1983 CE

Michael Jackson rises to global popularity following the success of Thriller, the best selling album of all time; the United States invasion of Grenada begins; the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings kill 307 people in Beirut; the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 is shot down by the Soviet Union near Sakhalin Island, killing all on board; the video game crash of 1983 hits the gaming industry; Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space aboard STS-7; the Black July anti-Tamil pogrom erupts in Sri Lanka; the Diretas Já movement demands direct elections in Brazil; and the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia devastates Ethiopia.

In the 1980s, the 20th century.

1983 at a glance

World population: about 4.70 billion Our World in Data
United States: Ronald Reagan (President) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
United Kingdom: Elizabeth II (Queen); Margaret Thatcher (Prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
Soviet Union: Yuri Andropov (General Secretary); Yuri Andropov (Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet); Nikolai Tikhonov (Chairman of the Council of Ministers) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
People's Republic of China: Deng Xiaoping (Paramount Leader); Hu Yaobang (General Secretary); Ye Jianying (NPC Standing Committee Chairman); Li Xiannian (President) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
France: François Mitterrand (President); Pierre Mauroy (Prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
East Germany: Erich Honecker (Chairmen of the State Council); Willi Stoph (Chairman) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
West Germany: Karl Carstens (President); Helmut Kohl (Chancellor of West Germany) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
$1 in 1983: $3.38 in September 2026 dollars BLS CPI-U
Gallon of gas (U.S. average): $1.24 ($4.48 in September 2026) BLS
Most weeks at No. 1 in 1983: “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, 8 weeks Wikipedia rev. 1362800842

Who led every country in 1983 →Born in 1983? What it cost, who led, what was No. 1 →

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

February 3 – Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Fraser is granted a double dissolution of both houses of parliament, for elections on March 5, 1983. As Fraser is being granted the dissolution, Bill Hayden resigns as leader of the Australian Labor Party, and in the subsequent leadership spill Bob Hawke is elected as Hayden's successor unopposed.source
13 February – Spyros Kyprianou of the Democratic Party (and also supported by AKEL) won presidential elections, receiving 56.5% of the vote. Voter turnout was 95.0%.Cyprus source
March 1 – The Balearic Islands and Madrid become Autonomous communities of Spain.source
March 5 – Australian federal election: The Labor Party led by Bob Hawke defeats the Liberal/National Coalition government led by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. Hawke is to be sworn in on March 11. As soon as the results become clear, Fraser resigns from the Liberal leadership; he is replaced by outgoing Minister for Industry and Commerce Andrew Peacock.source
March 21 – Yamoussoukro officially becomes the Ivorian political capital after transfer from Abidjan.source
March 29 – Germany's first elected Green Party representatives take their seats in the West German Bundestag, dressed in jeans and sweaters and accompanied by bongo drums.source
24 April – In the 1983 Austrian legislative election, the Socialist Party wins 90 out of a possible 183 seats to secure a fifth term in government, prompting Bruno Kreisky to stand down as SPÖ leader.Austria source
May 17 – Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.source
28 May – The Green Party of Switzerland is established.Switzerland source
July 4 – Filipino-American Friendship DayPhilippines source
July 20 – The government of Poland announces the end of martial law and amnesty for political prisoners.source
August 4 – Thomas Sankara becomes President of Upper Volta.source
August 4 – Bettino Craxi is sworn in as Italy's first prime minister from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI).source
August 24 – South Africa announces "all outstanding issues" preventing independence for South West Africa (present-day Namibia) have been resolved, except for the continuing presence of 23,000 Cuban troops in neighboring Angola.source
September 19 – Saint Kitts and Nevis becomes an independent state.source
21 September – King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden make an official state visit to Luxembourg.Luxembourg source
October 2 – Neil Kinnock is elected leader of the British Labour Party.source
October 30 – Argentine general election: The first democratic elections in Argentina after seven years of military rule are held.source
November 2 – South Africa approves a new constitution granting limited political rights to Coloureds and Asians as part of a series of reforms to apartheid.source
November 11 – Ronald Reagan becomes the first U.S. president to address the National Diet, Japan's national legislature.source
November 15 – The Turkish part of Cyprus declares independence.source
November 17 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is founded in Mexico.source
3 December – 1983 Republic of China legislative election.Taiwan source
December 4 – General elections are celebrated in Venezuela in which the opposition party, Democratic Action, wins a majority in both chambers of the Venezuelan Congress and the presidency for the 1984–1989 period under Jaime Lusinchi. Voter turnout is 87.3% and Lusinchi obtains 58.4% of the votes.source
December 10 – Military rule ends and democracy is restored in Argentina, with the beginning of Raúl Alfonsín's first term as President of Argentina.source
11 December - Hussain Muhammad Ershad takes charge as the President of Bangladesh.Bangladesh source
December 13 – Turgut Özal, of ANAP forms the new government of Turkey (45th government); beginning a new civilian regime.source
Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan: Tuanku Jaafar (Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong)Malaysia source

