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1983 saw both the official beginning of the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
and the first mobile
cellular telephone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This radio ...
call.


Events


January

*
January 1 January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__ Events ...
– The migration of the
ARPANET The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was the first wide-area packet-switched network with distributed control and one of the first computer networks to implement the TCP/IP protocol suite. Both technologies became the tec ...
to
TCP/IP The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suite are ...
is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the true
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
). *
January 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will ...
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
appoints a bishop over the Czechoslovak exile community, which the ''
Rudé právo ''Rudé právo'' ( Czech for ''Red Justice'' or ''The Red Right'') was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. History and profile ''Rudé právo'' was founded in 1920 when the party was splitting from the social demo ...
'' newspaper calls a "provocation." This begins a year-long disagreement between the
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czecho ...
and the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
, leading to the eventual restoration of diplomatic relations between the two states. *
January 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. * 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 * 1761 – The Third Battle of Panipat is fought in I ...
– The head of
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
's military dictatorship,
Hussain Muhammad Ershad Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi military officer, dictator and politician who served as President of Bangladesh, the president of Bangladesh from 1982 to 1990. He seized power as a result of a 1982 ...
, announces his intentions to "turn Bangladesh into an Islamic state." *
January 18 Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later. * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail. * 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the C ...
U.S. Secretary of the Interior
James G. Watt James Gaius Watt (January 31, 1938 – May 27, 2023) was an American lawyer, lobbyist, and civil servant who served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior in the Ronald Reagan administration from 1981 to 1983. He was described as "anti-environmenta ...
makes controversial remarks blaming poor living conditions on
Native American reservations An American Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a U.S. federal government-recognized Native American tribal nation, whose government is autonomous, subject to regulations passed by the United States Congress and admini ...
on "the failures of
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
." Watt will eventually resign in September after a series of other controversial remarks. *
January 24 Events Pre-1600 * 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula. * 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt. * 1438 – The Co ...
– Twenty-five members of the
Red Brigades The Red Brigades ( , often abbreviated BR) were an Italian far-left Marxist–Leninist militant group. It was responsible for numerous violent incidents during Italy's Years of Lead, including the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro in 1978, ...
are sentenced to life imprisonment for the
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
murder of Italian politician
Aldo Moro Aldo Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and prominent member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) and its centre-left wing. He served as prime minister of Italy in five terms from December 1963 ...
. *
January 25 Events Pre-1600 * 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate. * 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dyn ...
IRAS The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Infrarood Astronomische Satelliet'') (IRAS) was the first space telescope to perform a astronomical survey, survey of the entire night sky at infrared wavelengths. Launched on 25 Janu ...
is launched from
Vandenberg AFB Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the ...
, to conduct the world's first all-sky
infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...
survey from space. *
January 26 Events Pre-1600 * 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph. * 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people. * 1564 – The Council of T ...
1983 Code of Canon Law The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title ''Codex Iuris Canonici''), also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of Ecclesiastical Law, ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the sec ...
:
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
revises Roman Catholic canon law, the first such revision since
1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...
. Among the changes is a reduction in the number of offenses qualifying for automatic excommunication, from 37 to only seven. *
January 27 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to become monks by Constantine VII, who becomes sole emperor of the ...
– The pilot shaft of the Seikan Tunnel, the world's longest sub-aqueous tunnel (53.85 km) in Japan, breaks through. *
January 30 Events Pre-1600 * 1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen. * 1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom. 1601–1900 * 1607 – An es ...
– Chinese newspaper
People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...
reports that the nation will run out of food and clothes by the year 2000 if the state's
population control Population control is the practice of artificially maintaining the size of any population. It simply refers to the act of limiting the size of an animal population so that it remains manageable, as opposed to the act of protecting a species from ...
efforts are not successful.


