1982

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Here is what was happening in the world.

January

• January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself into twenty-two subdivisions.

• January 10 - The lowest ever UK temperature of -27.2°C is recorded at Braemar, in Aberdeenshire. This equals the record set in the same place in 1895, and the record would be equalled again at Altnaharra in 1995.

• January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, disappears in the Sahara during Paris-Dakar rally. He is rescued January 14.

• January 11-January 17 - A brutal cold snap sends temperatures to all-time record lows in dozens of cities throughout the Midwestern United States.

• January 13 - Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90 crashes into Washington, DC's 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78. Half an hour later, a Washington Metro train derails, killing three. It is the system's first fatal accident.

• January 17 - Cold Sunday sweeps over northern United States.

February

• February 1 - Senegal and Gambia form a loose confederation.

• February 2 - Hama Massacre begins in Syria.

• February 3 - Syrian president Hafez al-Assad orders army to purge the city of Harran of the Muslim Brotherhood.

• February 19 - The DeLorean Car factory in Belfast is put into receivership.

• February 24 - Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scores his 77th goal of the National Hockey League season, breaking the previous record of 76. He would go on to score 92 goals that season, which remains the record.

March

• March 10 - The United States places an embargo on Libyan oil imports, alleging Libyan support of terrorist groups.

• March 10 - Syzygy: all 9 planets align on the same side of the Sun.

• March 18 - An Argentinean scrap metal dealer raises the Argentinean flag in South Georgia.

• March 19 - Falklands War approaches: Argentines land on South Georgia Island, precipitating war.

• March 26 - A ground breaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is held in Washington, DC.

• March 29 - Royal Assent in London to the Canada Act 1982 sets the stage for the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution (see April 17 below).

April

• April 2 - Falklands War begins: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.

• April 4 - Falklands War: the British Falkland Islands government surrenders, placing the islands in Argentinean control

• April 6 - A blizzard unprecedented in size for April dumps 1-2 feet of snow on the northeastern U.S., closing schools and businesses, snarling traffic, and canceling several major league baseball games.

• April 17 - By Proclamation of the Queen of Canada on Parliament Hill, Canada repatriates its constitution, granting full political independence from the United Kingdom; included is the country's first entrenched bill of rights.

• April 23 - Dennis Wardlow, Mayor of Key West, Florida, declares the independent Conch Republic for a day.

• April 25 - Israel completes withdrawing from the Sinai peninsula per the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.

May

• May 1 - Falklands War: A Royal Air Force Vulcan bomber takes off from Ascension Island and bombs Stanley Airport.

• May 2 - Falklands War: Nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano.

• The Weather Channel airs on cable television for the first time.

• May 5 - Unabomber bomb explodes in the computer science department at Vanderbilt University; secretary Janet Smith is injured.

• May 12 - Spanish priest Juan Hernandes tries to stab Pope John Paul II with a bayonet during the latter's pilgrimage to the Fatima shrine.

• May 21 - Falklands War: Royal Marines and paratroopers from the British Task Force land at San Carlos Bay on the Falkland Islands and raise the Union Jack.

• May 23 - Falklands War - HMS Antelope of the Royal Navy explodes.

• May 24 - Iranian troops retake Khorramshahr.

• May 26 - Kielder Water, artificial lake in Northumberland, opened.

• May 27 - Tottenham Hotspur win the FA Cup beating QPR 1-0 in a replay.

• May 28 - British troops reach Darwin in the Falkland Islands

• May 29 - Falklands War: In the Battle of Goose Green, British Paratroopers defeat a larger force of Argentine troops in the first land battle of the war.

• May 30 - Spain becomes the 16th member of NATO and the first nation to enter the alliance since West Germany's admission in 1955.

• May 30 - Indianapolis 500-Mile Race: In what Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson and Speedway public address announcer Tom Carnegie later call the greatest moment in the track's history, 1973 winner Gordon Johncock wins his second race over 1979 winner Rick Mears by 0.16 seconds, the closest finish to that date, after Mears draws alongside Johncock with a lap remaining, after erasing a seemingly insurmountable advantage of more than 11 seconds in the final ten laps.

• May 30 - Cal Ripken starts in the first game of what would eventually become his record-breaking consecutive games played streak of 2,632.

• May 31 - Falklands War: Battle of Stanley.

June

• June 6 - 1982 Lebanon War begins: Forces under Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invade southern Lebanon in their "Operation Peace for the Galilee," eventually reaching as far north as the capital Beirut.

• June 6 - United Nations Security Council votes to demand that Israel withdraw its troops from Lebanon

• June 8 - President Reagan became the first American chief executive to address a joint session of the British Parliament.

• June 12 - 750,000 people rally against nuclear weapons in New York City's Central Park. Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, and Linda Ronstadt are in attendance.

• June 13 - In Alberta, Canada 15 members of the Black Leopards Karate Club demolish a house with bare hands and feet with owner's consent. The 1982 FIFA World Cup is opened.

• June 13 - Fahd becomes King of Saudi Arabia upon the death of his brother, Khalid.

