Week of April 8, 1981

The space shuttle Columbia with astronauts John W. Young and Robert L.

Crippen in the cockpit, came within nine minutes of being launched, but a timing

error caused the effort to be abandoned. Crowds estimated at half a million

people jammed roadways and beached for miles around the Kennedy Space

Center to wait for a launch that never came. It’ll be postponed for two days.

Poland’s National Assembly bans strikes for the next 60 days.

President Reagan leaves the

White House, declaring he had

“much to be thankful for.”

The space shuttle Columbia

lifts-off - the first time a shuttle

has ever been launched into

space by America!

President Reagan, back at the

White after 12 days in the

hospital, was up at 6:50a.m to

witness the launch of the space

shuttle Columbia and then spent a restful day in preparation for a week of limited

activity. “It was a spectacular sight said the President.

A Soviet fishing trawler is escorted by a Coast Guard cutter away from an area of

international waters where the space shuttle Columbia’s twin booster rockers

were soon to splash down.

Atlantic City acting Mayor Gustav J. Akerland, described by friends and political

associates as a high-strung perfectionist, lay near death having apparently shot

himself in despair over the city’s 1982 fiscal budget. “He was driving everybody

nuts with details, said a friend.

Convicted IRA guerrilla Bobby Sands defeats his Protestant rival in a

parliamentary election but cannot take his seat in Britain’s House of Commons

because he is in prison on a hunger strike, “to the death.’

Week of April 8, 1981

The body of a young black man is found in an abandoned apartment building in

Atlanta, and officials identified the victim as a retarded man who disappeared last

President Reagan, although doing well in his recover, will not take to the

airwaves this week to promote his economic recovery program. Meantime, the

White House said the President would not compromise with Congress on his

three-year tax-cut plan, despite the House budget chairman’s hint the

Administration may be willing to make a deal.

The United States pledges $285 million in aid to Africa refugees during 1981 and

1982.

54 hours later -Some 225,000

applaud the landing of the space

Force Base in California. Shouts of

“go-go,” and “come on!” could be

heard.

five-star

generals. He

was 88.

Basque guerrillas assassinate two retired army colonels

and a business executive in Spain’s worst day of political

violence this year.

Another Jodi Foster fixation? The man secret service

arrested last week, Edward Richardson for promising to

kill President Reagan, had also written a letter to actress

Jodi Foster. In it, he said he wanted to kill her. Wow! And, there’s no connection

between he and John Hinckley.

NBC begins its 16th consecutive year as the baseball game

of the week begins this weekend. Joe Garagiola and Tony

Kubek call the action.

Week of April 8, 1981

In Las Vegas, Larry Holmes wins in a 15-round unanimous decision in a bout

against Trevor Berbick.

Dan Driessen draws a bases-laded walk off reliever tug McGraw with one out in

the bottom of the ninth to lift Cincinnati to a 32 victory over the defending world

champion Philadelphia Phillies in the 1981 season opener

type phone service called cell phones. . The Bell system wins

about half the potential business. Cellular radio takes its name

from a process of dividing cities into small geographic pieces -

or cells - each served by a low powered radio transmitter.

Through computer switching, a call made from a moving

vehicle can be transferred automatically from cell to cell and

frequency to frequency without interrupting the conversation.

The current system uses a single powerful radio

phone can continue regardless of the vehicle’s whereabouts.

But, this older technology allows just 24 simultaneous

conversations to take place in a place such as New York City,

where Cell will offer hundreds of thousands of calls. AT&T

announced that it would be prepared to operate its firs cellular

system by 1983 and could be operating in 70 major cities by

the mid 1980’s.

Music news -

Wendy O. Williams lead singer of the Plasmatics punk-rock

band is found innocent of an obscenity charge in Cleveland.

She was accused of performing wearing only shaving cream.

Kit Lambert, the promoter who discovered the Who in a tavern

and set them on the path to stardom, dies of injuries suffered

in a fall. He was 45.

channel -ARTS (Alpha Repertory Television Service). It’ll be

offered to all subscribers who receive the Nickelodeon

children’s channel: Nick by day, ARTS at night. Nick runs until 9pm, then ARTS

takes 3 hours with music, theater, dance, literature and fine arts.

Abe Vigoda returns to “Barney” (one shot deal) after 3 ½ years after he starred in

his own series “Fish.” If it works out, Vigoda could be back at the sitcom as a

regular next season.

Week of April 8, 1981

Saturday night television -

CBS - WKRP In Cincinnati, Flo, That’s My Line, Riker

NBC - Barbara Mandrell & The Mandrell Sisters, The Gangster Chronicles, Hill

Street Blues, Saturday Night Live

ABC - Eight Is Enough, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island

PBS - PBS - Austin City Limits

That’s My Line - Bob Barker hosts this look at an unusual with unusual

professions.

At the movies -

The Postman Always Rings Twice

Back Roads

Black Hole

Excalibur

The Howling

Modern Romance

The Jazz Singer

Scanners

Altered States

Week of April 8, 1981

Week of April 8, 1981