Yes folks, It’s time to get the Nostalgia and History vibes flowing again. I would like start this post of by including a quote from the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” I tend to agree with this statement. Today we tackle the year that was 1980. I was only 3 years old in 1980 so I have a very vague recollection of events that occurred in this year. I hope you find the 20 facts contained in this post about this year informative and interesting. History has always fascinated me, and I’m sure that it has the same effect on many of you reading this post
Here are 20 Facts about the year that was 1980:
- In 1980 the Summer Olympics were held in Moscow (then in the USSR) and the Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, New York in the United States. The United States led a boycott of the Moscow games in protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.
- On December the 8th, 1980 musician and peace activist John Lennon was shot outside his apartment in New York City.
- Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980 following the death of their drummer John Bonham.
- Cable News Network (CNN) was official launched on the 1st of June 1980. CNN was the first channel in television history to broadcast 24 hour News and the first all-news channel in the United States.
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes back was released in 1980 and was the biggest grossing movie of that year, raking in over $290 million.
- Robert De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Raging Bull. The film Ordinary People won the Academy Award for Best Picture in the same year.
- The Earth’s population topped the 4.4 billion mark in 1980.
- In South Africa, a mine lift cage fell at the Vaal Riefs gold mine (killing 23 people), the ANC released a statement published by their imprisoned leader Nelson Mandela, the South African Gran Prix was held at Kyalami, the British Lions Rugby tour went ahead despite Anti-Apartheid protests and Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall was banned because the government feared that it might be used as a song of liberty by black school children.
- Zimbabwe gained independence from the United Kingdom. Robert Mugabe is sworn in as the prime minister of the new country (and he’s still the president of the country today – 32 years later).
- The best-selling arcade game of all-time Pac-Man was released in 1980.
- AC/DC front man Bon Scott died on the 19th of February 1980 in London. The band releases the Back In Black album in the same year.
- South African model Shashi Naidoo, Katee Sackhoff (of Battlestar Gallactica fame), Laura Prepon (of That 70s Show fame), Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen, Swedish Model Elin Nordegren, Chelsea Clinton, South African swimmer Roland Schoeman, American Actress Kristen Bell, American actress Zooey Deschanel and Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin were all born in 1980.
- Ronald Reagan was elected as the President of the USA in 1980.
- Janice Brown, a former teacher, made the first long-distance solar-powered flight in the Solar Challenger in 1980.
- Voyager I reached Saturn and returned data on it’s 14 moons as well as its more than 1,000 rings in November 1980.
- Film maker Alfred Hitchcock and Olympic Athlete Jesse Owens both died in 1980.
- The United States broke diplomatic ties with Iran in 1980.
- Mount Saint Helens (in Washington State in the USA) erupted in May 1980.
- Iraq invaded Iran in 1980, triggering the start of the 8 year long Iran / Iraq war.
- The Broadway musical Grease closed its run of 3,388 performances in 1980 (making it the longest running show on Broadway up until that time).
There you go, 20 Facts from the year 1980. If you have anything to add to this post, please share it with the readers of Running Wolf’s Rant by commenting here. Also feel free to share this post with your friends on Facebook / Twitter.
Watch this space for regular updates in the Facts category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
We live in an interesting world. Even in 2011, there is no doubt about that. One is never too old to learn. The human mind is a sponge (I am sure many of you reading this post agree will agree with this statement). I discovered a very interesting Twitter account the other day: @Uberfacts.
This profile tweets random and interesting facts constantly. And with 150,000+ followers Uberfacts seems to be a hit with Twitter users. Some of you will argue that Twitter is still an useless social network but reading these 20 random interesting facts will probably make you think twice before you call it that.
Here are 20 random interesting facts (courtesy of @Uberfacts)
- Sex burns about 70-120 calories for a 130 pound (58 kg) woman, and 77 to 155 calories for a 170 pound (77 kg) man every hour.
- In one day, the average person will take about 18,000 steps.
- 9 out of every 10 living things are found in the ocean.
- The word “condom” comes from Dr. Charles Condom (1630-1685)
- Carrots used to be purple, not orange.
- On average, people spend more than five years of their lives dreaming.
- The most shoplifted book of all time is the Bible.
