Title: 1981 Content: 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was . == Events == * January 20 – Hostages from the Iran hostage crisis are released at the same time when Ronald Reagan is inaugurated for the first time as President of the United States. * January 21 – The first DeLorean automotive is released in Northern Ireland. * January 27 – The Indonesian passenger ship Tamponas 2 catches fire and capsizes in the Java Sea, killing 580. * January 29 – Adolfo Suárez resigns as Prime Minister of Spain. * February 4 – Gro Harlem Brundtland becomes Prime Minister of Norway. * February 8 – Polish Prime Minister Józef Pinkowski resigns and is replaced by General Wojciech Jaruzelski. * February 25 – Adolfo Suárez leaves his office as Prime Minister of Spain. * March 30 - Shortly after being inaugurated, John Hinckley, Jr. tries to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. He survives the attack. * July 9 - Donkey Kong, a Nintendo arcade game, was released in Japan * July 29 – Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of Wales. * November 9 – Céline Dion's first album is released in Canada. == Births == * January 4 – Alicia Keys, American singer * January 28 – Elijah Wood, American actor * January 31 – Justin Timberlake, American singer and actor * February 11 – Kelly Rowland, American singer * February 24 – Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis player * March 3 – Justin Gabriel, South African professional wrestler * April 28 – Jessica Alba, actress * June 5 – Sebastien Lefebvre, Canadian Musician-Simple Plan * June 7 – Anna Kournikova, Russian tennis player * June 9 – Natalie Portman, Israeli actress * July 30 – Hope Solo, American goal keeper * August 8 – Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player * September 4 – Beyoncé Knowles, American singer and actress * September 8 – Jonathan Taylor Thomas, American actor * September 26 – Serena Williams, American tennis player * October 31 – Frank Iero MCR * December 2 – Britney Spears, American singer and actress * December 27 – Patrick Sharp, Canadian professional ice hockey player == Deaths == === January === * January 5 – Harold Urey, American physical chemist (b. 1893) * January 10 – Richard Boone, American actor (b. 1917) * January 11 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (b. 1888) * January 16 – Bernard Lee, English actor (b. 1908) * January 23 – Samuel Barber, American composer (b. 1910) * January 25 – Adele Astaire, American dancer and entertainer (b. 1896) === February === * February 9 – Bill Haley, American rock and roll music pioneer (b. 1925) * February 18 – Ibrahim Abdel Hady Pasha, Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1896) * February 26 - Howard Hanson, American composer (b. 1896) === March === * March 1 – Roberto Francisco Chiari Remon, 31st President of Panama (b. 1905) * March 4 – Torin Thatcher, British actor (b. 1905) * March 9 – Max Delbrück, German-American biophysicist (b. 1906) * March 22 – John S. McCain Jr., United States Navy admiral (b. 1911) === April === * April 8 – Omar Bradley, American general (b. 1893) * April 12 – Joe Louis, American boxer (b. 1914) === May === * May 3 – Nargis, Indian actress (b. 1929) * May 11 – Bob Marley, Jamaican reggae musician (b. 1945) * May 18 – Arthur O'Connell, American actor, acting on stage, film and television (b. 1908) * May 28 – Stefan Wyszyński, Polish Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1901) * May 29 – Soong Ching-ling, Chinese political figure and spouse of Sun Yat-sen (d. 1893) * May 30 – Sven Andersson, Swedish footballer (b. 1907) * May 30 – Ziaur Rahman, President of Bangladesh (b. 1936) * May 31 – Gyula Lóránt, Hungarian footballer (b. 1923) * May 31 – Giuseppe Pella, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1902) === June === * June 9 – Allen Ludden, American game show host (b. 1917) * June 23 – Zarah Leander, Swedish actress and singer (b. 1907) * June 28 – Terry Fox, Canadian athlete and cancer activist (b. 1958) === July === * July 3 – Ross Martin, Polish-born American radio, stage, film and television actor (b. 1920) * July 7 – Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi, President of South Yemen (b. 1920) * July 27 – William Wyler, French-American director, producer and screenwriter (b. 1902) * July 29 – Robert Moses, American urban planner (b. 1888) === August === * August 1 – Paddy Chayefsky, American playwright, screenwriter and novelist (b. 1923) * August 4 – Melvyn Douglas, American actor (b. 1901) * August 28 – Béla Guttmann, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1899) * August 30 – Mohammad- Ali Rajai, President of Iran (b. 1933) * August 30 – Mohammad Javad Bahonar, Prime Minister of Iran (b. 1933) * August 30 – Vera-Ellen, American actress (b. 1921) === September === * September 1 – Albert Speer, German architect (b. 1905) * September 8 – Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian guru (b. 1897) * September 23 – Chief Dan George, Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (b. 1899) * September 27 – Robert Montgomery, American actor (b. 1904) * September 28 – Rómulo Betancourt, 47th & 54th President of Venezuela (b. 1908) * September 29 – Bill Shankly, Scottish football manager (b. 1913) === October === * October 5 - Gloria Grahame, American actress (b. 1923) * October 6 – Anwar Sadat, 3rd President of Egypt (b. 1918) * October 16 - Moshe Dayan, Israeli general (b. 1915) * October 19 – Dan Coe, Romanian footballer (b. 1941) * October 24 - Edith Head, American costume designer (b. 1897) === November === * November 5 – Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa (b. 1924) * November 7 – Will Durant, American historian, philosopher and writer (b. 1885) * November 12 – William Holden, American actor (b. 1918) * November 25 - Jack Albertson, American actor, singer, comedian, musician, and dancer (b. 1907) * November 29 – Natalie Wood, American actress (b. 1938) === December === * December 8 – Ferruccio Parri, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1890) == Movies released == * Absence of Malice * An American Werewolf in London * Any Which Way You Can * Arthur * The Boat Is Full * Bustin' Loose * Chariots of Fire * Escape to Victory * Excalibur * For Your Eyes Only * The Four Seasons * The Fox and the Hound * The French Lieutenant's Woman * Friday the 13th, Part 2 * The Great Muppet Caper * Halloween II * Heaven's Gate * Mommie Dearest * Omen III: The Final Conflict * On Golden Pond * Only When I Laugh * Pennies From Heaven * Pixote * Quest For Fire * Ragtime * Raiders of the Lost Ark * Reds * Sogni d'oro * Stevie * Stripes * Superman II * Tarzan, the Ape Man * They Don't Wear Black Tie == Hit songs == * "The Tide Is High" – Blondie * "Celebration" – Kool & The Gang (2) * "9 To 5" – Dolly Parton (2) * "I Love A Rainy Night" – Eddie Rabbitt (2) * "Keep On Loving You" REO Speedwagon (1) * "Rapture" – Blondie (2) * "Kiss On My List" – Daryl Hall & John Oates (3) * "Morning Train (9 To 5)" – Sheena Easton * "Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes * "Stars On 45 Medley" – Stars On 45 (1) * "The One That You Love" – Air Supply (1) * "Jessie's Girl" – Rick Springfield * "Endless Love" – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (9) * "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" – Christopher Cross (3) * "Private Eyes" – Daryl Hall & John Oates * "Physical" – Olivia Newton-John == New books == * Ill Seen Ill Said – Samuel Beckett * Arabian Nights and Days – Naguib Mahfouz * La Bicyclette Bleue (The Blue Bicycle) – Régine Deforges * Bliss – Peter Carey * Creation – Gore Vidal * Cujo – Stephen King * Distant Star – Samuel R. Delany * Famous Last Words – Timothy Findley * Flames Across the Border – Pierre Berton * Giants of the Ottawa Valley – Joan Finnegan * The Glitter Dome – Joseph Wambaugh * The Golden Age of Science Fiction – Kingsley Amis * Goodbye, Janette – Harold Robbins * Gorky Park – Martin Cruz Smith * Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving * An Indecent Obsession – Colleen McCullough * Licence Renewed – John Gardner * Masquerade – Kit Williams * Midnight's Children – Salman Rushdie * No Time for Tears – Cynthia Freeman * Noble House – James Clavell * Other People: A Mystery Story – Martin Amis * Red Dragon – Thomas Harris * Strata – Terry Pratchett * Tar Baby – Toni Morrison * The Third Deadly Sin – Lawrence Sanders