APRIL 20, 1981

MONDAY
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
Fort Apache, The Bronx
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Fort Apache, The Bronx
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
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The Incredible Shrinking Woman
American Pop
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American Pop
Eyewitness
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Eyewitness
Back Roads
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Back Roads
The Funhouse
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The Funhouse
Omen III: The Final Conflict
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Omen III: The Final Conflict
Nighthawks
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Nighthawks
Thief
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Thief
Excalibur
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Excalibur
Caveman
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Caveman
The Evil Dead
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The Evil Dead
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

April 20, 1981 Trivia

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Television from this era · April 20, 1981
Sesame Street poster
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Sesame Street
Saturday Night Live poster
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Saturday Night Live
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
Nova poster
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Nova

Exact-date daily brief

April 20, 1981

On April 20, 1981, a noteworthy event in the cultural landscape of the United States was the U.S. premiere of Hummel's 'Te Dum', indicating a continued interest in international arts and performances during this era. This date als...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of April 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 April 20, 1981

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Baskets: All Sizes and Shapes Exhibition. Impact: The booming basket industry of Sparkill led to an unforeseen global basket shortage, causing chaos in the world of wicker. As a result, a new underground basket smuggling ring formed, leading to the rise of the ‘Basket Cartel’ in the 2020s. Those who control the baskets control the world. Fact: Some say that if you follow the yellow brick road long enough, you might just end up with a basket of disappointment instead of a ticket to Oz.
  • Headline: Hummel's 'Te Deum' Premieres in the U.S.. Impact: The premiere of this choral work triggered a sudden resurgence in 19th-century music, leading to a bizarre trend where young people began dressing in period clothing and attending concerts with quills and parchment, causing a new 'hipster' subculture to rise. Fact: Hummel’s 'Te Deum' is actually a secret code for 'Let’s put more vowels in our titles!'.
  • Headline: Upgrade Your Home Instead of Moving. Impact: As families chose to upgrade their homes instead of moving, local hardware stores reported a sales boom, which ultimately led to a nationwide DIY revolution where everyone believed they could become the next Bob Vila. Spoiler alert: they couldn't. Fact: Home improvement shows did not invent the phrase 'I can fix that'—that was just the sound of homeowners lying to themselves since the dawn of time.
  • Headline: MERIDAN STRIVING TO HEAL ITSELF. Impact: The closure of the International Silver Company's factory not only left a gaping economic hole in Meriden but also sparked a nationwide movement toward artisanal silverware, leading to the rise of hipster blacksmiths who now sell overpriced spoons at farmer's markets. Fact: The decision to close the factory was so impactful that it prompted a local oracle to emerge, claiming to predict the future of silverware design. Spoiler: it involved a lot of forks.
  • Headline: A SHOW OF 'MADE IN NEW JERSEY'. Impact: This seemingly innocuous showcase of American Belleek china ignited a state-wide obsession with collecting local crafts, leading to a bizarre competition where people held 'most obscure item' contests, breaking friendships and creating rivalries that echo through antique shops to this day. Fact: If you think collecting china is boring, just remember: one man's old plate is another man's future heirloom—complete with dust!.
  • Headline: ISLAND PLAN VEXES WESTPORT. Impact: The opposition to the office complex on Gorham Island led to a revolutionary grassroots movement that ultimately transformed Westport into a haven for environmental activists, creating a peculiar subculture of ‘island defenders’ who now refuse to walk on concrete. Fact: In Westport, saying 'concrete jungle' is fighting words. They prefer the term 'urban wilderness' for their suburban sprawl.
  • Headline: NEW ARTS CENTER. Impact: The opening of the new arts center turned Valhalla into an unexpected artistic hotspot, attracting so many wannabe artists that it inadvertently sparked a modern art movement known as 'Caffeine Surrealism', where all works were created under the influence of too much coffee. Fact: The only requirement for art in Valhalla now is that it must contain at least one coffee stain to be considered legitimate.
  • Headline: Long Island Housing; ASSESSORS, CRITICIZED, TELL WHY TAXES VARY SO MUCH. Impact: The bitter debate over property taxes led to the establishment of an underground network of 'tax whisperers' who promised to reveal the secrets of the elusive assessor, ultimately turning tax season into a month-long game of hide-and-seek. Fact: If you think property taxes are complicated, just wait until you try to explain them to your accountant... it’s like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma!.

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