Conflict & Security

January 14 – The head of Bangladesh's military dictatorship, Hussain Muhammad Ershad, announces his intentions to "turn Bangladesh into an Islamic state."source
February 12 – 100 women protest in Lahore, Pakistan, against military dictator Zia-ul-Haq's proposed Law of Evidence. The women are tear-gassed, baton-charged and thrown into lock-up but are successful in repealing the law.source
February 18 – Nellie massacre: Over 2,000 people, mostly Bangladeshi Muslims, are massacred in Assam, India, during the Assam agitation.source
18 February - Over 2,000 people, mostly Muslims of Bangladeshi origin, are massacred in Assam, India, during the Assam agitation.Bangladesh source
19 April – Moshe Levi is appointed as the 12th Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.Israel source
April 29 – Erich Honecker cancels planned goodwill visit to Bonn due to escalating nuclear tensions.source
May 11 – Aberdeen F.C. beat Real Madrid 2–1 to win the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983, becoming only the third Scottish side to win a European trophy.source
May 20 – Church Street bombing: A car bombing in Pretoria, South Africa, kills 19 people. The bomb has been planted by members of Umkhonto we Sizwe, a military wing of the African National Congress.source
May 25 – Hamburger SV defeat Juventus 1–0 in the final of the European Cup.source
June 5 – The Second Sudanese Civil War begins in Sudan.source
June 18 – Iranian teenager Mona Mahmudnizhad and nine other women are hanged because they are members of the Baháʼí Faith.source
June 22 – Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old Vatican girl, mysteriously disappears in Rome while returning home from a music lesson. The disappearance of the girl led to many speculations involving international terrorism, Italian organized crime, and even a plot inside the Vatican to cover a sexual scandal inside the Holy See. Because of all these theories, the Orlandi case would later become Italy's most famous mystery.source
July 15 – The Orly Airport attack in Paris leaves eight dead and 55 injured.source
15 July – Armenian terrorists bomb the Turkish Airlines check-in counter in Paris, resulting in 7 deaths.Turkey source
23 July – The 25-year long Sri Lankan Civil War begins, following rising ethnic tensions between the minority Tamil and majority Sinhalese communities of Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka source
July 24 – The Black July anti-Tamil riots begin in Sri Lanka, killing between 400 and 3,000 Sri Lankan Tamils and Hill-country Tamils.source
August 21 – Former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and Ronaldo Galman are shot dead at Manila International Airport tarmac after his arrival. The event is cited to be a catalyst to the People Power Revolution.Philippines source
September 26 – 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident: Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov averts a worldwide nuclear war by correctly identifying a warning of attack by U.S. missiles as a false alarm.source
October 9 – The Rangoon bombing kills South Korea's Foreign Minister, Lee Bum Suk, and 21 others. The perpetrators are believed to be North Koreans.source
9 October – Rangoon bombing: North Korean agents planted a bomb in an attempt to assassinate President Chun. However, the bomb exploded prematurely, killing several high-ranking South Korean officials and four Burmese nationals. President Chun narrowly escaped the attack.South Korea source
October 23 – Beirut barracks bombing: Simultaneous suicide truck-bombings destroy both the French Army and United States Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. servicemen, 58 French paratroopers and 6 Lebanese civilians.source
October 25 – Invasion of Grenada by United States troops at the behest of Eugenia Charles of Dominica, a member of the Organization of American States.source
November 3 – Commencement of the battle of Tripoli between Arafat loyalists and PLO dissidents.source
November 7 – Able Archer 83: Many Soviet officials misinterpret this NATO exercise as a nuclear first strike, causing the last nuclear scare of the Cold War.source
November 7 – 1983 U.S. Senate bombing: A bomb explodes in the United States Senate with the intent to kill Republican senators; no one is injured. The perpetrators are members of the May 19th Communist Organization.source
16 November – English football fans riot in Luxembourg City, leading to fifty arrests, after a match against Luxembourg.Luxembourg source
The Indian Army captures Siachen in a military raid.Pakistan source

