Remember the ’80s? Test Your Memory With This Quiz

The Rubik’s Cube was a worldwide ’80s craze. The brightly colored and frustrating puzzle was invented in 1974 by Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik.

Phil Collins was the only person to perform at Live Aid 1985 in both London and Philadelphia on the same day. He flew on the supersonic Concorde airline and took advantage of the five-hour time difference to make both sets.

British actor Alan Rickman got his big-screen start starring alongside Bruce Willis in 1988’s “Die Hard,” portraying the suave German villain Hans Gruber.

Pac-Man munched its way onto the scene in 1980, when Japanese game designer Toru Iwatani made a game that focused on eating rather than shooting at enemies. The game was an instant hit, selling 100,000 units in its first year in the U.S. alone.

The Cold War continued the frosty relations between the Soviet Union and the West that began at the end of World War II. But when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, he introduced new policies of reform, including “glasnost,” meaning “political openness.” This softening of the USSR’s position made space for improved relations with the West, and precipitated the end of the Cold War.

“Dynasty” launched in January 1981 on ABC and became one of the most iconic shows of the 1980s. It followed the wealthy Carrington and Colby families as they feuded, schemed, and wooed. Joan Collins, who played Alexis Colby, became a style icon with her glamorous outfits and big hair. By the end of the 1980s, the show had lost its shine after a series of bizarre story lines including an alien abduction.

At the Wimbledon tennis championships in 1981, American player John McEnroe coined his now-infamous catchphrase “You cannot be serious!” while disputing a line call. McEnroe’s lively personality had already caught the attention of the British press, who had dubbed him “superbrat.” The incident did not put McEnroe off, however, and he went on to win the singles championship that year at the young age of 22.

Directed by Oliver Stone and released in 1987, the film “Wall Street” summed up the materialistic culture of New York’s financial sector. The character of Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, became famous for his line, “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” He was supposed to be a villain, but for many ambitious climbers he became an aspirational antihero.

The consumer culture of the 1980s meant that toys became big business, and many parents would wait in line for hours to secure the must-have items. Cabbage Patch Kids were among the biggest successes, earning more than $600 million for toy company Coleco, and the Rubik’s Cube puzzle sold out after its launch in 1980. Transformers were another sought-after toy, wracking up sales of $950 million. The Beanie Babies craze did not kick off until the early 1990s.

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 as a barrier between democratic West Germany and communist East Germany. As the Cold War began to thaw, East German officials announced in 1989 that their citizens could now pass freely through the divide. East Germans descended on the wall and demanded it fall, which it did, on November 9, 1989. The reunification of Germany followed just one year later.

The first “Simpsons” animation aired on April 19, 1987, as part of the popular sketch-comedy series “The Tracey Ullman Show.” The two-minute segment was called “Good Night” and featured rough versions of the now-beloved characters. It was immediately popular with audiences, and in 1989, “The Simpsons” debuted on Fox as its own series.

“Power dressing” in the 1980s was a womenswear look that centered on tailored suits, large shoulder pads, and costume jewelry. It was popular among female executives who wanted their own take on male corporate fashion. Powerful women such as Nancy Reagan and Princess Diana helped make the look a hallmark of the decade.

The 1980s became the era of the blockbuster movie, with a series of huge franchises and stand-alone films that caused people to flock to the movie theater. Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.” became the highest-grossing movie of the decade in 1982, and ushered in a golden era of family-friendly films. “The Matrix was not released until 1999.

The largest-ever one-day drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average occurred on October 19, 1987, and became known as “Black Monday.” The dire financial crash was precipitated by a number of events, including a large trade deficit, a drop in the value of the dollar, and unease in Asian and European markets.

The first portable cellphone was the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, also known as “the Brick.” Released in 1983, the phone cost the equivalent of around $10,000 in today’s money, weighed two pounds, and had a battery that only lasted about 30 minutes. Due to their hefty price tag, cellphones began as the province of Wall Street bankers, but improved technology soon brought them to the masses.

On August 1, 1981, cable music channel MTV launched with the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” as its first music video. At first, MTV was only available in New Jersey, but soon the revolutionary new format was popular nationwide. MTV became hugely influential in launching music careers and made videos a key part of marketing new artists.

Margaret Thatcher was Britain’s first female prime minister, holding office from 1979 to 1990. She became known as the “Iron Lady” after giving a speech in which she attacked communism. Thatcher was a keen ally of Ronald Reagan and shared his conservative values. Due to her uncompromising economic policies, she was a polarizing force in British politics.

“M*A*S*H” was a popular sitcom that ran for 11 seasons on CBS until its finale in 1983. The series followed Army surgeon “Hawkeye” (Alan Alda) and his fellow medics as they cared for the wounded during the Korean War. The final episode of the show in 1983 was watched by nearly 106 million people, a record that was not surpassed until 2010 by Super Bowl XLIV.

In 1982, “TIME” magazine made an object its “Man of the Year” for the first time: the computer. It signaled the huge impact that the first home computers were having around the world. The introduction of the silicon chip had allowed PCs to become small enough for personal use, and they were quickly adopted. Some 2.8 million homes in the U.S. owned a PC by 1982.

A new breed of successful young professionals emerged in the 1980s and became known as “yuppies,” based on the acronym for “Young Urban Professionals.” Originally a positive term, “yuppies” described career-focused childless couples who lived in fancy apartments, drove fast cars, and wore high fashion. By the end of the ’80s, the term had become derogatory, however, and linked with a culture of greed.

English singer Rick Astley burst onto the ’80s pop scene in 1987 with “Never Gonna Give You Up.” The music video became a viral internet hit 20 years later.

Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics for the second time in 1984. The Games were a huge financial success, and L.A. is set to host the Olympics again in 2028.

Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States in 1981 after winning the election with George H.W. Bush as his running mate. A popular President at the time, Reagan introduced a new economic model known as “Reaganomics” and worked with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to try to bring an end to the Cold War.

When the U.S. ice hockey team met the might of the USSR at the 1980 Winter Olympics, hopes for victory were not high. The experienced Soviet team had won the gold medal at the previous four Olympics and seemed unstoppable. But the American underdogs surprised everyone and clinched victory 4–3. The U.S. team went on to beat Finland and take the gold medal.

Sandra Day O’Connor made history in 1981 when she became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. She was nominated by then-President Ronald Reagan.

When Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles (now King Charles III) got married at London’s Westminster Cathedral in 1981, it was proclaimed the “wedding of the century.”

Coca-Cola underwent a rebrand in 1985 called “New Coke,” but the change caused such an uproar that the original Coke recipe was reinstated within days of New Coke’s release.

In 1989, a young British computer scientist named Tim Berners-Lee proposed an information-sharing system to his employer, CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research). The idea, dubbed the World Wide Web, went on to change history.