- When you French Kiss someone for a minute, you both burn about 2.6 calories.
- According to suicide statistics, Monday is the favored day for self-destruction.
- It is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket in Kentucky.
- Colgate faced big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries – Colgate translates into the command ‘go hang yourself.’
- The longest English word, at 45 letters, is ‘pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis’.
- In the Republic of Panama, prostitutes can’t work on Good Friday or Election Day.
- The fattest man ever weighed 1,400 pounds (635 kg).
- Scientists believe that the reason humans have pubic hair is to trap pheromones.
- Mrs.’ is actually an abbreviation for the word ‘mistress.
- A flood of beer in 1814 killed 9 people.
- Marilyn Monroe’s IQ (168) was higher than Einstein’s (160).
- The scientific name for ‘morning wood’ is ‘nocturnal penile tumescence.’
- An average man spends 145 days of his life shaving.
There you have it, some interesting facts to enlighten you on this SA public holiday. Feel free to comment on this post if you have another interesting fact to share. Feedback is appreciated and welcome on Running Wolf’s Rant. Feel free to share this post with your Facebook and Twitter friends if you’ve found it interesting. Also feel free to check out the other posts in the Facts category here (which is updated regularly).
The month of football madness has finally ended in South Africa. Spain have won the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They beat the Netherlands by 1 goal to 0 at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg in extra time. South Africa has proven that its capable of hosting world class events once again. The South African people will have to deal with football fever withdrawal symptoms for the time being. It will be a while before an event of this magnitude will be hosted in South Africa again. Already there has been talk in the media of a F1 Grand Prix making its way to South Africa for the first time since 1993. The international response has been immensely positive. This post contains 20 facts about the first FIFA World Cup tournament on African soil. Watch this space for updates in 10 Facts and Quotations section of the Facts category. Also be on the lookout for daily updates in Babes and Photography categories.
Here are some facts about the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa:
- South Africa won their first match in a FIFA World Cup in the tournament.
- South Africa also became the first host country in history to be knocked out in the first round of a FIFA World Cup tournament.
- Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa) was the first player to score a goal in the competition in Bafana Bafana’s opening match against Mexico at Soccer City.
- A total of 3,178,856 people attended the 64 matches in the tournament, the 3rd highest in the history of the FIFA World Cup. That’s an average of 49,670 people per match.
- There were a total of 145 goals (of which 2 were own goals by Denmark and South Korea) scored in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This is not a record though. The most goals (171) were scored in the 1998 FIFA World Cup tournament in France. Germany were the team that scored the highest amount of goals (16) in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Argentina and The Netherlands were the teams with most shots on goal (43) and North Korea were the team that conceeded the most goals (12) in the tournament.
- 15 Penalty kicks were awarded in the tournament, but only 9 penalty goals were scored.
- A total of 245 players were yellow-carded and 17 players were sent off after receiving red cards in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Netherlands were the team awarded with most yellow cards (23 in total).
- Spain played in its first semi-final and final match of a FIFA World Cup tournament and became the 8th different nation in tournament history to win football’s grandest prize.
- New Zealand were the only unbeaten team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They played to a draw in all three of their group matches (against Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia).
- The Netherlands advanced to their 3rd FIFA World Cup final in history. They played in the final matches of the tournaments in 1974 (in West Germany) and in 1978 (in Argentina).
- Two time FIFA World Cup winners Uruguay played in a FIFA World Cup semi-final match for the first time since 1970 (when the tournament was hosted by Mexico)
- Thomas Müller (Germany), David Villa (Spain), Wesley Sneijder (The Netherlands) and Diego Forlán (Uruguay) all scored 5 goals in the tournament.
- 2006 FIFA World Cup winners Italy were knocked out in the first round of a FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974 (in West Germany).
- Paraguay made it into the quarter final stage of a FIFA World Cup tournament for the first time.
- Slovakia made it to the 2nd round of their first ever FIFA World Cup appearance.
- England were knocked out in the 2nd round of a FIFA World Cup tournament for the first time since 1998.
- Thomas Müller (Germany) was awarded with the FIFA Golden Boot award, Diego Forlán (Uruguay) was awarded with the FIFA Golden Ball award, Iker Casillas (Spain) was awarded the Golden Glove award and Spain were awarded the FIFA Fair Play trophy for their outstanding performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
- The FIFA World Cup closing ceremony was reportedly broadcast in 215 countries to 500 million people.
