Return to shelbyjackman.com
1984 Jan 1, The break-up of AT&T took place
as the telecommunications giant was divested of its 22 Bell System companies
under terms of an antitrust agreement. 8 new companies were formed including
US West.
(AP, 1/1/98)(SFEC, 8/16/98, p.A7)(MC, 1/1/02)
1984 Jan 4, Burma established independence from Britain.
(HFA, '96, p.22)
1984 Jan 6. Texaco offered $125 per share for Getty oil stock
superceding the Pennzoil offer of $112.50 per share. It became the biggest
merger on record.
(SFC, 1/8/95, p.7)
1984 Jan 10, Clara Peller 1st asked, "Where's the Beef?"
(MC, 1/10/02)
1984 Jan 10, The United States and the Vatican established full
diplomatic relations for the first time in 117 years.
(AP, 1/10/98)(HN, 1/10/99)
1984 Jan 14, Ray Kroc (81), founder of MacDonalds and owner San
Diego Padres, died.
(MC, 1/14/02)
1984 Jan 16, Paul and Linda McCartney were arrested in Barbados
on possession of cannabis.
(MC, 1/16/02)
1984 Jan 17, The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Sony and ruled,
5 to 4, that the private use of home video cassette recorders to tape television
programs did not violate federal copyright laws.
(AP, 1/17/02)(SFC, 4/8/02, p.E1)
1984 Jan 20, Johnny Weissmuller (79), US swimmer (Olympics-5 gold-1924,
28), movie actor (Tarzan), died.
(SDUT, 6/6/97, p.E2)(MC, 1/20/02)
1984 Jan 24, Apple Computer Inc unveiled its Macintosh personal
computer. It included sound-sampling technology that could play recorded
sounds.
(WSJ,11/14/94, p.R26)(WSJ, 3/4/97, p.B1)(MC, 1/24/02)
1984 Jan 25, President Reagan endorsed the development of the
first U.S. permanently manned space station.
(HN, 1/25/99)
1984 Jan 28, A record 295,000 dominoes toppled at Fuerth, W. Germany.
(MC, 1/28/02)
1984 Jan 29, President Ronald Reagan announced that he would run
for a second term.
(HN, 1/29/99)
1984 Jan 29, The Soviets issued a formal complaint against alleged
U.S. arms treaty violations.
(HN, 1/29/99)
1984 Jan, The US stock market began a 7 month decline of 15%.
(SFC,10/17/97, p.B2)
1984 Jan, An FBI lie detector test was administered to Wen Ho
Lee, a scientist at Los Alamos. He failed an initial test to determine
whether he had contact with foreign intelligence services or inappropriately
shared information. He passed a 2nd test.
(SFC, 5/6/99, p.A1)
1984 Feb 3, The Environmental Protection Agency ordered a ban
on the pesticide EDB for grain products.
(HN, 2/3/99)
1984 Feb 7, Space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert
L. Stewart went on the first untethered space walk.
(AP, 2/7/97)
1984 Feb 8, Winter Olympics opened in Sarajevo.
(HN, 2/8/98)
1984 Feb 9, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov died at age 69, less
than 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev; he was succeeded by Konstantin
U. Chernenko.
(AP, 2/9/99)
1984 Feb 13, Konstantin Chernenko was chosen to be general secretary
of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee, succeeding the late
Yuri Andropov.
(HN, 2/13/98)(AP, 2/13/98)
1984 Feb 14, In south Africa under Apartheid rule the Black community
at Mogopa was displaced in a "force removal" action. Some 300 homes and
a cluster of community buildings were bulldozed over.
(WSJ, 3/10/00, p.A1)
1984 Feb 15, Ethel Merman (76), singer, actress (Kid Million),
died in her sleep.
(MC, 2/15/02)
1984 Feb 15, 500,000 Iranian soldiers moved into Iraq.
(MC, 2/15/02)
1984 Feb 22, Britain and the U.S. sent warships to the Persian
Gulf following an Iranian offensive against Iraq.
(HN, 2/22/98)
1984 Feb 24, Iraq resumed its air attacks on Iran.
(MC, 2/24/02)
1984 Feb 25, In Cubatao, Sao Paulo, Brazil, an explosion from
a gasoline leak in a pipeline burned a nearby shantytown with than 500
deaths.
(HSAB, 1994, p.46)
1984 Jun 25, Michel Foucault (57), philosopher (History of Sexuality),
died of AIDs.
(MC, 6/25/02)
1984 Feb 26, Robert Penn Warren, Pulitzer Prize winner, was named
1st US poet laureate.
(SC, 2/26/02)
1984 Feb 26, Reverend Jesse Jackson acknowledged that he had
called NYC: "Hymietown."
(SC, 2/26/02)
1984 Feb 26, Last US marines in multinational peace-keeping force
in Lebanon left Beirut.
(SC, 2/26/02)
1984 Feb 26, Pak Awang (84) married his 80th spouse.
(SC, 2/26/02)
1984 Feb 29, Liberace's palimony suit was thrown out of court.
(SFC, 2/29/00, p.A1)
1984 Feb 29, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau announced
he was stepping down after more than 15 years in power.
(AP, 2/29/00)
1984 Feb 29, In Switzerland a court ruled that the villagers
of Zermatt owned the Matterhorn.
(SFC, 2/29/00, p.A1)
1984 Mar 1, NASA launched Landsat-D Prime (Landsat 5) to map the
Earth.
(SC, 3/1/02)
1984 Mar 1, USSR performed a nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan,
Semipalitinsk, USSR.
(SC, 3/1/02)
1984 Mar 1, Jackie Coogan (69), actor (Uncle Fester-Addams Family),
died.
(SC, 3/1/02)
1984 Mar 2, The first McDonald's franchise was closed in Des Plaines,
IL on this day. After 30 years of selling burgers, Mickey D's opened a
new drive-in restaurant right across the McStreet.
(HC, Internet, 2/3/98)
1984 Mar 2, An Iran offensive against Iraq failed.
(SC, 3/2/02)
1984 Mar 3, Peter Ueberroth was elected baseball commissioner
(Eff. Oct 1).
(SC, 3/3/02)
1984 Mar 5, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that cities have the
right to display the Nativity scene as part of their Christmas display.
(HN, 3/5/98)
1984 Mar 5, US accused Iraq of using poison gas.
(MC, 3/5/02)
1984 Mar 5, Tito Gobbi (68), Italian baritone (Scarpia in Tosca),
died.
(MC, 3/5/02)
1984 Mar 6, Martin Niemoller (92), German U-boat captain, anti-Nazi
minister, died.
(MC, 3/6/02)
1984 Mar 12, Lebanese President Gemayel opened the second meeting
in five years calling for the end to nine-years of war.
(HN, 3/12/98)
1984 Mar 15, The acquittal of a Miami police officer on charges
of negligently killing a ghetto youth sparked a rampage by angry blacks
in Miami; 550 people were arrested.
(MC, 3/15/02)
1984 Mar 16, William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut,
was kidnapped by gunmen; he died in captivity.
(AP, 3/16/97)
1984 Mar 16, Mozambique and South Africa signed a pact banning
support for one another's internal foes.
(HN, 3/16/98)
1984 Mar 19, "Kate & Allie," premiered.
(MC, 3/19/02)
1984 Mar 19, Pitcher Denny McLain was indicted on various charges
of racketeering.
(MC, 3/19/02)
1984 Mar 19, Mobil oil tanker spilled 200,000 gallons into the
Columbia River.
(MC, 3/19/02)
1984 Mar 20, Senate rejected an amendment to permit spoken prayer
in public schools.
(MC, 3/20/02)
1984 Mar 21, Part of Central Park was named Strawberry Fields
honoring John Lennon.
(MC, 3/21/02)
1984 Mar 21, A Soviet submarine crashed into the USS Kitty Hawk
off the coast of Japan.
(HN, 3/21/98)
1984 Mar 27, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe's techno
musical, roller-skating venture "Starlight Express," premiered.
(SFC, 12/31/99, p.C6)(MC, 3/27/02)
1984 Mar 29, NFL Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis.
(MC, 3/29/02)
1984 Apr 1, Stewart Brand and Larry Brilliant launched the Well
(Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link) in Sausalito. In La Jolla, Ca., Larry Brilliant,
physician and head of Network Technologies Int’l. in Michigan, pitched
the idea for a public computer conferencing system to Stewart Brand, publisher
of the Whole Earth Catalog. Their meeting led to the 1985 founding of "The
Well" online service that operated as a collection of conferences. It used
the PicoSpan conferencing software. In 2001 Katie Hafner authored "The
Well: A Story of Love, Death and Real Life in the Seminal Online Community."
