1983

Events in 1983 70

• 1893 – 1983 Joan Miro (1893-1983) Died 25 December 1983, aged 90 Joan Miro was a Spanish painter and sculptor associated with Surrealism, known for his distinctive style of abstract, biomorphic shapes and bold color. His work spanned painting, sculpture, and ceramics over a career of more than six decades. He is considered one of the twentieth century's most important artists.
• 1895 – 1983 Jack Dempsey (1895-1983) Died 31 May 1983, aged 87 Jack Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight championship from 1919 to 1926 and became one of the most popular sports figures of his era. His aggressive fighting style helped popularize boxing as a major American spectator sport. He remains a celebrated figure in boxing history.
• 1895 – 1983 Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) Died 1 July 1983, aged 87 Buckminster Fuller was an American architect, inventor, and futurist best known for popularizing the geodesic dome. He advocated for efficient, sustainable design decades before environmentalism became mainstream. His ideas influenced architecture, engineering, and design education worldwide.
• 1896 – 1983 Raymond Massey (1896-1983) Canadian-American actor, famous as Abraham Lincoln on stage and film and as Dr. Gillespie in Dr. Kildare.
• 1896 – 1983 Ira Gershwin (1896-1983) Died 17 August 1983, aged 86 Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist who, with his brother George Gershwin, wrote some of the most enduring songs of the American popular songbook, including "I Got Rhythm" and "Someone to Watch Over Me". He continued writing with other composers after George's death in 1937. His lyrics remain staples of jazz and musical theatre repertoire.
• 1899 – 1983 Gloria Swanson (1899-1983) Died 4 April 1983, aged 84 Gloria Swanson was an American actress who was one of the most prominent stars of silent film before achieving a late-career triumph as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Her career spanned over five decades in Hollywood. She remained an enduring icon of the silent film era.
• 1899 – 1983 Pat O'Brien (1899-1983) American actor, the Irish priest, cop and coach of Warner Bros. films, including Knute Rockne, All American.
• 1902 – 1983 Norma Shearer (1902-1983) Canadian-American actress, MGM's first lady in the late 1920s and 1930s and wife of Irving Thalberg.
• 1902 – 1983 Ralph Richardson (1902-1983) English actor, one of the great stage actors of his generation alongside Olivier and Gielgud.
• 1904 – 1983 George Balanchine (1904-1983) Died 30 April 1983, aged 79 George Balanchine was a Georgian-American choreographer who co-founded the New York City Ballet and is considered one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century ballet. He pioneered a neoclassical style that reshaped American dance. His works remain core repertoire for ballet companies worldwide.
• 1904 – 1983 Dolores del Río (1904-1983) Mexican actress, a Hollywood star of the 1920s and 1930s and later the great lady of Mexican cinema.
• 1905 – 1983 Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) Died 3 March 1983, aged 77 Arthur Koestler was a Hungarian-British writer best known for his novel Darkness at Noon, an indictment of Stalinist totalitarianism. He died by joint suicide with his wife Cynthia after years of declining health. His work spanned journalism, science writing, and political fiction.
• 1907 – 1983 Earl Tupper (1907-1983) Died 5 October 1983, aged 76 Earl Tupper was an American businessman who invented Tupperware, the airtight plastic food storage containers that became a household staple worldwide. He built a sales phenomenon around the "Tupperware party" marketing model. His products remain in common use decades later.
• 1908 – 1983 Buster Crabbe (1908-1983) American Olympic swimmer turned actor, the screen's Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.
• 1910 – 1983 David Niven (1910-1983) Died 29 July 1983, aged 73 David Niven was a British actor known for his urbane screen persona in films including Around the World in Eighty Days and won an Academy Award for Separate Tables. He also wrote several best-selling volumes of memoirs. He remains regarded as one of the classic era's most charming leading men.
