I grew up in the 80s but I didn’t take part in everything that defined the decade. That said, here are the things I do remember fondly and having an interest in them:
[ul]
[li] Atari 2600 games (even after the 2600’s popularity was supplanted by ColecoVision and the short-lived Atari 5200 and 7800).[/li][li] Rubik’s cube (never did learn how to solve one, though)[/li][li] Izod shirts (the alligator insignia)[/li][li] Ocean Pacific and Hobie shirts[/li][li] Acid-washed jeans[/li][li] Hair bands[/li][li] Arcade video games (Pac-Man, Frogger, Centipede, Galaga, dozens more)[/li][li] Watching MTV for hours at a time, back when they actually showed videos[/li][/ul]
And then there were the things I didn’t get into:
[ul]
[li] Most popular music (Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, Thompson Twins)[/li][li] Break-dancing[/li][li] Bermuda shorts[/li][li] Parachute pants[/li][li] Ripped/torn jeans[/li][li] Neon-colored clothes (not something most guys did anyway, if I recall)[/li][/ul]
80’s movies I saw at the theater:
[ul]
[li] E.T.[/li][li] Raiders of the Lost Ark[/li][li] Back to the Future[/li][li] Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back[/li][li] Star Wars: Return of the Jedi[/li][li] Ferris Bueller’s Day Off[/li][li] Nightmare on Elm Street (only saw the first two)[/li][/ul]
I didn’t watch a lot of TV, but there were a few TV shows I liked:
[ul]
[li] Who’s the Boss[/li][li] Facts of Life[/li][li] Knight Rider[/li][li] Daytime game shows[/li][li] MacGyver[/li][li] The Cosby Show[/li][li] Moonlighting[/li][li] Various Saturday morning cartoons[/li][/ul]
Technological memories:
[ul]
[li] My first computer was a Timex/Sinclair 2068. All my friends had Commodore 64s and I wish I had one of these instead. There was no software available for my computer at any stores as they all supported Commodore, IBm, Apple and a few others.[/li][li] Cable TV made its debut in my area. The tuner was a box with a row of buttons that was connected by a long wire to the back of the set. It went as high as channel 38.[/li][li] People could actually start buying their own phones instead of leasing through the phone company. Push-button phones were starting to become more commonplace.[/li][li] VCRs were beginning to become a standard household fixture. Consumers debated between buying VHS or Beta. Features such as 4-heads and stereo were a luxury.[/li][li] The Sony Walkman made its debut along with a million copycats that followed.[/li][li] CDs made their debut, bringing the old vinyl LP standby to its near demise (some purists still use them and staunchly defend their use against CDs, though)[/li][/ul]
Events in the news that I remember:
[ul]
[li] Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan[/li][li] Ending stages of the Iranian hostage crisis[/li][li] Eruption of Mt. St. Helens[/li][li] 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York[/li][li] 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles[/li][li] The Chernobyl nuclear disaster[/li][li] First space shuttle launch, and unfortunately, the 1986 Challenger disaster[/li][/ul]
And finally, some personal/miscellaneous memories of the 1980s:
[ul]
[li] Saw my first rock concert at the age of 14. It was for Van Halen’s 1984 tour.[/li][li] Lost my virginity 20 days before I turned 18.[/li][li] Got my driver’s license at 14, the minimum driving age in my state before they raised it to 16 a few years later.[/li][li] I learned to snow ski at the age of 12. This was a few years before snowboards made their debut on the slopes.[/li][li] New Coke came out. It was the biggest marketing disaster in history. I nearly defected to Pepsi before Coke redeemed themselves with Coke Classic.[/li][/ul]