Exploration & Expansion

7 February - The airfield at Sydenham, Belfast, reopens to commercial flights as Belfast Harbour Airport.Northern Ireland source
February – Malaysia officially occupied the Layang-Layang Islands or "Swallow Reefs" atolls, one of the Spratly Islands. A naval base and resort was later built at this location.Malaysia source
2 March – Free trade zones created in Aliağa, Antalya and Yumurtalık.Turkey source
July 22 – Australian Dick Smith completes his solo circumnavigation of the world in a helicopter.source
4 September – Six men walk underwater in Sydney Harbour as part of an attempt to break a world record. They achieved 82.9 km in 48 hours.Australia source
16 September – The Gala department store chain ends its operations in Chile, selling its location in the Parque Arauco shopping center to Falabella.Chile source
19 September - The MK2 Volkswagen Golf is unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, spelling the end of MK1 Golf production after almost a decade. It will be launched in left-hand drive form imminently, and in right-hand drive form from March 1984.Germany source
Bangladeshi author Abdullah-Al-Muti won the UNESCO Kalinga Prize.Bangladesh source
The founding of the kibbutz Neve Harif.Israel source

Religion & Belief

January 6 – Pope John Paul II appoints a bishop over the Czechoslovak exile community, which the Rudé právo newspaper calls a "provocation." This begins a year-long disagreement between the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Vatican, leading to the eventual restoration of diplomatic relations between the two states.source
January 26 – 1983 Code of Canon Law: Pope John Paul II revises Roman Catholic canon law, the first such revision since 1917. Among the changes is a reduction in the number of offenses qualifying for automatic excommunication, from 37 to only seven.source
28 January – Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe considers expulsion of Turkey because of alleged human rights violations.Turkey source
21 February – The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) endorses the Prices and Incomes Accord drawn up jointly with the Australian Labor Party.Australia source
March 15 – Reform rabbis in the U.S. vote to affirm both patrilineal and matrilineal descent for determining Jewish identity. While Jewish tradition defines a Jew as someone with a Jewish mother, this decision by the Central Conference of American Rabbis amends this principle to mean one Jewish "parent."source
16 March – Two Chinese newspapers, the Nanyang Siang Pau and Sin Chew Jit Poh, merged to become Lianhe Zaobao and Lianhe Wanbao.Singapore source
March 25 – Sweden re-establishes diplomatic ties with the Vatican after a 450-year interruption. Sweden broke off relations in 1534 in keeping with the rise of Lutheranism.source
10 June – Juan Francisco Fresno assumes as Archbishop of Santiago after the resignation of Raúl Silva Henríquez.Chile source
1 July – Bank Islam Malaysia (BIMB), Malaysia's first Islamic bank was founded.Malaysia source
11 November – Menachem Mendel Kasher (born 1895), Russian (Poland)-born Israeli rabbi and author.Israel source
November - The first Ekatmata Yatras held by Vishva Hindu Parishad.India source
December 2: The Church of Latter Day Saints founds its Mexico City Mexico Temple.Mexico source
December 27 – Pope John Paul II visits Rebibbia prison to forgive his would-be assassin Mehmet Ali Ağca.source