• 1911 – 1983 Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) Died 25 February 1983, aged 71 Tennessee Williams was an American playwright whose works, including A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, won two Pulitzer Prizes and reshaped American theatre. He is regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century. His plays remain widely performed and adapted.
• 1913 – 1983 Muddy Waters (1913-1983) Died 30 April 1983, aged 70 Muddy Waters was an American blues musician widely regarded as the father of modern Chicago blues and a major influence on rock and roll. His electrified blues style shaped generations of musicians, including the Rolling Stones, who took their name from one of his songs. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after his death.
• 1913 – 1983 Bear Bryant (1913-1983) Died 26 January 1983, aged 69 Paul "Bear" Bryant was an American college football coach who led the University of Alabama to six national championships. At his retirement he held the record for most wins by a major college football coach. He remains one of the most influential figures in American college sports.
• 1914 – 1983 Louis de Funes (1914-1983) Died 27 January 1983, aged 68 Louis de Funes was a French actor renowned for his manic comic performances in films such as The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez and La Grande Vadrouille. He was one of the most popular French film stars of the 1960s and 1970s. His comedies remain widely watched in France today.
• 1919 – 1983 Slim Pickens (1919-1983) Died 8 December 1983, aged 64 Slim Pickens was an American character actor and former rodeo performer known for roles in films such as Dr. Strangelove and Blazing Saddles. His deep drawl and comic timing made him a familiar presence in westerns and comedies. He worked steadily in film and television from the 1950s through the early 1980s.
• 1921 – 1983 Barney Clark (1921-1983) Died 23 March 1983, aged 61 Barney Clark was an American dentist who became the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart, the Jarvik-7, in a landmark 1982 operation. He survived 112 days after the implant, a milestone in the development of mechanical heart devices. His case drew worldwide medical and public attention.
• 1933 – 1983 Garrincha The Joy of the People Considered the greatest dribbler of all time; led Brazil to the 1962 World Cup title.
• 1944 – 1983 Dennis Wilson (1944-1983) Died 28 December 1983, aged 39 Dennis Wilson was an American musician and the drummer of the Beach Boys, the only member of the band who was an actual surfer. He drowned off Marina del Rey, California, becoming the first Beach Boy to die. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band.
• 1950 – 1983 Karen Carpenter (1950-1983) Died 4 February 1983, aged 32 Karen Carpenter was an American singer and drummer who, with her brother Richard, formed the pop duo the Carpenters. Her death from complications of anorexia nervosa brought international attention to eating disorders. The duo sold over 100 million records worldwide.
• 1983 – present His legacy -- redefining the possible Bubka's legacy is threefold. First, the numbers: 35 world records, 6 World Championship titles, 1 Olympic gold, records that stood for more than a quarter-century. Second, the method: his relationship with Petrov pioneered a scientific approach to pole vault technique that influenced every subsequent generation of vaulters. Third, the human story: a boy from industrial Luhansk who becomes Ukraine's greatest sporting icon, then its most prominent sports diplomat -- navigating Soviet politics, Olympic disappointments, and ultimately his country's war for survival. Armand Duplantis, the man who finally broke his records, consistently cites Bubka as his hero and inspiration.
• 1983 Internet (TCP/IP) Global network live On January 1, 1983, ARPANET adopted the TCP/IP protocol, creating the technical foundation of the modern internet.
• 1983 – 1984 Smyslov reaches Candidates Final at 62 Oldest Candidates finalist ever At the age of 62, Smyslov reached the World Championship Candidates Final in 1984, losing to Kasparov. He remains the oldest player ever to reach that stage.
• 1983 Klaus Barbie Extradited to France Gestapo officer sent from Bolivia to face charges Klaus Barbie, the former Gestapo chief of Lyon known as the "Butcher of Lyon", was expelled from Bolivia and flown to France to stand trial for war crimes. He was later convicted of crimes against humanity in 1987. His extradition ended decades of evasion after the war.
