Finally, MTV got into the history business with its "MTV Rockumentary" series, which examined the careers of artists from R.E.M. Capitalizing on its newfound success, MTV expanded its programming throughout the 1980s. In September 1984 it held the first MTV Video Music Awards, featuring Madonna's provocative rendition of "Like a Virgin" in which she rolled around the stage in a wedding dress. Perhaps no one is responsible for more cult classic films of the 1980s than filmmaker John Hughes. This focus was evidenced by Michael Jackson's 1983 video "Thriller," a 14-minute feature directed by John Landis that included a storyline, dialogue and guest appearances. Given their boxy graphics and simple interface, it might be hard to remember just how revolutionary home video game consoles were in the 1980s. When the decade began, the Odyssey was still game console No. 1. But it didn't take long for the Atari 2600 to take over the market, with games like "Space Invaders," "Breakout," "Missile Command" and "Combat." Mattel released a competing system in 1980 called Intellivision, which boasted slightly better graphics than its older counterpart and featured the first synthesized voices in video games. This is a special graphics mode used by digital video, animation and video games to achieve certain looks.

Though the technology looks ancient to us today, the Sony Walkman was the iPod of its time. With an average rating of four stars at the Apple App Store, Dynolicious can be purchased for the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, the 3Gs, what is control cable the iPhone 4 and 4S as well as the iPod touch. While many people still preferred to listen to vinyl albums in their homes, the popularity of these portable cassette devices undoubtedly helped tapes outsell records for the first time in 1983. Cementing its place in audio history, "Walkman" entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1986. Sony still uses the term to brand its MP3 players, but none have enjoyed the success of the original cassette player. In some locations parents even became violent in an effort to get their hands on one of the few dolls still in stock. BabyLand General still produces the dolls for a new generation of Cabbage Patch Kids fans. The company began mass-producing the dolls in 1982 under the name Cabbage Patch Kids, selling them for between $20 and $40 each (though the handmade dolls from BabyLand had sold for about $125). Initially, they were handmade and sold from BabyLand General, a flagship store in Cleveland, Ga., where children could witness the "birthing" process before signing the adoption papers and receiving the doll's birth certificate.

Adams, William Lee. "The Rubik's Cube: A Puzzling Success." Time Magazine World. Both televisions and computer screens (as well as newspaper and magazine photos) rely on this fusion-of-small-colored-dots capability in the human brain to chop pictures up into thousands of individual elements. Sato, Hajime and Frantz, Janet E. "Termination of the leprosy isolation policy in the US and Japan: Science, policy changes, and the garbage can model." BMC International Health and Human Rights Watch. National Institutes of Health. Saunderson, Paul R. "Leprosy Elimination: Not as Straightforward as It Seemed." Public Health Reports. Robbins, Gwen. "Ancient Skeletal Evidence for Leprosy in India (2000 B.C.)" PLOS ONE. Bedrooms are required to have at least one window large enough to use as an escape in case of a fire. Now, with the growing popularity of '80s-inspired parties and clothing, one has to wonder: Is the decade making a comeback? Rarely does a toy command the wide appeal and lasting popularity of the Rubik's Cube.

The Rubik's Cube became an instant sensation, enjoying popularity among the young and old in many countries. The fad was so inescapable, in fact, that a popular collectable during the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana was a Rubik's Cube emblazoned with the royal couple's image. Invented by Hungarian Professor Erno Rubik in 1974, the six-sided, multicolored puzzle was originally known as the Magic Cube. The dolls, originally known as Little People, were invented in the late 1970s by art student and Georgia native Xavier Roberts. After Roberts appeared on the television show "Real People" to promote his creation in 1980, sales spiked, catching the attention of toy manufacturer Coleco. Sales of the dolls peaked in 1985 before falling, along with Coleco's fortunes. His first success in the genre was "Sixteen Candles" (1984) followed by "The Breakfast Club" (1985), "Weird Science" (1985), "Pretty in Pink" (1986), and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986). The actors that Hughes assembled to star in these films -- including Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Jami Gertz, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy -- became collectively known as "The Brat Pack" (lists of who exactly is included in this "pack" vary).