January 20 - Ronald Reagan becomes the 40th U.S. President.
March 30 - John W. Hinckley shoots and wounds President Ronald Reagan.
March 31 - NASA launches the shuttle spacecraft Columbia, which is the first reusable spacecraft.
April 24 - President Reagan lifts the grain embargo on the Soviet Union.
June 12 - The longest Major League baseball strike in history begins and lasts until August 9th.
August 1 - MTV - Music Television begins broadcasting at 12:01 am with the music video "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. MTV would become a driving force in mass media and pop culture.
September 21 - The first female justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, joins the U.S. Supreme Court.
November 21 - A 26-story hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada is destroyed by fire with a loss of 84 lives.
December 20 - Polish Ambassador Romuald Spasowski is granted political asylum in the U.S.