December 9, 1982

By the winter of 1982, Reagan was in the White House and the federal minimum wage stood at $3.35/hr — the military budget for 1983 was reported at $10 billion over projections, a sign of the administration's defense buildup as unemployment climbed past 10 percent. On television, "Dallas" was the most-watched show in the country, while Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" had spent months sitting at the top of the pop charts. The Los Angeles Lakers had claimed the NBA championship that spring, and on February 19th, Boeing flew its brand-new 757 commercial jet for the first time, marking a significant step forward in American aviation.