An Almanac

Published by Renata Segal and Maia Balagur


1980 April 30 - Queen Juliana of the Netherlands abdicates, and her daughter Beatrix ascends to the throne

1981 April 12 - The Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Columbia (John Young, Robert Crippen) launches on the STS-1 mission, returning to Earth on April 14

1982 June 5 – The first Rubik's Cube World Championships is held in Budapest, Hungary.

1983 July 28 - New South Wales premier Neville Wran is exonerated by the Street Royal Commission, over claims raised by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) programme Four Corners, that he attempted to influence the NSW magistracy.

1984 August 30 - STS-41-D: The Space Shuttle Discovery takes off on its maiden voyage

1985 April 23 - Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. (The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than 3 months.)

1986 january 28 - STS-51-L: Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates 73 seconds after launch, killing the crew of 7 astronauts including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe (see Space Shuttle Challenger disaster 1987 August 4 - The World Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brundtland Commission, publishes its report, Our Common Future

1988 Operation Praying Mantis was an April 18, 1988 attack by U.S. naval forces in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf and the subsequent damage to an American warship.

1989 March 24 - Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (11 million gallons) of oil after running aground.