What Happened in 1983

Major Events

1983 in Film & TV

  • Feb 28 Final TV episode of "M*A*S*H", a 2-hour special directed by series star Alan Alda titled "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen", airs (CBS); record 125 million watch in the US
  • Oct 11 "Can't Slow Down" second studio album by Lionel Richie is released
  • Nov 20 100 million watch ABC TV movie "The Day After" about nuclear war

1983 in Music

  • May 20 "Every Breath You Take" single released by The Police (Billboard Song of the Year, 1983)
  • Nov 2 "Thriller" single released worldwide by Michael Jackson

1983 in Sport

  • Jan 18 IOC restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals (Pentathlon & Decathlon victories) 70 years after they were taken from him for being paid $25 in semi-pro baseball
  • Sep 26 Australia II wins America's Cup yacht race - 1st non-US winner

Did You Know?

World's greatest robbery; 26 million pounds (sterling) worth of gold, diamonds and cash stolen from Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport, England

November 26, 1983


More People Born in 1983

Fun Fact About 1983

World's lowest-ever natural temperature recorded −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F; 184.0 K) at Soviet Vostok Station, Antarctica

July 21, 1983


More 1983 Deaths

Famous Weddings in 1983

  • Feb 13 Film genius Jerry Lewis (56) marries 2nd wife dancer SanDee Pitnick
  • Mar 4 Actor Harrison Ford marries screenwriter Melissa Mathison (divorced 2004)
  • Jun 17 American singer-songwriter, of The Eagles, Glenn Frey (34) weds America artist Janie Beggs; divorce in 1988

Famous Divorces in 1983

  • Mar 16 Producer Dick Wolf (36) divorces Susan Scranton after more than 13 years of marriage
  • Sep 20 Actor James Woods (36) divorces costume designer Kathryn Morrison after 3 years of marriage
  • Nov 14 British theatrical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (35) divorces Sarah Hugill after more than 11 years of marriage

More 1983 Weddings