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1981
1981 is a common year starting on Thursday.
Events
January-February
March-April
May
- May - Daniel K. Ludwig abandons the Jari project in the Amazon
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May 6 - A jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selects Maya Ying Lin's design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from 1,421 other entries.
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May 10 - In the second round of the presidential elections in France, François Mitterrand beats Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
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May 13 - Pope John Paul II is shot at and nearly killed by Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turkish gunman, as he entered St. Peter's Square in Rome to address a general audience. (Two days after Christmas in 1983, Pope John Paul went to the prison to meet and forgive his would-be assassin)
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May 21 - In France, socialist François Mitterrand becomes president of the Republic.
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May 22 - Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, imprisoned for life for 13 counts of murder
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May 25 - In Riyadh, the Gulf Cooperation Council is created between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
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May 26 - The Italian government resigns over its links to the fascist Masonic cell P-2
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May 30 - Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman assassinated in Chittagong.
June-July
August-October
November-December
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November 1 - Antigua and Barbuda gain independence from the United Kingdom
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November 13 - The first Friday the 13th event held by motorcyclists in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada
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November 23 - Iran-Contra scandal: Ronald Reagan signs the top secret National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), giving the Central Intelligence Agency the authority to recruit and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua
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November 30 - Cold War: In Geneva, representatives from the United States and the Soviet Union begin to negotiate intermediate-range nuclear weapon reductions in Europe (the meetings ended inconclusively on Thursday, December 17)
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December 1 - A Yugoslavian DC-9 crashes into a mountain while approaching Ajaccio Airport in Corsica killing 178
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December 4 - South Africa grants "homeland" Ciskei independence (not recognized outside South Africa)
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December 11 - El Mozote massacre - in El Salvador, army units kill 900 civilians
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December 13 - Wojciech Jaruzelski declares the state of martial law in Poland to prevent dismantling of the communist system by Solidarity
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December 15 - A car bomb destroys the Iraqi Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 61 people. This is the first modern suicide bombing. Syrian intelligence is blamed.
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December 20 - The Penlee lifeboat disaster off the coast of South-West Cornwall
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December 28 - The first American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, is born (Norfolk, Virginia)
unknown dates
Year in topic
Births
January-June
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January 1 - Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian Formula One racing driver
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January 3 - Polly Klaas, young victim of crime (d. 1993)
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January 3 - Eli Manning, American football player
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January 12 - Quentin Griffin, American football player
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January 15 - El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese football star
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January 17 - Scott Mechlowicz, actor
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January 20 - Jason Richardson, American basketball player (Golden State Warriors)
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January 21 - Dany Heatley, NHL hockey player
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January 25 - Alicia Keys, musician
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January 28 - Elijah Wood, actor
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January 31 - Justin Timberlake, musician
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February 11 - Kelly Rowland, singer ("Destiny's Child")
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February 17 - Paris Hilton, actress and heiress to the Hilton Hotel chain
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February 18 - Andrei Kirilenko, Russian NBA star
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February 22 - Jeanette Biedermann, German singer and actress
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February 24 - Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis player
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March 9 - Antonio Bryant, American football wide receiver
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March 11 - David Anders, actor
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March 11 - Lee Evans, American football player
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March 28 - Julia Stiles, actress
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April 9 - Eric Harris, perpetrator of the Columbine High School massacre (d. 1999)
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April 10 - Michael Pitt, actor
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April 14 - Mary Castro, model, actress
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April 17 - Angela Piland, model
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April 19 - Catalina Sandino Moreno, actress
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April 19 - Hayden Christensen, actor
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April 28 - Jessica Alba, actress
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May 5 - Danielle Fishel, actress
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May 11 - Lauren Jackson, Australian basketball player
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May 13 - Sunny Leone, adult entertainer
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May 15 - Jamie-Lynn DiScala, actress
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June 1 - Carlos Zambrano, baseball pitcher
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June 7 - Anna Kournikova, tennis player
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June 9 - Natalie Portman, actress
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June 21 - Brandon Flowers, singer/keyboardist (The Killers (band))
July-December
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July 8 - Anastasia Myskina, tennis player
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August 5
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August 8
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August 23 - Eric Radloff
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September 1 - Clinton Portis, American football player
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September 4 - Beyoncé Knowles, singer
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September 9 - Dylan Klebold, perpetrator of the Columbine High School massacre (died 1999)
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September 21 - Nicole Richie, actress and reality TV star, adoptived daughter of Lionel Richie
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September 22 - Rocco Baldelli, baseball player
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September 26 - Christina Milian, singer and actress
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September 26 - Serena Williams, tennis player
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October 3 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Swedish soccer player
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October 11 - Beau Brady, actor
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October 15 - Elena Dementieva, tennis player
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October 20 - Willis McGahee, American football player
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October 28 - Milan Baros, Czech soccer player
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October 29 - Amanda Beard, swimmer
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November 25 - Barbara and Jenna Bush, daughters of US President George W. Bush
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November 26 - Aurora Snow, erotic actress
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November 27 - Gary Lucy, actor, model
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December 2 - Britney Spears, singer
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December 13 - Amy Lee, Evanescence frontwoman
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December 21 - Shizuka Arakawa, figure skating champion
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December 27 - Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer
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December 28 - Sienna Miller, actress
Deaths
January
February
March
April
May
June
August
September
October
November
December
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