MATERIAL THINGS:
Essays on the Eighties
1. The Samantha Smith Story
The little girl from Maine who desired world peace was cast into a maze of Cold War politics.
2. Who Shot J.R.?
How Dallas and Dynasty ruled primetime television in the 1980s.
3. Sex, Murder & Videotape
Rumors surrounded the mysterious murder of Vicki Morgan, and some involved the White House.
4. A Weekend to Remember
During a fateful few days in 1983, 241 Marines lost their lives in Beirut, and American troops invaded Grenada.
5. Car Wars
The story of the American auto industry's fight for survival as imported cars became ever more popular.
6. The E.T. Phenomenon
How E.T. and other blockbuster films restored the luster to Hollywood in the 1980s.
7. Debategate
A scandal early in Ronald Reagan's first term had some questioning the president's integrity.
8. That Old-Time Religion
Examines the phenomenal success and power of televangelists -- and how some fell from glory.
9. Yuppie Culture
Though relatively few in number, the Yuppies had a lasting impact on American society.
10. The Rise and Fall of John DeLorean
The triumphs and travails of the maverick American automaker.
11. The Desert One Disaster
The daring 1980 attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran.
12. The Tylenol Murders
Product tampering in the Chicago area led to seven deaths and terrified the entire nation.
13. The Brat Pack
Reviews the meteoric careers of a group of young actors who took Hollywood by storm in the 1980s.
14. Farm Aid
A look at the crisis on the American farm in the Eighties, and how some celebrities tried to help
.15. The Achille Lauro Incident
A terrifying example of the many terrorist acts that took place during the decade.
16. Baby Fae
The story of Baby Fae was also the story of the amazing medical advances that occur in the 1980s.
17. The Discovery of the Titanic
A tale of high adventure beneath the sea, and one of the most exciting finds of the decade.
18. Chernobyl
A meltdown at the Russian power plant caused many to question the world's growing reliance on nuclear energy.
19. Miss Liberty Gets A Facelift
The Statue of Liberty is refurbished in time for the spectacular 1986 Fourth of July festivities in New York City.
20. The Air Traffic Controllers' Strike
The air traffic controllers forced a showdown with the Reagan White House in 1981.
21. Wolves on Wall Street
Reviews the rise and fall of Ivan Boesky and Michael Milkin.
22. Mount St. Helens
She erupted in 1980, and became one of the worst volcanic disasters in American history.
23. MTV, Madonna & Miami Vice
Examines how the music video changed forever the way we looked at music.
24. The Year in Music: 1980
Disco was dead, while rhinestone country and easy listening reigned -- but not for long.
25. Ma Bell Breaks Up
The court-ordered breakup of AT&T had a lasting effect on the American telecommunications industry.
26. The Subway Vigilante
Bernhard Goetz became the focus of a national debate on crime when he took the law into his own hands.
27. Hands Across America
It is one of the decade's most ambitious charity extravaganzas, but how much good does it really do?
28. Raid on Libya
In 1986 the U.S. conducts a raid on Libya to quell a rising tide of terrorism.
29. Jane Fonda Works Out
Examines the fitness craze that swept America in the 1980's
30. The Tawana Brawley Hoax
A vicious crime that never happened, and American race relations reach a low point.
31. Target: The President
Relates the events surrounding the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in March, 1981.
32. Work & Wages in the '80s
Where we worked, what we earned, and how we spent it in the 1980's.
33. The Year in Music: 1981
The Police, Prince, Blondie and U2, among other acts, demonstrated that major changes in music were underway.
34. Exxon Valdez
An oil tanker runs aground off Alaska, causing one of the worst ecological disasters in American history.
35. Victory on Ice
The American hockey team pulls off a miracle at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
36 The Falklands War
Great Britain and Argentina clash over islands in the South Atlantic, and the U.S. is caught in the middle.
37.The Bork Nomination
Reagan's choice of Robert Bork to sit on the Supreme Court triggers a battle in America's culture wars.
38. The AIDS Epidemic
A new killer disease leads to a contagion of fear and loathing in America during the Eighties.
39. Reyjkavik
A city in Iceland becomes the setting for one of the most remarkable superpower summits of the Cold War.
40. Donna and the Senator
A sex scandal destroys Gary Hart's bid for the presidency in 1987.
41. Solidarity
A workers' movement challenges Communist hegemony in Poland and sends shockwaves around the world.
42. The Computer Revolution
Personal computers begin to revolutionize the way we live in the 1980s.
43. The Atlanta Murders
The murders of two dozen black children result in a massive crime investigation.
The little girl from Maine who desired world peace was cast into a maze of Cold War politics.
2. Who Shot J.R.?
How Dallas and Dynasty ruled primetime television in the 1980s.
3. Sex, Murder & Videotape
Rumors surrounded the mysterious murder of Vicki Morgan, and some involved the White House.