February

*
February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of " Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: ...
Giovanni Vigliotto goes on trial on charges of
polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...
involving 105 women. *
February 3 Events Pre-1600 * 1047 – Drogo of Hauteville is elected as count of the Apulian Normans during the Norman conquest of Southern Italy. * 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, u ...
Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...
is granted a
double dissolution A double dissolution is a procedure permitted under the Australian Constitution to resolve deadlocks in the bicameral Parliament of Australia between the House of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). A double dissolutio ...
of both houses of parliament, for elections on March 5, 1983. As Fraser is being granted the dissolution, Bill Hayden resigns as leader of the
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...
, and in the subsequent
leadership spill In Australian politics, a leadership spill (or simply a spill) is a declaration that the leadership of a parliamentary party is vacant and open for contest. A spill may involve all or some of the leadership positions (leader and deputy leader in ...
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991. He held office as the Australian Labor Party, leader of the La ...
is elected as Hayden's successor unopposed. *
February 5 Events Pre-1600 * *2 BC – Caesar Augustus is granted the title ''pater patriae'' by the Roman Senate. *AD 62, 62 – AD 62 Pompeii earthquake, Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy. *756 – Chinese New Year; An Lushan proclaims himself E ...
6 – The team of
A. J. Foyt Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American former racing driver who competed in numerous disciplines of motorsport. He is best known for his open wheel racing career, and for becoming the first four-time winner of the India ...
, Preston Henn, Bob Wollek and Claude Ballot-Léna win the
24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Flo ...
automobile race in a
Porsche 935 The Porsche 935 is a race car that was developed and manufactured by German automaker Porsche. Introduced in 1976 as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 (930), 911 (930) Turbo and prepared for Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, ...
. *
February 12 Events Pre-1600 * 1096 – Pope Urban II confirms the foundation of the abbey of La Roë under Robert of Arbrissel as a community of canons regular. * 1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sofia performed the first post- ...
– 100 women protest in
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
, Pakistan, against military dictator Zia-ul-Haq's proposed Law of Evidence. The women are tear-gassed, baton-charged and thrown into lock-up but are successful in repealing the law. *
February 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. * 1270 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battl ...
– The
Ash Wednesday bushfires The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a Bushfires in Australia, series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia in 1983 on 16 February. Within twelve hours, more than 180 bushfires, fires f ...
in Victoria and
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
claim the lives of 75 people, in one of Australia's worst bushfire disasters. *
February 18 Events Pre-1600 * 3102 BC – Kali Yuga, the fourth and final yuga of Hinduism, starts with the death of Krishna. * 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining J ...
** The
Venezuelan bolívar The bolívar is the official currency of Venezuela. Named after the hero of South American independence Simón Bolívar, it was introduced by President Antonio Guzmán Blanco, Guzman Blanco via the monetary reform of 1879, before which the Vene ...
is devalued and exchange controls are established in an event now referred to as ''Black Friday'' by many Venezuelans (the Bolívar had been the most stable and internationally accepted currency). ** Nellie massacre: Over 2,000 people, mostly Bangladeshi Muslims, are massacred in
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
, India, during the Assam agitation. ** Wah Mee massacre: 13 people are killed in an attempted robbery in the Chinatown area of
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, United States. *
February 28 Events Pre-1600 *202 BC – Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty. * 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople (Roman Catholic), Fourth Council of Co ...
– The final episode of the TV series ''
M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...
'', entitled
Goodbye, Farewell and Amen "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" is a television film that served as the series finale of the American television series '' M*A*S*H''. The 2½-hour episode first aired on CBS on February 28, 1983, ending the series' original run. The episode was wr ...
, airs on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
, to a total audience of 121.6 million.


