1980 started with a few challenges. In January, the economy hit a recession due to the 1979 oil crisis, raising the unemployment rate to 6.3%, and President Jimmy Carter signed legislation approving $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to bail out the Chrysler Corporation. Even when the recession officially ended by June, the unemployment rate still stayed at an all-time high at 7.8%. By autumn, Republican Ronald Reagan overtook Carter in the 1980 elections, starting the time in history known as the “Reagan Era”.
In gaming, Pac-Man made its debut, as did the Rubik’s Cube (have any of you been able to solve the puzzle, all these years later?), and in television history, 350 million people worldwide watched the show Dallas to find out who shot the character J.R. Ewing (were you surprised by the ending?)
In the music world, AC/DC released Back in Black, which became the second-highest selling album of all time and the highest-selling studio album by any band to date, and popular bands R.E.M., Depeche Mode, Bad Religion and Eurythmics all officially formed. However, the world suffered a great loss by the end of the year with the death of former Beatle John Lennon, who was shot and killed outside his apartment building in New York City.
