Odds & Ends

Cost of Living

How Much things cost in 1981?

·        Yearly Inflation Rate USA10.35%

·        Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 875

·        Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 15.75%

·        Average Cost of new house $78,200.00

·        Average Income per year $21,050.00

·        Average Monthly Rent $315.00

·        Cost of a gallon of Gas $1.25

·        Sinclair ZX80 $199.95 

What Events Happened in 1981

·         Iran releases 52 American hostages, who had been held for 444 days (one of which was a cousin of classmate Melissa Stokes)

·         Solidarity inspired popular protests and general strike lead to imposition of Marshal Law and eventual outlawing of solidarity party in Poland

·         Thatcher Government in England begin privatisation of Nationalised Industries creating economic revival, this format is later emulated in many other countries throughout the world

·         Air traffic controllers strike causing chaos in the US and The US President Ronald Reagan Fires Them

·         Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands dies on May 5th while on the hunger strike, During that time Bobby Sands is elected to Westminster as the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

·         Ronald Reagan becomes US President

·         Anti nuclear protestors invade the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Reactor in California

·         Researchers find the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic

·         Muhammad Ali finally retires with career record of 55 wins and 5 defeats  

·         Earthquake hits Athens, killing 16 people

·         Pope John Paul II, is shot but not killed in Vatican City

·         Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of Wales.

·         Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is assassinated

·         Sandra Day O'Connor is nominated to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

·         The first American test-tube baby, is born  

·         The introduction of the first Frequent Flyer Miles AAdvantage introduced by American Airlines ( frequent flyer miles can be redeemed for free air travel )

Technology

• Scientists identify The Aids Virus
  
• First Flight of US Space Shuttle Columbia

• IBM in US launches it's first PC which uses Microsoft Software MS DOS
• The term INTERNET first mentioned
• Post It Notes launched by 3M Corp
• China Clones the first fish ( Golden Carp ) 
  
•  Artificially Produced Insulin becomes the worlds first genetically engineered protein to treat human disease Diabetes
  
• MS-DOS released by Microsoft