March

*
March 1 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...
– The
Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...
and
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
become
Autonomous communities of Spain The autonomous communities () are the first-level political divisions of Spain, administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Constitution of Spain, Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonom ...
. *
March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Easte ...
Australian federal election Elections in Australia take place periodically to elect the legislature of the Commonwealth of Australia, as well as for each Australian state and territory and for local government councils. Elections in all jurisdictions follow similar princ ...
: The Labor Party led by
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991. He held office as the Australian Labor Party, leader of the La ...
defeats the Liberal/
National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
Coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
led by
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...
. Hawke is to be sworn in on
March 11 Events Pre-1600 * 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the veneration of icons in the Orthodox churches in the Byzantine Empire. * 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last Bishop of Prague (3 March 13 ...
. As soon as the results become clear, Fraser resigns from the Liberal leadership; he is replaced by outgoing Minister for Industry and Commerce Andrew Peacock. *
March 9 Events Pre-1600 *141 BC – Liu Che, Posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. *1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the Annals of Quedlinburg, annals of the mo ...
– The
3D printer 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...
is invented by Chuck Hull. *
March 15 Events Pre-1600 * 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years truce. * 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman R ...
Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...
rabbis in the U.S. vote to affirm both patrilineal and matrilineal descent for determining
Jewish identity Jewish identity is the objective or subjective sense of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. It encompasses elements of nationhood, "The Jews are a nation and were so before there was a Jewish state of Israel" "Jews are ...
. While Jewish
tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...
defines a Jew as someone with a Jewish mother, this decision by the
Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. ...
amends this principle to mean one Jewish "parent." *
March 21 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the '' Vivarium'', by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas ...
Yamoussoukro Yamoussoukro (; , locally ) is the capital city of Ivory Coast and an autonomous district. As of the 2014 census, Yamoussoukro is the fifth most populous city in the Ivory Coast, with a population of 212,670. Located north-west of Abidjan, the ...
officially becomes the Ivorian political capital after transfer from
Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...
. *
March 25 Until 1752 it was the official date of the beginning of the year in England and its dominions (in the Julian calendar). Events Pre-1600 * 410 – The Southern Yan capital of Guanggu falls to the Jin dynasty general Liu Yu, ending th ...
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
re-establishes diplomatic ties with the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
after a 450-year interruption. Sweden broke off relations in
1534 Year 1534 ( MDXXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 15 – The Parliament of England passes the '' Act Respecting the Oath to the Succession'', recognising the mar ...
in keeping with the rise of
Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
. *
March 29 Events Pre-1600 * 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of Venice. * 1461 – Battle of Towton: Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England, bringing a ...
– Germany's first elected
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
representatives take their seats in the
West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...
Bundestag, dressed in jeans and sweaters and accompanied by Bongo drum, bongo drums.


April

* April 4 – The Space Shuttle Challenger, Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' is launched on its maiden voyage: STS-6. * April 11 – Spain's Seve Ballesteros won the 47th PGA Masters Tournament * April 18 ** The 1983 United States embassy bombing in Beirut kills 63 people. ** The Disney Channel launches in the United States. * April 22 – A reactor shutdown due to failure of fuel rods occurs at Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, Russia.


May

*May 6 – ''Stern (magazine), Stern'' magazine publishes the "Hitler Diaries" (which are later found to be forgeries). *May 11 – Aberdeen F.C. beat Real Madrid C.F., Real Madrid 2–1 to win the 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983 and become only the third football in Scotland, Scottish side to win a European trophy. *May 17 – Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an May 17 Agreement, agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. *May 20 ** Two separate research groups led by Robert Gallo and Luc Montagnier independently declare that a novel retrovirus may have been infecting people with HIV/AIDS, and publish their findings in the same issue of the journal ''Science (journal), Science''. ** Church Street bombing: A car bombing in Pretoria, South Africa, kills 19 people. The bomb has been planted by members of Umkhonto we Sizwe, a military wing of the African National Congress. *May 25 – Hamburger SV defeat Juventus FC, Juventus 1–0 in the final of the UEFA Champions League, European Cup. *May 26 – The 7.8 1983 Sea of Japan earthquake, Sea of Japan earthquake shakes northern Honshu with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''). A destructive tsunami is generated that leaves about 100 people dead. *May 27 – Benton fireworks disaster. An explosion at an unlicensed and illegal fireworks operation near Benton, Tennessee, kills eleven and injures one. The blast is heard within a radius of . *May 28 – The 9th G7 summit begins at Williamsburg, Virginia, United States.


