World Wide Web - In 1989, the British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee first proposed a project to his employer CERN, based on the concept of hypertext, to facilitate sharing and updating information among researchers. In mid-November 1989 he would develop the first successful communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client and server via the internet. In the coming years Berners-Lee developed the system which would later become the foundation of the World Wide Web. The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 occurred in the People's Republic of China in 1989, in which pro-democracy protesters demanded political reform. The protests were crushed by the People's Liberation Army. Powell, John. "Steamboat— Savage rule WrestleMania 3". SLAM! Wrestling . Retrieved October 14, 2007. The American auto industry began in the 1980s in a thoroughly grim situation, faced with poor quality control, rising import competition, and a severe economic downturn. [25] Chrysler and American Motors (AMC) were near bankruptcy, and Ford was little better off. [26] Only GM continued with business as usual. But the auto makers recovered with the economy by 1983, and in 1985 auto sales in the United States hit a new record. However, the Japanese were now a major presence, and would begin manufacturing cars in the US to get around tariffs. In 1986, Hyundai became the first Korean auto maker to enter the American market. In the same year, the Yugoslavian-built Yugo was brought to the US, but the car was so small and cheap, that it became the subject of jokes. It was sold up to 1991, when economic sanctions against Yugoslavia forced its withdrawal from the American market.

Under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, China embarked on extensive reforms in the 1980s, opening the country's economy to the West and allowing capitalist enterprises to operate in a market socialist system. The corruption of Communist Party leadership was met by dissent from students and workers in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 which were suppressed by the People's Liberation Army. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and the Armenia started in 1988 and ended in 1994.The Jamaica national bobsled team received major media attention and stunned the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for its unexpected good performance. The events surrounding the Jamaica bobsled team in 1988 would lead to the creation of the Disney movie Cool Runnings five years later. Europe [ edit ] The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked the beginning of German reunification Former president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. Funeral cortege of Urho Kekkonen in Helsinki, 1986 The Amiga 500, the first "low-end" 16 and 32 bit multimedia home/personal computer, was introduced in October 1987. [24] We all love a great party game, and themed parties give you the perfect way to remember the decade with some light-hearted activities.

Trifle is always on the menu in our house at Christmas time, it’s become a bit of a tradition for my Mum to make her famous sherry trifle for our Boxing Day buffet. It’s really simple to make but it absolutely has to be served in a glass bowl. So, within a few short years, the video game industry went from making around 2 billion dollars down to only 100 million. This caused the crash and companies distanced themselves from anything video game-related. Air India Flight 182 was destroyed on June 23, 1985, by Sikh-Canadian militants. It was the biggest mass murder involving Canadians in Canada's history. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird became the two most popular NBA players during the decade while even facing against each other in three NBA Finals ( 1984, 1985, and 1987) continuing the storied Celtics-Lakers rivalry. US President Reagan's decision to station intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Western Europe provoked mass protests involving more than one million people.The Solidarity movement began in Poland in 1980, involving workers demanding political liberalization and democracy in Poland. Attempts by the Communist government to prevent the rise of the Solidarity movement failed and negotiations between the movement and the government took place. Solidarity would be instrumental in encouraging people in other communist states to demand political reform. This severely limited the number of toys and products that could be directly targeted to children. And this is where Ronald Reagan comes into play. One of the first things Reagan does after becoming president is appoint a new head of the Federal Communications Commission in 1981. Enactment of the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement in 1989 to further establish a strong economic bond between the two prosperous neighbor countries of North America.

Walkman and boomboxes, invented during the late 1970s, became very popular as they were introduced to various countries in the early 1980s, and had a profound impact on the music industry and youth culture. Consumer VCRs and video rental stores became commonplace as VHS won out over the competing Betamax standard. In addition, in the early 1980s various companies began selling compact, modestly priced synthesizers to the public. This, along with the development of Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), made it easier to integrate and synchronize synthesizers and other electronic instruments, like drum machines, for use in musical composition. The 80s really gave us some of the most iconic music, fashion, and film. Celebrate the greatness of 80s movies by adding some life-size movie character cutouts to your party decor (and photo booth).

Alternatively (even more alternatively than punk), the ’80s was the dawning of a load of pop culture themes we still love today, so why not throw out a few of these into the mix and see what people go for: Five more James bond films were released, with Roger Moore continuing in the role in For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View To A Kill, before handing over the role to Timothy Dalton who starred in The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill.