The Golden Fleece

While staring at a word search, I asked Rumble a question asking whether or not people would be willing to enter a magical time machine, say a sauna, and go to the year 1983, knowing that they can never ever return to the year 2023. What would you do? Think about it. Search your soul. Check every nook and cranny. FYI. Here's a rundown of 1983. In the US, Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) was in his 1st term as POTUS. George H. W. Bush (1924-2018) was Vice President. In the US, the average cost of gasoline was 96 cents. The average monthly rent was $335. The average price of a movie ticket was $3.15. The minimum wage in the US was $3.35. The cost of a first-class stamp was 20 cents. Life expectancy in the US was 74.6 years. Miss America: Debra Maffett/CA (born in Texas in 1956). Record of the year: "Rosanna"-Toto. In sports, the 1983 Super Bowl (XVII) winner was Washington over Miami. Baltimore defeated Philadelphia in the World Series. The NBA Championship went to the Philadelphia 76ers, who beat the L.A. Lakers. The Kentucky Derby winner was Sunny's Halo (1980-2003). The New York Islanders defeated Edmonton to secure themselves the Stanley Cup. NCAA Basketball Championship: N. C. State beat Houston. NCAA Football Championship: Miami, FL (11-1-0). WWF Champion: The Iron Shiek (1942-2023). The Iron Shiek defeated Bob Backlund on December 26th and held the belt until he famously lost it to Hulk Hogan on January 23rd, 1984, thus began "Hulkamania." The video game "Mario Bros." was first released as a Nintendo arcade game in Japan. On Feb 28th, more than 125 million viewers tuned in to watch the final episode of M*A*S*H. The world population was 4.72 billion (in 2023 it's 8 billion!). The US population was 233.8 million (in 2023 it's nearing 340 million!) Wearing a seatbelt in the UK became mandatory. With the introduction of noise-free compact discs (CDs) in 1982, the vinyl record began a steep decline in 1983. The very first mobile phones were released to the public by the Motorola Company. Sally K. Ride (1951-2012) became the first woman to travel to space on June 18th. Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) won a landslide victory in the General Elections in the UK. Microsoft Word was first released. The first person to receive an artificial heart. On April 4th, the second space shuttle, "Challenger" successfully completed its maiden voyage, which included the first space walk in nine years. Popular musicians of the day included the likes of Black Sabbath, David Bowie (1947-2016), Johnny Cash (1932-2003), Duran Duran, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne, Michael Jackson (1958-2009), Bob Marley and the Whalers, The Police, Culture Club, Rod Stewart, U2, Def Leppard, ZZ Top, Phil Collins, and Run-DMC. Michael Jackson's Thriller music video and MTV was taking the world by storm in 1983. Popular films included Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (May 25th), Trading Places (June 8th), Superman III (June 17th), Octopussy (June 10th), National Lampoon's Vacation (July 29th), The Outsiders (March 25th), Christine (December 9th), Risky Business (August 5th), and Scarface (December 9th). Alas, 1983 was not all crimson and clovers, the cons of this year included the US invading Grenada on October 25th. Civil war broke out in Zimbabwe. A 5.2 earthquake struck Central New York, injuring 31 people and destroying over 300 homes. A mass prisoner breakout from Maze High-Security Prison near Lisburn, Ireland. The U.S. Embassy in Beirut was targeted in a terroristic attack (suicide bomber), killing 63 people. The US unemployment rate was 12 million, the highest since 1941. Hurricane Alicia hit the coastline of Texas in August 1983. "Crack" cocaine was developed in the Bahamas and soon found its way to the US. Famous people born in 1983: Adam Driver (Nov 19th), Mila Kunis (Aug 14th), Chris Hemsworth (Aug 11th), Aaron Rodgers (Dec 2nd), Emily Blunt (Feb 23rd), Adam DeVine (Nov 7th), and Jonah Hill (Dec 20th). Celebrity deaths in 1983: Muddy Waters, 70 (Apr 30th), Carolyn Jones, 53 (Aug 3rd), and Jack Dempsey, 87 (May 31st).