June

*June 5 – The Second Sudanese Civil War begins in Sudan. *June 9 – Britain's Conservative Party (UK), Conservative government, led by Margaret Thatcher, is 1983 United Kingdom general election, re-elected by a landslide majority. * June 9–June 25, 25 – The 1983 Cricket World Cup is held in England with India defeating West Indies in the final. *June 13 ** ''Pioneer 10'' passes the orbit of Neptune, becoming the first human-made object to leave the vicinity of the major planets of the Solar System. ** The first worldwide mobile telephone, the Motorola DynaTAC, enters the market. *June 18 – **Iranian teenager Mona Mahmudnizhad and nine other women are hanged because they are members of the Baháʼí Faith. **Sally Ride becomes the first female American astronaut in space when she launches on board Challenger's STS-7 mission together with four male crewmates. *June 18–June 19, 19 – The team of Vern Schuppan, Al Holbert and Hurley Haywood wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans. *June 22 – Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
girl, mysteriously disappears in Rome while returning home from a music lesson. The disappearance of the girl led to many speculations involving international terrorism, Italian organized crime, and even a plot inside the Vatican to cover a sexual scandal inside the Holy See. Because of all these theories, the Orlandi case would later become Italy's most famous mystery. *June 25 – India wins the Cricket World Cup, defeating the West Indies by 43 runs. *June 30 – A total loss of coolant occurs at the Embalse Nuclear Power Station, Argentina. It is classified as an "Accident With Local Consequences" – level 4 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.


July

*July 1 ** A North Korean Ilyushin Il-62M jet, en route to Conakry Airport in Guinea, 1983 Chosonminhang Ilyushin Il-62 crash, crashes into the Fouta Djall Mountains of Guinea, killing all 23 people on board. ** A technical failure causes the release of iodine-131 from the Philippsburg Nuclear Power Plant, Germany. *July 7 – Ten-year-old American girl Samantha Smith accepts her invitation from Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov and begins her visit to the USSR with her parents. *July 11 – ''Reading Rainbow'' debuts on PBS. *July 15 ** Nintendo's Family Computer, also known as the Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom, goes on sale in Japan. ** The 1983 Orly Airport attack, Orly Airport attack in Paris leaves eight dead and 55 injured. * July 16 – 1983 British Airways Sikorsky S-61 crash, Sikorsky S-61 disaster: A helicopter crashes off the Isles of Scilly, causing 20 fatalities. * July 20 – The government of Poland announces the end of Martial law in Poland, martial law and amnesty for political prisoners. * July 21 – The Lowest temperature recorded on Earth, lowest temperature on Earth is recorded in Vostok Station, Antarctica with −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F). * July 22 – Australian Dick Smith (entrepreneur), Dick Smith completes his solo circumnavigation of the world in a helicopter. * July 23 ** 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers are killed during a Four Four Bravo, deadly ambush by the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, thus beginning the Sri Lankan civil war, Sri Lankan Civil War, which would continue until 2009. ** Heavy rain and mudslides in western Shimane Prefecture, Japan, kill 117. * July 24 – The Black July anti-Tamil riots begin in Sri Lanka, killing between 400 and 3,000 Sri Lankan Tamils and Hill-country Tamils.


August

* August 4 ** Thomas Sankara becomes President of Republic of Upper Volta, Upper Volta. ** Bettino Craxi is sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy, Italy's first prime minister from the Italian Socialist Party, Italian Socialist Party (PSI). * August 7 – Soviet Union, Soviet authorities pass harsher punishments for Alcohol intoxication, drunkenness and absenteeism, responding to public calls to curb high rates of Alcohol in Russia, alcoholism. * August 17 – President Ronald Reagan, Reagan authorizes construction of the Los Angeles Metro Rail. * August 18 ** Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 and causing over US $3.8 billion (2005 dollars) in damage. ** Five people are killed and 18 others injured when a road train is deliberately driven into a motel at Uluru, Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory of Australia (the driver, Douglas Edward Crabbe, is convicted in March 1984). * August 21 – Benigno Aquino Jr., Philippines opposition leader, is Assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr., assassinated in Manila just as he returns from exile. * August 23 – In a crackdown on crime, the China, Chinese state Capital punishment in China, executes 19 people for murder, 10 for rape, and one for auto theft. By the end of the year, Amnesty International estimates that at least 600 people have been Capital punishment in China, executed in China. * August 24 – South Africa announces "all outstanding issues" preventing independence for South West Africa (present-day Namibia) have been resolved, except for the continuing presence of 23,000 Cuban intervention in Angola, Cuban troops in neighboring Angola. * August 26 – Heavy rain triggers flooding at Bilbao, Spain, and surrounding areas, killing 44 people and causing millions in damages. * August 29 – Two United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marines are killed by Mortar (weapon), mortar blast in Beirut, marking the first U.S. combat fatalities of the Multinational Force in Lebanon.


