The United Democratic Front was a major anti-apartheid organisation of the 1980s. The non-racial coalition of about 400 civic, church, students’, workers’ and other organisations was formed to fight the new Tricameral Parliament.
The United Democratic Front emerges in South Africa Read more
The critically acclaimed album sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards and broke down racial barriers on radio and television networks like MTV.
Michael Jackson releases “Thriller”, one of the highest selling albums of all time Read more
The islands achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1981, becoming the nation of Antigua and Barbuda. However, it remains part of the Commonwealth of Nations, and remains a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Antigua and Barbuda.
Antigua and Barbuda achieve full independence Read more
Between 1975 and 1981, Belizean leaders stated their case for self-determination at a meeting of the heads of Commonwealth of Nations governments, the conference of ministers of the Nonaligned Movement, and at meetings of the United Nations (UN).
Belize officially gains independence Read more
MS-DOS was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s and the early 1990s.
IBM releases Microsoft’s MS-DOS Read more
The massive reserve, covering more than 5 million acres of rainforest, is a central piece of Brazil’s Amazon conservation efforts and has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Brazil creates Jaú National Park, one of the largest forest reserves in South America Read more
In the 1980s, Solidarity was a broad anti-bureaucratic social movement, using methods of civil resistance to advance the causes of workers’ rights and social change in Poland.
17,000 workers go on strike in Poland, marking the beginning of the Solidarity movement Read more
Vigdís ran for president to prove that women were able to lead political campaigns, and she did not expect to win. Despite this, Vigdís won the election on 29 June 1980. The vote was split between four candidates, and she prevailed with 33.6% of the vote. Having served as president of Iceland for 16 years, she is the longest-serving elected female head of state in history.
The world’s first wind farm stood on the north side of Crotched Mountain in southern New Hampshire, on land owned by the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center, a hospital and school that serves individuals with disabilities and their families. It consisted of 20 30kW turbines – quite small by standards of the 2020s.
U.S. Windpower installs the world’s first wind farm in New Hampshire Read more
The WHO launched an intensified plan to eradicate smallpox in 1967. Widespread immunization and surveillance were conducted around the world for several years. The last known natural case was in Somalia in 1977.
Smallpox becomes first infectious human disease to be fully eradicated Read more