(Wired, 5/97, p.100)(SSFC, 5/27/01, DB p.69)
1984 Apr 1, Marvin P. Gay Sr. (d.1998 at 84) shot and killed
his son, Motown singer Marvin Gaye during an argument in Los Angeles. It
was one day before the singer’s 45th birthday. Gaye’s hit songs included
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "What’s Going On," and "Let’s Get It
On." Mr. Gay pleaded voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 5 years
probation.
(SFC, 10/27/98, p.B6)
1984 Apr 3, Coach John Thompson of Georgetown University became
the first African-American coach to win an NCAA basketball tournament.
(HN, 4/3/99)
1984 Apr 5, Arthur Travors ("Bomber") Harris, marshal of British
RAF, died.
(MC, 4/5/02)
1984 Apr 6, Pioneer Courthouse Square opened in Portland.
(SFC, 7/24/97, p.A6)
1984 Apr 6, 1st time 11 people in space.
(MC, 4/6/02)
1984 Apr 7, Frank Church (59), Sen-D-Ohio, (1957-81), died.
(MC, 4/7/02)
1984 Apr 8, In the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards: Lonely Lady won.
(MC, 4/8/02)
1984 Apr 10, Zoe, the 1st frozen-embryo child, was born in Melbourne,
Australia.
(MC, 4/10/02)
1984 Apr 10, US Senate condemned the CIA mining of Nicaraguan
harbors.
(MC, 4/10/02)
1984 Apr 11, Chinese troops invaded Vietnam.
(MC, 4/11/02)
1984 Apr 11, Gen. Sec. Konstantin U. Chernenko was named pres.
of Soviet Union.
(MC, 4/11/02)
1984 Apr 13, Pete Rose became the 1st NL to get 4,000 hits in
a career.
(MC, 4/13/02)
1984 Apr 13, Christopher Wilder, FBI's "most wanted man," accidentally
killed himself.
(MC, 4/13/02)
1984 Apr 15, Extremist Sikhs plundered 40 stations in Punjab,
India.
(MC, 4/15/02)
1984 Apr 21, The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said French
researchers had discovered that a virus causes AIDS. Scientists identified
a retrovirus named human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the cause of AIDS.
(SSFC, 6/3/01, p.A20)(MC, 4/21/02)
1984 Apr 22, Ansel Adams (82), US photographer, died.
(MC, 4/22/02)
1984 Apr 23, AIDS-virus was identified as the cause of acquired
immune deficiency syndrome. [see Apr 21]
(MC, 4/23/02)
1984 Apr 25, Rock group Wings disbanded.
(SS, 4/25/02)
1984 Apr 25, Richard Benedict (64), actor, died of a heart attack.
(SS, 4/25/02)
1984 Apr 26, Pres. Reagan visited China.
(MC, 4/26/02)
1984 Apr 26, William "Count" Basie, jazz piano great, died on
his 80th birthday. Joe Williams sang "Come Sunday," Duke Ellington’s
prayer for the liberation of Afro-American people, at the funeral. Conald
"Tee" Carson replaced Basie as the head of the Count Basie Orchestra.
(SFEM, 10/5/7, p.10)(SFC, 2/19/00, p.A21)(MC, 4/26/02)
1984 Apr 28, "La Tragedie de Carmen" closed at Beaumont Theater
in NYC after 187 performances.
(MC, 4/28/02)
1984 Apr 28, Silvia A. Warner, writer, died.
(MC, 4/28/02)
1984 Apr 30, Arthur T. "Bomber" Harris (68), bombed Nazi-Germany,
died.
(MC, 4/30/02)
1984 Apr, Yvonne Fletcher, a British police officer, was killed
from rifle shots fired from the Libyan embassy in London during a demonstration
against Moammar Khadafy. Libya later gave Fletcher’s family some compensation.
(SFC, 7/8/99, p.A8)(SFEC, 4/9/00, p.C12)
1984 Apr, India sent troops to occupy the Siachen glacier following
suspicious mountaineering expeditions from Pakistan. Over the next 15 years
some 10,000 Indian and Pakistani casualties, largely due to frostbite and
mountain sickness, resulted.
(SFEC, 5/16/99, p.A25)
1984 May 1, Gordon Jenkins (73), orchestra leader (NBC Comedy
Hour), died.
(MC, 5/1/02)
1984 May 7, A $180 million out-of-court settlement was announced
in the Agent Orange class-action suit brought by Vietnam veterans who charged
they had suffered injury from exposure to the defoliant. A consortium of
Dow Chemical and other manufacturers paid $184 million to veterans from
the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand but not South Korea.
(AP, 5/7/97)(SFC, 11/17/99, p.A18)
1984 May 8, USSR announced it would not participate in Summer
Olympics planned for Los Angeles.
(HN, 5/8/98)
1984 May 10, Intl. Court of Justice ruled on US blockade of Nicaragua.
(MC, 5/10/02)
1984 May 12, South Africa prisoner Nelson Mandela saw his wife
for the 1st time in 22 yrs.
(MC, 5/12/02)
1984 May 14, Jeane Sauve was appointed as the 23rd governor-general
of Canada. She was the first woman to hold this position.
(CFA, '96, p.80)
1984 May 16, Andy Kaufman (35), comedian (Latka-Taxi), died of
cancer.
(MC, 5/16/02)
1984 May 16, Irwin Shaw (71), US writer (Rich Man, Poor Man),
died.
(MC, 5/16/02)
1984 May 19, The late Bob Marley's album "Legend" topped the U.K.
album chart.
(DTnet, 5/19/97)
1984 May 19, Michael Larson (1949-1999) won $110,000 on the "Press
Your Luck" Game Show. He had memorized the generated game patterns.
(http://gscentral.net/larsen.htm)
1984 May 20, "On Your Toes" closed at the Virginia Theater in
NYC after 505 performances.
(MC, 5/20/02)
1984 May 20, Peter Bull (72), British actor (Dr Doolittle), died
of a heart attack.
(MC, 5/20/02)
1984 May 25, Piet Ketting (79), Dutch pianist, conductor, composer,
died.
(SC, 5/25/02)
1984 May 26, A frisbee was kept aloft for 1,672 seconds in Philadelphia.
(MC, 5/26/02)
1984 May 28, President Reagan led a state funeral at Arlington
National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknowns for an unidentified American
soldier killed in the Vietnam War. The remains were unearthed in 1998 for
DNA testing and possible identification. They were later identified as
those of Air Force First Lieutenant Michael J. Blassie, and were sent to
St. Louis for hometown burial.
(AP, 5/28/97)(WSJ, 5/15/98, p.A1)(AP, 5/28/01)
1984 May 29, Eric Morecambe (58), comedian (Morecambe & Wise),
died.
(SC, 5/29/02)
1984 Jun 1, "Tattletales" second run, TV Game Show; last aired
on CBS.
(DTnet, 6/1/97)
1984 Jun 1, President Ronald Reagan visited Ireland.
(DTnet, 6/1/97)
1984 Jun 2, B.A. Skiff discovered asteroid #3617.
(SC, 6/2/02)
1984 Jun 4, DNA was successfully cloned from an extinct animal.
(MC, 6/4/02)
1984 Jun 5, Indira Gandhi ordered an attack on Sikh's holiest
site, the Golden Temple.
(MC, 6/5/02)
1984 Jun 7, George Givot (81), actor (Versatile Vaudeville), died.
(SC, 6/7/02)
1984 Jun 18, Alan Berg, a Denver radio talk show host, was shot
to death outside his home. Two white supremacists of the Aryan Nations
Church were convicted of civil rights violations in the slaying in 1987.
(AP, 6/18/97)(SFC, 2/20/98, p.A9)(SFC, 7/26/02, p.A26)
1984 Jun 19, The first live TV appearance by Chief Justice Warren
Burger (Nightline).
(DTnet, 6/19/97)
1984 Jun 26, Carl Foreman (69), producer, writer (Born Free, High
Noon), died of cancer.
(MC, 6/26/02)
1984 Jun 27, Supreme Court ended the NCAA monopoly on college
football telecasts.
(SC, 6/27/02)
1984 cJun, In the US the summer Olympics were held in LA for the
second time and the Russians boycotted them. The US won 83 gold medals,
Romania was 2nd with 20. The 1st Olympic Guide was published this year
by David Wallechinsky. The 5th edition came out in 2000.
(TMC, 1994, p.1984)(WSJ, 7/19/96, p.R6)(SFC, 7/14/96, Par p.4)(WSJ,
7/28/00, p.W9)
1984 Jun, In Nevada Gerald Gallego was found guilty of murder
and was sentenced to death. Charlene Williams, his former accomplice and
mother of his child, testified against Gallego. They were involved in sex-slave
murders in the late 1970s. Charlene was released from prison in 1997.
