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Kicking off a New Decade: Pop Culture of 1980
The dawn of a new decade began, and with it came plenty of crazes.
Atari's Missile Command was an arcade game that simulated nuclear warfare and missile defense, but was popular in its own right.
However, Namco's Pac-Man prevented Missile Command from being the most popular arcade game of 1980. Americans just couldn't get enough of that dot-munching action.
Nintendo made their debut in the western gaming industry with the Game & Watch series, a line of LCD handheld games developed by Gunpei Yokoi.
As for the home arcade business, RCA continued to keep up with Atari and newcomer Mattel, but all three were popular gifts by Christmastime.
Speaking of popular toys, the Rubik's Cube made its international debut in 1980.
1980 was a big year for horror films, with the debut of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and popular slasher film Friday the 13th.
But the biggest movie of the year had to be Lucasfilm's iconic sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. Its success turned a blockbuster sci-fi film (and a crappy holiday special) into a beloved franchise.
As for Japanese pop culture, the first Gundam model kit was released this year.
But the most shocking pop cultural news piece of 1980?
On December 8th, ex-Beatle John Lennon was shot walking out of the Dakota Apartments. His would-be killer, Mark David Chapman, fired towards him and successfully wounded him with one bullet, but his aim went awry for a few seconds, allowing Lennon to survive for just enough time before the police intervened. Chapman had one bullet left, but when he saw the police arrive, he suddenly opened his mouth and shot himself into a vegetative state. Lennon was rushed to the hospital and was expected to recover.
Atari's Missile Command was an arcade game that simulated nuclear warfare and missile defense, but was popular in its own right.
However, Namco's Pac-Man prevented Missile Command from being the most popular arcade game of 1980. Americans just couldn't get enough of that dot-munching action.
Nintendo made their debut in the western gaming industry with the Game & Watch series, a line of LCD handheld games developed by Gunpei Yokoi.
As for the home arcade business, RCA continued to keep up with Atari and newcomer Mattel, but all three were popular gifts by Christmastime.
Speaking of popular toys, the Rubik's Cube made its international debut in 1980.
1980 was a big year for horror films, with the debut of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and popular slasher film Friday the 13th.
But the biggest movie of the year had to be Lucasfilm's iconic sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. Its success turned a blockbuster sci-fi film (and a crappy holiday special) into a beloved franchise.
As for Japanese pop culture, the first Gundam model kit was released this year.
But the most shocking pop cultural news piece of 1980?
On December 8th, ex-Beatle John Lennon was shot walking out of the Dakota Apartments. His would-be killer, Mark David Chapman, fired towards him and successfully wounded him with one bullet, but his aim went awry for a few seconds, allowing Lennon to survive for just enough time before the police intervened. Chapman had one bullet left, but when he saw the police arrive, he suddenly opened his mouth and shot himself into a vegetative state. Lennon was rushed to the hospital and was expected to recover.
- StomperYoshi
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