation's largest brokerage companies, pleaded guilty to 2,000 federal charges related to the manipulation of its checking accounts.

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which event did NOT take place in 1986? Hint

U.S. Marines, Rangers and a small force from six Caribbean nations invaded the island of Grenada in response to a request from the O.E.C.S.

On April 14, U.S. warplanes struck targets in Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya in retaliation against the Libyan bombing of a West Berlin disco that killed two and injured 200 on April 5.

On January 28, moments after liftoff, the space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing six astronauts and Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire teacher.

On September 18, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. reached tentative agreement on a worldwide ban of medium-range missiles.

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which event did NOT take place in 1987? Hint

On May 17, an Iraqi warplane missile killed 37 sailors on the frigate U.S.S. Stark in the Persian Gulf.

On October 19, Wall Street crashed, the Dow plummeting a record 508 points - 22.6 percent - after a record high of 2,722.42 on August 5.

On December 23, President Reagan ordered sanctions against the new Polish military government in response to the imposition of martial law in that country.

On December 8, President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met in Washington, D.C. and signed an unprecedented agreement calling for the dismantling of all 1,752 U.S. and 859 Soviet missiles with a 300-3,400-mile range.

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which event did NOT take place in 1988? Hint

Much of the U.S. suffered the worst drought in more than 50 years. By June 23, half of the nation's agricultural counties had been designated disaster areas.

Fire destroyed about four million acres of forestland throughout the west, including Alaska, during the late summer.

On March 2, the Senate voted 57-37 for a bill that virtually eliminated busing for the purposes of racial integration.

Failures at nuclear-power plants posed problems across the U.S., according to congressional testimony, starting September 30.

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which event did NOT take place in 1989? Hint

On November 19 and 20, for the first time in six years, the leaders of the U.S. and Soviet Union met at a summit conference.

On August 10, Army General Colin Powell was nominated by President Bush to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; he became the first black to hold the post.

On March 24, the largest oil spill in U.S. history occurred after the 'Exxon Valdez' struck Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound.

On October 17, minutes before the start of the third game of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, an earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which event did NOT take place in 1980?

Answer: On January 25, in his State of the Union address President Ronald Reagan called for budget cuts of $100 billion over three years, but opposed increased taxes.

President Reagan's State of The Union address took place in 1984.

2. Which event did NOT take place in 1981?

Answer: On December 20, United States Troops invaded Panama, overthrowing the government of Manuel Noriega, who eluded capture, took refuge in the Vatican mission, then surrendered to the U.S. on January 3rd of the next year.

Noriega surrendered to the U.S. in 1989-1990.

3. Which event did NOT take place in 1982?

Answer: On January 5, President Reagan produced the nation's first trillion-dollar budget.

President Reagan's proposed budget took place in 1987.

4. Which event did NOT take place in 1983?

Answer: On January 20, for the first time, the United States officially observed Martin Luther King Day.

Martin Luther King Day was finally observed on January 20, 1986.

5. Which event did NOT take place in 1984?

Answer: On April 24, eight Americans were killed and five wounded in an ill-fated attempt to rescue the hostages held by Iranian militants at the U.S. Embassy in Teheran, Iran.

The ill-fated rescue attempt happened in 1980.

6. Which event did NOT take place in 1985?

Answer: On November 8, George Bush, vice-president under Reagan, was elected 41st U.S. President. Bush defeated the Democratic nominee, Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts.

Bush was elected the 41st President of the U.S. in 1988.

7. Which event did NOT take place in 1986?

Answer: U.S. Marines, Rangers and a small force from six Caribbean nations invaded the island of Grenada in response to a request from the O.E.C.S.

The invasion of Grenada happened in 1983.

8. Which event did NOT take place in 1987?

Answer: On December 23, President Reagan ordered sanctions against the new Polish military government in response to the imposition of martial law in that country.

The sanctions were imposed in 1981.

9. Which event did NOT take place in 1988?

Answer: On March 2, the Senate voted 57-37 for a bill that virtually eliminated busing for the purposes of racial integration.

The bill was voted on in 1982.

10. Which event did NOT take place in 1989?

Answer: On November 19 and 20, for the first time in six years, the leaders of the U.S. and Soviet Union met at a summit conference.

The summit occurred in 1985.

Source: Author jessesky1969

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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