The count down
1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1981st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 981st year of the 2nd millennium, the 81st year of the 20th century, and the 2nd year of the 1980s decade.
Elizabeth II was Queen of the Commonwealth. The Australian Prime Minister was Malcolm Fraser, and Premier of South Australia was David Tonkin. The New Zealand Prime Minister was Robert Muldoon. Ronald Reagan became President of the United States. Augusto Pinochet is President of Chile.
Big news for 1981 (though I wasn’t born until 01-Dec):
Jan: Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper", is arrested in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
Feb: Alice Springs coroner finds that Azaria Chamberlain was killed by a dingo. (Dingo stole my baby)
Australia bowled an underarm delivery against New Zealand at the MCG. The delivery leads to the banning of underarm deliveries in cricket.
Mar: The sin bin rule is introduced in rugby league.
Apr: “Bigfoot", the first monster truck was created.
May: Donna Payant is murdered by serial killer Lemuel Smith, the first time a female prison officer has been killed on-duty in the United States.
Jun: The CDC report the first recognized cases of AIDS.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is released in theaters.
Jul: Passports reintroduced for Kiwi’s travelling to Australia. The Australian Royal Commission of Inquiry into Drugs says the exemption was exploited.
The Springbok match in Hamilton, is cancelled after 350 anti-apartheid protesters invade the pitch.
Kiwi opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa performs for the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London, televised to over 750 million people.
Aug: MTV is launched and airs Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles.
Sep: Picasso's painting Guernica is moved from New York to Madrid.
Oct: The Kohanga reo scheme is established by the Department of Māori Affairs.
Nov: A new inquest is ordered in relation to the nine-week-old being killed by a dingo.
Dec: Muhammad Ali loses to Trevor Berbick; Ali's last-ever fight.
The first American “test-tube baby” is born.
BORN IN 1981:
January 28 - Elijah Wood, American actor January 31 - Justin Timberlake, actor and musician February 9 - Tom Hiddleston, British actor February 17 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor February 24 – Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis player April 28 – Jessica Alba, American actress May 20 - Mark Winterbottom, Australian racing driver May 24 - Andy Lee, Australian comedian June 9 - Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress June 13 – Chris Evans, American actor June 28 - Demetrius "Savage" Savelio, rapper August 25 - Rachel Bilson, American actress September 4 - Beyoncé, actress and singer October 1 - Rupert Friend, English actor December 2 – Britney Spears, entertainer December 10 - Conrad Smith, rugby player December 11 - Hamish Blake, Australian comedian