According to Rolling Stone, 1984 was the best year of pop music the world has ever seen. And there’s no doubt that it was legendary. We were blessed with the releases of Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” a-ha’s “Take on Me,” Sade’s “Smooth Operator,” Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and many more absolute bangers.
But let’s not forget that the entire decade of the 1980s was filled with amazing music, bold fashion choices, unforgettable films and thankfully, lots of cameras. Bored Panda has compiled a list down below of the most iconic photos from the ‘80s people have managed to hold onto. So enjoy scrolling through this list that might give you a massive wave of nostalgia, and be sure to upvote the photos that make you wish that you had a time machine!
#1 My Mom Had A Nanny That Was A Mrs. Doubtfire Lookalike, C. 1981
Image source: JankCranky
#2 My Dad Skateboarding At Hyde School 1982. I Think He Was Cooler Than Me
Image source: targat2
#3 My Dad, My Brother And Me Vandalizing The Berlin Wall 1988 (We Lived On The West-Side)
Image source: Paula_Schultz237
#4 Princess Diana Dancing With John Travolta In Cross Hall At The White House
Image source: White House Photographic Collection
#5 My Dad And Friends Look Like The Cast Of Stranger Things (1982)
Image source: Hamuktakali
#6 My Dad Sculpting A Bust Of My Mom 1980s
Image source: JankyTango
#7 My Mama Circa ’83. This Explains Why I’m The Uncoolest Person Ever, Cos She Took It All! Oh And That Bike? She Built It
Image source: always-aimee
#8 My Mother When She Was A Tank Instructor In 1984
Image source: danabre
#9 My Cool Mom Partying With Robin Williams And Billy Crystal In LA In 1982
Image source: st1rfryguy
#10 My Parents Swapping Wedding Attire, 1984
Image source: thermostatgasket
#11 My Mom In NYC, When She Sailed Around The World [1984-85]
Image source: Spaceman_Beard
#12 My American Dad And Canadian Mom As Niagra Falls For Halloween 1985
Image source: j_d0tnet
#13 (1989) Me, Age 4, So Stoked For A Ghostbusters Toy From My Mom That I Went Full Derp
Image source: xDanSolo
#14 Me And The Homies Before Going To See Straight Outta Compton. The Tour, Not The Movie. Circa 1989
Image source: iaintsaidshit
#15 My Beautiful Mother On Her Wedding Day In The 1980’s
Image source: Doneyhew
#16 A Photo Of Freddie Mercury My Father Took In 1982 At A Show In Dallas
Image source: boy_blue1982
#17 My Dad Got In Trouble For Skipping School Because The Local Paper Printed This Picture Of Him, 1984
Image source: DrPoonicorn
#18 Stealing A Drink Of Wine At A Wedding While My Mom (Behind Me) Isn’t Looking. (1987)
Image source: lanko69
#19 My Dad’s First Day On The Job, 1987
Image source: zanesix
#20 My First Wife And I On Our Wedding Day In December 1989
I was 19 and she was 18, I admit that we married way too young, but it lasted 17 years and 2 beautiful daughters came along too, one daughter who is now 30 and the other who is 27. I was a drummer in a rock band at the time and my best man was the lead guitarist. I hope you all enjoy the 80’s style! You know that long hair looks awesome with a top hat! Slash would be proud.
Image source: Same-Ad3109
#21 Mobile Suit Gundam Cosplay From 1981 (Animec Magazine)
Image source: stipulateoxbird
#22 Stumbled Upon Nicolas Cage In An Old Family Album (1985)
Image source: WustashurSus
#23 Terry Fox Was 22 Years Old In 1980 When He Set Out To Run Approximately 8,000 Kilometres Across Canada
Image source: Ed Linkewich
#24 Christmas Morning In 1985, I Was Thrilled To Get A Typewriter
Image source: SausageGrenade
#25 France, 1985. My Mom Feeding Me Backstage During A Ballet Dancing Show
Image source: jcorbier
#26 After Their First Fight, My Dad Apologized To My Mom Through Polaroids. The True Og Of Apologies, My Man (1987)
Image source: jordanekyler
#27 1983 Pgh, Pa. I Still Remember The Whiskey And Cigarette Smell From Spidey
Image source: JamieGaugs
#28 The 1980 Eruption Of Mt St. Helens
Image source: Michael S. Keys
#29 In Circa 1980, My Parents Also Took This Picture Instead Of Helping Me Get My Head Unstuck
Image source: tainter_tots
#30 My Mom In The 80s
Image source: kyleesi666
#31 My Parents In The Late 1980’s They Loved Floral
Image source: carlod427
#32 My Mom And Bob Ross During An Event In Central Park, NYC In 1989
Image source: rhartley23
#33 Found A Magazine From 1980 In A Hospital Demolition With A 14yr Olds Interpretation Of The Future
Image source: Myjunkisonfire
#34 The Year My Father Got My Mother A Hoover For Christmas 1984
Image source: Mr-Irrelevance
#35 I Humbly Submit A Photo From Circa 1987 For Your Approval. A Photo Of Me, My Dog Wearing Sunglasses, And My 1984 Fiero SE
