Magic Johnson was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1979 draft, while Larry Bird was 6th overall to the Boston Celtics in the 1978 draft. The Lakers with Magic and the Celtics with Bird would have an intense rivalry all through the 1980′s. For some people this rivalry was about East Coast basketball with Larry Bird vs. West Coast basketball with Magic Johnson. For others it was more about white basketball with Bird vs. black basketball with Magic. For all of these reasons and more this rivalry produced great basketball and eventually a great respect between the two.

On the court these two would meet three times in the NBA finals. The Lakers beat the Celtics in 1985 and 1987. The Celtics won in 1984, but every time these teams played in the 1980′s, it was an intense show.

For women, workout gear chic was the worst trend of the decade, pairing huge shirts and sweatshirts with leggings and, yes, leg warmers. As if to say, Must keep the calf muscles warm, I’m dancing the lead in Swan Lake later tonight.

During the ’80s America’s largest generation, the baby boomers, became for a time America’s most annoying generation. They identified themselves as Preppies or Yuppies and subjected the rest of us to navel-gazing shows like thirtysomething. They made Self Help the biggest category in the bookstore and, commitment issues resolved, announced their fertility by posting Baby on Board signs in their car,http://www.nationwidepicturecars.com/80.html windows.

There were some lowpoints that everyone loved, like the Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker scandal. The eyelashes, the bouffed hair, the tears, and the financial finagling were better than a cat fight between Krystle and Alexis. Who could resist that?

1. Pac-Man Take a slice out of a cheese wheel and you have arguably the most iconic symbol of the 80′s. Still available in most arcades and bars around the country, game play is brilliantly simple enough for both society’s youngest minds and inebriated young adults to master. First released in the middle of 1980, Pac-Man finally set the date soon after, with Ms. Pac-Man completing (in a Jerry Maguire sense of the word) the popular couple in 1981.
2. Super Mario Brothers What’s the solution to an evil lizard’s tyrannical rule? Why Italian plumbers, of course. With levels, power-ups and villains reminiscent of a 1970′s music festival, America’s young people quickly became addicted to Super Mario Brothers, much like the organic substances creators may have been under the influence of. Subsequent years have seen successful spin-offs, such as Mario Kart, Mario 64, Mario Party, Super Mario Galaxy and The Incredible Luigi guess which one’s made up? poor little green guy.
3. Tetris Leave it to the Soviets to develop a wildly popular game centering around drab blocks and without any characters. Kids had quite simply never been so fascinated with putting blocks together since they played with, well… building blocks. Withstanding the test of time, Tetris still springs up on cell-phones around the world as students subtly learn basic geometry skills while tuning out geometry class.

1. Reduce government spending This one makes enough sense. After all, less spending leads to less borrowing from foreign sources and ultimately lower national debt.
2. Reduce income and capital gains marginal taxes Lowering taxes on income and capital gains, means the government gets less money, but it also means the working American keeps more money, particularly those in higher tax brackets. This results in more discretionary income, ultimately stimulating more financial transactions and boosting GDP.
3. Reduce government regulation of the economy Less regulation gives banks and loan officers more freedom to take chances and get creative with their efforts, making it increasingly possible for upstart businesses and those in need of funding to secure capital. This is where some critics say the financial meltdown mess began as over time people abused and manipulated the lack of regulations to an out of control level. But here, we celebrate the 1980s not condemn it, plus half those modern day critics were probably more concerned with middle school popularity than dealing with stagflation back in 1981.
4. Control the money supply With money is less supply and equal demand, the value of the dollar is sure to rise, serving as safeguard against inflation.

1. Caddyshack (1980) Kicking off the decade in khakis and golf shoes, Caddyshack’s combined comedy team of Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray made one of the hardest sports to watch on TV erupt with laughter on the big screen.
2. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) Before they went to Vegas, Europe or even had the family over for Christmas, the Griswold’s just went on vacation. On their cross country trek to Wally World, amid dead relative hood ornaments and scantily-clad hotel swimmers, the Griswold family comes together in their first of many adventures to follow.
3. Revenge of the Nerds (1984) “Clap your hands everybody, everybody clap your hands, it’s Lambda Lambda Lambda and Omega Mu”… Banning together to form their own fraternity, collegiate nerds try to stand up to the jock fraternity Alpha Beta and their constant torture, while fighting an uphill battle against the opposite sex as well, in an beer-guzzling battle of brains over brawn.
4. Ferris Buehler’s Day Off (1986) In what has since become a must-see for generation after generation of teenage slackers, Ferris Buehler takes a personal day from school, deceiving parents, taunting authority and throwing caution to the wind in this inspiring joy-ride.
5. A Christmas Story (1983) Talk about a flick that has truly withstood the test of time. Fans can still enjoy this holiday classic on Christmas day for all 24 hours. A Christmas Story is almost more of a rite of passage than mere movie, appreciated by all members of the family, as kids across the country are annually warned of the dangers of BB guns and the binding authority of the triple dog dare.

1. E.T. (1982) There are quite simply very few gestures in the history of cinema more easily recognizable than E.T.’s finger to finger touch, accompanied by the simple phrase “E.T. phone home.” The glowing image of the floating bike silhouette against the bright full moon is one of the most often alluded to images in the movie industry and still serves as part of the logo for film production company Amblin Entertainment. Heck, everything from this movie is memorable. Shockingly, Skittles passed up a chance to be E.T.’s favorite candy snack, instead Reece’s Pieces famously stepped in and secured its spot in the minds of millions of viewers.
2. Raging Bull (1980) This biographical boxing film goes down as one of legendary Martin Scorsese’s best works. Coming on the heels of a chaotic time in his personal life, Raging Bull served as a turning point for Scorsese and uniquely defined his cinematic style. Considered by some to be the greatest sports movie ever made, Robert De Niro won the Oscar for Best Actor, while Scorsese received his first nomination for Best Director.
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Whip, fedora, leather jacket what else is there to say? Thousands of Halloween costumes have been easily identified with little other help. History and archaeology professors across the world owe George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg a “thank you” for finally making the world’s most tedious and seemingly irrelevant subjects look cool to generations of young folks. Raiders of the Lost Ark initiated the box-office booming Indiana Jones franchise. The 80′s would see two more epic Indiana Jones adventures, each entertaining in its own right, but the original is still the most cherished by legions of fans.