(SFC,10/28/97, p.A17)(SFC, 1/21/02, p.B2)
1984 Summer, Marta Healy, Nicaraguan exile, invited contra rebels
to her Miami home to meet George Morales, a champion power boat racer and
big-league drug trafficker under indictment in the US. Her aim was to broker
a deal to help the rebels financially. The rebels got an ok from the CIA
to accept airplanes and cash from the drug dealer while still receiving
CIA money under the table.
(SFC, 10/31/96, p.A7)
1984 Jul 3, The US Supreme Court ruled that Jaycees may be forced
to admit women as members.
(MC, 7/3/02)
1984 Jul 3, Raoul Salan (85), French general, OAS leader (Algeria),
died.
(MC, 7/3/02)
1984 Jul 4, The NY Yankee Phil Niekro became the 9th pitcher to
strikeout 3,000 batters.
(Maggio)
1984 Jul 5, The Supreme Court weakened the 70-year-old "exclusionary
rule," deciding that evidence seized with defective court warrants could
be used against defendants in criminal trials.
(AP, 7/5/97)
1984 Jul 9, A 12th Century York Minster was destroyed in lightning
storm.
(MC, 7/9/02)
1984 Jul 12, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale
announced he had chosen U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be
his running mate; Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president
on a major party ticket.
(AP, 7/12/97)(HN, 7/12/98)
1984 Jul 14, Al Schacht (91), [Clown prince of baseball], baseball
player, died.
(MC, 7/14/02)
1984 Jul 18, Walter F. Mondale won the Democratic presidential
nomination in San Francisco.
(AP, 7/18/99)
1984 Jul 18, James Huberty opened fire at a McDonald's fast-food
restaurant in San Ysidro, Calif., killing 21 people before being shot dead
by police.
(AP, 7/18/97)(MC, 7/18/02)
1984 Jul 19, U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York won the
Democratic nomination for vice president at the party's convention in San
Francisco. Pasqua Coffee sold 16,000 cups of premium coffee from a pushcart
at the Moscone Center.
(AP, 7/19/97)(SFEM, 8/1/99, p.8)
1984 Jul 20, Jim [James] Fixx (52), jogger, writer (Jim Fixx on
Running), died of coronary while running.
(MC, 7/20/02)
1984 Jul 21, In Jackson, Michigan, a male die-cast operator (34)
was pinned by a hydraulic Unimate robot. He died after 5 days. This was
the 1st documented case of a robot killing a human in US.
www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/In-house/full8420.html
(HFA, '96, p.34)(MC, 7/21/02)
1984 Jul 23, Vanessa Williams became the first Miss America to
resign her title, because of nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine.
(AP, 7/23/98)
1984 Jul 24, In American Fort, Utah, Ron and Dan Lafferty stabbed
to death their sister-in-law, Brenda Lafferty, and her daughter Erica,
aged 15 months. In 2003 Jon Krakauer authored "Under the Banner of Heaven,"
an account of the murder and the Mormon background of the Laffertys.
(WSJ, 7/11/03, p.W15)
1984 Jul 25, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first
woman to walk in space. She carried out more than 3 hours of experiments
outside the orbiting space station Salyut 7.
(AP, 7/25/97)
1984 Jul 26, Ed Gein (78), mass murderer (movie "Psycho"
based on him), died.
(MC, 7/26/02)
1984 Jul 28, The 23rd modern Olympic games opened in Los Angeles.
(SC, 7/28/02)
1984 Jul 28, Bess Flowers (85), actress, died.
(SC, 7/28/02)
1984 Aug 5, Actor Richard Burton died at a hospital in Geneva,
Switzerland, at the age of 58.
(AP, 8/5/97)
1984 Aug 11, President Reagan sparked controversy when he joked
during a voice test for a paid political radio address: "My fellow Americans,
I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will
outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."
(AP, 8/11/97)(MC, 8/11/02)
1984 Aug 25, Truman Capote (59), American novelist, playwright,
and short story writer, died in the arms and guest bedroom of Johnny Carson’s
ex-wife, Joanne. His autobiographical novella, "The Grass Harp," was made
into a film directed by Walter Matthau in 1996. He also authored "Other
Voices, Other Rooms," and "Breakfast At Tiffany’s." In 1997 George Plimpton
published his biography: "Truman Capote."
(SFC, 10/11/96, p.C3)(WSJ, 12/11/97, p.A21)(SFEC,12/14/97, p.D9)(AP,
8/25/99)
1984 Aug 27, President Reagan announced the Teacher in Space project.
(MC, 8/27/01)
1984 Aug 30, The first flight of the space shuttle Discovery.
(HFA, '96, p.36)
1984 Sep 1, Howland Chamberlain (73), actor, died.
(SC, 9/1/02)
1984 Sep 2, "Zorba" closed at Broadway Theater NYC after 362 performances.
(MC, 9/2/01)
1984 Sep 6, Lanford Wilson's "Balm in Gilead," premiered in NYC.
(MC, 9/6/01)
1984 Sep 9, Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears broke Jim Brown's
combined yardage record by reaching 15,517 yards.
(MC, 9/9/01)
1984 Sep 13, Simon Peres formed an Israeli government with Likud.
A national unity government (Likud and Labor) was formed.
(SFC, 4/24/98, p.A17)(MC, 9/13/01)
1984 Sep 17, Oil heir Gordon P. Getty, with a fortune of $4.1
billion dollars, was named the richest person in the US. There were a dozen
billionaires in the US at the time.
(MC, 9/17/01)
1984 Sep 17, Progressive Conservative leader Brian Mulroney took
office as Canada's 18th prime minister.
(AP, 9/17/99)
1984 Sep 20, The TV sitcom "Cosby Show" with Bill Cosby premiered
on NBC-TV.
(SSFC, 2/11/01, BR p.1)(MC, 9/20/01)
1984 Sep 20, A suicide car bomber attacked the U.S. Embassy annex
in north Beirut, killing a dozen people. 16 people were killed and the
ambassador was injured. 23 people were killed.
(AP, 9/20/97)(SFC, 9/12/01, p.A7)(MC 9/20/01)
1984 Sep 26, President Reagan vetoed sanctions against South Africa.
(MC, 9/26/01)
1984 Oct 1, Gary Trudeau's Doonesbury comic strip resumed after
a 2-year hiatus.
(MC, 10/1/01)
1984 Oct 5, US Aid to Nicaragua's Contras was uncovered when soldiers
from Nicaragua's Communist government shot down a US cargo plane found
to be carrying military supplies to aid the Contras, who were waging a
war against the ruling Sandinista government.
(MC, 10/5/01)
1984 Oct 7, Walter Payton passed Jim Brown as NFL's career rushing
leader.
(MC, 10/7/01)
1984 Oct 11, August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," premiered
in NYC.
(MC, 10/11/01)
1984 Oct 11, Space shuttle Challenger astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan
became the first American woman to walk in space.
(AP, 10/11/97)(MC, 10/11/01)
1984 Oct 12, IRA bombed the hotel where Margaret Thatcher was
staying in Brighton. Thatcher escaped but five people were killed. Patrick
McGee was sentenced to 8 life sentences for his role in the bombing. McGee
was freed in 1999 as part of the Northern Ireland peace accord.
(SFEC, 12/22/96, Z1 p.7)(SFC, 6/23/99, p.A10)(MC, 10/12/01)
1984 Oct 15, Central Intelligence Agency's Freedom of Information
Act passed.
(MC, 10/15/01)
1984 Oct 15, Telephones flew on 20 flights beginning this day
for those who had credit cards. Costs: $7.50 for a 3 minute call, $1.25
for each additional minute anywhere you wanted to call in the US.
(MC, 10/15/01)
1984 Oct 16, A baboon heart was transplanted into 15-day-old Baby
Fae--the first transplant of the kind--at Loma Linda University Medical
Center, California. Baby Fae lived until November 15. [see Oct 26]
(HN, 10/16/98)
1984 Oct 16, Desmond Tutu, black Anglican Archbishop in South
Africa, won the Nobel Peace Prize.
(SFC, 6/23/96, BR, p.32)(MC, 10/16/01)
1984 Oct 18, Jon-Erik Hexum (26), actor (Bear), died by a gun
loaded with blanks.
(MC, 10/18/01)
1984 Oct 19, Jerzy Popieluszko, Polish priest and dissident, was
kidnapped and murdered. [see Dec 27]
(MC, 10/19/01)
1984 Oct 21, Francois Truffaut, film director (Fahrenheit 451),
died of brain cancer at 52. In 1999 Antoine de Baecque and Serge Toubiana
published "Truffaut: A Biography."