Image source: rage242
#36 My Dad When He First Immigrated To NYC In 1986
Image source: greensriracha
#37 My Room As A Teen. Might As Well Have Been An 80s Museum
Image source: MagicMickey2150
#38 In 1983 I Was Chosen Along With 3 Other Students To Interview Ozzy Osbourne For Newsday/Kidsday Newspaper In NYC
Image source: mystarrrs
#39 My Mother’s Racially Mixed Family, 1989
Image source: The_Horace_Wimp
#40 Since Everyone Is Posting Their Mom’s In Bikinis For Some Reason, Here’s My Mom Coming To See Me During Her Lunch Break For My Kindergarten Graduation In 1988
Image source: SarcasticGamer
#41 My Mom On The Right, Working At McDonald’s Around 1980 – 1981
Image source: lesmax
#42 Me Arriving Home From School In The Early 80’s To Be Surprised With This Hoth-Base My Mom Made For Me
Image source: dcox0463
#43 My Mom Has Had This Poster Hanging In My Parent’s Bathroom Since Before I Was Born. (It’s From I Think 1982) Every Time I Visit Them
Image source: CucumberSushi22
#44 Today I Turn 50 Years Old. This Is Me In 1985 About To “Drop-In” On A Ramp We Built With Scrounged Wood
The way I remember it, shortly after this picture was taken I was forced to seek shelter from the masses of teen girls within a 5-mile radius that swarmed the area after I pulled off this trick.
Image source: PaulInHV
#45 My Mom’s Budget For Their 1980 Wedding
Image source: Elpis21
#46 This Mad Magazine From 1982 My Dad Found
Image source: hiccupboltHP
#47 Myself In 1983, Republic Of Korea
Image source: youngkwon79
#48 My Dad And His First Wife, Circa 1984. The Hair, The Silhouette. It’s Amazing
Image source: PrincessAri93
#49 Found This Picture Of My Parents From The 80s And I’m Very Jealous This Costume Didn’t Stay In The Family
Image source: Trowj
#50 Photos From My Grandmother’s Time Working At Continental Bank In Chicago In The Early 80’s
The first was taken on her birthday, and the rest were taken on her gay boss’ birthday. I specify gay because that’s why they got him a belly dancer.
Image source: OkAd1688
#51 Found This Newspaper Movie Section From 1980 During Some Home Construction
Image source: Towering_Flesh
#52 Sequential Pictures Of My Dad In The 80s Taken In The Same Place Nearly 30 Years Later
Image source: Rach0s
#53 Americans Were Grateful For Canadian Aid During The Iran Hostage Crisis Of 1980
Image source: United States State Department
#54 My Filipino Mom In 1985 Dressed As Pris From Bladerunner On Halloween
Image source: martsuia
#55 My Daughter Said I Should Post This, Her Mum 1989
Image source: chewy1966
#56 Found This Signed Poster From The 1980 Olympics While Cleaning An Abandoned Storage Unit
Image source: NDF1324
#57 Nostalgia From 1982. Me And Four Friends (All Still Friends Today) Doing What Kids Did Back Then. Made Memories At The Roller-Skate Park
Image source: mlotto7
#58 Here Is My Friend’s T-Ball Team Photo From 1983. They Didn’t Know Coach Jimmy Was Famous
Image source: ourmanflint1
#59 Just Found An Old Family Photo From 1985. This Was Taken Right Before I Headed To The Twin Pines Mall On My Skateboard. The Good Old Days
Image source: Corndogeveryday
#60 My College Dorm Room, 1985
Image source: youdiejoe
#61 45 Years Ago Today I Stood Alone On The Summit Of Everest. No Oxygen, No Partner, Only My Breath And The Endless Sky
I was exhausted, close to my limits. It was not triumph over the mountain, but over fear, doubt, and human limitation.
Image source: reinholdmessner_official
#62 Obsessed With This Photo Of My Dad In The 80s Where He’s Wearing A Belt Buckle Of His Own Name
Image source: Sapphire-and-Ice
#63 At My Drafting Table With My Electric Eraser Before Our Office Used Computers, 1984
Image source: dittidot
#64 From The 1980 Sears Holiday Wishbook. Wow, Times Have Changed
Image source: bbatesoffice
#65 Pictures I Took While Working At McDonalds In The 1980s
That’s me on the right in the first picture. The man I’m shaking hands with is the franchise owner, an super nice man that everyone loved. He had stopped in for a visit on one of the days I brought my camera.
I worked at a SE Indiana McDonalds 1987 to 1990. It was my first job. Pay was $3.35 an hour. I was so proud of my new job that I brought my mom’s camera in (a Pentax IQ Zoom) and started taking pictures of everyday activities and of my new friends and coworkers. I took pictures almost four years. It was a great experience. Much of the crew was the same age and we all got along. We became collectively friends and hung out after work at parties and other fun events.
I learned a lot from working there. Many of the crew became friends for a long time.
Image source: Alman54
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