Back in 1982, there were ten significant events that occurred, according to peoplehistory.com:

  1. Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking album “Thriller” was released

  2. The break-up of the AT&T monopoly was ordered

  3. Argentina invades the Falkland Islands / Malvinas

  4. The first episode of Late Night with David Letterman debuts on NBC

  5. The popular science fiction film “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” debuts during June

  6. Disney Futuristic Park EPCOT ( Experimental Community Of Tomorrow )is opened

  7. Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide kill 7 in Chicago

  8. The Mary Rose, flagship of Henry VIII of England is raised in the Solent

  9. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC is dedicated

  10. The First Commercial use of Genetic Engineering is Launched when human insulin produced by bacteria is marketed

These events intertwined with my life in many ways. I clearly remember taking my 8-year old son to the mall for an event celebrating the premiere of E.T. I was involved in setting up and promoting a related meet and greet with Drew Barrymore, who was the same age. He spent the morning with the family, and developed a bit of a crush over the future star. He was also a big fan of Michael Jackson so Thriller was a popular tune in our home – to the point of excessiveness. The Jackson Five and David Letterman were fellow Hoosiers. Also, our first family trip to Disney World was around this time, so I remember the giant Epcot ball that was being built at the entrance to the new park. In addition, I would eventually become an AT&T stock holder through the subsidiary that I worked for a few years later. 

The Vietnam Memorial was an emotional, late-night experience for me as part of a business convention years later. It reminded me how lucky I was to have avoided that war, ending the young lives of several of my high school classmates. On a lighter note, I still curse the safety caps on medication and household supplies that make them a hassle to open. We can all thank the Tylenol incident of 1982 for additional safety seals on plastic bottles that often require getting the tool box out. 

It’s now 40-years later since these impactful events happened. Late night hosts have changed many times over, while Letterman has gotten more involved in Indycar racing. AT&T is still the world’s largest telecommunications company despite government intervention. Despite Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, his music and siblings continue to be popular. Disney World has expanded to four parks and water features. Drew Barrymore, currently 47, has been in at least 63 movies, three of those with Adam Sandler. Once more, countries are still invading each other and more monuments have been torn down in this era of civil unrest rather than built. Furthermore, genetic engineering continues to be a subject far to complicated for me to even discuss and makes my brain ache. Please pass the Tylenol.