Hurricane Alicia

Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 21.

Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast during August of 1983 causing billions of dollars worth of damage to the region. The category 3 storm directly hit Galveston and Houston on the Gulf Coast and was the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States in 3 years. Hurricane Alicia had wind gusts of up to 127 mph and storm surges of up to 12 feet in height ravaged coastal neighborhoods. As a result of the storm 21 people were killed and about 3,000 homes were severely damaged.

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United States invades Grenada

More Information and Timeline for the U.S. invasion of Grenada

1. The United States invades Grenada on October 25th of 1983.

2. Over 5,000 Marines were sent to the island after the government was overthrown in a bloody coup by a Cuban trained military force.

3. At the time, there were about 1,000 United States civilians in the country, most of them medical students.

4. President Reagan ordered the invasion citing the need to protect the American citizens in the country but also using it as an excuse to stem the tide of Communism in the Caribbean.

5. Overall, the U.S. invasion was a success despite encountering resistance. The U.S. civilians were rescued, the Cuban troops surrendered, and there were only 19 U.S. troop casualties in total.

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Space -- NASA's STS-7 Mission

NASA’s STS-7 mission was completed successfully during June. The mission carried five astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on a 6 day flight. The crew carried out several experiments and deployed two satellites. This mission was notable in that it was Sally Ride’s first space flight, making her the first American woman in space. Twenty years earlier, the Soviet Union had already sent the first woman to space with Valentina Tereshkova aboard Vostok 6 in 1963.

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Strategic Defense Initiative SDI

President Ronald Reagan proposes the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).

More Information for the Strategic Defense Initiative

1. U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly proposes the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) during a televised address in March of 1983.

2. The proposed defense system was a highly advanced system that would rely on technology that had not yet been developed to intercept and prevent a nuclear missile attack on the U.S. by the Soviet Union.

3. The plan was called “Star Wars” by many critics who thought it impossible to create with the restrictions of the current capabilities of technology during the decade.

4. SDI began development in the following year under the Department of Defense but its funding ended after the Cold War ended and before anything could be completed.

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Mario Bros. Game Debuts

The video game Mario Bros. was first released as a Nintendo arcade game in Japan during July. The game was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto (who also designed the Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong) and Gunpei Yokoi (who also created Metroid and the Game Boy) and was a platform style game with phases. The Mario Bros. game featured the now iconic characters of Mario and his brother Luigi, two plumbers who battled sewer creatures in New York. The game was not initially successful as at the time of its release the video game industry was going through a crash, but it became a successful series of games after the release of Super Mario Bros. in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) gaming console.

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NASA’s STS-8 Mission

NASA’s STS-8 mission comes to an end during September. The Space Shuttle Challenger launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying a crew of five including Guion Bluford who became the first African-American astronaut to fly in space. The mission’s objectives focused on studying the physiological effects of space on the human body, specifically Space Adaptation Syndrome (space sickness). STS-8 successfully returned to Earth after six days and landed at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.

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Fraggle Rock

The children's show "Fraggle Rock" debuts on HBO as one of the premium cable network's first original programs.

More Information and Timeline for Fraggle Rock.

1. Fraggle Rock premieres during January of 1983 on HBO.

2. The show was one of HBO’s first original programs and was created and produced by Jim Henson.

3. Fraggle Rock focused on the interactions between a group of muppets called Fraggles and other groups within their world.

4. Many of the episodes featured stories that revolved around conflicts between the Fraggles and the other groups despite the fact that they all depended on each other to survive.

5. Fraggle Rock had a total of 96 episodes and ran until 1987.

6. The show’s creators had hoped it would promote concepts of world peace and it was shown around the world, in nearly one hundred different countries.

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More News and Key Events From 1983

Population

The Worlds Population is estimated at 4.72 billion

China's Population reaches 1 billion

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Rhodesia / Zimbabwe

Civil War breaks out in Zimbabwe

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Earthquake New York

A 5.2 earthquake hits Central New York

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Richard Noble land speed record

Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of 633.468 mph, driving Thrust 2 at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada.

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Cruise Missiles

The US deploys Cruise Missiles in Europe at the Greenham Common Air Force Base in England and Deploys Pershing Missiles in West Germany

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Due to the deployment of Cruise Missiles in the UK CND organises marches and rallies with over 200,000 attending.

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Brinks Mat robbery

Brinks Mat warehouse robbery at Heathrow Airport making off with three tons of gold bars valued at $37.5 million

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Maze High Security Prison

Mass prisoner breakout from Maze High Security Prison near Lisburn, Northern Ireland

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UK Seatbelt Law

Seatbelt use for drivers and front seat passengers becomes mandatory in the United Kingdom.

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U.S Embassy is bombed in Beirut

A Terrorist attack by a suicide bomber on the U.S Embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people

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U.S. Unemployment

Unemployment Rises in the US to 12 million the highest figure since 1941

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Harrods Bombing

IRA Bomb Exploded outside Harrods on December 17th during the pre Christmas Shopping Season

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Ethiopia Famine

Ethiopia Appeals for world Aid for when the death toll reaches4 million

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Philippines

The Philippines opposition leader, Benigno Aquino, assassinated

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First mobile phones

The first mobile phones, are introduced to the public by the Motorola Company.

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Breakfast TV

Breakfast TV starts in UK with the BBC Breakfast Time and TV-am

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Sally Ride

Sally Ride on June 18 News Events becomes first American woman in space on the Space Shuttle Challenger.

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Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher wins landslide victory in General Elections in the UK

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Argentina

Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín wins democratic elections to become the President of Argentina

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Technology

ARPANET officially changes to use the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.

Lotus 1-2-3 is released

IBM releases the IBM PC XT

US Space Shuttle Challenger is launched on it's maiden flight

Microsoft Word is first released

The First Person to Receive an Artificial Heart Barney Clark US dies after 112 days

Swatch introduce their first watches

Calendar For The Year 1983