• 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires Catastrophic wildfires sweep South Australia and Victoria A series of bushfires fuelled by drought and high winds killed 75 people and destroyed thousands of homes across South Australia and Victoria. It remained one of Australia's deadliest bushfire disasters for decades. The fires prompted major reforms in fire management and warning systems.
• 1983 U2 release War Sunday Bloody Sunday Their first UK number one album.
• 1983 Compact Disc Goes on Sale Internationally CD format launches beyond Japan Following its 1982 debut in Japan, the compact disc format went on sale in the United States and Europe in 1983, alongside the first wave of CD players. Developed jointly by Sony and Philips, it offered digital audio with greater durability and fidelity than vinyl records. The format eventually displaced cassette tapes as the dominant music medium.
• 1983 – present Swatch Group Nicholas Hayek The launch of the Swatch watch, which saved the Swiss watch industry from the "quartz crisis."
• 1983 Bob Hawke Elected Prime Minister of Australia Labor Party wins Australian federal election Bob Hawke led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the federal election, becoming prime minister. He went on to serve until 1991, Australia's longest-serving Labor prime minister. His government pursued major economic deregulation.
• 1983 Motorola DynaTAC 8000X Launched First commercially available handheld mobile phone Motorola released the DynaTAC 8000X, the first handheld cellular phone approved for commercial sale, after a decade of development. It weighed nearly a kilogram, cost about four thousand dollars, and offered roughly thirty minutes of talk time. It marked the beginning of the consumer mobile phone industry.
• 1983 David Bowie releases Let's Dance Commercial peak Produced by Nile Rodgers — his best-selling album.
• 1983 1983 World Snooker Championship Steve Davis Title 2 Winner: Steve Davis; Runner-up: Cliff Thorburn. Score: 18–6.
• 1983 US Embassy Bombing in Beirut Suicide truck bomb kills 63 at the American embassy A suicide bomber drove a van packed with explosives into the US embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people including 17 Americans. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility amid Lebanon's civil war. The attack was a precursor to the larger barracks bombings later that year.
• 1983 Hitler Diaries Exposed as Forgery German magazine Stern's exclusive unravels within days Stern magazine published excerpts of supposed diaries of Adolf Hitler, purchased for millions of marks, as a publishing sensation. Within days forensic analysis proved the paper and ink postdated the war, exposing an elaborate forgery by Konrad Kujau. The scandal humiliated Stern and historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, who had vouched for their authenticity.
• 1983 HIV Identified as Cause of AIDS Pasteur Institute team isolates the retrovirus Researchers led by Luc Montagnier and Francoise Barre-Sinoussi at the Pasteur Institute in Paris reported isolating a new retrovirus from a patient with AIDS-related symptoms. The virus was later named HIV and confirmed as the cause of AIDS. The discovery opened the path to testing and treatment research worldwide.
• 1983 The Police release Every Breath You Take Number one for eight weeks One of the most played songs in radio history.
• 1983 Return of the Jedi Released Star Wars trilogy concludes in theaters The third film in the original Star Wars trilogy premiered, concluding the saga of Luke Skywalker and the fall of the Galactic Empire. It became the highest-grossing film of 1983 worldwide. The film cemented Star Wars as a global cultural phenomenon.
• 1983 French Open 1983 Men: Yannick Noah · Women: Chris Evert Lloyd Noah — first French winner of Roland Garros since 1946.
• 1983 The Police release Synchronicity Number one album Their last album — it knocks Thriller off the top of the US charts.
• 1983 Octopussy — Roger Moore Bond investigates a jewel-smuggling ring run by the mysterious Octopussy and uncovers a Soviet general's plot to detonate a nuclear device on a NATO base in West Germany. Moore, by now 55 years old, wears the role lightly. Budget: $27.5 million. Box office: $187.5 million.
• 1983 – present Kim Clijsters The Belgian Star Won four majors; famous for winning three of them after returning from retirement and motherhood.