September

* September 1 – Cold War: Korean Air Lines Flight 007 is shot down by Soviet Air Force, Soviet Union Air Force Sukhoi Su-15, Su-15 Flagon pilot Major Gennadi Osipovich near Moneron Island when the commercial aircraft enters Soviet airspace. All 269 on board are killed, including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald. * September 6 – The Soviet Union admits to shooting down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, stating that the pilots did not know it was a civilian aircraft when it violated Soviet airspace. * September 19 ** Saint Kitts and Nevis becomes an independent state. ** ''Press Your Luck'' premieres on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
. * September 23 ** Gulf Air Flight 771 crashes in the United Arab Emirates after a bomb explodes in the baggage compartment, killing 117. ** Violence erupts in New Caledonia between native Kanak people, Kanaks and French expatriates. The French government withdraws the promise of independence. * September 26 ** 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident: Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov averts a worldwide nuclear war by correctly identifying a warning of attack by U.S. missiles as a false alarm. ** The ''Soyuz T-10-1'' mission ends in a pad abort at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, when a pad fire occurs at the base of the Soyuz U rocket during the launch countdown. The escape tower system, attached to the top of the capsule containing the crew and Soyuz spacecraft, fires immediately, pulling the crew safe from the vehicle a few seconds before the rocket explodes, destroying the launch complex. ** The Atari video game burial, mass burial of around 700,000 unsold Atari video game cartridges, consoles, and computers occurs in Alamogordo, New Mexico. ** The Australian yacht ''Australia II'' wins the 1983 America's Cup, America's Cup, the first successful challenge to the New York Yacht Club's 132-year defence of the sailing (sport), sailing trophy. * September 27 – The GNU Project is announced publicly on the net.unix-wizards and net.usoft newsgroups.


October

* October 2 – Neil Kinnock is elected leader of the British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. * October 4 – British entrepreneur Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of 633.468 mph (1,019.468 km/h), driving Thrust2 at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. * October 9 – The Rangoon bombing kills South Korea's Foreign Minister, Lee Beom-seok (foreign minister), Lee Bum Suk, and 21 others. The perpetrators are believed to be North Koreans. * October 12 – Japan's former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka is found guilty of taking a $2 million bribe from Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed, and sentenced to 4 years in jail. * October 13 – The world's first commercial mobile cellular telephone call is made, in Chicago, United States. * October 19 – Maurice Bishop, Prime Minister of Grenada, and 40 others are assassinated in a military coup. * October 21 – At the 17th General Conference on Weights and Measures, the metre is defined in terms of the speed of light as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. * October 23 – 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, Beirut barracks bombing: Simultaneous suicide truck-bombings destroy both the French Army and United States Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. servicemen, 58 French paratroopers and 6 Lebanese civilians. * October 25 ** Invasion of Grenada by United States troops at the behest of Eugenia Charles of Dominica, a member of the Organization of American States. ** Word processor software ''Multi-Tool Word'', soon to become Microsoft Word, is released in the United States. It is primarily the work of programmers Richard Brodie (programmer), Richard Brodie and Charles Simonyi. Free demonstration copies on disk are distributed with the November issue of ''PC World'' magazine. * October 30 – 1983 Argentine general election, Argentine general election: The first democratic elections in Argentina after seven years of National Reorganization Process, military rule are held.


