1982. What a year it was. '82 would see some now
iconic items taking shape, a gapped-tooth comedian
take over late night, the emergence of the
war on drug's most laughable catchphrase, and
the rise of the machines. And let's not forget,
1982 would be filled with plenty of spicy drama. Tum Tum Tum Tum Tum! We're going to talk about
the news, culture, sports, and entertainment, and all
that was weird in the '80s. This is Timeline. [MUSIC PLAYING] Today we're moving on to 1982. But before we get started, be
sure to subscribe to the Weird History Channel, and let
us know in the comments below what you miss
about the '80s. OK then. Are you ready to do '82? My lines! My lines! I can't remember my lines! Oh! Don't worry. We've got you covered. This is 1982. Starting off in '82,
10-year-old Donnie Priest would be the sole survivor
when his mother, Lee Vaughn, and stepfather and
pilot, Ron Vaughn, flew a single engine Grumman
AA 5B plane into a snowy slope near the Northeastern edge
of Yosemite National Park. After spending five days
in freezing weather, Donnie Priest was found by
a search and rescue team. Priest lost both of
his legs below the knee due to severe frostbite. Switching to the courts, the
Honorable William Ray Overton voted in favor of act 590 on
January 5, 1982, also known as the Arkansas
Balanced Treatment Act, which was a law that required
the teaching of creationism in classrooms. Kids got a dose of real science
with the theory of evolution, Charles Darwin, and genetics,
as well as creation myths-- Noah's Ark and Adam and Eve. We go to Cuba, where
Ubre Blanca was a cow. But not just any cow. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MOOS] Spanish for white
udder, Ubre Blanca was known for the
enormous amount of milk she produced every day. In Cuba on January 5, 1982,
Ubre Blanca produced 110 liters of milk. That's 29 gallons
to us Americans. This really impressed
Fidel Castro. He often referred to Ubre
Blanca's prodigious output in speeches as evidence of
communism's superior breeding skills. Pontiac, third and three. We'll see a pick up sometime
on the right side, possibly. Montana, looking, looking,
throwing in the end zone. Caught it! "I Love Rock 'n
Roll" was originally recorded by the British
band Arrows in 1975. The song went mostly
unnoticed until Joan Jett and the Blackhearts recorded
their version of it, released as a single on January 19. Jett's version
reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100
exactly one month later, on February 19. Staying with music,
while performing at the Veteran's Memorial
Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 20, during his
Diary of a Mad Man tour, Ozzie Osborne picked up a
fake bat and bit its head off. Well, Ozzie at least
thought it was fake. Mark Neil, a 17-year-old fan,
threw a real bat on stage, as one apparently does when
in Iowa, and due to fog machines, a flashing light
show, and lots of drugs, Ozzie picked it up, held it
above his head to the crowd, and proceeded to
take a batty bite. Neil has said that the bat was
already dead when he brought it to the venue, but Ozzie
swears the bat bit him first. We don't want to spend
all our time discussing you biting the heads
off stuff, but is this OK to be doing this stuff? Sticking with Dave,
on February 1, David Letterman debuted
Late Night, arguably the most exciting, innovative,
and insane late night talk show ever. In its 11 seasons, Letterman
would throw crap off buildings, introduce us to
stupid pet tricks, and host incredible
bands that would have never gotten
the chance to perform on television otherwise. His first guest was the
one and only Bill Murray. Dave Letterman! Come on, everybody up! Everybody up! Everybody up! Released on September
13, 1981, it took the Jay Geils Band's
"Centerfold" over four months to hit number one on the
US Billboard Hot 100. But when it did, it stayed
there for six weeks. Staying on the music
theme, by the mid '70s, jazz legend Thelonious
Monk had disappeared from the scene he
influenced so greatly with his unique
improvisational style. More than a complex musician,
he was a complex person. Sadly, jazz historians
attribute his quirky behavior to manic depression
and schizophrenia. Monk died on February 17. Another sad passing
happened in March. Philip Kindred Dick, the world
renowned science fiction writer responsible for some of the
genre's most influential work, died on March 2. Months later, "Blade
Runner", which was a film based off a
Philip K. Dick novel, "Do Androids Dream
of Electric Sheep," debuted on June 25, 1982. Good evening, I'm Marty
McNeely for WGN News. Comic actor John
Belushi died today at a rented hotel bungalow
in the Hollywood Hills. While holed up in the Chateau
Marmont in Los Angeles, John Belushi would go on the
last party bender of his life. Just after midnight, Belushi
was visited separately by his friends Robin
Williams, Robert de Niro, and Catherine Evelyn Smith,
who we'd find out later was the person who injected
Belushi with 11 speed balls, which led to his death. Smith eventually served
15 months in prison and was later
deported to Canada. Now, we go to the New
Orleans Superdome, where the North
Carolina Tar Heels were down by 1 with less than
20 seconds left in the game. Freshman Mike Jordan then
sinks a 16 foot jumper, helping the Heels win
