In 1980, "Call Me" topped the charts, The Empire Strikes Back packed theaters, a stamp cost 15¢, the average home went for about $76,400.
🎵 Top songs of 1980
"Call Me" — Blondie
"Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2" — Pink Floyd
"Magic" — Olivia Newton-John
🎬 In theaters
The Empire Strikes Back
9 to 5
Ordinary People
What things cost in 1980
$1.19
Gallon of gas
15¢
Postage stamp
$2.69
Movie ticket
$2.16
Gallon of milk
$76,400
Average home
$7,200
New car
$17,710
Household income
A $1.19 gallon of gas in 1980 has the buying power of roughly $4.45 in 2024 dollars. A 15¢ stamp is around 56¢ today, and a $2.69 movie ticket is about $10.
The biggest moments of 1980
Pac-Man took over the arcades.
The Rubik's Cube became an international craze.
John Lennon was killed in New York City in December.
Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State on May 18, killing 57 people and ejecting an ash plume 80,000 feet into the sky.
The U.S. and 65 other nations boycotted the Moscow Summer Olympics in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Ronald Reagan defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter on November 4 in a 44-state landslide.
Toys, TV & trends of 1980
The Sony Walkman portable cassette player was a must-have.
The "Who Shot J.R.?" episode of Dallas aired in November.
Pac-Man arcade machines took over malls and pizzerias.
Strawberry Shortcake dolls, scratch-and-sniff stickers, and Trapper Keepers ruled school supplies.
Members Only jackets, leg warmers, and preppy polo shirts defined fashion.
3M introduced Post-it Notes as a commercial product after years of development.
The music scene
1980 was the launching pad for new wave (Blondie, The Police, Devo) and the last big year for disco ("Funkytown," "Upside Down"). Pink Floyd's The Wall album spun off "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2," a year-end #1. Olivia Newton-John dominated Top 40 with hits from Xanadu, and country crossover ruled with Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
At the movies
Ordinary People won the Best Picture Oscar — controversially beating Raging Bull. The Empire Strikes Back was the year's box-office champion. 9 to 5 made over $100M and turned Dolly Parton into a movie star. Airplane! reinvented spoof comedy, and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining redefined modern horror.
Cartoons kids loved
Tom and Jerry
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
Looney Tunes
Saturday-morning cartoons were peaking. Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo introduced Scrappy in 1979 and dominated the Saturday block in 1980. Tom and Jerry continued its decades-long syndication reign, while Looney Tunes still owned weekday afternoons.
The world in 1980
World population: about 4.5 billion
U.S. President: Jimmy Carter (Reagan elected in November)
Mount St. Helens erupted in May
The Iran hostage crisis dominated the year — 52 American diplomats and citizens were held in Tehran for the entire year.
CNN launched on June 1 as the first 24-hour cable news channel.
The Solidarity trade union was founded in Poland at the Gdańsk shipyard in August — the first independent union in the Soviet bloc.
1980 birthday questions
How old is someone born in 1980?
Someone born in 1980 turns 46 in 2026 (45 if their birthday has not come round yet).
What was the number one song in 1980?
"Call Me" by Blondie was among the biggest hits of 1980.
What movie came out in 1980?
The Empire Strikes Back was one of the films packing theaters in 1980.
How much did gas cost in 1980?
A gallon of gas ran about $1.19 in 1980, and a postage stamp cost 15¢.
How much did a house cost in 1980?
The average home went for roughly $76,400 in 1980, against a typical household income of about $17,710.