(SFEC, 5/9/99, DB p.53)(SFEC, 6/27/99, BR p.4)(MC, 10/21/01)
1984 Oct 23, Oskar Werner (61), actor (Fahrenheit 451), died
of a heart attack.
(MC, 10/23/01)
1984 Oct 24, 11 members of Colombo crime family were arrested.
(MC, 10/24/01)
1984 Oct 25, Hepatitis virus was discovered.
(MC, 10/25/01)
1984 Oct 26, "Baby Fae," a newborn with a severe heart defect,
was given the heart of a baboon in an experimental transplant in Loma Linda,
Calif. Baby Fae lived 21 days with the animal heart. [see Oct 16]
(AP, 10/26/99)
1984 Oct 31, The Puerto Rican tanker San Francisco exploded spilling
2 million gallons of oil as the ship caught fire.
(MC, 10/31/01)
1984 Oct 31, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated
near her residence in New Delhi by two Sikh members of her bodyguard. This
sparked Hindu-Sikh clashes across the country. In 2002 Katherine Frank
authored the biography "Indira."
(SFEC, 8/3/97, p.A15)(AP, 10/31/97)(HN, 10/31/98)(WSJ, 2/13/02,
p.A18)
1984 Oct, Indian soldiers attacked the Golden Temple in Amritsar
to flush out Sikh separatists.
(TMC, 1994, p.1984)
1984 Oct, In China the Communist Party announced economic reforms,
a plan to lift government price subsidies and promised to relax party control
over enterprises.
(SFC, 2/20/96, p.A4)
1984 Oct, Jaroslav Seifert of Czechoslovakia won the Nobel Prize
for literature.
(SFC, 3/30/02, p.A19)
1984 Nov 1, Willem de Kooning's "Two Women" sold for $1,980,000.
(MC, 11/1/01)
1984 Nov 1, Norman Krasna (74), author (Dear Ruth), died of a
heart attack.
(MC, 11/1/01)
1984 Nov 2, Paul Cosner disappeared from the SF Bay Area following
a planned sale of a 1980 Honda Prelude at his Marin Motors. The car was
identified Jun 2, 1985 in the hands of Leonard Lake and Charles Ng. As
many as 25 people were believed killed by Lake and Ng at a compound in
Calaveras County, Ca.
(SFC, 10/25/98, p.A5)
1984 Nov 2, Velma Barfield (Margie V. Barfield), convicted of
the fatal poisoning of her boyfriend, was put to death by injection in
Raleigh, N.C.; she was the first woman executed in the United States since
1962.
(AP, 11/2/99)(MC, 11/2/01)
1984 Nov 3, Some 3,000 died in a 3 day anti-Sikh riot in India.
(MC, 11/3/01)
1984 Nov 3, The body of assassinated Indian PM Indira Gandhi
was cremated.
(MC, 11/3/01)
1984 Nov 4, Nicaragua held its 1st free elections in 56 years;
Sandinistas won by a margin of 63%. Daniel Ortega won the presidency under
the Sandinista Liberation Front. Sergio Ramirez served as his vice-president
until 1990.
(SFC, 5/6/96, p.A-10)(WSJ, 10/9/96, p.A15)(MC, 11/4/01)
1984 Nov 6, President Ronald Reagan was reelected. Reagan beat
Mondale in the landslide of 1984 with 97.6% of the Electoral College and
over 58% of the popular vote. It almost matched the 1936 landslide of Roosevelt
over Landon.
(HN, 11/6/98)(HNQ, 11/7/00)
1984 Nov 9, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("3 Servicemen") was
completed.
(MC, 11/9/01)
1984 Nov 14, The Space Shuttle Discovery crew rescued a second
satellite.
(HN, 11/14/98)
1984 Nov 15, Baby Fae died 20 days after receiving a baboon heart
transplant in Loma Linda, California.
(HN, 11/15/98)
1984 Nov 18, The Soviets helped deliver U.S. wheat during the
Ethiopian famine.
(HN, 11/18/98)
1984 Nov 19, Near Mexico City, Mexico, 5 million liters of liquefied
butane exploded at a storage facility with more than 400 deaths.
(HSAB, 1994, p.46)
1984 Nov 20, McDonald's made its 50 billionth hamburger.
(MC, 11/20/01)
1984 Nov 22, Fred Rogers of PBS' "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" presented
his sweater to the Smithsonian Institution.
(MC, 11/22/01)
1984 Nov 25, William Schroeder became the 2nd person to receive
a Jarvik-7 artificial heart.
(MC, 11/25/01)
1984 Nov 26, US and Iraq resumed diplomatic relations after Pres.
Reagan met with Deputy PM Tariq Aziz.
(MC, 11/26/01)(SFC, 9/24/02, p.A11)
1984 Nov 28, Leaving Chicago behind, Phil Donahue headed to New
York for his daily talk show that reached an estimated 7 million people
each day. To that time, Phil and actress/wife Marlo Thomas had commuted
for four years to be together in matrimony.
(DTnet, 11/28/97)
1984 Nov 28, Republican Robert Dole was elected Senate majority
leader.
(HN, 11/28/98)
1984 Nov 28, Hans Speidel (87), German general and NATO-supreme
commander (1957-64), died.
(MC, 11/28/01)
1984 Nov, Commander Donnie Cochran became the first African American
to become the leader of the Navy’s Blue Angels. He resigned from his position
on May 28, 1996 after citing personal training difficulties.
(SFC, 5/29/96, A3)
1984 Nov, Reagan was re-elected in a GOP landslide.
(TMC, 1994, p.1984)
1984 Nov, The CIA told Congress in 1987 that it had concluded
in Nov, 1984 that it could not resume aid to the Costa Rican-based Contras
because "everybody around Pastora was involved in cocaine."
(SFC, 10/31/96, p.A7)
1984 Dec 3, More than 4,000 people died and 200,000 were injured
after a cloud of gas escaped from a pesticide plant operated by a Union
Carbide subsidiary in Bhopal, India. 11,000 suffered long term effects.
40 tons of vaporous methyl isocyanate, hydrogen cyanide, monomethyl amine,
carbon monoxide and possibly 20 other chemicals were released after an
explosion.
(HFA, '96, p.44)(TMC, 1994, p.1984)(WSJ, 11/27/96, p.A1) (AP,
12/3/97)(HN, 12/3/98)(SFEC, 3/5/00, p.A23)
1984 Dec 4, Hijackers commandeered a Kuwaiti airliner.
(MC, 12/4/01)
1984 Dec 9, Iranian commandos ended the capture of a Kuwaiti plane.
(MC, 12/9/01)
1984 Dec 10, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the
Nobel Peace Prize.
(SFC, 6/23/96, BR, p.32)(AP, 12/10/99)
1984 Dec 14, Howard Cosell retired from Monday Night Football.
(MC, 12/14/01)
1984 Dec 19, Near Orangeville, Utah, 27 miners died in a
coal mine fire due to a faulty air compressor.
(SFC, 9/25/01, p.A14)
1984 Dec 19, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese
Premier Zhao Ziyang signed an accord to return Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty
on Jul 1, 1997. China pledged to grant Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy
and permit it to retain its capitalist system for 50 years.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)(AP, 12/19/97)
1984 Dec 20, 33 unknown Bach keyboard works were found in Yale
library.
(MC, 12/20/01)
1984 Dec 22, Bernhard Goetz shot at four black teens who attempted
to rob him in a New York subway. He later claimed self-defense and was
acquitted of attempted murder in 1987 in a trial where lawyer William Kunstler
represented Darrel Cabey, who was paralyzed in the shooting. The other
three wounded teens, James Ramseur, Barry Allen, and Troy Canty all went
to jail.
(SFC, 4/8/96, p.A-3)(AP, 12/22/98)
1984 Dec 27, Geologist Roberta Score found the Martian meteorite
labeled Allan Hills (ALH) 84001 while snowmobiling in the Antarctic.
(PacDis, Winter ’97, p.29)
1984 Dec 27, Four Polish officers were tried for the slaying
of Reverend Jerzy Popieluszko.
(HN, 12/27/98)
1984 Dec 28, A creosote bush was determined to be 11,700 years
old.
(MC, 12/28/01)
1984 Dec 29, Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi claimed victory in parliamentary
elections. The BJP entered the parliament for the first time with 2 seats.
(SFC, 10/4/99, p.A12)(MC, 12/29/01)
1984 Dec 31, NYC subway gunman Bernhard Goetz surrendered to police
in NH.
(MC, 12/31/01)
1984 Dec 31, Rajiv Gandhi took office as India's 6th PM succeeding
his assassinated mother, Indira.
