Major Event/ Sports /Nobel Prizes/Pulitzer Prizes/Academy/ Popular Movies/ Popular Books /Popular Television Shows/ Popular Music/ Grammy Awards/

 

  • Major Events of 1981

     

    Sports Highlights

    NBA: Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets Series: 4-2
    NCAA Football: Clemson Record: 12-0-0
    Heisman Trophy: Marcus Allen, usc, RB points: 1,797
    Stanley Cup: New York Islanders vs. Minnesota Northstars Series: 4-1
    Super Bowl XV: Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles Score: 27-10
    US Open Golf: David Graham Score: 273 Course: Merion GC Location: Ardmore, PA
    World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Yankees Series: 4-2

    Popular Music

    1."The Tide is High" ... Blondie
    2."Celebration" ... Kool and the Gang
    3."9 to 5" ... Dolly Parton
    4."I Love a Rainy Night" ... Eddie Rabbit
    5."Keep on Loving You" ... REO Speedwagon
    6."Rapture" ... Blondie
    7."Kiss on My List" ... Daryl Hall & John Oates
    8."Morning Train" ... Sheena Easton
    9."Bette Davis Eyes" ... Kim Carnes
    10."Medley: Stars on 45" ... Stars on 45

    Popular Movies

    1. Any Which Way You Can
    2. Arthur 3. Bustin' Loose
    4. Cannonball Run
    5. Cheech and Cong's Nice Dream
    6. Clash of the Titans
    7. Endless Love
    8. Excalibur
    9. Flash Gordon
    10. For Your Eyes Only

    Most Popular Books

    Fiction
    1. "Noble House" by James Clavell
    2. "The Hotel New Hampshire" by John Irving
    3. "Cujo" by Stephen King
    4. "An Indecent Obsession" by Colleen McCullough
    5. "Gorky Park" by Martin Cruz Smith

    Nonfiction
    1. "Beverly Hills Diet" by Judy Mazel
    2. "The Lord God Made Them All" by James Herriot
    3. " 'Never Say Diet' Book" by Richard Simmons
    4. "A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
    5. "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

    Most Popular Television Shows

    1. Dallas (CBS)
    2. 60 Minutes (CBS)
    3. The Jeffersons (CBS)
    4. Three's Company (ABC)
    5. Alice (CBS)
    6. The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS)
    7. Too Close For Comfort (ABC)
    8. ABC Monday Night Movie (ABC)
    9. M*A*S*H (CBS)
    10. One Day at a Time (CBS)

    Academy Awards

    Best Picture: "Chariots of Fire - Hugh Hudson"
    Best Director: Warren Beatty ... " Reds"
    Best Actor: Henry Fonda ... "On Golden Pond"
    Best Actress: Katherine Hepburn ... "On Golden Pond"

    Grammy Awards

    Record of the Year: "Bette Davis Eyes" ... Kim Carnes
    Song of the Year: "Bette Davis Eyes" ... Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon
    Album of the Year: "Double Fantasy" ... John Lennon & Yoko Ono
    Male Vocalist: Al Jarreau ... "Breakin' Away"
    Female Vocalist: Lena Horne ... "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music"

    Nobel Prizes

    Chemistry
    The prize was awarded jointly to: FUKUI, KENICHI, Japan, Kyoto University, Kyoto, b. 1918, d. 1998; and HOFFMANN, ROALD, U.S.A., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, b. 1937 (in Zloczow, Poland): "for their theories, developed independently, concerning the course of chemical reactions"

    Literature
    CANETTI, ELIAS, Great Britain, b. 1905 (in Rustschuk, Bulgaria), d. 1994: "for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power"

    Peace
    OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES Geneva, Switzerland.

    Physiology or Medicine
    The prize was awarded one half to: SPERRY, ROGER W., U.S.A., California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, b. 1913, d. 1994: "for his discoveries concerning the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres" and the other half jointly to: HUBEL, DAVID H., U.S.A., Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, b. 1926 (in Canada); and WIESEL, TORSTEN N., Sweden, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, U.S.A., b. 1924: "for their discoveries concerning information processing in the visual system"

    Physics
    The prize was awarded by one half jointly to: BLOEMBERGEN, NICOLAAS, U.S.A., Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, b. 1920 (in the Netherlands); and SCHAWLOW, ARTHUR L., U.S.A., Stanford University, Stanford, CA, b. 1921: "for their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy"; and the other half to: SIEGBAHN, KAI M., Sweden, Uppsala University, Uppsala, b. 1918: "for his contribution to the development of high-resolution electron spectroscopy"

    Pulitzer Prizes

    Drama: Beth Henley ... "Crimes of the Heart"
    Fiction: John Kennedy Toole ... "A Confederacy of Dunces"
    History: Lawrence A. Cremin ... "American Education: The American Experience 1783-1876"
    International Reporting: Shirley Christian ... "Miami Herald"
    National Reporting: John M. Crewdson ... "New York Times"
    Public Service: "Charlotte (NC) Observer"

     

    Tony Awards

    Best Play: "Amadeus" ... Peter Shaffer
    Best Musical: "42nd Street"
    Best Actor in a play: Ian McKellen ... "Amadeus"
    Best Actress in a play: Jane Lapotaire ... "Piaf"
    Best Actor in a musical: Kevin Kline ... "The Pirates of Penzance"
    Best Actress in a musical: Lauren Bacall ... "Woman of the Year"