- It’s the first time European teams have won consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments since Italy retained the title in 1938. It was also the first new winner and the first new finalist since then 1998 FIFA World Cup tournament in France and the first new winner without home advantage since Brazil in 1958. And it’s the first time the winning team lost their opening match in a tournament. A team from Europe has also won the FIFA World Cup for the first time on a different continent.
- Ghana were the last surviving African team in the tournament. They became the 2nd African team to make it to the quarter final stage in tournament history but were knocked out of the tournament by Uruguay in a penalty shootout.
This is a full list of results of matches played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup:
| Date |
Team 1 |
Score |
Team 2 |
Score |
Venue |
Description |
| 11/6 |
South Africa |
1 |
Mexico |
1 |
Soccer City |
Group A |
| 11/6 |
Uruguay |
0 |
France |
0 |
Cape Town Stadium |
Group A |
| 12/6 |
Greece |
0 |
South Korea |
2 |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
Group B |
| 12/6 |
Argentina |
1 |
Nigeria |
0 |
Coca Cola Park |
Group B |
| 12/6 |
England |
1 |
United States |
1 |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium |
Group C |
| 13/6 |
Algeria |
0 |
Slovenia |
1 |
Peter Mokaba Stadium |
Group C |
| 13/6 |
Serbia |
0 |
Ghana |
1 |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium |
Group D |
| 13/6 |
Germany |
4 |
Australia |
0 |
Moses Mabhida Stadium |
Group D |
| 14/6 |
The Netherlands |
2 |
Denmark |
0 |
Soccer City |
Group E |
| 14/6 |
Japan |
1 |
Cameroon |
0 |
Free State Stadium |
Group E |
| 14/6 |
Italy |
1 |
Paraguay |
1 |
Cape Town Stadium |
Group F |
| 15/6 |
New Zealand |
1 |
Slovakia |
1 |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium |
Group F |
| 15/6 |
Cote d’Ivoire |
0 |
Portugal |
0 |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
Group G |
| 15/6 |
North Korea |
1 |
Brazil |
2 |
Coca Cola Park |
Group G |
| 16/6 |
Honduras |
0 |
Chile |
1 |
Mbombela Stadium |
Group H |
| 16/6 |
Spain |
0 |
Switzerland |
1 |
Moses Mabhida Stadium |
Group H |
| 16/6 |
South Africa |
0 |
Uruguay |
3 |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium |
Group A |
| 17/6 |
Argentina |
4 |
South Korea |
1 |
Soccer City |
Group B |
| 17/6 |
Greece |
2 |
Nigeria |
1 |
Free State Stadium |
Group B |
| 17/6 |
France |
0 |
Mexico |
2 |
Peter Mokaba Stadium |
Group A |
| 18/6 |
Germany |
0 |
Serbia |
1 |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
Group D |
| 18/6 |
Slovenia |
2 |
United States |
2 |
Coca Cola Park |
Group C |
| 18/6 |
England |
0 |
Algeria |
0 |
Cape Town Stadium |
Group C |
| 19/6 |
The Netherlands |
1 |
Japan |
0 |
Moses Mabhida Stadium |
Group E |
| 19/6 |
Ghana |
1 |
Australia |
1 |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium |
Group D |
| 19/6 |
Cameroon |
1 |
Denmark |
2 |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium |
Group D |
| 20/6 |
Slovakia |
0 |
Paraguay |
2 |
Free State Stadium |
Group F |
| 20/6 |
Italy |
1 |
New Zealand |
1 |
Mbombela Stadium |
Group F |
| 20/6 |
Brazil |
3 |
Cote d’Ivoire |
1 |
Soccer City |
Group G |
| 21/6 |
Portugal |
7 |
North Korea |
0 |
Cape Town Stadium |
Group G |
| 21/6 |
Chile |
1 |
Switzerland |
0 |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
Group H |
| 21/6 |
Spain |
2 |
Honduras |
0 |
Coca Cola Park |
Group H |
| 22/6 |
Mexico |
0 |
Uruguay |
1 |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium |
Group A |
| 22/6 |
South Africa |