Economy & Finance

1 January – The Trade Development Board is formed to promote trade, taking over the Timber Industry Board and the Department of Trade with responsibility for domestic trading of commodities handled by the Domestic Trade Section of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and metrication taken over by the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research.Singapore source
January 23 – The European Economic Community's Common Fisheries Policy comes into effect.source
February 18 – The Venezuelan bolívar is devalued and exchange controls are established in an event now referred to as Black Friday by many Venezuelans (the Bolívar had been the most stable and internationally accepted currency).source
February 18: The federal government decrees a maximum devaluation of the Cruzeiro, Brazil's monetary unit.Brazil source
7 May – The Perusahan Otomobil Nasional Berhad (PROTON) was established.Malaysia source
16 May – Nationalist Democracy Party founded.Turkey source
1 June - Inflation reaches 32.4%, this being the maximum peak of the crisis of 1982, this being the third most important economic crisis in the history of Chile only surpassed by the economic crisis of 1929 and the economic crisis of 1973 during the socialist government of Salvador Allende which, with 606% inflation, was the biggest economic crisis in the history of the country.Chile source
30 June – Laws are passed to restructure the steel industry that enter into force the next day.Luxembourg source
June - November – 1983 Italian regional elections.Italy source
December 9 – The Australian dollar is floated by Federal treasurer Paul Keating. Under the old flexible peg system, the Reserve Bank bought and sold all Australian dollars and cleared the market at the end of the day. This initiative is taken by the government of Bob Hawke.source
Benedetti's Pizza is founded by Felipe Baeza.Mexico source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the true Internet).source
January 27 – The pilot shaft of the Seikan Tunnel, the world's longest sub-aqueous tunnel (53.85 km) in Japan, breaks through.source
February 5–6 – The team of A. J. Foyt, Preston Henn, Bob Wollek and Claude Ballot-Léna win the 24 Hours of Daytona automobile race in a Porsche 935.source
February 13 - The launching of Ang Iglesia ni Cristo the first religious program on MBS Channel 4 (now PTV-4).Philippines source
February 28 – The final episode of the TV series M*A*S*H, entitled Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, airs on CBS, to a total audience of 121.6 million.source
March 9 – The 3D printer is invented by Chuck Hull.source
April 15 – Tokyo Disneyland opens to the public.source
April 18 – The Disney Channel launches in the United States.source
April 21 – John Glenn announces a presidential run.source
June 13 – The first worldwide mobile telephone, the Motorola DynaTAC, enters the market.source
June 30 – A total loss of coolant occurs at the Embalse Nuclear Power Station, Argentina. It is classified as an "Accident With Local Consequences" – level 4 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.source
July 15 – Nintendo's Family Computer, also known as the Famicom, goes on sale in Japan.source
1 August – The Singapore Broadcasting Corporation launches SBCtext on SBC 5 and SBC 8.Singapore source
14 August – The 1983 Austrian Grand Prix is held at the Österreichring, and is won by Alain Prost in a Renault.Austria source
October 13 – The world's first commercial mobile cellular telephone call is made, in Chicago, United States.source
October 25 – Word processor software Multi-Tool Word, soon to become Microsoft Word, is released in the United States. It is primarily the work of programmers Richard Brodie and Charles Simonyi. Free demonstration copies on disk are distributed with the November issue of PC World magazine.source
31 October – The opening of Guandu Bridge which links Taipei and New Taipei.Taiwan source
1 December - Lao National Television is established.Laos source
Abahani KC won 1983 Dhaka First Division League title while Mohammedan SC became runner-up.Bangladesh source
Raja Permaisuri Agong: Tengku Ampuan AfzanMalaysia source
The first F-16 is inducted into the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).Pakistan source

