1984 Science and Technology Advances

Many changes take place in 1984 in science and technology; Aids virus is identified by a French Immunologist, first Apple Macintosh goes on sale, Sony and Philips introduces the first commercial CD players, Sony makes first 3 1/2 inch computer disk, space shuttle Discovery makes its maiden voyage, first ever flight in space by a human untethered using jet back packs, and genetic finger printing or DNA profiling was developed.

In 1981 the United States first started to see the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in both homosexuals. Noticing that hemophiliacs after having received blood transfusions were also coming down with the same symptoms scientist started to think this was a virus. There had been research going on at an international level. France became concerned in 1982 with cases being reported in their country. A team of French clinician, virologist, and researcher soon discovered the virus. After the virus had been found, the French called on an American team of researchers to help determine the characteristics of the virus. This American team had been the only team to describe the only human retrovirus known at this time.

Much gratitude needs to be given to these selfless researchers who found it more important to work together internationally to identify the AIDS virus. 

The Macintosh computer was released in January 1984. Within eight months it was realized that it was inadequate and it was upgraded. This computer was considered the first commercially successful computer to use graphical user interface.Before the Macintosh, all computers were ‘text-based’; you operated them by typing words onto the keyboard. The Macintosh was run by activating pictures (icons) on the screen with a small hand-operated device called a “mouse”. This was the first consumer computer.

In November 1984, Sony released the D-50 CD player this acted as a catalyst to turn around the sluggish audio industry. After the D-50 CD player proved its profitability Sony created a portable CD market. The CD industry as a whole saw a full-scale recovery.

The space shuttle Discovery was NASA’s third space shuttle orbiter it is responsible for the carrying the Hubble Space Telescope. It completed more than 30 successful missions surpassing any other orbiter in NASA’s fleet.

The initiation of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games was ushered in by the use of someone using a jet back pack. This was an exciting time for the Olympic viewers.This was the most widely viewed rocket belt test flight in history. There were over 100,000 people in attendance.

The Challenger Space Mission in 1984 was the first time two astronauts would use 10 million dollar jet packs called man-maneuvering units to fly untethered to the space craft; becoming themselves human satellites flying in tandem with the shuttle. Until this point this was only a fantasy of people.

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1984.html
http://www.infoplease.com/year/1984.html
http://www.pasteur.fr/ip/easysite/pasteur/en/press/press-kits/hiv-aids-research-at-the-institut-pasteur/the-discovery-of-the-aids-virus-in-1983
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/SonyHistory/2-09.html
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/discovery-info.html

Cultural and Artistic Advances during the Games of the XXIII Olympiad

In 1984 it was decided to honor the tradition of ancient Greece.The goal was to evoke the spirit of ancient Greece, where athletes and artist gathered at the Olympics to engage in sports competitions, perform new plays, and celebrate the sheer joy of being alive.  In honor of this, a 10-week long festival which preceded the games rather than competing with them was initiated. “It was considered international, reflecting on the character of the games and the host city, Los Angeles, where 83 languages and cultures co-exist. It would be interdisciplinary, representing artistic creativity in most forms. It would have traditional arts, preserving and presenting the best of our own and other cultures, and contemporary arts, acknowledging artists of the day, particularly those who challenge aesthetic conventions.” 

June 1, 1984 was the official opening of the 10-week long Los Angeles Olympic Arts Festival. Pina Bausch Wuppertaler Tanztheater, the controversial West German dance company opened the festival. Other performing arts companies making their American debuts included Britain's Royal Opera of Covent Garden, the National Theater of Greece, Austrialia's Circus Oz, and Japan's erotic modern dance company, Sankaijuku.

It was important that the festival leave a visible legacy. The Los Angeles Olympic committee commissioned several works of public art. Sculptor Robert Graham’s bronze grand Gateway facing the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exhibition Park was a gift to the people of Los Angeles from the Olympic Committee.

Another major commission was the Olympic Mural Project. Ten major Los Angeles artist known for their mural paintings were asked to decorate the freeways between downtown Los Angeles and the Olympic Coliseum with their individual works being cultivated by their own sense of style.

The idea was if the Festival had done what it set out to do the “images would haunt the minds and remain on the retina long after the last performance and exhibition had ended”.

The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics left a lasting artistic and cultural impact. Recognizing and incorporating the differences of individuals and cultural communities was very important. This was done by having people show through artistic expression; murals, sculpture, music the differences they envelop and yet to put aside differences and "rejoice" in being alive. 

Rodolfo Escalera a Mexican artist, was awarded the opportunity to create nine paintings, depicting many of the various sporting events, that were in turn converted into the highest quality collectible porcelain plates and sold, in limited edition quantities, to the general public. These plates were also used by the Olympic committee as the “official gift” being presented to all of the visiting dignitaries from throughout the world.

 At these Olympic Games Mary Lou Retton executed breath taking performances to win the women’s all around gold medal in Artistic Gymnastics. She broke the United States women’s losing streak. Because of this she got herself on the front of a Wheaties box and became their first official sponsor. She also was named “Sports Illustrated Woman of the Year”.

Rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming also made their first appearance as did the women's cycling road race.

http://escaleraart.com/pages/the-artist.html

http://www.olympic.org/los-angeles-1984-summer-olympics

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1109/olymipcs-olympians-to-watch/content.37.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/02/theater/olympic-arts-festival-opens-in-la.html
http://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1984/ore198/ORE198o.pdf

The Games of the XXIII Olympiad

The 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, California, in the United States of America is officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad. This was an international multi-sporting event.  The official mascot of the Los Angeles Games was Sam the Olympic Eagle. The logo of the games featured five blue, white and red stars arranged horizontally and struck through with alternating streaks; it was named "Stars in Motion."

The 1984 Olympics were held in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This is an outdoor sports stadium in Downtown Los Angeles, California at Exposition Park. The stadium is located next to the Los Angeles Sports Arena. There were 6,797 competitors participating from 140 countries.

There were 221 events in 23 sports in the twenty-third Summer Games in 1984. Medals were awarded for archery, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, football, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, shooting, swimming, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling and yachting.

The United States won 174 medals in total with 83 gold medals, 61 silver medals, and 30 Bronze medals. The Games were officially opened by President Ronald Reagan. The athletes uttered Olympic oath led by Edwin Moses. Judges took Olympic oath led by Sharon Weber. In the stadium, the Olympic Flame was lit by Rafer Johnson.

Neroli Fairhall paralyzed from the waist down from a 1969 automobile accident placed 35th when she broke ground for disabled competitors at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in archery.

http://www.mapsofworld.com/olympics/history/los-angeles-usa-1984-olympics.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/sports/13fairhall.html?_r=0

Opening of the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympic Games, July 28- August 12 and Changes in the Eastern World

Los Angeles celebrates the opening of the 1984 Summer Olympics officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, July 28-August 12. After turmoil brought on by the by the 1972 Munich Massacre and the financial disaster realized by Quebec, Los Angeles was the only host city to bid for the 1984 Summer Olympics. Tehran had considered bidding for these games but because of the social and political changes occurring in Iran they decided to withdrawal their bid. Many countries were not interested in bidding for the games because of the previous problems with hosting the games.

The Munich Massacre in 1972 led to the death of two Israeli Olympic team members and nine other hostages dying. The five terrorists responsible for the Israeli team member’s death also died. This was followed by Quebec’s overspending to build for the 1976 Olympic Games placing them in debt by 2 billion dollars leading to decades of trying to pay this debt off. Moscow in 1980 was also saddled by expenses exceeding their revenues.

The Los Angeles Olympic Games on the other hand profits by 223 million dollars. Except for a swim stadium and the velodrome, the Los Angeles Olympic Committee used pre-existing facilities to host the games. This became the model of future Olympic Games. The United States used corporate sponsorship and already existing facilities to keep their cut cost.

In the Eastern World major political changes were occurring in 1984. The United States after 116 years established diplomatic relations with the Vatican. This was the first time since 1867. Originally, in 1867 after hearing a rumor that the Pope would forbid American Protestants to hold services within Rome's city walls the United States congress passed a resolution stating no federal funds could be used to maintain a diplomatic mission in Rome. This meant President Reagan's "personal envoy" to the Vatican would have the rank of ambassador and the Vatican's apostolic delegate in Washington would have the title Apostic Nuncio.  This change meant that the ambassador's salary would be paid from federal funds. Previously, at receptions where the Pope presided the presidential envoy was often given a back seat with the deputy sitting with the "wives".

This year the first female vice president Geraldine Ferraro was nominated with Walter Mondale to run as the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. President Reagan received 58.8% of popular vote to Mondale's 40.6%. Ronald Reagan had received 525 electoral votes compared to Mondale's 13 electoral votes. This was a huge victory for Reagan. No other candidate since 1984 has been able to match or surpass Reagan's electoral vote.

http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/p/munichmassacre.htm

http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/1984_Summer_Olympics.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBCetGNwwtM
http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/jan/11/vatican-usa-diplomatic-relations-1984-archive

Changes in the Western World: Soviets Announce Boycott of 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles

In the Western World, the Soviet Union announced their withdrawal from the 1984 summer Olympic games to be held in Los Angeles. Not surprising to many after the United States had boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Prior to the Soviets announcing their withdrawal from the Olympic Games 13 other communist nations also withdrew from these Games.

The Soviet Union made this announcement under the premise that their Olympians may be under danger of physical attacks and possible protests. They do not believe the United States government will provide adequate protection for their Olympians. The Soviet government issued a statement claiming, “It is known from the very first days of preparations for the present Olympics the American administration has sought to set course at using the Games for its political aims. Chauvinistic sentiments and anti-Soviet hysteria are being whipped up in this country.” It was felt by the United States that this was also a response to the Cold War support given to the Muslims by the United States.  President Ronald Reagan responded, saying the Soviet Union’s response was “a blatant political decision for which there was no real justification.”

The result of the lack of competition from the Soviet Union, East Germany, and the other communist nations ended with the United States taking a record 83 gold metals. Diplomatically the political retribution had very little impact. Conversely, China for the first time since 1932 agreed to participate in the summer Olympic Games being held in Los Angeles.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-announce-boycott-of-1984-olympics

http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/jul/30/russia-boycotts-los-angeles-olympic-games