JANUARY 31, 1981

SATURDAY
1981 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1981
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $247,894 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$3.17
Median Home Price$50,390.00
Gas Price Avg$1.21
Bread Price Avg$0.52
Movie Ticket Avg$2.92
First Class Stamp$0.16
Milk Price Avg$2.21
Top Movies From 1981
Show screen release and event cards
1 Raiders of the Lost Ark
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Raiders of the Lost Ark
2 On Golden Pond
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On Golden Pond
3 Superman II
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Superman II
4 Arthur
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Arthur
5 Stripes
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Stripes
6 The Cannonball Run
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The Cannonball Run
7 Chariots of Fire
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Chariots of Fire
8 For Your Eyes Only
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For Your Eyes Only
9 The Four Seasons
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The Four Seasons
10 Time Bandits
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Time Bandits
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
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The Incredible Shrinking Woman
The Empire Strikes Back
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The Empire Strikes Back
The Elephant Man
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The Elephant Man
Raging Bull
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Raging Bull
Popeye
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Popeye
9 to 5
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9 to 5
Seems Like Old Times
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Seems Like Old Times
Any Which Way You Can
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Any Which Way You Can
Altered States
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Altered States

January 31, 1981 Trivia

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TV Favorites Around January 31, 1981
Popular series connected to this era, based on premiere and finale years.
Show television cards
Columbo poster
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Columbo
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson poster
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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Sesame Street poster
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Sesame Street
Saturday Night Live poster
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Saturday Night Live
Little House on the Prairie poster
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Little House on the Prairie
Magnum P.I. poster
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Magnum P.I.
Dallas poster
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Dallas
M*A*S*H poster
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M*A*S*H
The Love Boat poster
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The Love Boat
Charlie's Angels poster
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Charlie's Angels

Exact-date daily brief

January 31, 1981

On January 31, 1981, the headlines reflected a mixture of societal interests and concerns. The 'Saturday News Quiz' was a popular feature, engaging readers in current events and fostering a sense of community learning. Meanwhile,...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of January 1981

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Personal Computer (IBM PC)
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Personal Computer (IBM PC)
2 Graphical User Interface Concept
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Graphical User Interface Concept
3 Word Processing Software (Microsoft Word)
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Word Processing Software (Microsoft Word)
4 Digital Camera Prototype Commercialization
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Digital Camera Prototype Commercialization
5 Medical Infusion Pump
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Medical Infusion Pump
6 Local Area Network Expansion
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Local Area Network Expansion
7 Portable Video Game Console
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Portable Video Game Console
8 Computer-Aided Manufacturing Software
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Computer-Aided Manufacturing Software
9 Speech Recognition System Improvement
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Speech Recognition System Improvement
10 Reusable Space Shuttle Program
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Reusable Space Shuttle Program

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From January 31, 1981

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Saturday News Quiz Challenge. Impact: If only more people had used fire extinguishers in the 1800s, maybe the Great Chicago Fire would have just been a small barbecue mishap instead of a historical catastrophe. Alas, the New York cops were busy practicing instead of saving the world. Fact: The SAT was originally created to help college admissions, but now it's just a rite of passage for students to stress over multiple-choice questions and obscure vocabulary.
  • Headline: Veterans' Perspectives on Post-War New York. Impact: The emotional scars of Vietnam veterans shaped public perception of war for decades, leading to a generation of anti-war protests and a very awkward Thanksgiving dinner for families with differing opinions. Fact: Veterans often joke that they fought for freedom abroad, only to come home and be greeted with indifference. It's like winning the lottery but not getting a ticket.
  • Headline: HOMICIDAL MANIAC. Impact: This homicidal maniac's antics could have inspired countless horror movies, leading to a cultural obsession with slasher films that might explain why we’re all terrified of going into the woods alone. Fact: Pot-bellied psychopaths in horror films are the ultimate plot twist—because who would suspect the guy that looks like he just finished a BBQ would be the one with the axe?.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #2
INTC
Intel
Price in 1981
$0.23
Stored value
$155,194

Intel - If you invested $1,000 in 1981, it would be worth $155,194 today (155.2x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Daredevil #181
Daredevil #181
$2,600
Uncanny X-Men #141
Uncanny X-Men #141
$1,000
Marvel Graphic Novel #1
Marvel Graphic Novel #1
$42,000
Moon Knight #1
Moon Knight #1
$250
Saga of the Swamp Thing #1
Saga of the Swamp Thing #1
$300
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube
$150.00
LEGO Space Sets
LEGO Space Sets
$400.00
My Little Pony
My Little Pony
$150.00
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
$150.00
Smurfs Figurines
Smurfs Figurines
$150.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong
$300.00
Pac-Man
Pac-Man
$1,500.00
Frogger
Frogger
$50.00
Galaga
Galaga
$262.70
Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man
$33,400.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1981 Topps Joe Montana Rookie Card
1981 Topps Joe Montana Rookie Card
$76,250
1981 Fleer Fernando Valenzuela Rookie Card
1981 Fleer Fernando Valenzuela Rookie Card
$400
1981 Donruss Tim Raines Rookie Card
1981 Donruss Tim Raines Rookie Card
$1,200.00
1981 Topps Magic Johnson and Larry Bird Card
1981 Topps Magic Johnson and Larry Bird Card
$427,000
1981 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky
1981 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky
$2,000