1980-1989

=**1980-1989**=







Biographies = = __Ronald Reagan__

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Ronald Reagan was the 40thPresident of the US, and before that was a California Governor and a radio, film, and television actor. He was born in Tampico, Illinois, but grew up in Dixon, Illinois. He graduated from Eureka College with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and sociology. After graduating, he moved to Iowa and became a radio broadcaster. In 1937 he moved to Los Angeles, California. He became an actor, starting out in films and moving onto to television. He appeared in over 50 movies and soon became publicly known. He was originally a Democrat, but switched to Republican in 1962. He was the Governor of California from 1967-1975. He ran for president in 1976 and lost, but ran again in 1980 and won. He is the oldest candidate to have won so far at the age of 69. When he became president, he started many new political and economic reforms. His economic reforms soon became known as Reaganomics, where he wanted to lower tax rates, control money production so the currency didn’t become inflated, and reduce the government’s spending. 69 days into his first term, Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr., but managed to recover from it, becoming the first president to survive an assassination attempt. In the summer of 1981, he took a hard stance on unions when he fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers. In October of 1983, he ordered Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, which was a counter against a suicide truck bomber who caused over 240 American deaths. Reagan was a big Anti-Communist, and this made the Cold War flare up a lot. He wanted a huge buildup in American forces and restarted the B-1 Bomber program. He also funded the program that developed the MX “Peacekeeper” missile. He started a policy which was soon to be called the Reagan Doctrine, which essentially stated that they would provide aid to movements against Communism. Reagan was reelected in 1984 for his second term, and started out with a war on drugs. He also passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which made it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants, required employers to confirm their status, and granted amnesty to around 3 million illegal immigrants who had been continuously living in the US since January 1, 1982. Reagan’s anti-Communist tactics had the Soviet Union into a stagnant economy; the arms race drained their resources, and when Saudi Arabia increased its oil production, the main source of the Soviet’s income, the prices plummeted and their economy went bad. From this position of strength, Reagan persuaded Gorbachev to sign a treaty which eliminated a whole bunch of nukes.======

__Michael Jackson__

Michael Jackson is known as the King of Pop. He is the most successful entertainer of all time. He started his career as one of the Jackson 5 in 1964, and went solo in 1971. His most popular songs were Beat It, Billie Jean, and Thriller, which made the medium into an art form and a promotional tool as well. These songs also helped bring the newly made TV channel MTV into the spotlight. His album Thriller is officially the best-selling album of all time. Also high on the list were Off the Wall, Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory. He is one of the few people to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He is also the first and only pop and rock n' roll dancer to have been inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame. He has won 13 Grammies, 26 American Music Awards, 13 number-one singles in the US in his solo career, and sold over 750 million records worldwide. He is the most-awarded singer in the history of music. He donated hundreds and millions dollars to numerous causes and supported over 40 charities. He would make visits to hospitals with seriously ill children and afterwards would ask what was needed, then donate cash so they could buy them. He started out with brown skin, but due to a disease called vitiligo, his skin gradually lightened. He increased his publicity by spreading false stories about himself to the media. In 1988, he wrote a book called Moonwalk which sold about 200,000 copies. It was an autobiography about his childhood.

__Madonna__

Madonna was a major sensation during the 1980's. She was a famous singer and actress. Born on August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan, she decided to move to New York City in 1977 to try out modern dance. She performed in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy for 6 years before releasing her debut album. For many years afterwards, she released many popular albums, becoming a major hit on MTV. Her songs have been a big source of controversy, mainly religious. She has sold over 300 million records worldwide, which has earned her a place in the Guinness World Records as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time. She majorly influenced the fashion and ideals of many young women in the nation.

__Bill Cosby__

Bill Cosby was born on July 12, 1937 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Cosby is a comedian, actor, writer and a producer. Bill Cosby affected the 1980 decade with his show “The Cosby Show” which help demolish the racial barriers in the television. Bill Cosby was one of the four sons in his family, and his father was away a lot of the times in the Navy. Cosby was a fun person to hang with and outgoing. He was on his baseball, football, track and field team on his elementary school. He went to high school, but later drop out and continued just working. He enjoyed his job at a shoe repair shop but couldn’t see it as his future so he left. He later then joined the navy. While serving the Navy he found what he wanted to do in life. He was a physical therapist to the injured Korean War casualties, and learns that education was a big thing to him. Cosby afterwards gets an equivalent diploma. Cosby’s loves for humor help him easily find jokes to use while working at a bar that helps him gained tips. Cosby leaves temple to receive a career in comedy. Cosby felt that jokes enable others to connect with him and bend the racial barrier even though the skin on him was different. After doing much stand up comedies he is able to create several shows that would help America see the lives through an African American family. media type="youtube" key="yPCUfL5ghrg" height="349" width="425"

The 1980’s was a decade filled with new fashion, music, and movies that emerged. This decade was filled with binge shopping and with people who flaunted what they could afford. There were advances in technology, sports, science, and entertainment. This decade also included disasters. The 1980’s came to be a decade filled with vast social, economic and culture changes. This decade was known as decade of greed. The 1980’s was a decade where people only cared about the riches and wealth of another person. People would look upon you if you had wealth, and power. A person’s success was only measured by the amount of money he or she had. The Americans in this decade soon came to rely on themselves, and wanted to be able to spend their money. They felt they endured so much after the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. The civil rights and woman’s movements were also able to achieve the goals they wanted and helped create a different society. The 1970’s society was filled with inflation and poverty and many people grew tired of losing money. The 1970’s television shows reflected the type of society many Americans were living in such as a very popular show called “All in the Family”. This serious television show narrated a man working for a factory. This man disliked the idea of woman rights and civil rights but his family is able to help him accept the differences. The shows in the 1980’s were more happy and cheerful such as “Happy Days”. The music themes and culture were also impacted by the decade of 1980’s. Earlier in the decades many Americans listened to folk songs, but in the 1980’s the music Americans would listen to a whole different kind of music. One of the main music genres of the 1980’s was Good old’ Rock ‘n Roll which included bands such as Aerosmith, Van Halen, and Def Leppard. Another kind of rock was Glam rock. Glam rock bands included Motley Crue, and Poison. These bands were usually the type where the artists were known for their crazy hairsprayed hair and showy clothing. Many bands also wanted to be rebels so they wore makeup which was against many cultures at the time. The harder types of music were known as the Thrash Metal which included the bands known as Metallica, Medgadeth, and Slayer. Some of the disasters that happened in the 1980’s were the oil spill of the Exxon, the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, and the discovery of the AIDS.

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