• June 14 - Falklands War ends: British forces reach the outskirts of Stanley after "yomping" across East Falkland from San Carlos Bay. They arrive to find the Argentine forces flying white flags of surrender. A formal surrender is agreed that day.

• June 19 - The body of "God's Banker", Roberto Calvi, chairman of Banco Ambrosiano is found hanging beneath Blackfriars Bridge in London.

• June 21 - Prince William was born at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, West London.

• June 22 - A British Airways Boeing 747 suffered a temporary four-engine flameout and damage to the exterior of the plane after flying through the otherwise undetected ash plume from Indonesia's Galunggung.

July

• July 4 - Four Iranian diplomats have been kidnapped upon Israel invasion of Lebanon.

• July 9 - A Boeing 727 carrying Pan Am Flight 759 crashes in Kenner, Louisiana killing all 146 on board and eight on the ground.

• July 9 - An intruder Michael Fagan visits the Queen in her bedroom for a chat.

• July 11 - Italy beat West Germany 3-1 to win the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.

• July 16 - The Reverend Sun Myung Moon is sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $25,000 for tax fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

• July 20 - The Provisional IRA detonates two bombs in central London, killing eight soldiers, wounding 47 people, and leading to the deaths of 7 horses.

• July 21 - HMS Hermes, the Royal Navy flagship during the Falklands War, returns home to Portsmouth to a hero's welcome.

• July 23 - The International Whaling Commission decides to end commercial whaling by 1985-86.

August

• (Unknown date) Commodore 64 is released. The Commodore 64 goes on to sell over 20 million computers until 1994.

• August 4 - United Nations Security Council votes to censure Israel because its troops are still in Lebanon.

• August 20 - Lebanese Civil War: A multinational force lands in Beirut to oversee the PLO withdrawal from Lebanon. French troops arrive August 21, US marines August 25.

September

• September 5 - Iowa paperboy Johnny Gosch kidnapped.

• September 14 - Bomb kills President-elect of Lebanon, Bashir Gemayel. His brother is elected president on September 23.

• September 15 - Princess Grace of Monaco dies from injuries sustained in a car crash the previous day.

• September 18 - Lebanese Christian Militia kill hundreds of Palestinians in the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps in West Beirut.

• September 23 - Amin Gemayel elected president of Lebanon.

• September 25 - 400,000 march in Israel demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

• September 26 - Thermals take Australian parachutist Rich Collins up to 2800 meters during a jump; he almost blacks out due to lack of oxygen. He releases his main parachute to fall to lower altitude and lands by his reserve parachute.

• September 29-October 1 - The Tylenol scare is sparked after seven people in the Chicago, Illinois area die after ingesting capsules laced with potassium cyanide.

October

• October 1 - Helmut Kohl replaces Helmut Schmidt as Chancellor of Germany through a Constructive Vote of No Confidence.

• October 1 - The Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World opens to the public for the first time.

• October 8 - Poland bans Solidarity.

• October 11 - The Mary Rose, flagship of Henry VIII of England that sank in 1545 is raised.

• October 13 - The Ford Sierra was launched in Europe.

• October 19 - John De Lorean is arrested for selling cocaine for undercover FBI agents. He was later found "not guilty", due to entrapment.

• October 27 - In Canada, Dominion Day is officially renamed to Canada Day.

• October 28 - The Socialist Party wins the election in Spain - Felipe González is elected Prime Minister.

November

• November 1 - The Welsh language station, S4C, launches in Wales.

• November 2 - The fourth terrestrial television channel launched in the England, Scotland and Northern Ireland known as Channel 4 with the first programme broadcast being the game show Countdown, which is still in production.

• November 3 - A gasoline tanker explodes in the Salang Tunnel in Afghanistan, killing at least 2,000 people.

• November 7 - The first public demonstration of the Thames Barrier.

• November 12 - In the Soviet Union, former KGB head Yuri Andropov is selected to become the general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee, succeeding the late Leonid I. Brezhnev.

• November 13 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington D.C. after a march to its site by thousands of Vietnam War veterans.

• November 14 - The leader of Poland's outlawed Solidarity movement, Lech Wałęsa, is released from 11 months of internment near the Soviet border.

• November 20 - Completing a wacky 57-yard kickoff return that includes five laterals, Kevin Moen runs through Stanford band members who had prematurely come onto the field. His touchdown stands and California wins 25-20.

• November 28 - Representatives from 88 countries gather in Geneva to discuss world trade and ways to work toward aspects of free trade.

• November 29 - Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: The United Nations General Assembly passes United Nations Resolution 37/37, stating that the Soviet Union should withdraw from Afghanistan.

December

• December 1 - Pop singer Michael Jackson releases his second adult solo album, Thriller.

• December 2 - At the University of Utah, 61-year-old retired dentist Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart (he lived for 112 days with the device).

• December 3 - A final soil sample is taken from the site of Times Beach, Missouri. It was found to contain 300 times the safe level of dioxin.

• December 4 - The People's Republic of China adopts its current constitution.

• December 7 - First US execution by lethal injection is carried out in Texas.

• December 12 - Women's peace protest at Greenham Common - 30,000 women hold hands and form a human chain around the 14.5 km (9 mi) perimeter fence.

