#TBT: The Cold War

On November 19, 1990, the leaders of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe signed the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which dramatically reduced conventional weapons in Europe, bringing an end to the Cold War. To commemorate the occasion for this Throwback Thursday let’s take a look back at the Cold War era.

Fans of espionage, family dramas and period pieces will all find something to love in the acclaimed cable TV show The Americans. When the series opens the year is 1981 and KGB agents Philip and Elizabeth Jennings are posing as a happily married couple raising two kids in suburban Washington, D.C. while carrying out missions and gathering intelligence for the Soviet Union. With spot-on costuming, music and sets, you’ll be transported back to an age when Members Only jackets and flared jeans were all the rage. We have both seasons 1 and 2.

What else was happening in 1981? Lots! MTV launched on August 1 and forever changed the face of music. What was the first video they played? (Check out the end of this post for the answer.) For a closer look at the history of MTV, check out I Want My MTV by Craig Marks.

A notable book out that year reflected the pervasiveness of the Cold War in pop culture. Martin Cruz Smith’s Gorky Park, a popular crime novel set in Moscow, was the start of Smith’s Chief Inspector Arkady Renko series and would go on to become a major motion picture starring William Hurt and Lee Marvin. You can check out this ‘80s thriller on DVD or downloadable video.


Another major event of 1981 was the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan on March 30. This was huge. I remember the television being turned on in our classroom to watch the news. Our class sent get well cards, and we all received a thank you note in return. It was a big deal for a bunch of third-graders. Reagan is almost synonymous with the Cold War for those of us who grew up in the ‘80s. For more on Reagan, his presidency and the era, check out Reagan: The Life by H.W. Brands. Bill O’Reilly’s latest book, Killing Reagan, also explores this period.

What are some of your favorite throwbacks from 1981?