Science & Discovery

January 25 – IRAS is launched from Vandenberg AFB, to conduct the world's first all-sky infrared survey from space.source
April 4 – The Space Shuttle Challenger is launched on its maiden voyage: STS-6.source
11 April – News of "spy flights" by Royal Australian Air Force aircraft over Tasmania under orders from Minister Gareth Evans sparks outrage.Australia source
16 April – Michael Zohary (born 1898), Austro-Hungary (Galicia)-born Israeli botanist.Israel source
April 25 – Manchester, Maine schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov, after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war.United States source
June 13 – Pioneer 10 passes the orbit of Neptune, becoming the first human-made object to leave the vicinity of the major planets of the Solar System.source
June 18 – Sally Ride becomes the first female American astronaut in space when she launches on board Challenger's STS-7 mission together with four male crewmates.source
June 18 – STS-7: Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space, on the Space Shuttle Challenger.United States source
1 July – The Official Information Act 1982 replaces the 1951 Official Secrets Act.New Zealand source
July 7 – Ten-year-old American girl Samantha Smith accepts her invitation from Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov and begins her visit to the USSR with her parents.source
11 July – Fandi Ahmad signs for FC Groningen.Singapore source
September 26 – The Australian yacht Australia II wins the America's Cup, the first successful challenge to the New York Yacht Club's 132-year defence of the sailing trophy.source
September 26 – The Soyuz T-10-1 mission ends in a pad abort at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, when a pad fire occurs at the base of the Soyuz U rocket during the launch countdown. The escape tower system, attached to the top of the capsule containing the crew and Soyuz spacecraft, fires immediately, pulling the crew safe from the vehicle a few seconds before the rocket explodes, destroying the launch complex.source
September 27 – The GNU Project is announced publicly on the net.unix-wizards and net.usoft newsgroups.source
October 4 – British entrepreneur Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of 633.468 mph (1,019.468 km/h), driving Thrust2 at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada.source
October 21 – At the 17th General Conference on Weights and Measures, the metre is defined in terms of the speed of light as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.source
November 13 – The first United States cruise missiles arrive at RAF Greenham Common in the UK amid protests from peace campaigners.source
18 November – Jon Lech Johansen, programmerNorway source
December - The new Volkswagen Golf manages third place in the European Car of the Year award, which is won by the Fiat Uno from Italy, with second place being attained by the Peugeot 205 from France.Germany source
Nigel Jenkins - Practical DreamsWales source

Health & Medicine

January 30 – Chinese newspaper People's Daily reports that the nation will run out of food and clothes by the year 2000 if the state's population control efforts are not successful.source
March 23 – Strategic Defense Initiative: U.S. President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles.source
April 5 - Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Henry Pybus Bell-Irving summons Premier Bennett to Government House. The L-G issues emergency warrants to cover spending until a snap election.Canada source
April 6 – The FDA approves sale of the first spermicidal sponge, "Today."source
19 June – Simha Erlich (born 1915), Polish-born Israeli politician.Israel source
18 July – The first death in Australia attributable to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) occurs.Australia source
August 7 – Soviet authorities pass harsher punishments for drunkenness and absenteeism, responding to public calls to curb high rates of alcoholism.source
28 October – Gabriel Langfeldt, psychiatrist (born 1895).Norway source
2 November – First successful kidney transplantation in Istanbul.Turkey source
November 14 – The immunosuppressant cyclosporine is approved by the FDA, leading to a revolution in the field of transplantation.source
Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,264,800.New Zealand source
Pat Jennings becomes the first footballer to play in 1,000 Football League matches.Northern Ireland source
In late February an incident of mass hysteria occurred at Hawke's Bay Beach leading to 18 casualties.Pakistan source

