1982 in brief

Headlines

  • Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide kill 7 in Chicago.
  • Time Magazine's Man of The Year is THE COMPUTER.
  • Lech WalÄ™sa, the leader of the outlawed Solidarity movement in Poland, is released after 11 months in jail.
  • Yassar Arafat is elected the President of the Palestinian National Council.
  • Soviet General Secretary of the Communist Party Leonid Brezhnev dies of a heart attack while in office.
  • A major recession begins in the United States.
  • The first commercial use of Genetic Engineering is launched when human insulin produced by bacteria is marketed.
  • Argentina invades the Falkland Islands, and Argentina and the UK go to war for 74 days.
  • Israel invades Lebanon.
  • Israel returns the Sinai to Egypt.
  • The Provisional IRA continues its bombing campaign in the UK.
  • The Space Shuttle Columbia flies three missions
  • After many reports of whales becoming an endangered species, the International Whaling Commission ends commercial whaling.
  • The largest cash robbery in history occurs in New York when $9,800,000 is stolen from an armored car.
  • Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly dies in a car crash.

Cost of Living in the U.S.

  • Yearly inflation rate: 6.16 %
  • Average cost of a new house: $82,200
  • Average income per year: $21,050.00
  • Average monthly rent: $320.00
  • Cost of a gallon of gas: 91 cents
  • New car average price: $7,983.00
  • U.S. postage stamp: 20 cents

In Other News

  • Disney's futuristic park EPCOT opens.
  • Michael Jackson releases his "Thriller" album.
  • The first CD player is sold in Japan.
  • Dutch Elm Disease destroys millions of elm trees.
  • The first episode of "Late Night with David Letterman" debuts on NBC.
  •  Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” debuts.
  • The first issue of USA Today is published.
  • Michael Fagan breaks into the Queen's bedroom at Buckingham Palace.
  • Italy wins the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
  • The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. is dedicated.
  • Gates connecting Gibraltar are opened after 13 years to allow pedestrian access to and from Spain.
  • Elvis Presley's home Graceland opens to the public.
  • The Weather Channel airs on cable TV for the first time.