Assignment 4 - The Day I Was Born

September 13, 1983

I was born on Tuesday in Pennsylvania. The weather where I was born was beautiful. Harrisburg, PA had a high of 66 degrees and zero precipitation. However, the weather wasn’t perfect everywhere. On the day I was born it rained in New York City and Dallas had temperatures north of a scorching 96 degrees. On the day I was born many events transpired that molded the way we now think and live. But what is equally intriguing are the events that have stayed relatively the same. After three decades we are not so far removed from many of the same issues, media and culture that was created on September 13^th, 1983. The common thread is Darwin’s Law: survival of the fittest. What ideas evolved and survived on this planet for the past 30 years and avoided extinction?

The Olympic Eagle gold coin. 

Extinction equals irrelevance. For example, the US Mint struck its first gold coin in 50 years on September 13^th, 1983. They called it the Olympic Eagle. It was a gorgeous looking coin. Who cares? We’ve been subtly shifting away from tangible money since the early 1900s. There is not Olympic Eagles in heavy circulation around this country now nor have there ever been. Gold coins are merely a hobby at present day, making the entire endeavor seem futile. This is a currently extinct idea born alongside me. Yet, there are many ideas that have survived alongside me as well. 

          

Time cover, Sept. 1983

Some headlines in the news on the day I was born seem dated which only makes sense. It is odd that the biggest headlines are only a few nouns away from being ripped from a newspaper yesterday. Moscow vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on this day. It stemmed from a civilian Korean 747 that Russia shot down because of airspace infringement much like Russia vetoing UN resolutions currently in regards to their aggressive defiance of Ukraine’s independence. Russian rebels also shot down a Malaysian flight earlier this year.  

Downed Malaysian plane by Russians in 2014.

On this day Chrysler agreed to pay$311.1 million to the Government to buy back their stock as reward for helping bail Chrysler out in 1980. This sounds eerily similar to bailing out the auto industry in 2009. In fact, Chrysler, along with Ford and GM, participated in that one as well. Finally, Pres. Regan asked Congress to use more aggressivetactics in Lebanon on Sept. 13^th, 1983 by implementing a continuing military presence. Not coincidentally, ISIS is currently eyeing Northern Lebanon in a major offensive that Pres. Obama must now act upon politically and militarily. Different decades, same Russia, same auto bailouts, and same military conflicts.

The Osborne 1 portable computing device. 

There was a major death on the day I was born. A death that impacts us all to this day. Adam Osborne killed his company. The pioneering done by Osborne heavily influenced Apple and Compaq in the early stages of portable computers. However, Osborne Computer Corporation, maker of the first portable computer with a bundled software suite, declared bankruptcy on September 13^th, 1983 due to the notorious “The Osborne Effect”: 

The unintended consequences of a company pre-announcement made when the timing is misjudged, which ends up having a negative impact on the sales of the current product.

Now, in 2014, all tech companies are extra savvy when it comes to upcoming product announcements as to not jeopardize current merchandise.  

     

But the correlations don’t stop there.  The reigning box office champion for 8 weeks in a row on the day I was born was a film called “Mr. Mom”, a Michael Keaton comedy classic that solidified him as a movie star for the next fifteen years. 

Last week “Birdman” was released in theaters. It stars Michael Keaton as a washed up famous actor and is critically hailed as his best work to date, which should revitalize his career. The musical charts were dominated on the day I was born by the Eurhythmics’ classic “Sweet Dreams (Were Made of This)”. 

Annie Lennox

The lead singer of the Eurhythmics is Annie Lennox. Guess who is number ten on the Billboard Top 200 this week? Yep, it’s Annie Lennox with her new album Nostalgia.

While many magazines could be purchased on the day I was born only one had a multimillionaire who was only 15 years old. 

Right side, second from the bottom is a future superstar. 

Thrasher Magazine featured relatively unknown skateboarder Tony Hawk describing his up and coming sport. Now he is kind of a big deal.

If you wanted to watch TV on the day I was born you were probably watching Tuesday night’s highest rated show: The A-Team on NBC. Perhaps cartoons are more your speed. The second ever official episode of G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero debuted on the day I was born. If you missed it, don’t fret, because both properties have been reimagined as big budget movies in the past four years, further solidifying the lack of extinction. 

Of course things change with time and remaining constant is rarely a good trait in evolution. On the day I was born, a Jeep costs $7600 on The Price Is Right.(Jump to 5:15)

In 2014, the price of the Jeep has gone up, but you can still buy a Jeep. You can even still watch The Price Is Right! The culture created and appreciated on the day I was created is very much sewn into the fabric of today. Some ideas like auto bailouts have survived despite their contempt, while others, like “The Osborne Effect” have served as valuable reminders and will continue to do so. The day I was born is not a day that will live in infamy, but it appears to be a day that will live forever.