Crime & Justice

January 24 – 25 members of the Red Brigades are sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1978 murder of Italian politician Aldo Moro.source
February 2 – Giovanni Vigliotto goes on trial on charges of polygamy involving 105 women.source
February 10 – Dismembered sets of human remains are found at a block of flats in Muswell Hill, North London. 37-year-old civil servant Dennis Nilsen, is arrested on suspicion of murder.source
10 February – Emil Grunzweig (born 1947), Romanian-born Israeli teacher and peace activist, killed by a grenade thrown into a Peace Now demonstration.Israel source
12 February: 1983 women's march, LahorePakistan source
4 May – Doğu Perinçek is sentenced to 12 years in prison.Turkey source
23 July - National Service conscript Sek Kim Wah and his accomplice Nyu Kok Meng went to rob a rich businessman and his family who lived in Andrew Road. Sek murdered three of the victims (which included the businessman, his wife and the family maid), with the remaining two hostages (the businessman's young daughter and the girl's tuition teacher) being released by Nyu, who protected them from Sek's murderous rampage, which would make headlines nationwide and brought shock to Singaporeans in 1983. Sek, who was also involved in an unrelated double murder that occurred a month earlier, was later arrested and sentenced to death for the five murders. Nyu, who turned himself in, was subsequently incarcerated for life and caned 6 strokes for armed robbery after the prosecution decided to dismiss the murder charges against him since he did not partake in the killings Sek committed. Sek was eventually hanged in Changi Prison Complex on 9 December 1988.Singapore source
August 23 – In a crackdown on crime, the Chinese state executes 19 people for murder, 10 for rape, and one for auto theft. By the end of the year, Amnesty International estimates that at least 600 people have been executed in China.source
7 September – Agents from the CNI, Investigations and Carabineros shot 5 MIR militants in two safe houses of the movement located in the communes of Las Condes and Quinta Normal. In these events, a 16-year-old teenager survived, who lived in one of the safe houses.Chile source
September 26 – The mass burial of around 700,000 unsold Atari video game cartridges, consoles, and computers occurs in Alamogordo, New Mexico.source
October 12 – Japan's former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka is found guilty of taking a $2 million bribe from Lockheed, and sentenced to 4 years in jail.source
December 19 – The Jules Rimet Trophy is stolen from the Brazilian Soccer Confederation building in Rio de Janeiro. As of 2025, the trophy has not been recovered.source
Leopold Kohr, the people of Belau, Amory and Hunter Lovins/Rocky Mountain Institute and Manfred Max Neef/CEPAUR win the Right Livelihood Award.source
Sultan of Selangor: Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz ShahMalaysia source
1982–83 Mexican Primera División seasonMexico source
8 and 14 December - 1983 Supertaça Cândido de OliveiraPortugal source

Disasters & Accidents

16 January – Turkish Airlines Flight 158, catches fire, resulting in 45 deaths.Turkey source
29 January – A disaster occurred on the Singapore Cable Car. As a result, 2 cable cars plunged, causing 7 fatalities.Singapore source
February 6 – Fifteen workers die in a mine explosion in Danao, Cebu caused by a cigarette.Philippines source
February 16 – The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia claim the lives of 75 people, in one of Australia's worst bushfire disasters.source
April 18 – The 1983 United States embassy bombing in Beirut kills 63 people.source
April 22 – A reactor shutdown due to failure of fuel rods occurs at Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, Russia.source
May 27 – Benton fireworks disaster. An explosion at an unlicensed and illegal fireworks operation near Benton, Tennessee, kills eleven and injures one. The blast is heard within a radius of 20 mi.source
June 11 – The Italian cargo ship Michelle ran aground just northwest of Dugi Otok.source
July 1 – A North Korean Ilyushin Il-62M jet, en route to Conakry Airport in Guinea, crashes into the Fouta Djall Mountains of Guinea, killing all 23 people on board.source
July 1 – A technical failure causes the release of iodine-131 from the Philippsburg Nuclear Power Plant, Germany.source
1 July – Chosonminhang Ilyushin Il-62 crashNorth Korea source
July 16 – Sikorsky S-61 disaster: A helicopter crashes off the Isles of Scilly, causing 20 fatalities.source
July 23 – Heavy rain and mudslides in western Shimane Prefecture, Japan, kill 117.source
September 1 – Cold War: Korean Air Lines Flight 007 is shot down by Soviet Union Air Force Su-15 Flagon pilot Major Gennadi Osipovich near Moneron Island when the commercial aircraft enters Soviet airspace. All 269 on board are killed, including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald.source
1 September – A Malaysian named Siow Woon Kwang was among the victims in Korean Air Lines Flight 007 that was shot down by a Soviet interceptor jet and crashed near Moneron Island, Soviet Union, killing all 269 passengers.Malaysia source
1 September – Korean Air Flight 007 was shot down by a Soviet SU-15 Interceptor.South Korea source
1 September – 23 Taiwanese citizens were among the victims in Korean Air Lines Flight 007 that was shot down by a Soviet interceptor jet and crashed near Moneron Island, Soviet Union, killing all 269 passengers and crew.Taiwan source
September 6 – The Soviet Union admits to shooting down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, stating that the pilots did not know it was a civilian aircraft when it violated Soviet airspace.source
September 23 – Gulf Air Flight 771 crashes in the United Arab Emirates after a bomb explodes in the baggage compartment, killing 117.source
September 23 1983 - A bomb explodes on Gulf Air Flight 771, killing all 112 people on board.United Arab Emirates source
November 19 – An attempted hijacking of Aeroflot Flight 6833 in Soviet Georgia results in several dead and wounded.source
November 27 – Colombian Avianca Flight 011 crashes near Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain, killing 181 of the 192 on board.source
December 7 – Two Spanish passenger planes collide on the foggy runway at a Madrid airport, killing 93 people.source
December 17 – The Alcalá 20 nightclub fire in Madrid, Spain, injuring 47 and killing 83 people.source
December 17 – Harrods bombings: a Provisional IRA car bomb kills 6 people and injures 90 outside Harrods department store in London.source
December 31 – Two bombs explode in France: one on a Paris train kills three and injures 19; the other at Marseille station kills two and injures 34.source

