The year of 1984 had been packed full of many different notable happenings. Firstly, that year was the name of a book published back in 1949 by George Orwell. The story is about in a hypothetical potential future, in 1984 following the entire world had been confronted with continuous conflicts, an invasive authorities surveillance and fake information. Clearly that foreseeable future just didn't come to fruition back in 1984. However, quite a bit did happen that year and here is a selection of several of these:
In the course of Superbowl XVIII in Tampa, Florida on January 22 in which the Los Angeles Raiders beat the Washington Redskins 38-9 the Superbowls broadcaster, CBS, ran a legendary advertisement for Apple Computer advertising the Macintosh computer. The Macintosh went on sale in the USA 2 days later.
On January 25, the then United States of America president, Reagan proclaims in the State of the Union address to both houses that the USA will start development of a permanently manned space station and Reagan asked additional international space agencies to get involved. The idea became the International Space Station.
On 16 March the station head of the USA Central Intelligence Agency in Beirut, William Francis Buckley, is taken by the Islamic Jihad Organization from his apartment building as he was departing for the embassy. He went through 15 months of torture from Hezbollah prior to his death in captivity.
On April 9, the 56th Academy Awards were held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and was hosted by Johnny Carson. Terms of Endearment achieved best . The best actor was earned by Robert Duvall for the role in Tender Mercies as Mac Sledge and best actress was achieved by Shirley MacLaine for the role she played in Terms of Endearment as Aurora Greenway.
On May 8th, the Soviet Union pronounces that it will stay away from the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA which were held 28 July to 12th August. This has been in response to the American organized boycott for the 1980 Summer Olympics that had been earlier held in Moscow protesting the USSR’s attack of Afghanistan. Among the more unique moments at these games had been the South African athlete Zola Budd that had controversially been granted UK citizenship earlier in the year to take part, ran without shoes in the 3000m, colliding with Mary Decker of the US, which results in neither of them finishing as a placegetter in the race.
In India on October the 31st the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi is killed by her two Sikh body guards in New Delhi. Protests break out, that leave up to 20,000 Sikhs killed in Delhi as well as surrounding areas. Rajiv Gandhi after that becomes Prime Minister of India.
The globes worst industrial disaster in history happened on the third of December in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India at the Union Carbide pesticide plant. A methyl isocyanate leak results in the deaths of over 8000 people soon after it happened as well as injures in over 500,000 with the eventual death toll reaching 23,000.
In 1984 in Ethiopia a drought worsens with almost 1 million individuals dying of malnourishment by the end of the year. A grouping of performers arranged by the muscian, Bob Geldof, called Band Aid, records the charitable single Do They Know It’s Christmas? in a UK studio to raise funds to fight this catastrophe in Ethiopia.