(MC, 12/31/01)
1984 Dec, In China Zhang Ruimin took over the helm of the Haier
Group Co, a failing appliance manufacturer in the port city of Qingdao.
He turned the operation around with modern refrigerator-making equipment
from Germany.
(WSJ, 9/17/97, p.A1)
1984 Dec, In Spain the Socialist government permanently shuttered
its nuclear facilities.
(WSJ, 5/10/96, p.A-5D)
1984 Jonathan Borofsky, sculptor, began his work "Hammering Man."
It was completed in 1985 and stands outside the Legion of Honor in San
Francisco.
(SFC, 10/26/96, p.B1)
1984 Frederick Hart (d.1999 at 56) had his "Three Soldiers" sculpture
erected at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.
(SFC, 8/18/99, p.C4)
1984 Martin Kippenberger, German artist, made his oil, silicon
on canvas "For the Life of Me, I Can’t See Any Swastikas."
(SFEC, 2/1/98, BR p.6)
1984 Merrill Ashley, ballerina, published her memoir: Dancing
for Balanchine."
(WSJ, 12/10/97, p.A20)
1984 Deborah Berg, the daughter of David Berg, authored "The Children
of God: The Inside Story." David Berg (d.1994) founded the Christian sect
of sexual freedom in the 1960s following years of travel as the "Berg Family
Singers."
(SFC, 2/14/01, p.A1)
1984 Ray Coleman (1937-1996) published "Lennon," a biography of
the Beatle star John Lennon. He also wrote biographies of Paul McCartney,
Eric Clapton, Brian Epstein, Frank Sinatra, the Carpenters, Rod Stewart,
the Rolling Stones, and Gerry and the Pacemakers.
(SFC, 9/22/96, C12)
1984 Maynard Amerine (d.1998 at 74) published the "Univ. of California
/ Sotheby Book of California Wine." It was co-edited with Bob Thompson
and Doris Muscatine. Mr. Amerine also wrote "Table Wines: The Technology
of their Production," with M.A. Joslyn.
(SFC, 3/13/98, p.D2)
1984 Julian Barnes authored his novel "Flaubert’s Parrot," a whimsical
portrait of a Flaubert scholar.
(SSFC, 10/6/02, p.M2)
1984 Jeremy Bernstein wrote a book on Bell Labs titled: "Three
Degrees Above Zero." Here he described the computerized chess program know
as Belle.
(I&I, Penzias, p.151)
1984 Bruce Chatwin published his travel book "In Patagonia."
(SFEC, 8/10/97, BR p.3)
1984 Tom Clancey published "The Hunt for Red October" through
the Naval Institute Press.
(WSJ, 4/24/98, p.W14)
1984 Kate Coscarelli, aka Aunt Kate (d.1999), published "Fame
and Fortune," a best seller about 4 middle aged women in Beverly Hills.
(SFC, 8/27/99, p.D6)
1984 Harriet Doerr (1910-2002) won the American Book Award for
1st fiction for "Stone for Ibarra."
(SFC, 11/28/02, p.A30)
1984 Allen Ginsberg (d.1997) published his massive "Collected
Poems."
(SFEC, 5/9/99, BR p.3)
1984 William Hartman (d.1997 at 78) and Marilyn Fithian published
"Any Man Can," a work about multiple male orgasms. They also closed their
Center for sexual and Marital Studies in this year.
(SFC, 10/14/97, p.A19)
1984 Gerri Hirshey wrote the book "Nowhere to Run," a history
of soul-music.
(SFC,10/28/97, p.E1)
1984 Jay McInerney published his novel "Bright Lights Big City."
In 1999 it was produced as a rock musical at the New York Theater Workshop.
(WSJ, 3/3/99, p.A17)
1984 Wallace Terry (d.2003 at 65), journalist, authored "Bloods:
An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans. It detailed the experiences
of 20 black soldiers and was made into a 1986 PBS documentary.
(SFC, 6/2/03, p.B4)
1984 Diana Vreeland (d.1989) wrote her biography "D.V." She had
been a fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue and went on to become
the head of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The
1998 play "Full Gallop" was based on her life.
(SFEC, 2/22/98, DB p.33)
1984 Edward O. Wilson, Harvard biologist, published his "Biophilia."
In this book Wilson proposed that humans "have an innate urge to focus
on and affiliate with non-human life, that our existence depends on this
propensity, our spirit woven from it, and that hope rises on its currents."
(PacDis, Spring/'94, p. 52)
1984 Maurice Valency (1903-1996), playwright, wrote his first
novel "Ashby." His plays included Savonarola, Electra and The Thracian
Horses. His novel "Julie" was published in 1989.
(SFEC, 9/30/96, p.A23)
1984 Philip Ashforth Coppola authored "Silver Connections," a
compendium on the NYC subways.
(SFC, 9/2/02, p.D8)
1984 William Gibson wrote his science fiction work "Neuromancer."
Gibson is credited with coining the term cyberspace. He envisioned chips
plugged directly into the brain to transfer information.
(SFC, 9/24/96, p.E1,3)(WSJ, 1/31/97, p.B1)
1984 Stephen Halbrook authored "That Every Man Be Armed," a historical
look at gun possession.
(WSJ, 5/25/99, p.A1,13)
1984 Eudora Welty (b.1909) published her best-selling remembrance
"One Writer’s Beginnings."
(WSJ, 9/8/98, p.A26)
1984 Theodore Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) was awarded a special Pulitzer
Prize for children’s literature. His nearly 50 books had sold more than
100 million copies in 17 languages.
(Hem., 2/97, p.13)
1984 The Ballet "Sergeant Early’s Dream" was created by Christopher
Bruce.
(SFC, 5/9/97, p.D9)
1984 German choreographer Pina Bausch first brought her absurdist
dance-dramas to New York.
(WSJ, 10/29/97, p.A20)
1984 The Broadway musical "Sunday in the Park With George" by
Stephen Sondheim starred Mandy Patinkin.
(SFEC, 12/22/96, DB p.33)
1984 Hollywood created its PG-13 rating to cover the middle ground
between "PG" for parental Guidance and "R" for restricted movies.
(SFEC,11/2/97, DB p.55)
1984 The TV series "Murder, She Wrote" began and ran through 1996.
(SFEC, 12/8/96, Par p.18)
1984 Flip Wilson hosted the TV show "People Are Funny."
(SFC, 11/26/98, p.B9)
1984 The Transformers TV cartoon show, aimed at boys, began.
(NW, 11/11/02, p.56)
1984 Abba Eban helped prepare a 13-part television series
about Jewish history called "Heritage: Civilization and the Jews." He later
wrote a book by the same name.
(AP, 11/17/02)
1984 Joe Seneca (d.1996) played one of 4 musicians in the Broadway
production "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom."
(SFC, 8/17/96, p.A24)
1984 French composer Oliver Messiaen composed his 5-hour opera
"Saint Francis d’Assise."
(SFC, 9/5/96, p.B1)
1984 Hip-hop music hit the mainstream when Run-DMC made their
version of Aerosmith’s "Walk This Way."
(SFEM, 11/10/96, p.26)
1984 Amy Ray and Emily Saliers formed the "Indigo Girls" music
group.
(SFEC, 1/25/98, DB p.7)
1984 R.E.M. released its album "Reckoning." The cover was by Rev.
Howard Finster (d.2001 at 84), a self-taught artist of the "outsider movement."
In 1985 Finster was commissioned by the Talking Heads for their "Little
Creatures."
(SFC, 10/25/01, p.A25)
1984 A commission of the Roman Catholic Church, appointed by Pope
John Paul II in 1980, concluded that the Inquisition was in error in its
1632 condemnation of Galileo‘s support of the Copernican Theory of the
solar system. By 1611 Galileo had made a series of discoveries and
observations with his telescope that clearly confirmed the theory of Polish
astronomer Copernicus that the earth and planets revolved around the sun.
Controversy erupted when Galileo announced his support of Copernicus, a
theory in opposition to the accepted Church belief that the sun and planets
revolved around a stationary earth. Galileo‘s 1632 publication of Dialogue
on the Two Chief Systems of the World led to condemnation by the Inquisition,
which forced him to renounce his views and live under house arrest until
his death in 1642. [see 1992]
(HNQ, 2/11/00)
1984 In Miami the First Union Financial Center was completed.
The 55-story building was designed by architects Skidmore, Owings &
Merrill.
(WSJ, 1/3/97, p.B10)
1984 The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in Monterey, Ca.
(AAM, 3/96, p.9)(SFC, 6/8/98, p.A8)
1984 In Portland, Oregon, the PacWest Center was completed. The
29-floor building was designed by architects of Hugh Stubbins & Assoc.