• 1983 Margaret Thatcher Re-elected UK Prime Minister Conservatives win landslide after Falklands War Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party won a landslide general election victory, boosted by success in the Falklands War the previous year. Labour suffered its worst result in decades under Michael Foot. Thatcher went on to serve until 1990.
• 1983 Stevie Ray Vaughan releases Texas Flood Debut album Recorded in two days in Jackson Browne's studio.
• 1983 Sally Ride Becomes First American Woman in Space STS-7 mission aboard Space Shuttle Challenger Sally Ride flew aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-7, becoming the first American woman in space. She had been selected as part of NASA's 1978 astronaut class, the first to include women. Her flight was a milestone for women in science and spaceflight.
• 1983 Nintendo Famicom Launched Home console debuts in Japan Nintendo released the Family Computer, or Famicom, in Japan, beginning what would become the Nintendo Entertainment System line abroad. It helped revive the home video game industry after the 1983 North American crash. The console and its successors sold hundreds of millions of units worldwide.
• 1983 Black July Anti-Tamil Pogrom Riots in Sri Lanka mark start of civil war Sinhalese mobs attacked Tamil communities across Sri Lanka following the killing of soldiers by Tamil militants, leaving hundreds to thousands dead. The violence is widely seen as the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War, which lasted until 2009. Many Tamils fled into exile in its aftermath.
• 1983 – present Nirmal Purja Nepalese Mountaineer Nepalese mountaineer and former British Special Forces soldier, known as Nims or Nimsdai, who became one of the most celebrated climbers in history. In 2019, he completed Project Possible, summiting all fourteen of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in just six months and six days — a feat that had previously taken the fastest climber almost eight years. The achievement was documented in the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. In January 2021, he was part of the team that made the first winter ascent of K2. He was killed by an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan at the age of 42.
• 1983 First World Championship gold -- Helsinki 1983 At 19, Bubka wins gold at the inaugural IAAF World Championships in Helsinki -- the first world title of what will become an unprecedented six-title streak in the same event. He clears 5.70m to win. The performance announces the arrival of a new force in world athletics; within a year he will be setting world records. The Helsinki gold is the beginning of a 14-year period of complete dominance of the pole vault event at World Championship level.
• 1983 – 2013 Reeva Steenkamp (1983-2013) Died 14 February 2013, aged 29 Reeva Steenkamp was a South African model and law graduate who was fatally shot by her boyfriend, Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, at his home in Pretoria. The killing and subsequent trial drew intense international media attention.
• 1983 Assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr. Philippine opposition leader shot at Manila airport Filipino opposition senator Benigno Aquino Jr. was shot dead moments after stepping off a plane at Manila International Airport, returning from exile. His assassination galvanized opposition to President Ferdinand Marcos and led to the 1986 People Power Revolution. His widow, Corazon Aquino, later became president.
• 1983 Guion Bluford Becomes First African American in Space STS-8 mission aboard Space Shuttle Challenger Guion Bluford flew aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-8, becoming the first African American astronaut in space. The mission also included the first night launch and landing of the Space Shuttle program. Bluford went on to fly three more shuttle missions.
• 1983 Korean Air Lines Flight 007 Shot Down Soviet fighter destroys airliner over Sakhalin A Soviet Su-15 interceptor shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 after it strayed into Soviet airspace near Sakhalin Island, killing all 269 people aboard, including a US congressman. The incident sharply escalated Cold War tensions and led to changes in civilian air navigation systems. The Soviet Union initially denied involvement before admitting to the shootdown.
• 1983 – 2011 Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) Died 23 July 2011, aged 27 The British singer-songwriter, known for the album "Back to Black" and hits including "Rehab," died of alcohol poisoning at her London home. She had long struggled publicly with substance abuse. Her death added her to the "27 Club" of musicians who died at that age.
• 1983 Vanessa Williams Crowned Miss America First Black woman to win the pageant Vanessa Williams was crowned Miss America, becoming the first Black woman to hold the title. She resigned the following year amid a photo controversy but went on to a successful music and acting career. Her win was seen as a milestone in the pageant's history.
