Mood:
"A new conservative era takes hold."
Events: "Reagan survives an assassination attempt."
Events: "Reagan survives an assassination attempt."
- Jan 20: Iran Hostages Released – Just moments after Ronald Reagan is sworn in as the 40th US President, Iran officially releases the 52 American hostages, ending the agonizing 444-day diplomatic crisis.
- Mar 30: Ronald Reagan Assassination Attempt – President Ronald Reagan is shot and severely wounded in the chest by John Hinckley Jr. outside a Washington hotel. Press Secretary James Brady and two others are also injured.
- Apr 12: First Space Shuttle Launch – NASA successfully launches STS-1, the very first space shuttle mission, with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen piloting the Columbia orbiter into orbit and back.
- May 13: Pope John Paul II Shot – Pope John Paul II is gravely wounded in an assassination attempt by Turkish extremist Mehmet Ali Ağca in St. Peter's Square. He miraculously survives and later famously forgives his attacker.
- Jun 5: AIDS Epidemic Formally Noticed – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes a medical report describing rare pneumonia cases among five gay men in Los Angeles, marking the official medical recognition of the AIDS epidemic.
- Jul 29: Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana – Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in London in a lavish ceremony watched by an estimated global television audience of 750 million people.
- Aug 12: IBM Personal Computer Released – IBM officially introduces the IBM Personal Computer (Model 5150), setting the standard hardware architecture for personal computing and business software for decades.
- Oct 6: Anwar Sadat Assassinated – Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is assassinated by extremist military officers during an annual military parade in Cairo commemorating the Yom Kippur War.