The 1980s from A - Z

Bands like R.E.M., the Cure, Joy Division, and Hüsker Dü gained popularity on college radio and pioneered what became known as _________ music.

Nickname given to a group of young actors who starred in St. Elmo's Fire, The Breakfast Club, and other teen-oriented films.

Term for the "war,"--involving propaganda and sanctions rather than combat--that raged between America and the Soviet Union.

Another kind of war raged between giant robots on Saturday morning's "Transformers" where good-guy Autobots batted evil ___________.

The nation suffered collective trauma when the Challenger space shuttle ________ over the Atlantic Ocean on live television in 1986.

These DIY "magazines" crafted by fans shared punk and other underground music in the '70s and '80s. Often a mail subscription was the only way to partake.

Madonna made the lacy fingerless ones iconic. M.J. wore one in white.

Surfer culture was popular with the phrase ____ ___ doing triple duty: as a synonym for "chill," a clothing brand, and a surfing maneuver that involves all 10 toes hanging off the board.

The USA hockey team stunned the world by defeating the USSR in the 1980 Olympic Games. The victory was dubbed "miracle on ___."

Cheap plastic flats that came in all the colors and let you feel every pebble on which you trod.

David Hasselhoff stared in this four-season TV show that featured a self-aware talking car named KITT.

Led by Bob Geldof, more than 70 musicians raised money for famine-stricken Ethiopia in this global concert in 1985.

Florida cop show starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, its attention to music, pop culture, and visual style made it an instant TV hit.

Prince's most controversial song "Darling ____" was responsible for parental advisory warnings being slapped on albums containing content not appropriate for minors.

Now called the "Queen of All Media," her eponymous daytime TV show debuted in 1986.

Common clothing for this subgroup was chinos and a polo shirt with the collar turned up worn under a button-down oxford shirt. Boat shoes and duck boots were popular footwear.

The decade began with a deadly outbreak of AIDS, later found to be caused by the HIV virus. Fear and discrimination rose. By decade's end, medication was available and a memorial _____ toured, helping to humanize victims of the disease.

Conservative president from 1981-1989 who demanded "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

'80s kids can sing the Preamble to the Constitution, thanks to this Saturday morning staple.

King of Pop Michael Jackson dominated music and fashion in the '80s with songs like "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" from this album, now the best selling in history.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant made headlines in 1986 as the horrified world tuned into news of a meltdown in the city of Pripyat, now located in this country.

What killed the radio star in 1981?

Zoologist Marlin Perkins brought the African savannah into living rooms on Mutual of Omaha's ____ _______.

Author Douglas Coupland is credited with naming Generation _, those born between 1965-1980, in a 1991 book about alienation and rejection of yuppie status obsession.

"The Simpsons" began as a skit on the Tracey Ullman show in 1987 and quickly became known for catch phrases like "I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are ___?"

"Gag me with a spoon" was among a half dozen pitchy one-liners of the Valley Girl fad popularized by pop singer Moon Unit _____.