(WSJ, 1/3/97, p.B10)
1984 The Cirque de Soleil, a Canadian animal-free circus, was
founded.
(SFC, 9/14/96, p.B4)
1984 The National Association of Hispanic Journalists was founded.
(WSJ, 7/8/96, p.C1)
1984 The television Hall of Fame inducted its 1st class.
(SFC, 3/28/02, p.A15)
1984 The private international organization Sisterhood Is Global
was founded to promote women’s rights.
(SFC, 5/12/96, p.A-12)
1984 John-Michael Olexy helped found the first federal gay and
lesbian employees group in SF.
(SFC, 6/23/96, p.A6)
1984 In Bemidji, Minn., the first low-power TV station began operating
under special FCC license.
(WSJ, 6/5/98, p.A1)
1984 Louisiana held a World Exposition. Low attendance was blamed
on the rain.
(SFEC, 12/15/96, p.A20)(SFC, 8/26/97, p.A4)
1984 The US Green Party began organizing. It held its first presidential
convention in 1996 in Los Angeles with a reluctant Ralph Nader for president.
(USAT, 8/16/96, p.4A)
1984 Zingaro, a French equestrian troupe of actors and acrobats
was founded by "Bartabas." In 1996 the troupe’s popular show was called
Chimere and consisted of 26 horses, 22 actor/acrobats, and a 10-piece Indian
orchestra.
(WSJ, 9/25/96, p.A20)
1984 Richard Lamm, later governor of Colorado, was quoted as saying:
the elderly "have a duty to die and get out of the way."
(SFC, 7/21/96, zone 1, p.9)
1984 In Chicago J.S.G. Boggs exchanged the sketch of a dollar
bill for a cup of coffee and received 10 cents change. This began his career
drawing money for a living. In 1999 Lawrence Wechsler published "Boggs:
A Comedy of Values."
(WSJ, 8/11/99, p.A16)
1984 In the Baseball World Series the Detroit Tigers beat the
San Diego Padres.
(Hem., 8/96, p.21)
1984 The National Organ Transplant classified human organs as
a national resource and prohibited their sale.
(SFC, 5/6/99, p.A9)
1984 Craig Livingstone and Anthony Marceca did opposition research
in Gary Hart’s presidential campaign. They gathered personal information
that could seriously hurt the lives and families of selected individuals.
Both later turned up in the Clinton White House and were responsible for
obtaining and perusing confidential FBI files.
(WSJ, 6/21/96, p.A14)
1984 The Democratic candidate was Walter Mondale. The Democrats
nominated the first woman, Geraldine Ferraro, for the vice-presidency.
(WSJ, 8/5/96, p.A10)(TMC, 1994, p.1984)
1984 The Republican convention in Dallas renominated Ronald Reagan.
(WSJ, 8/9/96, p.A1)
1984 US Sec. of State George Shultz, on behalf of the Reagan administration,
signed a letter that resigned the US from UNESCO, the UN Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization. In 2001 efforts were made to rejoin.
(SFC, 12/6/01, p.E1)
1984 The CIA ran the Contra war in Nicaragua as a covert operation
until this year when Congress cut off funds. The Reagan administration
transferred the operation to Lt. Col. Oliver North, a member of the White
House National Security staff.
(SFC, 9/28/96, p.A5)
1984 The CIA equipped a plane belonging to Barry Seal, a drug
smuggler and informant, with cameras. Seal flew the plane to Nicaragua
and photographed an official of the Sandinista government and a leader
of a Colombian drug cartel loading cocaine on the aircraft.
(SFC, 11/9/96, p.A2)
1984 The US Army School of the Americas, a training center for
Latin American military officers, was moved from Panama to Fort Benning,
Ga.
(WSJ, 6/14/96, p.B10)(SFC, 9/21/96, p.A3)
1984 The Library of Congress renamed the position of Consultant
in Poetry to the title Poet Laureate of the US Library of Congress. [2nd
source says Congress created the title in 1985]
(SFEC, 3/30/97, p.D7)(SFC, 4/6/99, p.E5)
1984 The US Congress passed the Sentencing Reform Act to standardize
criminal sentences.
(SFC, 6/14/96, p. A4)
1984 Bills covering national forests in 20 states added 8.3 million
acres to the Federal Wilderness System.
(SFEC, 8/29/99, Z1 p.6)
1984 US Congress established the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
to distribute funds for wildlife and environmental projects.
(SFC, 11/20/99, p.A8)
1984 The California Smog Check program was introduced. It required
motorists to take responsibility for pollution by maintaining their vehicles
to meet state standards.
(SFEC,11/10/97, p.A10)
1984 In Dade County, Fla., the State Attorney office of Janet
Reno began amassing sex-assault charges against police officer Grant Snowden.
(WSJ, 10/14/97, p.A22)
1984 In Mass. District Attorney Scott Harshbarger brought the
first child-sex-abuse charges against the Amiraults, owners of the Fells
Acres Day School in Malden. A new trial was ordered in 1998 due to flawed
techniques in interviewing the young accusers.
(WSJ, 10/14/97, p.A22)(SFC, 6/13/98, p.A3)
1984 A mass death row prisoner escape took place from the Mecklenburg
prison in Virginia. In 2000 Joe Jackson and William F. Burke Jr. authored
"Dead Run: The Untold Story of Dennis Stockton and America’s Only Mass
Escape From Death Row."
(SFEC, 4/16/00, BR p.12)
1984 In the Rathskeller scandal 2 San Francisco police officers
were fired for hiring a prostitute to perform at a police graduation party.
(SFC, 5/7/97, p.A22)
1984 Members of the Billionaire Boys Club, a group of ambitious
young men who put their money into get-rich-quick schemes, were accused
of slaying Ron Levin, a con man who swindled Joe Hunt, the leader of the
club, in a $4 million commodities scam. James Pittman, a Hunt cohort, said
in 1993 that he shot Levin in front of Hunt and helped bury the body in
the Angeles National Forest. Since 1984 a number of people have claimed
to have seen Levin alive. A woman said she spotted Levin on the Greek island
of Mykonos on Christmas day in 1987.
(SFC, 5/3/96, A-11)(SFC, 7/13/96, p. A17)
1984 A federal bailout of $4.5 billion kept the Continental Illinois
Bank afloat. It was later sold to BankAmerica.
(WSJ, 9/24/98, p.A16)
1984 The Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, opened
by the Chippewa.
(MT, Fall ‘96, p.20)
1984 Chevron purchased Gulf Oil and its extensive operations in
Nigeria.
(SFC, 11/19/98, p.A8)
1984 The Chicago Sun-Times was bought by a group controlled by
Australian magnate Rupert Murdoch who also owned the New York Post. Columnist
Mike Royko (1932-1997) quit and joined the Chicago Tribune.
(SFC, 4/30/97, p.A6)
1984 Chrysler introduced its first Minivan.
(WSJ, 6/19/96, Adv. Supl)
1984 GM and Toyota established a joint venture to build cars in
California.
(WSJ, 6/19/96, Adv. Supl)
1984 The Hearst Corp. became a founding partner of the A&E
and Lifetime Television cable networks. Hearst also acquired Diversion,
a magazine for physicians at leisure, and a group of Texas newspapers.
(SFC, 8/7/99, p.A9)
1984 Boeing released its first 757 airplane. The medium range,
twin turbofan plane was built for 180 passengers.
(SFC, 10/3/96, p.A8)
1984 The Biosphere project in Oracle, Arizona, began and was designed
to last 100 years.
(Wired, 2/98, p.172)
1984 Amstar Corp. [Domino sugar] was taken private.
(WSJ, 5/28/96, p. R-45)
1984 American Brands sold its tobacco operations to B.A.T. Industries
PLC.
(WSJ, 5/28/96, p. R-45)
1984 The Annapolis Basin tidal power plant in Nova Scotia began
to convert tidal friction to electric power at a 20 megawatt peak.
(CFA, '96, p.82)
1984 Philip Anschutz, a Denver oil and real estate mogul, picked
up the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad for $500 million.
(WSJ, 6/18/96, p.A17)
1984 Michael Dell (19) , a student at the Univ. of Texas, founded
Dell Computer in Austin, Texas.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.B9)(SSFC, 4/13/03, p.I1)
1984 Michael Eisner took over the Disney Corp. In 2000 Kim Masters
authored "The Keys to the Kingdom," a business biography of Eisner.
(SFC, 3/24/00, p.W10)
1984 Richard Scrushy founded HealthSouth and took it public in
1986. His strategy was to combine rehabilitation and surgery centers for
a wide variety of procedures, mostly outpatient, and provide services more
cheaply than hospitals. His salary and bonus approached $7 million in 1996.