4. A Weekend to Remember
During a fateful few days in 1983, 241 Marines lost their lives in Beirut, and American troops invaded Grenada.
5. Car Wars
The story of the American auto industry's fight for survival as imported cars became ever more popular.
6. The E.T. Phenomenon
How E.T. and other blockbuster films restored the luster to Hollywood in the 1980s.
7. Debategate
A scandal early in Ronald Reagan's first term had some questioning the president's integrity.
8. That Old-Time Religion
Examines the phenomenal success and power of televangelists -- and how some fell from glory.
9. Yuppie Culture
Though relatively few in number, the Yuppies had a lasting impact on American society.
10. The Rise and Fall of John DeLorean
The triumphs and travails of the maverick American automaker.
11. The Desert One Disaster
The daring 1980 attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran.
12. The Tylenol Murders
Product tampering in the Chicago area led to seven deaths and terrified the entire nation.
13. The Brat Pack
Reviews the meteoric careers of a group of young actors who took Hollywood by storm in the 1980s.
14. Farm Aid
A look at the crisis on the American farm in the Eighties, and how some celebrities tried to help
.15. The Achille Lauro Incident
A terrifying example of the many terrorist acts that took place during the decade.
16. Baby Fae
The story of Baby Fae was also the story of the amazing medical advances that occur in the 1980s.
17. The Discovery of the Titanic
A tale of high adventure beneath the sea, and one of the most exciting finds of the decade.
18. Chernobyl
A meltdown at the Russian power plant caused many to question the world's growing reliance on nuclear energy.
19. Miss Liberty Gets A Facelift
The Statue of Liberty is refurbished in time for the spectacular 1986 Fourth of July festivities in New York City.
20. The Air Traffic Controllers' Strike
The air traffic controllers forced a showdown with the Reagan White House in 1981.
21. Wolves on Wall Street
Reviews the rise and fall of Ivan Boesky and Michael Milkin.
22. Mount St. Helens
She erupted in 1980, and became one of the worst volcanic disasters in American history.
23. MTV, Madonna & Miami Vice
Examines how the music video changed forever the way we looked at music.
24. The Year in Music: 1980
Disco was dead, while rhinestone country and easy listening reigned -- but not for long.
25. Ma Bell Breaks Up
The court-ordered breakup of AT&T had a lasting effect on the American telecommunications industry.
26. The Subway Vigilante
Bernhard Goetz became the focus of a national debate on crime when he took the law into his own hands.
27. Hands Across America
It is one of the decade's most ambitious charity extravaganzas, but how much good does it really do?
28. Raid on Libya
In 1986 the U.S. conducts a raid on Libya to quell a rising tide of terrorism.
29. Jane Fonda Works Out
Examines the fitness craze that swept America in the 1980's
30. The Tawana Brawley Hoax
A vicious crime that never happened, and American race relations reach a low point.
31. Target: The President
Relates the events surrounding the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in March, 1981.
32. Work & Wages in the '80s
Where we worked, what we earned, and how we spent it in the 1980's.
33. The Year in Music: 1981
The Police, Prince, Blondie and U2, among other acts, demonstrated that major changes in music were underway.
34. Exxon Valdez
An oil tanker runs aground off Alaska, causing one of the worst ecological disasters in American history.
35. Victory on Ice
The American hockey team pulls off a miracle at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
36 The Falklands War
Great Britain and Argentina clash over islands in the South Atlantic, and the U.S. is caught in the middle.
37.The Bork Nomination
Reagan's choice of Robert Bork to sit on the Supreme Court triggers a battle in America's culture wars.
38. The AIDS Epidemic
A new killer disease leads to a contagion of fear and loathing in America during the Eighties.
39. Reyjkavik
A city in Iceland becomes the setting for one of the most remarkable superpower summits of the Cold War.
40. Donna and the Senator
A sex scandal destroys Gary Hart's bid for the presidency in 1987.
41. Solidarity
A workers' movement challenges Communist hegemony in Poland and sends shockwaves around the world.
42. The Computer Revolution
Personal computers begin to revolutionize the way we live in the 1980s.
43. The Atlanta Murders
The murders of two dozen black children result in a massive crime investigation.
Here's what a few others have said about the Eighties:
"The eighties were the most important years since World War II."
Haynes Johnson
"The 1980s have been years in which Americans have had the sharp sensation of morning -- freshness and sobriety and a second chance."
George F. Will
"The eighties are of contemporary interest for their abundant legacy, which continues to inform the most vexing domestic issues of the nation."
Gilbert T. Sewall
"The worst years of our lives."
Barbara Ehrenreich
"The eighties were the most important years since World War II."
Haynes Johnson
"The 1980s have been years in which Americans have had the sharp sensation of morning -- freshness and sobriety and a second chance."
George F. Will
"The eighties are of contemporary interest for their abundant legacy, which continues to inform the most vexing domestic issues of the nation."
Gilbert T. Sewall
"The worst years of our lives."
Barbara Ehrenreich