the NCAA championship. Shot, Jordan! Michael Jordan! On this night, Mike
became Michael. We may see this Michael
Jordan guy a few more times this decade. Jane Fonda's first exercise
video debuted on April 24, simply titled "Workout." Inspired by her bestselling
book, "Jane Fonda's Workout Book," Fonda brought
aerobics to the masses. Next, a music and crime story. While driving his 1977
Porsche Turbo Carrera near Sunset
Boulevard, Rod Stewart was approached by an armed
gunman in broad daylight. The gunman demanded the keys
to Stewart's $50,000 wheels-- that's $133,000 converted for
inflation-- hopped in the car and sped off, leaving Rod and
his three-year-old daughter Kimberly on the curb. It doesn't pay to
not pay your taxes. Actress Sophia Loren
voluntarily surrendered in Italy and went to jail on May 19. The charges stemmed from a
discrepancy on her 1974 tax return, in which she filed
in a lower tax bracket. She then served 17 days
of a 30 day jail term in a women's prison. The beloved Satchel Paige. But his exact date
of birth was one of the mysteries that came
with him into the big leagues when he pitched his first
game for the Cleveland Indians after being drafted
from the Negro league. Jack, I'm gonna
tell you the truth. I don't think but a very few
people in the United States know my age or where
I come from, even. Let alone know my age,
because I've been playing ever since I was a kid. I never had a job. But still, there's
some of them a hundred old, and
everybody I meet, they say they
played ball with me. Some of them's 100, some
of them's 85 and 90. We now go to the courts. On June 15, the Supreme Court
made a landmark decision when it ruled that states cannot
constitutionally deny students a free public education on
account of their immigration status. The case began in 1977 when
four immigrant families sued the Tyler Texas school district
after their children were kicked out, and then told
they had to pay tuition to gain entrance
into their schools. Staying with the justice
system, on June 21, having been charged
with 13 offenses, would-be assassin John
Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Hinckley wrote that the
assassination attempt was the greatest love offering
in the history of the world, in an odd way, trying to win
actress Jodie Foster's heart. I believe that it's-- that the letters were assumed
to have been love type letters. But that he was
extremely disappointed that Foster didn't accept
in return his love for her. During the early
'80s, the Soviets were trying to develop a
pipeline that would carry natural gas across Siberia. Unfortunately, the Soviets
lacked the computer software to manage the pumps,
valves, turbines, and storage facilities that
a pipeline of this scale would require. The United States
had the software, but there was no
way in hell Uncle Sam was going to sell the secret
sauce to their Cold War foes. So when the CIA found out that
the Soviets had been stealing classified government
documents for years, they thought it would be
the perfect opportunity to add a Trojan horse to their
coveted pipeline software. The incorrect software code
caused a major explosion of the Trans-Siberian
gas pipeline. The result was a blast so
monumental, balls of fire could be seen from space. Speaking of space,
E.T. fell from the sky and into our hearts on June 11. By the end of its
theatrical run, it had grossed $359 million in
North America, and $619 million worldwide. At E.T.'s peak, Spielberg
was earning $500,000 a day from his back end stake. The Hershey Company's profits
increased by 65% thanks to their product placement
of Reese's Pieces. Besides E.T., another alien
movie fell from the sky. For 100,000 years, it was
buried in the snow and ice. Now, it has found
a place to live. Inside. Next, some baseball news. Cal Ripken, Jr. started as
shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles on July 1, 1982. Cal Jr. would go on to play
in 2,632 consecutive games, finally ending his streak
on September 20, 1998. Incredible moment. An amazing sight,
almost overwhelming. On July 2, Larry Walters
completed a 45 minute flight with 45 helium-filled
weather balloons tied to an ordinary patio chair. Lawnchair Larry rose to a little
over 15,000 feet in altitude by Long Beach, California. Walters took with him a CB
radio, sandwiches, beer-- of course-- a camera, and his pellet gun. The pellet gun,
naturally, would be used to shoot several
of the balloons in order to lose
altitude and land. Unfortunately, Larry's balloons
got tangled up in power lines, and he was arrested
after freeing himself from his aircraft. It wasn't all bad, though. Walter's flight would go on
to help inspire the 2009 Pixar film, "Up." Staying with the
movies, tragedy struck the set of "Twilight
Zone, The Movie" when a stunt helicopter
crashed, killing actor Vic Morrow and two child actors,
Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Ye Chen, both hired illegally. Director John Landis and three
others involved with the movie were eventually acquitted of
manslaughter charges in a nine month trial which
spanned 1986 and '87. This is a terrible,
terrible accident that obviously will cause
pain and anguish to all of us for the rest of our lives. Steven Spielberg, the
