80s: The Decade That Made Us

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80s: The Decade That Made Us

Synopsis

In this global mega-doc, National Geographic tells the story of the 1980s like never before. An epic rollercoaster ride told through astonishing archive and dramatic reconstruction, The 80s features interviews with music and film superstars as well as titans of technology, business, media and politics. The world learned to live, work and play in completely new ways in the 80s. Well bring you ten years of breakneck innovation, glamour, success, and ambition, all shot through fascinating trends. This was the decade of the pioneers that made our world today. Welcome back to the 1980s.

Episodes

Season 1
  • Lift Off

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    This landmark new series takes viewers back in time to see how the '80s created our modern world. The first episode of this six-part miniseries explores the revolution in personal entertainment brought on by Pac-Man, Sony Walkmans and Jane Fonda's ground-breaking workout video. Apple's Steve Wozniak helps explain how Bill Gates saw the future by selling IBM the rights to use MS-DOS software for a relatively small one-time fee, only to clean up when IBM competitors entered the market and all wanted the same software. The assassination of John Lennon heralded the end of one music era, while a bratty new kid on the block defined a new one - spelt...

  • The Revolutionaries

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    In 1981, Ronald Reagan is propelled into the U.S. presidency, but his much-scrutinized administration is shaken to its core a mere 70 days in when an assassin's bullet pierces his lung. Vivid accounts from newsman Sam Donaldson, on the ground that day, and Dr. David Adelberg, the medical intern who cradled Reagan's heart in his hands during surgery, describe a country in panic. Halfway across the world, Pope John Paul II is also the victim of a stunning assassination attempt. After a five-hour surgery and weeks in the hospital, the Pope is released, but some believe he is never the same again. The 1980s see the launch of a new breed of entrepreneurs,...

  • Shop ‘til You Drop

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    Nonstop glamour and excess find a new poster girl in the 1980s when a hot young singer sees her chance to create her own brand. Catapulted to superstardom with a shocking performance of "Like a Virgin" at the first MTV Music Video Awards, Madonna inspires countless girls across the globe to hit the nearest shopping mall to match her distinctive style. But, it's not just teen girls who are putting their credit cards to work; successful young men with money to burn are buying into the young professional - or "yuppie" - lifestyle, and scooping up the latest expensive gadget: the cell phone. For USD $4,000, U.S. consumers can pick up their own portable...

  • Masters of the Universe

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    With the mantra "greed…is good," Gordon Gekko encapsulates the 1980's drive for excess and ruthless ambition in Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" while big traders mirror his notoriously bad behaviour with insider trading and drug use in real life. Cocaine has become the drug of choice for those celebrating success; Miami's status as a drug dealing haven inspires the launch of one of the '80s most famous television series: Miami Vice. Meanwhile, the change in cocaine importation routes puts Mexico centre stage in the drug business, placing Mexican cartels in the position to become heads of a multi-billion dollar industry today. The '80s experienced...

  • Tear Down These Walls

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    The 80s, not only the decade when greed was good, but it also marked the beginning of a potent alliance between charity and celebrity. For the first time, huge, star-studded events are staged to deal with the crisis of poverty around the world. And, in the UK, the AIDS campaign gets some very high profile support from Princess Diana. Through her work with AIDS patients, she raises awareness about the disease, and helps clear up important misconceptions. On the political front, as U.S. and Soviet Union Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev take steps to end the Cold War between two great superpowers, a 19-year-old from West Germany risks...

  • Super Power

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    As the 1980s draw to a close, the Cold War might be thawing, but the Berlin Wall still stands. America deploys a powerful 'weapon' to hasten its fall: pop culture. In the U.S., an unlikely cartoon family taps into the heart of American rebellion with the launch of 'The Simpsons'. This adolescent angst also defined a series of unforgettable films in the '80s and introduced the world to the 'Brat Pack'. In 1989, a new spirit of youthful defiance becomes a symbol of freedom when the courage of one man standing against an army resonates around the globe. For six weeks, students occupied China's Tiananmen Square, protesting for political reforms. The...