Seattle
- The "Wave": the synchronized stadium cheer that swept world sport was popularized at a Husky football game on October 31, credited to cheerleader "Krazy" George Henderson and UW marching-band leader Robb Weller.
- Microsoft delivered MS-DOS 1.0 to IBM; the Bellevue staff was growing fast.
- Mount St. Helens continued ash-fall events as the region rebuilt.
- The Seattle Symphony's profile grew under music director Rainer Miedel.
The United States
- Reagan was inaugurated on January 20; the 52 American hostages were released from Tehran the same day after 444 days.
- John Hinckley Jr. shot and seriously wounded President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton on March 30.
- MTV launched on August 1; the first video aired was the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star."
- Sandra Day O'Connor was confirmed as the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
- The CDC reported the first cluster of what would soon be named AIDS in young gay men in Los Angeles (June 5).
- The IBM PC was released on August 12, defining the personal-computer standard.
The World
- Charles and Diana married at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29; an estimated 750 million people watched on TV. (Reference, BBC)
- Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square on May 13. (Reference, Britannica)
- Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated on October 6.
- François Mitterrand became France's first Socialist president since World War II.
- Bob Marley died on May 11.
From the Archive, 1981
Crooked Road and Baby Gramps (1981)
While Baby Gramps' music certainly does not hail from Western Europe per se, Crooked Road's music sounds of jigs and ballads of that region, particularly of Ireland. Enjoy these tunes!
Click Here to Listen
Holly and the Harmonics (1981)
Holly and the Harmonics Live at Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle, WA, 1981
Click Here to Listen
Phil And Vivian Williams (1981)
Phil and Vivian Williams are co-founders of Northwest Folklife, founded in 1971, and have a number of recordings in this archive. This one was taken at the festival in 1981 at the Opera House stage in Seattle Center.
Click Here to Listen
Various Artists (1981)
Track list:
Most of all I'll miss the stereo;
Christopher Columbus;
Moonglow;
Under the double eagle (Polka);
Caravan;
Issaquah Ferry;
Fiddle tune