• December 20 - Super Bowl XX is awarded to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

• December 23 - The US Environmental Protection Agency recommends the evacuation of Times Beach, Missouri due to dangerous levels of dioxin contamination.

• December 26 - Time Magazine's Man of the Year was for the first time given to a non-human, a computer.

Unknown dates

• The Vietnam Memorial is built in Washington D.C..

• A brief but severe recession begins in the United States.

• Seattle officially dubbed the Emerald City after a contest held to choose a new city slogan.

• Toyota Camry introduced.

Births

January-February

• January 17 - Dwyane Wade, American basketball player

• January 19 - Jodie Sweetin, American actress

• February 10 - Justin Gatlin, American athlete

• February 16 - Lupe Fiasco, American rapper

March-April

• March 3 - Jessica Biel, American actress

• March 25 - Sean Faris, American actor

• March 30 - Jason Dohring, American actor

• April 1 - Sam Huntington, American actor

• April 24 - Kelly Clarkson, American singer

• April 30 - Kirsten Dunst, American actress

May-June

• May 22 - Apolo Anton Ohno, American short track speed skater

• June 9 - Aaron Mannino, American singer

• June 10 - Tara Lipinski, American figure skater

• June 21 - Prince William of Wales

July-August

• July 10 - Alex Arrowsmith, American musician

• July 18 - Ryan Cabrera, American musician

• July 19 - Jared Padalecki, American actor

• July 25 - Brad Renfro, American actor

• July 29 - Allison Mack, American actress

• August 19 - Erika Christensen, American actress

• August 28 - LeAnn Rimes, American singer

September-October

• September 27 - Lil Wayne, American rapper

• October 11 - Salim Stoudamire, American basketball player

• October 27 - Patrick Fugit, American actor

November-December

• November 10 - Heather Matarazzo, American actress

• November 12 - Anne Hathaway, American actress

Deaths

January-June

• January 19 - Elis Regina, Brazilian singer (b. 1945)

• January 30 - Lightning Hopkins, American musician (b. 1912)

• February 5 - Neil Aggett, South African labor leader (suicide)

• February 11 - Eleanor Powell, American dancer (b. 1912)

• February 11 - Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (b. 1905)

• February 12 - Victor Jory, Canadian actor (b. 1902)

• February 17 - Thelonious Monk, American jazz pianist (b. 1917)

• February 17 - Lee Strasberg, American actor (b. 1901)

• March 2 - Philip K. Dick, American author (b. 1928)

• March 5 - John Belushi, American actor (b. 1949)

• March 6 - Ayn Rand, Russian-born author (b. 1905)

• March 19 - Randy Rhoads, American guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne (plane crash) (b. 1956)

• March 28 - William Giauque, Canadian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)

• April 5 - Abe Fortas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1910)

• April 15 - Arthur Lowe, British actor (b. 1915)

• May 1 - William Primrose, Scottish violist (b. 1903)

• May 8 - Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (racing accident) (b. 1950)

• May 29 - Romy Schneider, Austrian actress (cardiac arrest) (b. 1938)

• June 2 - Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, President of Pakistan (b. 1904)

• June 8 - Satchel Paige, baseball player (b. 1906)

• June 12 - Karl von Frisch, Austrian zoologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1886)

• June 14 - Arthur Coles, Australian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1892)

• June 18 - Curt Jurgens, German actor (b. 1915)

July-December

• July 4 - Terry Higgins, early British casulty of AIDS

• July 29 - Vladimir Zworykin, Russian-born inventor (b. 1889)

• August 15 - Hugo Theorell, Swedish scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1903)

• August 21 - King Sobhuza II of Swaziland, at the time the longest reigning living monarch, (b. 1899)

• August 23 - Stanford Moore, American biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)

• August 29 - Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress (b. 1915)

• September 2 - Tom Baker, American actor (b. 1940)

• September 11 - Wilfredo Lam, Cuban artist (b. 1902)

• September 14 - Grace Patricia Kelly, American actress and Princess of Monaco (b. 1929)

• October 4 - Glenn Gould, Canadian pianist (b. 1932)

• October 8 - Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker, Canadian-born peace activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1889)

• October 18 - Bess Truman, First Lady of the United States (b. 1885)

• October 18 - Dwain Esper, Director (b. 1892)

• October 22 - Savitri Devi, French-born writer and philosopher (b. 1905)

• November 10 - Leonid Brezhnev, Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1906)

• November 15 - Vinoba Bhave, Indian educator (b. 1895)

• November 29 - Percy Williams, Canadian athlete (b. 1908)

• December 8 - Marty Robbins, American singer (b. 1925)

• December 24 - Louis Aragon, French writer (b. 1897)

• December 27 - John Swigert, American astronaut (b. 1931)

Nobel Prizes

• Physics - Kenneth G. Wilson

• Chemistry - Aaron Klug

• Medicine - Sune K. Bergström, Bengt I. Samuelsson, John R. Vane

• Literature - Gabriel García Márquez

• Peace - Alva Myrdal, Alfonso García Robles

Fields Medalists

• Alain Connes, William Thurston, Shing-Tung Yau

Templeton Prize

• Billy Graham

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