co-producer of the movie, was so disgusted by Landis'
handling of the situation, he ended the friendship. A moment for
videogame nostalgia. Atari was the leader
in home video game consoles for five or so years. But on August 1,
CalicoVision debuted. Because your vision
is our vision. CalicoVision. The CalicoVision console offered
a better user experience, with graphics and gameplay
that was closer in comparison to the game systems one would
find at a video game arcade. Unfortunately, CalicoVision
was discontinued in 1985 when Calico withdrew from
the videogame market. On August 27, Ricky Henderson
broke Lou Brock's major league single season record by
stealing his 130th base in the third inning against
the Milwaukee Brewers, where he'd go on to steal
three more that game. The first commercial compact
disc was produced on August 17. The artist? The classical composer,
Claudio Arrau, a Chilean pianist best known
for his interpretations of 20th century composers. The album, Arrau's 1979
recording of Chopin waltzes. We turn to some true crime. While delivering
newspapers between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM on
September 5 in Des Moines, Iowa, 12-year-old Johnny Gosch
disappeared without a trace, but was presumed
to be kidnapped. Two years later, Gosch, along
with another missing boy, Eugene Martin,
became the children to be featured on the National
Child Safety Council's new missing children milk carton
program in the United States. We go to Monaco. On September 13,
Princess Grace Kelly was driving back to Monaco from
her country home in Roc Agel when she lost control of
her 1971 Rover P6 3500, driving off the
steep winding road. Kelly was taken to
the Monaco hospital with injuries to the brain,
thorax, and a fractured femur. Doctor surmised that she
had suffered a minor stroke while driving. Princess Grace died
the following night. A first for pop
culture journalism, although USA Today was first
distributed to the Baltimore and Washington DC metropolitan
areas on its launch date of September 5, 1982. Scott Fahlman, a computer
scientist and professor emeritus at Carnegie
Mellon University, used to be part of a
primitive online message board with his computer
science community. Yes, there were online
message boards in 1982. And they were used by
Fahlman and his colleagues. The problem? People on this group
chat used to pepper in sarcastic comments and jokes. On September 19,
1982, at 11:44 AM, Fahlman posted this note,
which would solve everything. From Scott E. Fahlman, I
propose the following character sequence for joke markers. Colon, dash, right parenthesis. Actually, it is probably
more economical to mark things that are not jokes,
given current trends. For this, use colon,
dash, left parenthesis. Ah, the innocence of it all. The 1982 NFL strike, which
began on September 21, wasn't the first instance
when football players walked, but at the time, it
was the longest stretch fans went without a game. --without professional
football is about as unusual as a Cleveland
winter without snow. A football player strike
wouldn't stop the snow, but it would empty out
the stadium, and a lot of people's pockets as well. After 57 days, the
Player's Union and the NFL came to an agreement, and the
Washington Redskins eventually went on to beat the Miami
Dolphins in a shortened nine game season. September of 1982 brought
some NBC classics. The precious hours spent
in the familiar abode, with loved ones, playing a
heartwarming game such as this are what make memories that one
can treasure for all eternity. When did all that occur to you? As I was coming down the stairs. All right. Might as well put on some music. All these weird gadgets, you'd
think they'd give you a radio. What would you like to hear? What the hell was that? Staying with TV, on
September 24, 1982, Coy and Vance Duke made their
debut on "The Dukes of Hazzard" after the cousins Bo and Luke
left Hazzard County to fulfill a lifelong dream of racing
on the NASCAR circuit. Well, that's how the
show explained it. In reality, John
Schneider and Tom Wopat filed a lawsuit against Warner
Brothers for $25 million, alleging that Warner
had shortchanged them Duke boys on royalties. After Coy and Vance's
season five ratings tanked, Warner Brothers
ponied up the dough, and Bo and Luke were written
back into season six, while Coy and Vance--
well, Brian Cherry, who played Coy Vance,
went on to play Deputy Will Roxie on an
episode of "Murder, She Wrote." That's cool. We find ourselves in an
unsolved crime story. It all started on September
29 when 12-year-old Mary Ann Kellerman of Elk Grove
Village, Illinois died after taking the
over-the-counter pain reliever. Within the next few days,
six more people died, but it wasn't until two Chicago
firefighters, Richard Keyworth and Philip Cappitelli,
realized that all seven victims had taken extra strength
Tylenol prior to becoming ill. While every bottle of
Tylenol was recalled, the only contaminated capsules
were found in the Chicago area. As far as we know, the
Children's Tylenol, the chewable, have not
been implicated yet. To this day, the culprit
has never been caught, but the murders led to
new tamper-proof medicine containers, and hundreds
of copycat attacks. If we go to the parking lot
of Tony Roma's in Las Vegas, it was a normal day for