Climate & Environment

January 18 – U.S. Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt makes controversial remarks blaming poor living conditions on Native American reservations on "the failures of socialism." Watt will eventually resign in September after a series of other controversial remarks.source
May 26 – The 7.8 Mw Sea of Japan earthquake shakes northern Honshu with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami is generated that leaves about 100 people dead.source
June 9 – Britain's Conservative government, led by Margaret Thatcher, is re-elected by a landslide majority.source
July 12–15 – Typhoon Bebeng, The monsoon spawns a tropical depression on July 12, east of the Philippines. It heads westward, strengthening to a tropical storm that night and a typhoon on the 13th. Vera makes landfall on the 14th as an 85 mph (137 km/h) typhoon in the Philippines, weakens over the islands, especially Luzon, and strengthens over the South China Sea to a 100 mph (160 km/h) typhoon. Damages amounting to a total of US$9 million in the Philippines. The typhoon leaves 45 people dead.Philippines source
July 21 – The lowest temperature on Earth is recorded in Vostok Station, Antarctica with −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).source
July 31 – A heavy massive torrential rain and flood swept hit in Ankang, Shaanxi Province, at least 870 persons were perished, according to China Red Cross official confirmed report.China source
August 18 – Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 and causing over US$3.8 billion (2005 dollars) in damage.source
August 23–29: Hurricane Barry.Mexico source
August 26 – Heavy rain triggers flooding at Bilbao, Spain, and surrounding areas, killing 44 people and causing millions in damages.source
September 23 – Violence erupts in New Caledonia between native Kanaks and French expatriates. The French government withdraws the promise of independence.source
2 October – The 1983 Israel bank stock crisis erupts fully. The crisis results in the collapse of the stocks of the four largest banks in Israel, and the government's nationalization of those banks.Israel source
30 October 1983 Erzurum earthquake with the moment magnitude of 6.6 results in 1,342 deaths.Turkey source
December 31 – The 7.2 Mb Hindu Kush earthquake affects northern Afghanistan and Pakistan with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong), killing 12–26 and injuring 60–483.Pakistan source
The meteorological 1982–83 El Niño event causes severe weather worldwide.source
Sultan of Kelantan: Sultan Ismail PetraMalaysia source

Culture & Society

January 30 – The Washington Redskins defeat the Miami Dolphins to win Super Bowl XVII at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.source
April 11 – Spain's Seve Ballesteros won the 47th PGA Masters Tournament.source
23 April – Representing Luxembourg, Corinne Hermès wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 with the song Si la vie est cadeau. This victory equals France's record tally of five, although this has since been surpassed by the Republic of Ireland in 1994.Luxembourg source
May 6 – Stern magazine publishes the "Hitler Diaries" (which are later found to be forgeries).source
May 16 – Michael Jackson performs the Moonwalk for the first time while performing "Billie Jean" on the Motown 25 television special.source
May 20 – Two separate research groups led by Robert Gallo and Luc Montagnier independently declare that a novel retrovirus may have been infecting people with HIV/AIDS, and publish their findings in the same issue of the journal Science.source
May 28 – The 9th G7 summit begins at Williamsburg, Virginia, United States.source
June 9–25 – The 1983 Cricket World Cup is held in England with India defeating West Indies in the final.source
June 18–19 – The team of Vern Schuppan, Al Holbert and Hurley Haywood wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans.source
June 25 – India wins the Cricket World Cup, defeating the West Indies by 43 runs.source
July 11 – Reading Rainbow debuts on PBS.source
8 August – The establishment of Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Zhongshan District, Taipei.Taiwan source
September 19 – Press Your Luck premieres on CBS.source
2 October - Grameen Bank was established through a government ordinance.Bangladesh source
December 2 – Michael Jackson's music video for "Thriller" is broadcast for the first time. It becomes the most often repeated and famous music video of all time, increasing his own popularity and record sales of the album Thriller.United States source
December 5 – ICIMOD is established and inaugurated with its headquarters in Kathmandu, Nepal, and legitimised through an Act of Parliament in Nepal this same year.source
unknown date – The Vienna Vikings American football club is established.Austria source
Académica Operária won the Cape Verdean Football ChampionshipCape Verde source
Adamson-Eric Museum was opened.Estonia source
36 anniversary of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan's independence from the United Kingdom.Pakistan source
The UCI Track Cycling World Championships take place in Zürich.Switzerland source

