It’s been 30 years since 1988, and yet to some, it feels like only yesterday. To others, it was years before they were born. Let’s take a look back to a double-denim filled year!
Jane Fonda circa 1980s. Photo: Warner Bros
1. Floppy disks were a thing. With every passing day, fewer people know why the Microsoft save icon looks like that.
2. Ronald Weasley Rupert Grint and Adele were born. Both the lovable ginger wizard and the iconic English singer made their debut appearances.
Adele and Ron Weasley/Rupert Grint graced us with their presence. Left photo: Marcen27 via Flickr. Right photo: Warner Bros. Right
3. The Netherlands became the second country connected to the internet. Australia received access in 1989.
4. Home and Away aired for the first time. Since then, it’s launched many of Australia’s most successful actors, from Chris Hemsworth to Isla Fisher.
Pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth posing for Home and Away. Photo: backtothebay.net
5. Table tennis became an Olympic sport. It’s the national sport of China, and now it’s played competitively all around the world.
6. Stephen Hawking released best seller A Brief History of Time. It’s now sold over 10 million copies.
7. Photoshop shipped its first software. Back then, the application icon looked like this
Old Photoshop logo.
8. First world AIDS day was held. Since its peak in 2005, the AIDS health crisis has declined dramatically.
9. Die Hard, Crocodile Dundee 2, The Land Before Time and Beetlejuice were all released. Time for a remake? (but not a fake one like the Superbowl ad)
10. Mariah Carey’s hair looked like this
Mariah Carey's glorious hair
11. NASA climate scientist James Hansen used the term 'global warming' in testimony to the United States Congress, bringing it to public attention. Check out this New York Times article from 1988.
12. The Morris worm was released, affecting about 10% of computers. It was the first worm to spread over the internet, and its author was the first convicted malware writer in history.
13. Denim jackets were in fashion. We still wear them, but we could definitely have worse souvenirs from the 80s.
A staple item for many uni students. Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash.
14. Gertrude B. Elion was the fifth woman to win a Nobel Prize for Medicine. 48 women in total have won Nobel Prizes.
15. World Expo 88 was held. The theme was "Leisure in the Age of Technology", and the mascot was an Australian platypus named Expo Oz.
16. The Aboriginal Memorial was shown at the Biennale of Sydney. It honoured all Aboriginals who have died defending their land since 1788, the installation is now permanently housed in the National Gallery of Australia.
17. In the US, CDs outsold vinyl records for the first time. Although, in 2016, vinyl sales reached a 25-year high.
18. UTS was born out of the NSW Institute of Technology
Then and now of the UTS city campus