Frank Lefty Rosenthal. After getting into
his Cadillac Eldorado, Rosenthal noticed flames
flickering out of his Caddy's dashboard defroster vent. And the next thing
he knew, Lefty was rolling around
in the parking lot, trying to snuff out his
suit, which was on fire. Seconds later,
Lefty's car blew up. In 1995, Martin Scorsese
opened his masterpiece "Casino" around the
assassination attempt. He could have had the food
and beverage job, you know. Afternoon, everybody. Norm! Hey, Normie. What would you like? I dunno. You got anything pale and cold? Yeah, but it's Diane's day off. Co-founded by former US
first lady Betty Ford, the first Betty
Ford Clinic opened on October 4 in Rancho
Mirage, California, about 10 miles northwest
of Palm Springs. Ford came up with the
idea after her own battle with alcohol dependence
and Diazepam addiction. 10 days later, on October
14, President Ronald Reagan took a different
approach to drugs. He declared a war on them. Later in October, when a fourth
grader at Longfellow Elementary School in Oakland, California
asked the First Lady Nancy Reagan what to do if approached
by someone offering drugs, Nancy said, "Just say no." Just say no to
drugs didn't really have an effect on John DeLorean,
who was arrested on October 19 by the US government. You're under arrest for
narcotics smuggling violations. During a sting operation,
DeLorean laughs it up with undercover federal agents,
making a sweet $24 million deal to traffic cocaine. DeLorean claims that he only did
it to save his failing sports car company. DeLorean would have
the last laugh, though. Two years later, at trial,
DeLorean's lawyer successfully argued that the FBI
and DEA had targeted and entrap DeLorean
himself, simply because he and the
DeLorean Motor Company were financial wrecks. On the car note, Honda became
the first Asian car company to produce cars in the
United States on November 1, with the opening of
the Marysville Auto Plant in the heart of
the Buckeye state, Ohio. The first Honda to roll
off the floor of the plant was the '82 Honda Accord. And by the way, Marysville Ohio? Mad River? Just wonderful skiing there. To the world of sports. We go to Caesar's Palace in
Las Vegas on November 13, where a 21-year-old
Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini was set to defend
his WBA lightweight title against the 23-year-old South
Korean challenger, Deukoo Kim. After 14 brutal rounds,
the ring referee called the fight on a TKO,
and the victorious Mancini kept his title. Moments later, Kim collapsed
and fell into a coma, having suffered a
subdural hematoma. Kim died four days later. The impact was great. Mancini blamed himself
for Kim's death, and fell into a deep
depression for years. Three months after the fight,
Kim's mother committed suicide. And on July 1, 1983, the
fight's referee, Richard Green, also ended his life. Coming back to music. Michael Jackson released
"Thriller" on November 30. At its peak, thriller sold
1 million copies worldwide per week. And by the end of 1983, it
became the best selling album of all time, having
sold 32 million copies. I also forgot to thank
Quincy's wife, Peggy Jones. She was a great help
on the ET album. You hate to see this happen. On December 6, Maureen
Marder signed an agreement with Paramount
Studios which stated they had the rights to her
life story for a cool $2,300. That's a little over $6,100 now. The thing is, Marder was a
construction worker by day and a stripper at night, with
a dream of one day becoming a professional dancer. When "Flashdance" debuted and
earned a cool $201 million, with none of that cash
going into Marder's pocket. Chrisos Potamitis was
the only guard on duty at the Century Armored
Career Corporation when the company was
robbed of $11.4 million, the biggest cash theft
in America at the time. It didn't take long
for the prosecutors to figure out that Potamitis
was the inside man, allowing Eddie Argitakos, his
partner in crime, to tie him up to make it
look like he was overpowered. Potamitis and
Argitakos got 15 years, but the thing is, only $1
million was ever recovered. Prosecutors insisted that
Potamitis and Argitakos hid the money before
they were convicted, so they could retrieve
it if they got caught. Liam Hemsworth, Emma
Roberts, and Dwayne Johnson costarred in "Empire State,"
which was based on the heist. Did anyone actually
see that movie? Here's an odd accolade. On December 26, Time Magazine
named the personal computer its man of the year, or in
this case, machine of the year. Finally, one last sports story. After a sixth place SEC
finish in the '82 season, Paul William Bryant
coached his final game at the Liberty Bowl on December
29, 1982, in a 21 to 15 victory over the
University of Illinois. After the game, Bryant
was asked what he planned to do now that he was retiring. He replied, probably
croak in a week. He wasn't far off. The beloved coach
lived for one more month, dying on
January 26, 1983. 1983 was just a few days off. It would be a year where we
would see a ride in space, moonwalks, and lucky stars. But that is for next year. You're just going to have
to wait a minute or two. So what do you think? What is your highlight of 1982? Let us know in the comments
below, and while you're at it, check out some of these other
Only About The 1980s videos.
