1980s World Events

Name:

Date:

Instructions: The decade that ended the Cold War and changed the world. How much do you remember about the major events of the 1980s?

1.
What happened to President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel on March 30, 1981?
A
He collapsed from exhaustion
B
He gave a major speech
C
He met with Soviet diplomats
D
He was shot in an assassination attempt
2.
Which Space Shuttle tragically exploded shortly after launch on January 28, 1986?
A
Challenger
B
Atlantis
C
Columbia
D
Discovery
3.
Who was the schoolteacher aboard the Challenger who captured the nation's heart?
A
Barbara Morgan
B
Judith Resnik
C
Sally Ride
D
Christa McAuliffe
4.
What major nuclear disaster occurred in the Soviet Union in April 1986?
A
Fukushima
B
Three Mile Island
C
Kyshtym
D
Chernobyl
5.
What was the name of the Iran hostage crisis, and how long were Americans held?
A
444 days
B
344 days
C
500 days
D
200 days
6.
What political scandal involved the secret sale of arms to Iran to fund Nicaraguan rebels?
A
Whitewater
B
The Pentagon Papers
C
Watergate
D
Iran-Contra Affair
7.
What was the 'Star Wars' defense program officially called?
A
Strategic Defense Initiative
B
Anti-Ballistic Missile System
C
National Missile Defense
D
Space Shield Program
8.
Which Soviet leader introduced 'glasnost' (openness) and 'perestroika' (restructuring)?
A
Leonid Brezhnev
B
Yuri Andropov
C
Mikhail Gorbachev
D
Konstantin Chernenko
9.
What massive benefit concert in 1985 raised money for Ethiopian famine relief?
A
We Are the World Concert
B
Band Aid
C
Farm Aid
D
Live Aid
10.
What disease was first identified in the early 1980s and became a global health crisis?
A
Hepatitis C
B
Ebola
C
AIDS/HIV
D
SARS
11.
Which British Prime Minister, known as the 'Iron Lady,' served throughout the 1980s?
A
James Callaghan
B
Edward Heath
C
John Major
D
Margaret Thatcher
12.
What war between the UK and Argentina took place over islands in the South Atlantic in 1982?
A
The Falklands War
B
The South Atlantic War
C
The Island Dispute
D
The Malvinas Conflict
13.
What U.S. Olympic hockey team victory in 1980 was called the 'Miracle on Ice'?
A
The U.S. beat Finland
B
The U.S. beat Canada
C
The U.S. beat the Soviet Union
D
The U.S. beat Czechoslovakia
14.
Which country did the Soviet Union invade in December 1979, leading to a decade-long conflict?
A
Iran
B
Iraq
C
Pakistan
D
Afghanistan
15.
What devastating oil spill occurred in Alaska in March 1989?
A
The Exxon Valdez spill
B
The Santa Barbara spill
C
The BP Deepwater Horizon spill
D
The Amoco Cadiz spill

Answer Key

Question 1

D. He was shot in an assassination attempt

Question 2

A. Challenger

Question 3

D. Christa McAuliffe

Question 4

D. Chernobyl

Question 5

A. 444 days

Question 6

D. Iran-Contra Affair

Question 7

A. Strategic Defense Initiative

Question 8

C. Mikhail Gorbachev

Question 9

D. Live Aid

Question 10

C. AIDS/HIV

Question 11

D. Margaret Thatcher

Question 12

A. The Falklands War

Question 13

C. The U.S. beat the Soviet Union

Question 14

D. Afghanistan

Question 15

A. The Exxon Valdez spill

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