November

* November 2 – South Africa approves a Tricameral Parliament, new constitution granting limited political rights to Coloureds and Asian South African, Asians as part of a series of reforms to South Africa under apartheid, apartheid. * November 3 – Commencement of the Battle of Tripoli (1983), battle of Tripoli between Yasser Arafat, Arafat loyalists and Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO dissidents. * November 5 – Byford Dolphin rig diving bell accident: Off the coast of Norway, 5 divers are killed and 1 is severely wounded in an uncontrolled decompression, explosive decompression accident. * November 7 ** Able Archer 83: Many Soviet officials misinterpret this NATO exercise as a nuclear Pre-emptive nuclear strike, first strike, causing the last nuclear scare of the Cold War. ** 1983 U.S. Senate bombing: A bomb explodes in the United States Senate with the intent to kill United States Republican Party, Republican senators; no one is injured. The perpetrators are members of the May 19th Communist Organization. * November 11 – Ronald Reagan becomes the first U.S. president to address the National Diet, Japan's national legislature. * November 13 – The first United States cruise missiles arrive at RAF Greenham Common in the UK amid protests from peace campaigners. * November 14 – The immunosuppressant cyclosporine is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, leading to a revolution in the field of transplantation. * November 15 – The Turkish part of Cyprus declares independence. * November 17 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is founded in Mexico. * November 19 – An attempted Aircraft hijacking, hijacking of Aeroflot Flight 6833 in Georgian SSR, Soviet Georgia results in several dead and wounded. * November 27 – Colombian Avianca Flight 011 crashes near Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain, killing 181 of the 192 on board.


December

* December 4 ** 1983 Venezuelan general election, General elections are celebrated in Venezuela in which the opposition party, Democratic Action (Venezuela), Democratic Action, wins a majority in both chambers of the Venezuelan Congress and the presidency for the 1984–1989 period under Jaime Lusinchi. Voter turnout is 87.3% and Lusinchi obtains 58.4% of the votes. ** Solar eclipse of December 4, 1983. * December 5 – ICIMOD is established and inaugurated with its headquarters in Kathmandu, Nepal, and legitimised through an Act of Parliament in Nepal this same year. * December 7 – Two Spanish passenger planes 1983 Madrid Airport runway collision, collide on the foggy runway at a Madrid airport, killing 93 people. * December 9 – The Australian dollar is floated by Federal treasurer Paul Keating. Under the old flexible peg system, the Reserve Bank bought and sold all Australian dollars and cleared the market at the end of the day. This initiative is taken by the government of
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991. He held office as the Australian Labor Party, leader of the La ...
. * December 10 – Military rule ends and democracy is restored in Argentina, with the beginning of Raúl Alfonsín's first term as President of Argentina. * December 13 – Turgut Özal, of Motherland Party (Turkey), ANAP forms the new government of Turkey (45th government); beginning a new civilian regime. * December 17 ** The Alcalá 20 nightclub fire in Madrid, Spain, injuring 47 and killing 83 people. ** Harrods bombings: a Provisional IRA car bomb kills 6 people and injures 90 outside Harrods department store in London. * December 19 – The Jules Rimet Trophy is stolen from the Brazilian Soccer Confederation building in Rio de Janeiro. , the trophy has not been recovered. * December 27 –
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
visits Rebibbia prison to forgive his would-be assassin Mehmet Ali Ağca. * December 31 – Two bombs explode in France: one on a Paris train kills three and injures 19; the other at Marseille station kills two and injures 34.


Date unknown

* Leopold Kohr, the people of Palau, Belau, Amory Lovins, Amory and Hunter Lovins/Rocky Mountain Institute and Manfred Max Neef/CEPAUR win the Right Livelihood Award. * The meteorological 1982–83 El Niño event causes severe weather worldwide.


Births and deaths


Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, William Alfred Fowler * Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Henry Taube * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Barbara McClintock * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – William Golding * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – Lech Wałęsa * Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Economics – Gérard Debreu


References

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