A Look Back At

Born in 1980

What Was Life Like in 1980?

Who Was in Charge?

President

Jimmy Carter

Gas (per gallon)

$1.19

Loaf of Bread

$0.50

Average House

$64,600

Weekly Wage

$267

A selection from Wikipedia's '1980 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

January 27 – Canadian Caper: Six United States diplomats, posing as Canadians, manage to escape from Tehran, Iran as they board a flight to Zurich, Switzerland.
March 22 – The Georgia Guidestones are erected in Elbert County, Georgia.
April 15 – A mass exodus of Cubans to the United States known as the Mariel boatlift begins. It ends on October 31 by agreement between the two countries.
May 21 – The Empire Strikes Back is released.
May 23 – Stanley Kubrick's horror film, The Shining, based on the 1977 novel of the same name, is released.
June 1 – The Cable News Network (CNN) is officially launched.
September 19 – The Robert Redford-directed film Ordinary People, based on the novel by Judith Guest, premieres. Redford's directorial debut later wins him his first Oscar, and wins three other Academy Awards, and five Golden Globe awards.
September 21 – Ronald Reagan and independent candidate John B. Anderson participate in the first debate of the 1980 presidential election.