The Other Reagan Revolution

"Between 1982 and 1988 eighteen million new jobs were created in America, over 90% of them full-time jobs. More that half the new positions were filled by women. Blacks and Hispanics registered even greater employment gains during the 1980s. Three million Americans climbed out of poverty. Ronald Reagan shared his countrymen's appreciation for new technologies and gadgets designed to make life easier and fuller. At the time of his first inauguration only one in six Americans owned a microwave oven. CNN was an electronic novelty, having gone on the air for the first time in the summer of 1980. Over the next eight years the new network revolutionized the way Americans got their news. At the same time, the Reagan tax cuts ignited a buying spree unequaled in U. S. history. Between 1982 and 1988 Americans purchased 63 million cars and light trucks. 31 million cordless telephones, 30 million telephone answering machines, and - yes - 62 million microwave ovens."

1980 - Sony introduced the 3.5-inch floppy disk.

1981 - Warner Cable began the MTV channel on Satellite TV

1982 - The Sony CDP-101 compact disc player was introduced in Tokyo Oct. 1.

1983 - Sony introduced the Beta HiFi VCR, updating the 1976 Betamax.

1984 - The D-5 portable compact disc player updated the 1979 Walkman.

1986 - FCC granted the frequency range of 47-49 MHz for cordless phones, of 900MHz in 1990.

1987 - The lifestyle shopping center began with Shops of Saddle Creek in Germantown, PA.

1988 - The IMAX digital sound system was developed for motion pictures.

1989 - CD sales surpassed LP sales; more than 1/2 of TV households own a VCR; the first transatlantic fiber-optic cable began to replace satellites for telephone communication.    

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revised 5/9/07 by Steven Schoenherr | Cold War Policies | Reagan 1985-88 | songs | next-->