The almanac
The 1981 Edition
Limited to about 130 million copies: the babies born worldwide in 1981. About 105 million are still in circulation.
Estimates from the UN World Population Prospects 2024. How we count
What happened in 1981
- First London MarathonAbout 6,700 runners ran from Greenwich Park to Buckingham Palace.March 29 · Source: BBC On This Day
- First space shuttle fliesColumbia lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on the first mission of the shuttle program.April 12 · Source: NASA
- Raiders of the Lost Ark opensIndiana Jones made his big-screen debut in US theaters.June 12 · Source: The Numbers
- A royal wedding for 750 millionPrince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral, watched on TV worldwide.July 29 · Source: BBC On This Day
- MTV launchesThe music video channel went live, opening with "Video Killed the Radio Star."August 1 · Source: Guinness World Records
- IBM unveils the IBM PCThe personal computer debuted in New York with 16 kilobytes of memory.August 12 · Source: IBM
Famous people born in 1981
- Britney SpearsAmerican singer, songwriter, actress and model · born December 2
- Natalie PortmanIsraeli-American actress · born June 9
- Zlatan IbrahimovićSwedish association football player · born October 3
- Jessica AlbaAmerican actress and businesswoman · born April 28
- Paris HiltonAmerican media personality · born February 17
- Iker CasillasSpanish association football player · born May 20
- Chris EvansAmerican actor · born June 13
- Meghan, Duchess of SussexMember of the British royal family and Duchess of Sussex since 2018 · born August 4
From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages write about them. Spotted a mistake?
No. 1 songs of 1981
- (Just Like) Starting OverJohn Lennon · first week at No. 1: January 3, 1981
- The Tide Is HighBlondie · first week at No. 1: January 31, 1981
- CelebrationKool & The Gang · first week at No. 1: February 7, 1981
- 9 To 5Dolly Parton · first week at No. 1: February 21, 1981
- I Love A Rainy NightEddie Rabbitt · first week at No. 1: February 28, 1981
- Keep On Loving YouREO Speedwagon · first week at No. 1: March 21, 1981
- RaptureBlondie · first week at No. 1: March 28, 1981
- Kiss On My ListDaryl Hall John Oates · first week at No. 1: April 11, 1981
- Morning Train (Nine To Five)Sheena Easton · first week at No. 1: May 2, 1981
- Bette Davis EyesKim Carnes · first week at No. 1: May 16, 1981
- MedleyStars On 45 · first week at No. 1: June 20, 1981
- The One That You LoveAir Supply · first week at No. 1: July 25, 1981
- Jessie's GirlRick Springfield · first week at No. 1: August 1, 1981
- Endless LoveDiana Ross & Lionel Richie · first week at No. 1: August 15, 1981
- Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)Christopher Cross · first week at No. 1: October 17, 1981
- Private EyesDaryl Hall John Oates · first week at No. 1: November 7, 1981
- PhysicalOlivia Newton-John · first week at No. 1: November 21, 1981
Billboard Hot 100, chart weeks of 1981. Spotted a mistake?
If you were born in 1981
- Older than the CDThe first commercial compact discs (CDs) went on sale, in Japan on October 1, 1982.
- Older than ThrillerMichael Jackson's album Thriller was released on November 30, 1982.
- Older than the MacintoshApple launched the Macintosh computer on January 24, 1984.
- Older than TetrisAlexey Pajitnov created Tetris in Moscow (month only; the day is not given by the source) on June 1, 1984.
- Younger than Pac-ManPac-Man was released to the public in Japan (month only; the day is not given by the source) on July 1, 1980.
- Younger than CNNCNN, the first 24-hour all-news cable network, went on the air on June 1, 1980.
- Younger than ESPNESPN went on the air, opening with SportsCenter on September 7, 1979.