(WSJ, 12/4/96, p.A1)
1984 Kraft Corp. bought Lender’s Bagels, maker of frozen bagels,
and launched a national ad campaign for the brand.
(SFC, 10/16/96, zz1 p.6)
1984 Charles Keating, Arizona land developer, bought Lincoln Savings
& Loan. He then proceeded to loot the institution’s federally protected
deposits by booking phony profits on sham land and securities transactions
and fooled auditors and investors about the failing health of Lincoln and
its parent American Continental Corp. He was convicted on state charges
in 1991 and federal charges in 1993. The federal charges were overturned
in 1996
(SFC, 6/22/96, p.A3)(SFC, 12/3/96, p.A1,15)
1984 Crazy Eddie Inc. went public. The retail electronics chain
grew rapidly and then burned out in 1989 in a scandal of missing inventory,
stolen cash and bogus merchandise bookings. In 1990 assets were frozen
and founder Eddie Antar disappeared under charges of bilking investors
out of $74 mil. He was nabbed in Israel in 1992 and sent to a US prison.
(WSJ, 6/13/96, p.A1,8)
1984 Hewlett-Packard introduced the HP Laser-Jet printer. Company
sales passed $6 billion and the number of workers approached 85,000.
(SFC, 3/3/99, p.A11)
1984 Doug Lenat founded Cycorp to develop the Cyc database in
an effort to teach a computer common sense. In 2002 a web link was established
to gather data from the public: www.cyc.com.
(SFC, 6/10/02, p.E1)
1984 Levi introduced its "501 Blues" ad to jump-start jeans sales
under CEO Robert Haas, the great-great-grandnephew of founded Levi Strauss.
(SFC, 4/29/03, B1)
1984 Prodigy was founded as a joint venture of CBS, IBM and Sears.
CBS dropped out in 1986, two years before the first service called Trintex
went online. Its name was changed to Prodigy in 1989 and went national
in 1990. In 1996 it was sold for less than $200 million to its management,
a private group with backing by the Mexican firm Grupo Carso.
(SFC, 5/13/96, p.A4)(WSJ, 1/22/98, p.B14)
1984 CERN laboratory in Europe showed evidence of a sixth quark.
(NG, May 1985, J. Boslough, p. 650)
1984 An oil industry ship was modified as a scientific drilling
vessel and named the JOIDES Resolution, Joint Oceanographic Institutions
for Deep Earth Sampling. The Resolution was in commemoration of James Cook’s
18th cent. exploration ship.
(SFC, 6/18/96, p.D1)
1984 A new medium priced home in the US was priced at $79,900
1984 Dr. Daniel Peterson reported 1,700 cases of chronic fatigue
syndrome in the town of Incline Village, Nev.
(SFC, 10/14/96, p.A4)
1984 In California cancer cases began popping up in McFarland
in the Central Valley. 21 people over 20 years were struck in the town
of 8,000. A state study from 1985-1991 ended inconclusively and the EPA
was petitioned to study the problem. Residents suspected airborne pesticides.
(SFC, 1/17/98, p.A5)
1984 Kathelyn Steimer (1948-1996) assisted in the first sequencing
and cloning of HIV with colleagues Dino Dina and Paul Luciv at Chiron Corp.
(SFC, 11/21/96, p.C7)
1984 The deadly algae, Caulerpa taxifolia, was accidentally introduced
into the Mediterranean Sea. It appeared to be a product of genetic mutation
brought about by the use of ultraviolet light in aquariums. By 1996 it
had spread from Spain to Croatia and slugs were being introduced that feed
on the killer weed.
(SFC, 11/2/96, p.A18)
1984 Rabbit Calicivirus Disease was 1st discovered among rabbits
in China. It appeared in the US for the 1st time in 2000.
(WSJ, 7/3/02, p.A1)
1984 AIDS was reported to have been transmitted to a health care
worker by an accidental needle stick.
(SFC, 4/13/98, p.A6)
1984 Scientists discovered the alpha-defensin proteins, used by
a class of white blood cells that kill and eat bacteria. In 2002 they were
believed to play a key role in suppressing AIDS.
(SFC, 9/27/02, p.A14)(WSJ, 9/27/02, p.B1)
1984 The Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico was founded as a nonprofit
research and education center. It specialized in the interdisciplinary
study of complex systems.
(Wired, 2/98, p.174)
1984 Shuttle astronauts repaired the Solar Maximum Mission satellite.
(NG, 5/88, p.644)
1984 The space shuttle Challenger turned up images of Oman of
what was thought to be the "lost city of Ubar."
(SFEC, 7/5/98, p.A10)
1984 The oldest know shipwreck was found off the southern coast
of Turkey at Uluburun (Big Nose/Cape) by Dr. George Bass. It dates to about
1300BC, the era of the fall of Troy and reign of King Tut.
(MT, 3/96, p.2)
1984 In Oregon members of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh cult sprinkled
Salmonella typhimurium bacteria in supermarkets, salad bars and restaurant
coffee creamers near Portland. Over 750 people were sickened.
(SFC, 2/20/98, p.A9)(SSFC, 10/14/01, p.R1)
1984 In Texas Karla Faye Tucker and a male companion took a pick-ax
to two people. She was convicted and sentenced to die. Her execution was
scheduled for 1998.
(WSJ, 1/5/98, p.20)
1984 Roberta "Bibi" Lee, the college girlfriend of Bradley Page,
was murdered. Page was convicted for voluntary manslaughter in 1988 and
was paroled in 1995.
(SFC, 4/20/00, p.C5)
1984 Richard Brautigan, writer, died from self-inflicted gunshot
wound in Bolinas, Ca. His work included "Trout Fishing in America" and
A Confederate General from Big Sur." In 1989 Keith Abbott authored the
biography: "Downstream from Trout Fishing in America: A Memoir of Richard
Brautigan." In 1999 Edna Webster published "The Edna Webster Collection
of Undiscovered Writings."
(SFC, 10/7/99, p.E1)
1984 Richard Burton, Welsh-American actor, died.
(SFEC, 10/6/96, DB p.56)
1984 Julio Cortazar, Argentine writer, died. His novels included
"Final Exam" "Cronopios and Famas," and "Hopscotch." The English translation
of Cronopios by Paul Blackburn was published in 1962 and reissued in 2000.
(SFEC, 4/2/00, BR p.8)(SFEC, 8/6/00, BR p.12)
1984 Gyula Halasz, Hungarian born photographer aka Brassai, died.
He was a friend of Picasso and Henry Miller and was known as the "Eye of
Paris" for his night time photographs in the 1930s. His "Secret Paris of
the 30s" was published in 1976. He published 2 books on Henry Miller and
"Conversations With Picasso."
(WSJ, 1/15/98, p.W12)
1984 Lillian Hellman, writer, died. Her work included the play
"The Little Foxes," her memoir "Scoundrel Time" and "Pentimento." The 1977
film "Julia" was based on a chapter from Pentimento which described Muriel
Gardiner, an American medical student at the Univ. of Vienna active in
anti-Nazi resistance.
(WSJ, 12/16/98, p.A21)(WSJ, 4/26/99, p.A16)(WSJ, 5/24/99, p.A28)
1984 Black author Chester Himes (b.1909) died in Paris. His work
included "Cast the First Stone," a somber tale of prison life written it
in 1937 under the title "Yesterday Will Make You Cry." He was best known
for his crime novels and settled in Paris in 1954. In 2001 James Sallis
authored "Chester Himes: A Life."
(SFEC, 3/1/98, BR p.7)(SSFC, 2/25/01, BR p.1)(WSJ, 4/6/01, p.W9)
1984 Lee Krasner, artist (b.1908), died. She is one of 3 artists
covered by Anne Middleton Wagner in "Three Artists (Three Women): Modernism
in the Art of Hesse, Krasner and O’Keefe."
(HFA, '96, p.42)(SFC, 5/12/96, p.T-7)
1984 Ray Kroc, co-founder of McDonald’s Restaurants, died.
(USAT, 9/24/98, p.3A)
1984 Mabel Mercer (84), New York cabaret singer, died. A video
of her work was made titled: "Mabel Mercer: Cabaret Artist/ ‘Forever and
Always.’"
(WSJ, 3/12/97, p.A16)
1984 Alice Neel (b.1900), humanist painter, died. She did figure
painting in New York when abstraction dominated the scene. Her work included
"Mother and Child" (1967), "Andy Warhol (1970)," "Geoffrey Hendricks and
Brian" (1978), and "Don Perlis and Jonathon" (1982).
