May 17, 1981
Gas cost $1.31 a gallon in the spring of 1981, and the Dow Jones stood at 875 — the newly inaugurated Ronald Reagan was navigating early foreign policy pressures, including growing tensions in the Middle East as Israeli officials reported Soviet advisers operating alongside Syrian forces in Lebanon. On the cultural front, Americans were tuning in to "Dallas" on Friday nights and lining up to see "Ordinary People," which had just won the Academy Award for Best Picture, while Daryl Hall and John Oates held the top spot on the charts with "Kiss On My List." The Boston Celtics claimed the NBA championship by defeating the Houston Rockets, the same spring that Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off on April 12 with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen aboard, becoming the first crewed reusable spacecraft to return from orbit.
On the cover
Magazine Covers — May 17, 1981
NY Times Headlines — Week of May 17, 1981
Israeli Cabinet Says It Will Delay Move In Lebanese Crisis
White House Seeks Eased Bribery Act
Missile Crisis: Shift By Israel
World Events — May 1981
Time Person of the Year — 1981
On the radio
Billboard Charts — May 17, 1981
Grammy Awards
On the bookshelf
On the television
Nielsen Top 10 — 1980–81 Season
Emmy Winners — 1981
At the movies
Box Office & Oscar Winners — May 17, 1981
Ebert 4-Star Films — May 17, 1981
On the field
Sports Champions — May 17, 1981
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