See our past #throwbackthursday galleries
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Remember when...
- Australia's first "test tube baby" (Candice Reed) is born in Melbourne.
- Azaria Chamberlain disappears from a campsite at Uluru, reportedly taken by a dingo.
- Nine Network's new multi million-dollar quiz show Sale Of The Century launches, bringing in record ratings with Nine winning the 7pm timeslot.
- The inaugural 1980 State of Origin game is won by Queensland who defeat New South Wales 20 – 10.
- Alan Jones becomes the second Australian driver to win the Formula One World Drivers Championship after winning the final race of the season at Watkins Glen, New York.
Remember these?
MUSIC
- Pink Floyd releases Another Brick in the Wall (part 2).
In the UK, it was Pink Floyd's first single since 1968's "Point Me at the Sky"; the song was also the final number-one single of the 1970s. For Part II, Pink Floyd received a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Rock Duo or Group and lost to Bob Seger's "Against the Wind".
- Lipps Inc. releases Funkytown.
"Funkytown" is a song by the band Lipps Inc., with Cynthia Johnson as lead singer. It appears on their 1979 debut album, Mouth to Mouth, and was released as a single in March 1980. Written by Steven Greenberg, the song expresses the singer's pining for a metaphorical place that will "keep me movin', keep me groovin' with some energy".
MOVIES
- 'No. I am your father'
1980 saw the release of what many to consider to be one of the greatest films of all-time and the highlight of the Star Wars franchise, The Empire Strikes Back. Directed by Irvin Kershner, it went on to become the highest-grossing film of 1980. It introduced audiences to one of the biggest movie twists ever, the truth about Luke Skywalker's father, forever cementing its place in popular culture.
GAMES
- Waka waka
Namco releases Pac-Man (which was originally known as Puckman in Japan) and it goes on to become the highest-grossing game at the time even causing a currency shortage in Japan.
- Press start
Nintendo releases the Game & Watch handheld LCD game by Gunpei Yokoi to massive success, paving the way for future products such as the Gameboy and Nintendo DS.
TV
Kingswood Country is an Australian sitcom that screened from 1980 to 1984 on the Seven Network. The series started on 30 January 1980 and was a spin-off from a sketch on comedy program The Naked Vicar Show that had featured Ross Higgins as a blustering bigot. It was produced by RS Productions.
What else do you remember from 1980?
You can tell us by commenting below, heading to our Facebook page, tweeting us or tagging us on Instagram.