2 |
France |
1 |
Free State Stadium |
Group A |
| 22/6 |
Nigeria |
2 |
South Korea |
2 |
Moses Mabhida Stadium |
Group B |
| 22/6 |
Greece |
0 |
Argentina |
2 |
Peter Mokaba Stadium |
Group B |
| 23/6 |
Slovenia |
0 |
England |
1 |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
Group C |
| 23/6 |
United States |
1 |
Algeria |
0 |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium |
Group C |
| 23/6 |
Ghana |
0 |
Germany |
1 |
Soccer City |
Group D |
| 23/6 |
Australia |
2 |
Serbia |
1 |
Mbombela Stadium |
Group D |
| 24/6 |
Slovakia |
3 |
Italy |
2 |
Coca Cola Park |
Group F |
| 24/6 |
Paraguay |
0 |
New Zealand |
0 |
Peter Mokaba Stadium |
Group F |
| 24/6 |
Denmark |
1 |
Japan |
3 |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium |
Group E |
| 24/6 |
Cameroon |
1 |
The Netherlands |
2 |
Cape Town Stadium |
Group E |
| 25/6 |
Portugal |
0 |
Brazil |
0 |
Moses Mabhida Stadium |
Group G |
| 25/6 |
North Korea |
0 |
Cote d’Ivoire |
3 |
Mbombela Stadium |
Group G |
| 25/6 |
Chile |
1 |
Spain |
2 |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium |
Group H |
| 25/6 |
Switzerland |
0 |
Honduras |
0 |
Free State Stadium |
Group H |
| 26/6 |
Uruguay |
2 |
South Korea |
1 |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
2nd round |
| 26/6 |
United States |
1 |
Ghana |
2 |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium |
2nd round |
| 27/6 |
Germany |
4 |
England |
1 |
Free State Stadium |
2nd round |
| 27/6 |
Argentina |
3 |
Mexico |
1 |
Soccer City |
2nd round |
| 28/6 |
The Netherlands |
2 |
Slovakia |
1 |
Moses Mabhida Stadium |
2nd round |
| 28/6 |
Brazil |
3 |
Chile |
0 |
Coca Cola Park |
2nd round |
| 29/6 |
Paraguay (Penalties) |
0(5) |
Japan (Penalties) |
0(3) |
Loftus Versfeld |
2nd round |
| 29/6 |
Spain |
1 |
Portugal |
0 |
Cape Town Stadium |
2nd round |
| 2/7 |
The Netherlands |
2 |
Brazil |
1 |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
Quarter Final |
| 2/7 |
Uruguay (Penalties) |
1(4) |
Ghana (Penalties) |
1(2) |
Soccer City |
Quarter Final |
| 3/7 |
Argentina |
0 |
Germany |
4 |
Cape Town Stadium |
Quarter Final |
| 3/7 |
Spain |
1 |
Paraguay |
0 |
Coca Cola Park |
Quarter Final |
| 6/7 |
The Netherlands |
3 |
Uruguay |
2 |
Cape Town Stadium |
Semi-Final |
| 7/7 |
Germany |
0 |
Spain |
1 |
Moses Mabhida Stadium |
Semi-Final |
| 10/7 |
Uruguay |
2 |
Germany |
3 |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
3rd/4th place |
| 11/7 |
The Netherlands |
0 |
Spain |
1 |
Soccer City |
Final |
The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be remembered as one of the most memorable tournaments in history. South Africans (and the rest of the world) will be talking about this tournament for years to come. If I’ve left something important out, please comment on this post.
Watch this space for updates in the Babes, Photography, Movies, Music, Gaming, Humor, Facts, Technology and Sport categories. Feedback is appreciated and welcome here so feel free to comment on anything you might have an opinion about.
Yes folks, It’s time to get the Nostalgia and History vibes flowing again. I would like start this post of by including a quote from the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” I tend to agree with this statement. Today we tackle the year that was 1980. I was only 3 years old in 1980 so I have a very vague recollection of events that occurred in this year. I hope you find the 20 facts contained in this post about this year informative and interesting. History has always fascinated me, and I’m sure that it has the same effect on many of you reading this post
