Web1981 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1981st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 981st year of the 2nd millennium, the 81st year of the 20th century, and the 2nd year of the 1980s decade.
Web1981 was the year of the rooster in the Chinese Zodiac. January 24 - Dawu earthquake; May 22 - 1st Golden Rooster Awards; July 9 - Chengdu-Kunming rail crash; July 22 - Yangquan theatre bombing; Unknown date – TTK Home Appliance, as predecessor of TCL Technology was founded in Guangdong Province. [page needed] Establishments
WebMajor Events. Jan 20 Ronald Reagan inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America. Apr 14 The first Space Shuttle, Columbia 1, returns to Earth after 2 days and 6 hours in space. May 5 After 66 days on hunger strike, 26-year-old Provisional IRA member and British MP Bobby Sands dies in Prison Maze.