Mental Floss

THE '80S









Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, and Jon Cryer in Pretty in Pink (1986).

By February 1986, John Hughes had established himself as the king of teen movies with hits like 'Sixteen Candles,' 'Weird Science,' and 'The Breakfast Club.' Then came 'Pretty in Pink.'

Garin Pirnia
J.C.'s Channel, YouTube

When Atari released their video game adaptation of 'E.T. The Extraterrestrial' in 1982, they thought it would buoy their brand and help them compete with the growing home computer market.

Anna Green








Sally Ride being interviewed by the media in 1983.

"Everybody wanted to know about what kind of makeup I was taking up," Sally Ride said about the questions she was asked ahead of her historic flight into space. "They didn’t care about how well-prepared I was to operate the arm or deploy communications sa

Chris Higgins




Starter via Facebook

David Beckerman decided he was done peddling plaid golf pants. The 1966 University of New Haven graduate had been a salesman at a Duckster sporting goods store when he realized that the bland clothing on the racks held little interest for casual sports fa

Jake Rossen


A still from Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

With his newfound success following the back-to-back smash hits of 'Jaws' in 1975 and 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' in 1977, director Steven Spielberg wanted to tell a smaller, more personal story for his next film: 'E.T.'

Sean Hutchinson


ABC Television/Courtesy of Getty Images

Based on the British sitcom 'Man About the House,' 'Three's Company' starred physical comedy champion John Ritter in his breakout role as Jack Tripper, a culinary student who crashes a party and wakes up in Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy Snow’s (Su

Roger Cormier
YouTube

No scene in late 1980s cinema is more iconic than Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) holding a boombox over his head with the song “In Your Eyes” blasting in an attempt to win his girlfriend back.

Garin Pirnia
Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda star in 9 to 5 (1980).

Whether you think of it as a statement on female empowerment or simply a fun workplace comedy, the 1980 hit '9 to 5'—which featured Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton as a trio of secretaries who turn the tables on their "sexist, egotistical, lying

Jennifer M Wood