Births

8 January - Kim Jong Un, Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012, son of the Eternal General Secretary Kim Jong Il and grandson of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung.North Korea source
18 May - Christian Nduwimana, Burundian football playerBurundi source
June 10: Nélson Marcos, footballerCape Verde source
27 September – Evangelia Christodoulou, rhythmic gymnastGreece source

Deaths

January 26 – Bear Bryant, 69, American college football player and coach, head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1958 until 1982, heart attacksource
30 January – Fritz Machlup, Austrian-born economist (born 1902)Austria source
14 February - At least 10 people, mostly students, were killed when police opened fire on the procession against the education policy, popularly known at that time as “Majid Khan Education Policy.” The incident marked the beginning of the anti-autocracy movement against the military regime of H. M. Ershad.Bangladesh source
February 18 – Wah Mee massacre: 13 people are killed in an attempted robbery in the Chinatown area of Seattle, United States.source
March 3 – Hergé, 75, Belgian comic strip artist and representative of the ligne claire drawing style, created the series The Adventures of Tintin, Quick & Flupke, and The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko, died while hospitalised in intensive care, since he had suffered cardiac arrest in late Februarysource
March 18 – Umberto II of Italy, 78, he briefly served as the King of Italy in 1946 and was the last monarch of the country, he died in exilesource
April 11 – Dolores del Río, 78, Mexican actress, one of the most important female figures in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, famed in American cinema for portraying a feminine version of the Latin lover,liver failuresource
May 31 – Jack Dempsey, 87, American boxer, world heavyweight champion from 1919 until 1926, heart failuresource
July 4 – John Bodkin Adams, 84, British general practitioner, convicted fraudster, and suspected serial killer.Chest infection while hospitalized for a fractured hip.source
16 July - Michel Micombero, Burundian military officer and statesman, 8th Prime Minister and 1st President of Burundi (born 1940)Burundi source
July 23 – 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers are killed during a deadly ambush by the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, thus beginning the Sri Lankan Civil War, which would continue until 2009.source
23 July – Four Four Bravo ambush: A 15-man patrol of the Sri Lankan Army is ambushed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Thirunelveli. 13 of its members were killed. The ambush was a watershed event for ethnic relations in Sri Lanka and would be one of the immediate causes for the Sri Lankan Civil War.Sri Lanka source
July 29 – Luis Buñuel, 83, Spanish-born Mexican filmmaker, representative of surrealist cinema, diabetes complicationssource
August 18 – Five people are killed and 18 others injured when a road train is deliberately driven into a motel at Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory of Australia (the driver, Douglas Edward Crabbe, is convicted in March 1984).source
August 21 – Benigno Aquino Jr., Philippines opposition leader, is assassinated in Manila just as he returns from exile.source
August 29 – Two U.S. Marines are killed by mortar blast in Beirut, marking the first U.S. combat fatalities of the Multinational Force in Lebanon.source
October 19 – Maurice Bishop, Prime Minister of Grenada, and 40 others are assassinated in a military coup.source
November 5 – Byford Dolphin rig diving bell accident: Off the coast of Norway, 5 divers are killed and 1 is severely wounded in an explosive decompression accident.source