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News and Events of 1982

Year by Year: 1900-2012 View a 1982 calendar

World Events

World Statistics

Population: 4.610 billion
population by decade

Nobel Peace Prize:
Alva Myrdal (Sweden) and Alfonso García Robles (Mexico)

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British overcome Argentina in Falklands war (April 2-June 15).
Israel invades Lebanon in attack on PLO. (June 4). Background: Arab-Israeli Wars
Princess Grace, 52, dies of injuries when car plunges off mountain road; daughter Stephanie, 17, suffers serious injuries (Sept. 14).
Lebanese Christian Phalangists kill hundreds of people in two Palestinian refugee camps in West Beirut (Sept. 15).
Leonid I. Brezhnev, Soviet leader, dies at 75 (Nov. 10). Yuri V. Andropov, 68, chosen as successor (Nov. 15). Background: Rulers of Russia since 1533

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U.S. Events

U.S. Statistics

President: Ronald W. Reagan
Vice President: George Bush
Population: 231,664,458
Life expectancy: 74.5 years
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000): 56.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000): 50.3

More U.S. Statistics...

John W. Hinckley, Jr. found not guilty because of insanity in shooting of President Reagan (June 21).
Alexander M. Haig, Jr., resigns as Secretary of State (June 25).
Equal Rights Amendment fails ratification (June 30).

More History...

Economics

US GDP (1998 dollars):   $3,242.10 billion
Federal spending:   $745.76 billion
Federal debt:   $1137.3 billion
Median Household Income
(current dollars):  $20,171
Consumer Price Index:   96.5
Unemployment:   9.7%
Cost of a first-class stamp:   $0.20

More Economics...

Sports

Sports Links

Pro Football Summary

Pro Basketball Summary

Pro Baseball Summary

Super Bowl

San Francisco d. Cincinnati (26-21)

World Series

St. Louis Cardinals d. Milwaukee Brewers (4-3)

NBA Championship

LA Lakers d. Philadelphia 76ers (4-2)

Stanley Cup

NY Islanders d. Vancouver (4-0)

Wimbledon

Women: Martina Navratilova d. C. Evert Lloyd (6-1 3-6 6-2)
Men: Jimmy Connors d. J. McEnroe (3-6 6-3 6-7 7-6 6-4)

Kentucky Derby Champion

Gato Del Sol

NCAA Basketball Championship

North Carolina d. Georgetown (63-62)

NCAA Football Champions

Penn St. (11-1-0)

World Cup

Italy d. W. Germany (3-1)

Entertainment

Entertainment Awards

Pulitzer Prizes
Fiction: Rabbit Is Rich, John Updike
Music: Concerto for Orchestra, Roger Sessions
Drama: A Soldier's Play, Charles Fuller

Oscars awarded in 1982
Academy Award, Best Picture: Chariots of Fire, David Puttnam, producer (The Ladd Co.; Warner Bros.)

Nobel Prize for Literature: Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia)

1982 Emmy Awards

1982 Tony Awards

Grammys awarded in 1982
Record of the Year: "Bette Davis Eyes," Kim Carnes
Album of the Year: Double Fantasy, John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Warner Bros/Geffen)
Song of the Year: "Bette Davis Eyes," Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, songwriters

Miss America: Elizabeth Ward (AR)

More Entertainment Awards...

Events

Michael Jackson releases Thriller, which sells more than 25 million copies, becoming the biggest-selling album in history.
John Belushi dies of a drug overdose at age 33.
Cats opens on Broadway. Becomes Broadway's longest-running play.

Movies

E.T. – the Extra-Terrestrial, Tootsie, Gandhi, The Verdict

Music

Michael Jackson, Thriller

Books

Thomas Keneally, Schindler's List
Alice Walker, The Color Purple

Science

Nobel Prizes in Science

Chemistry: Aaron Klug (UK), for research in the detailed structures of viruses and components of life

Physics: Kenneth G. Wilson (US), for analysis of changes in matter under pressure and temperature

Physiology or Medicine: Sune Bergstrom, Bengt Samuelsson (both Sweden), and John R. Vane (UK), for research in prostaglandins, hormonelike substances involved in a wide range of illnesses

A permanent artificial heart is implanted in a human for first time in Dr. Barney B. Clark, 61, at University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City (Dec. 2). Background: Health & Nutrition
The space shuttle Columbia makes its first mission, deploying two communications satellites (Nov. 16). Background: US Staffed Space Flights
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) diagnostic machines are introduced in Britain.
Washington University in St. Louis develops the Flavr Savr tomato, the first genetically-engineered plant approved for sale.