(SFEM, 9/15/96, p.6)(SFC, 9/28/96, p.E1)(WSJ, 7/12/00, p.A24)
1984 Gloria Swanson, actress, died. She was an advocate of the
sugar-free diet. In 1976 William Dufty (d.2002) authored "Sugar Blues"
and became Swanson’s 6th husband. He was the ghostwriter of her 1981 autobiography:
"Swanson on Swanson."
(SFC, 7/5/02, p.A24)
1984 Brooks Walker, lumberman and inventor, died. He was the president
of Shasta Forest Products and held over 250 patents and invented such items
as smog-control devices, Venetian blinds and shock absorbers.
(SFC, 10/29/96, p.B2)
1984 UN sent investigators to Afghanistan to examine reported
human rights violations.
(www.afghan, 5/25/98)
1984 The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team was founded in Buenos
Aires by the American Clyde Snow to investigate human rights abuses and
solve legal cases.
(SFC, 5/12/96, Z1p.4)
1984 Off the island of Bonaire, Netherland Antilles, the Hilma
Hooker, a 235 ton freighter, sank.
(SFEC, 10/6/96, T8)
1984 In Brazil the Landless Rural Worker’s Movement (MST) began
winning land by illegally occupying unused areas.
(SFC, 6/28/97, p.A10)
1984 In Britain Ted Hughes was appointed Poet Laureate.
(SFC, 1/19/98, p.A10)
1984 British coal miners lost a bitter strike against pit closings.
(WSJ, 1/11/99, p.R25)
1984 Brunei gained independence from Britain.
(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A9)
1984 John Turner, Liberal Party, became the 17th Prime Minister
of Canada.
(CFA, '96, p.81)
1984 In Cameroon Lake Monoun exploded spewing out carbon
dioxide gas that asphyxiated 37 people in a nearby villages. An int’l.
team of scientists began venting the lake in 2003.
(AP, 2/15/03)
1984 In China Deng Xiaoping moved to streamline the military.
He cut the ranks from 4 million to 3 million and ordered the military to
find ways to pay for itself.
(SFEC, 5/4/97, p.A14)
1984 In Colombia Pres. Belisario Betancur sent emissaries to a
FARC stronghold and established a cease-fire.
(SFC, 1/8/99, p.A13)
1984 In Costa Rica there was an assassination attempt on Eden
Pastora Gomez, a Nicaraguan anticommunist revolutionary, by Sandinistas.
The government of Luis Alberto Monge Alvarez failed to make a serious investigation.
(WSJ, 12/12/97, p.A19)
1984 In Croatia, Yugoslavia, Radio 101, an 800 watt station in
Zagreb, became the first commercial station.
(WSJ, 7/25/96, p.A1)
1984 Eriberto Mederos, aka El Enfermero (the Nurse), joined the
Cuban boat lift to America. He became a US citizen in 1993. He had worked
as the administrator of electric shock therapy to political opponents of
the Castro regime. In 2001 he was arrested and faced deportation for lying
about his former occupation. In 2002 Mederos (79) was convicted in Florida
for concealing his past.
(SFC, 11/16/01, p.E3)(SFC, 8/2/02, p.A6)
1984 In Ecuador Abdala Bucaram was elected mayor of Guayaquil,
the country’s largest city. He left the country shortly thereafter when
an arrest warrant was issued for him for insulting the armed forces. He
had said that the army was useless and wasted half the nation’s budget
on marching in the country’s independence day parade.
(WSJ, 7/3/96, p.A8)
1984 French Pres. Francois Mitterand appointed Laurent Fabius
(38) as Prime Minister.
(SFC, 2/9/99, p.A1)
1984 The French granted Polynesia internal autonomy.
(SFEC, 3/2/97, p.T12)
1984 In Guinea Lansana Conte seized power in a coup.
(SFC, 12/18/98, p.D9)
1984 In Italy the Vatican paid $244 million for its part in a
bank scandal that saw the collapse of another Italian bank.
(SFEM, 1/19/97, p.10)
1984 In Israel a national unity government (Likud and Labor) was
formed.
(SFC, 4/24/98, p.A17)
1984 The Japanese firm Suntory purchased the Chateau St. Jean
winery in Sonoma, Calif. They sold it in 1996.
(WSJ, 8/12/96, p.A4)
1984 In Liberia under pressure from the US, Samuel Doe allowed
the return of political parties.
(AP, 7/1/03)
1984 New Zealand banned nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered warships
from its ports.
(SFEC, 8/2/98, p.A23)
1984 The Nicaragua Sandinistas confiscated four farms that belonged
to Juan Manuel Caldera. In 1996 Daniel Ortega promised Caldera control
of 7 key economic ministries in an electoral pact for the presidency.
(WSJ, 10/9/96, p.A15)
1984 In Panama Nicolas Ardito Barletta was elected President.
(SFEC, 6/8/97, Z1 p.3)
1984 In Peru the Cuban-inspired Tupac Amuru Revolutionary Movement
(MRTA) took up arms.
(SFC, 12/19/96, p.A1)
1984 In the Philippines the volunteer National Citizen’s Movement
for Free Elections (Namfrel) was founded by business and church leaders
disgusted with the corrupt elections run by the Marcos government.
(SFC, 5/13/98, p.A10)
1984 Soviet leader Andropov died and Chernenko took over.
(TMC, 1994, p.1984)
1984 Syria began the production of nerve gas.
(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A11)
1984 War rekindled in the Sudan. A government official stated
that: "The southerners were being used by the Marxist Ethiopians and by
Col. Qaddafi of Libya to cause trouble for Sudan." Pres. Nimeiri set an
edict to make Islamic law the code of the land. The Sudanese People’s Liberation
Army was led by a former Sudanese army colonel and Ph.D. in economics from
Iowa St. Univ. named John Garang.
(NG, May 1985, R. Caputo, p.609)
1984 Hafez Assad, president of Syria, suffered a heart attack
and his brother Rifat tries to take power by moving tanks against other
Alawite chieftains. Hafez Assad then stripped Rifat of power. [see 1983]
(WSJ, 1/9/96, p.A-10)
1984 Abdullah Ocalan, founder of the Kurdistan Worker’s party,
PKK, turned the group toward armed struggle against the Turkish government.
(WSJ, 7/11/96, p.A10)(SFC, 11/14/98, p.A11)
1984 In Uruguay the military regime fell.
(SFC, 8/17/00, p.A18)
1984-1985 Jul-May, Seven men, three women and two children were tortured
killed in Calaveras County, Ca., at the home of Leonard Lake as part of
"Project Miranda," inspired by the John Fowles novel, "The Collector."
Lake killed himself with cyanide during a police interview. Charles Ng
was arrested in Canada in 1985 for stealing and extradited to the US after
6 years for his role in the murders.
(SFC,10/18/97, p.A13)(SFC, 10/25/98, p.A5)
1984-1985 Dynasty was the top ranking network show on television with
a ranking of 25%.
(WSJ, 4/24/95, p.R-5)
1984-1985 In Ethiopia severe famine hit the country and took an estimated
100,000 lives.
(SFC, 4/20/98, p.A8,12)
1984-1985 Gen’l. Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim from the Hausa tribe, ruled
Nigeria.
(WSJ, 4/15/03, p.A14)
1984-1986 The Florida prison population rose from 26,471 to 30,000.
(SFEC,12/14/97, p.A2)
1984-1986 Earth’s cloud banks were monitored by satellites of the ERBE
(Earth Radiation Budget Experiment). Three satellites monitored virtually
all of the atmosphere.
(NOHY, 3/90, p.125)
1984-1987 George Sanchez, the "Ski Mask" rapist of San Jose, Ca., attacked
26 women over this time before he was arrested.
(SFC, 8/23/97, p.A1)
1984-1993 Brian Mulroney, Progressive Conservative, served as the 18th
Prime Minister of Canada.
(CFA, '96, p.81)
1984-1993 In South Africa from Sep ‘84 to Dec ‘93, some 19,000 people
were killed in political violence.
(SFC, 8/22/96, p.E1)
1984-1990 In Israel Ariel Sharon served as the trade minister in the
national unity government headed by Yitzhak Shamir of Likud and Shimon
Peres of Labor.
(SFC, 10/10/98, p.A8)
1984-1994 In California at least 5 elderly men were suspected of being
swindled and murdered by the SF Tene family in the "foxglove" murder case.
The family was related to the Tene-Bimbo Gypsy clan of New York city. In
1997 5 indictments were issued on family members. Three more suspects were
still being sought.
(SFC,11/6/97, p.A21)(SFC,11/8/97, p.A11)
1984-1996 In South Africa fighting between the Inkatha and the ANC parties
was believed to have killed 14,000 people over this time.
(USAT, 6/25/96, p.10A)