After taking the world of technology by storm, the PC was named TIME's Man of the Year.
Sophie's Choice, directed by Alan J. Pakula, was released.
The first artificial heart was successfully implanted.
Michael Jackson's sixth studio album, 'Thriller,' was released by Epic Records.
The International Money Fund loaned Mexico $3.8 billion to prevent its insolvency.
Sony released the world's first CD player in Japan.
The United States of America founded Space Command (SPACECOM), the first of its kind in the US Armed Forces.
The musical 'Little Shop of Horrors' by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman premiered on Broadway at Orpheum Theater, New York, US.
'Eye Of The Tiger' by Survivor reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for eight weeks.
NASA launched the Columbia Space Shuttle for its final test flight, STS-4.
The US Supreme Court declared that no president could be sued for their choices while in office.
John Hinckley, who tried to kill President Reagan, was found not guilty on the grounds of insanity.
The US Supreme Court ruled that school is for everyone and banned discrimination based on citizenship.
Nearly one million people protested for the disarmament of nuclear weapons in Central Park, New York City.
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial by Steven Spielberg was released.
Dictator Efraín Rios Montt declared himself the president of Guatemala.
The Sci-Fi movie 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' was released in the US.
Spain officially became the 16th member of NATO.
Juan María Fernández y Krohn tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II with a bayonet.
The Royal Air Force began a series of attacks on Argentina's Air Force in the Falkland Islands.
John Hinckley Jr., President Reagan's failed assassin, pleaded 'not guilty' due to not being mentally sound at trial.
Great Britain claimed South Georgia Island after Argentina surrendered following the Falklands War.
Singer Rod Stewart was robbed at gunpoint.
The Falklands War broke out between Argentina and Britain over the Falkland Islands and lasted ten weeks.
Wayne Gretzky became the first and only player in NHL history to score 200 points in a season.
NASA's Columbia Space Shuttle was successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center.
All nine planets (including Pluto) lined up with the sun.
After a four-month journey, the Venera 14 spacecraft landed on Venus.
NBC-TV premiered ''Late Night with David Letterman."
Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat that a fan threw onto the stage during a performance in Des Moines, Iowa.
An incredibly cold air swept into the US from Canada and plunged temperatures across most States far below their existing all-time lows.
Petra Schneider set a world record by swimming 1,500 meters freestyle in just 15:43:31.