• 1983 Australia II Wins the America's Cup First non-American victory in 132 years The Australian yacht Australia II defeated the American defender Liberty, ending the longest winning streak in international sport at 132 years. The victory, aided by a novel winged keel, sparked national celebration in Australia. It was the first time the America's Cup left the United States since the race began in 1851.
• 1983 Stanislav Petrov Averts Nuclear False Alarm Soviet officer declines to report missile warning Soviet Air Defence officer Stanislav Petrov judged a satellite warning of incoming US missiles to be a false alarm and did not relay it up the chain of command, likely preventing a retaliatory nuclear strike. The malfunction was later traced to a satellite misreading sunlight reflections. The incident remained secret for years afterward.
• 1983 Lech Walesa Awarded Nobel Peace Prize Solidarity leader honored for nonviolent resistance Polish trade union leader Lech Walesa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding and leading the Solidarity movement against communist rule. Fearing he would not be allowed to return, he did not travel to Oslo to accept it in person. He later became Poland's first post-communist president in 1990.
• 1983 Hong Kong Dollar Pegged to US Dollar Currency board system introduced amid confidence crisis Hong Kong's government fixed the Hong Kong dollar to the US dollar at a rate of 7.8 to 1, establishing a linked exchange rate system after a currency crisis tied to uncertainty over the colony's future. The peg has remained in place since. It stabilized Hong Kong's currency through subsequent decades of political change.
• 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombings Truck bombs kill 241 US and 58 French troops Simultaneous suicide truck bombings struck US Marine and French paratrooper barracks in Beirut, killing 241 American and 58 French peacekeepers. It was the deadliest single-day death toll for the US Marine Corps since Iwo Jima. The attacks led to the withdrawal of multinational forces from Lebanon.
• 1983 United States Invades Grenada Operation Urgent Fury topples revolutionary government US forces, joined by troops from several Caribbean states, invaded Grenada days after a coup killed Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. The operation, code-named Urgent Fury, was officially justified by the safety of American medical students on the island. It was the first major US military action since the Vietnam War.
• 1983 Raul Alfonsin Elected President of Argentina Vote marks return to civilian rule Raul Alfonsin won Argentina's presidential election, ending years of military dictatorship following its defeat in the Falklands War. His government later prosecuted former junta leaders for human rights abuses. The transition marked the restoration of democracy in Argentina.
• 1983 Able Archer 83 Nuclear War Scare NATO exercise nearly mistaken for real attack A NATO command post exercise simulating a nuclear release procedure was misread by some Soviet officials as cover for a genuine surprise attack, raising war readiness on the Soviet side. Declassified accounts later described it as one of the most dangerous moments of the Cold War. Tensions eased once the exercise concluded without incident.
• 1983 Undercover Seventeenth album — November 7, 1983 Undercover was released on November 7, 1983, showing the Stones experimenting with new wave and funk. It reached number 3 in both UK and US. The video for the title track was famously violent and banned by several TV channels.
• 1983 The Day After Airs on US Television TV film depicts aftermath of nuclear war ABC broadcast The Day After, a television film depicting a fictional nuclear attack on Kansas, to an estimated 100 million American viewers. It intensified public debate over nuclear weapons policy and was reportedly watched by President Reagan, who noted its influence on his thinking. It remains one of the most-watched television films in US history.
• 1983 – present Daniela Ruah International Actress Portuguese-American actress known for her long-running role in NCIS: Los Angeles.
• 1983 Muhammadu Buhari Seizes Power in Nigeria Military coup ends Nigeria's Second Republic Major General Muhammadu Buhari led a military coup that overthrew the elected government of President Shehu Shagari, ending Nigeria's Second Republic. Buhari ruled as military head of state until being ousted in another coup in 1985. He later returned to power as an elected civilian president in 2015.