Explore 5094 historical events from 1980–1989.
Joseph McDonnell was a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died during the 1981 Irish hunger strike.
Joe McDonnell, Irish Republican Army member, died on hunger strike (born 1951)
Terrance Stanley Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to r…
Terry Fox, Canadian runner and activist (born 1958)
William Anthony Hallahan was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the 1920s and 1930s. Nicknamed "Wild Bill" because of his lack of control on the mound—…
Bill Hallahan, American baseball player (born 1902)
Edward Martin Hurson was an Irish Republican hunger striker and a Volunteer in the East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was the sixth to die durin…
Martin Hurson, Irish Republican, died on hunger strike (born 1956)
Frédéric Dorion was a Quebec politician and chief justice. He led a group of Independent MPs in the House of Commons of Canada who were opposed to the implementation of conscript…
Frédéric Dorion, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (born 1898)
Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 19…
Harry Chapin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1942)
Sonja Branting-Westerståhl was a Swedish lawyer and politician. She was one of the first female lawyers in Sweden and specialised in matrimonial law. A social democrat, she was act…
Sonja Branting-Westerståhl, Swedish lawyer (born 1890)
Roger Doucet was a Canadian tenor best known for singing the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", at televised games of the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Alouettes, and Montreal Ex…
Roger Doucet, Canadian tenor (born 1919)
Kostas Choumis was a Greek-Romanian football player who played as a striker. He is often regarded in Greece and Romania as one of the greatest strikers from the 1930s.
Kostas Choumis, Greek-Romanian footballer (born 1913)
Rosa A. González, RN, was a nurse, author, feminist and activist. She established various health clinics throughout Puerto Rico and was the founder of The Association of Registered…
Rosa A. González, Puerto Rican nurse, author, feminist, and activist (born 1889)
Stanley Francis Rother was an American Catholic priest from Oklahoma who was murdered in Guatemala in 1981. He had worked as a missionary priest there since 1968. He held several p…
Stanley Rother, American priest and missionary (born 1935)
Sydney Bernard Kyte was a British dance band leader and violinist who became known in the 1930s, when he led the resident band at The Piccadilly Hotel in London's West End. Kyte ma…
Sydney Kyte, British bandleader (born 1896)
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera was a Panamanian military officer, politician, and revolutionary who was the military leader of Panama, as well as the Commander of the Panamanian Nati…
Omar Torrijos, Panamanian general and politician, Military Leader of Panama (born 1929)
William Wyler was a German-born American film director and producer. Known for his work in numerous genres over five decades, he received numerous accolades, including the most nom…
William Wyler, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1902)
Elizabeth Rona was a Hungarian nuclear chemist, known for her work with radioactive isotopes. After developing an enhanced method of preparing polonium samples, she was recognized …
Elizabeth Rona, Hungarian American nuclear chemist (born 1890)
Robert Moses was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid-20th century. Moses is regarded as one of the mo…
Robert Moses, American urban planner, designed the Northern State Parkway and Southern State Parkway (born 1888)
Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky was an American playwright and screenwriter. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both Adapted and Original screen…
Paddy Chayefsky, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1923)
Kevin Lynch was an Irish republican and member of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) from Park, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The Dungiven hurling team was renamed K…
Kevin Lynch, Irish Republican, died on hunger strike
Kieran Doherty was an Irish republican hunger striker and politician who served as a TD for Cavan–Monaghan from June 1981 to August 1981. He was a volunteer in the Belfast Brigade …
Kieran Doherty, Irish republican, died on hunger strike (born 1955)
Anna Stefanie Nanna Fryland Clausen was a Danish diver. She was a gold medalist at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
Stefanie Clausen, Danish diver (born 1900)
Melvyn Douglas was an American actor, whose stage and screen careers spanned from the late 1920s until the early 1980s. He was one of 24 performers to win the Triple Crown of Actin…
Melvyn Douglas, American actor (born 1901)
Gunnar Uusi was an Estonian chess player who won the Estonian Chess Championship six times.
Gunnar Uusi, Estonian chess player (born 1931)
Thomas McElwee was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer who participated in the 1981 hunger strike. From Bellaghy, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, he died at t…
Thomas McElwee, Provisional Irish Republican Army, died on hunger strike (born 1957)
Maximilian Edwin Hoffman, was an Austrian-born, New York-based importer of luxury European automobiles during the 1950s.
Max Hoffman, Austrian-born car importer and businessman (born 1904)