1982 in the United States

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Ronald Reagan
• Vice President: George H. W. Bush
• Chief Justice: Warren E. Burger
• Speaker of the House of Representatives: Tip O'Neill
• Senate Majority Leader: Howard Baker
• Congress: 97th

  Governors

Lieutenant governors

Events

January

• January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself into 22 subdivisions.
• January 11–17 - A brutal cold snap sends temperatures to all-time record lows in dozens of cities throughout the Midwestern United States.
• January 13 - Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90 crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78. On the same day, a Washington Metro train derails to the north, killing 3.
• January 17 - Cold Sunday sweeps over the northern United States.
• January 28 - United States Army Brigadier General James L. Dozier is rescued by the Italian anti-terrorism Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza force after being held captive for 42 days by the Red Brigades.

  February

• February 27 - Atlanta murders of 1979–81: Wayne Williams is convicted of the murdering two children and is sentenced to two consecutive life terms.

  March

• March 10 - The United States places an embargo on Libyan oil imports, alleging Libyan support for terrorist groups.
• March 16 - In Newport, Rhode Island, Claus von Bülow is found guilty of the attempted murder of his wife.
• March 26 - A ground-breaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is held in Washington, DC.
• March 29 - The 54th Academy Awards, hosted by Johnny Carson, are held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. Chariots of Fire wins Best Picture and three other Academy Awards.

  April

• April 6 - A blizzard unprecedented in size for April dumps 1–2 feet of snow on the northeastern United States, closing schools and businesses, snarling traffic, and canceling several major league baseball games.
• April 21 - Queen Beatrix becomes the first Dutch monarch to address the United States Congress.
• April 23 - Dennis Wardlow, mayor of Key West, Florida, declares the independent "Conch Republic" for a day.

  May

• May 1 - A crowd of over 100,000 attends the first day of the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. The fair is kicked off with an address by President Ronald Reagan. Over 11 million people attend the fair during its 6-month run.
• May 30 - Indianapolis 500: In what Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson and Speedway public address announcer Tom Carnegie later call the greatest moment in the track's history, 1973 winner Gordon Johncock wins his second race over 1979 winner Rick Mears by 0.16 seconds, the closest finish to that date, after Mears draws alongside Johncock with a lap remaining, after erasing a seemingly insurmountable advantage of more than 11 seconds in the final 10 laps.

  June

• June 4 - Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper's horror film collaboration, Poltergeist, is released.
• June 8 - President Ronald Reagan becomes the first American chief executive to address a joint session of the British Parliament.
• June 12 - A rally against nuclear weapons draws 750,000 to New York City's Central Park. Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen and Linda Ronstadt attend. An international convocation at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine features prominent peace activists from around the world and afterward participants march on Fifth Avenue to Central Park for the rally.
• June 19 - Murder of Vincent Chin: Vincent Chin, a 27 year old Chinese American, is beaten unconscious by two white auto-workers in Highland Park, Michigan, who think he is Japanese and the cause of the declining prosperity of the American auto industry; he dies four days later.
• June 25 - The Institute for Puerto Rican Policy is founded in New York City to research and advocate for Puerto Rican and Latino community issues. In 2006, it changes its name to the National Institute for Latino Policy.

  July

• July 2 - Larry Walters, a.k.a. Lawnchair Larry, flies 16,000 feet above Long Beach, California, in a lawn chair with weather balloons attached.
• July 9 - Pan Am Flight 759 crashes in Kenner, Louisiana, killing all 146 on board and 8 on the ground.
• July 16 - In New York City, The Reverend Sun Myung Moon is sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $25,000 for tax fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

  August

• August 20
• *Lebanese Civil War: A multinational force lands in Beirut to oversee the PLO withdrawal from Lebanon. French troops arrive August 21, U.S. Marines August 25.
• *School teacher Carl Robert Brown murders 8 people inside a welding shop in Miami, Florida, before being shot dead by a passing motorist.

  September

• September 3 – Speaker O'Neill and President Reagan settle in one of the most unforgettable deals in the US History which would cut the ratio of spendings of three to one and add more taxes.
• September 5 - Iowa paperboy Johnny Gosch is kidnapped.
• September 29 – October 1 - The 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders occur when 7 people in the Chicago area die after ingesting capsules laced with potassium cyanide.

  October

• October 1 - In Orlando, Florida, Walt Disney World opens the second largest theme park, EPCOT Center, to the public for the first time.
• October 15 - The Garn–St. Germain Depository Institutions Act deregulates the U.S. savings and loan industry.
• October 19 - John DeLorean is arrested for selling cocaine to undercover FBI agents.
• October 20 - World Series: The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4 games to 3, to win their 9th World Series Title.
• October 30 - The DeLorean Motor Company ceases production.

  November

• November - The severe early 1980s recession ends sometime this month.
• November - The unemployment rate peaks at 10.8%.
• November 2 - United States elections, 1982. The Republican Party loses 27 seats to the majority Democratic Party in the House.
• November 3 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average surges 43.41 points, or 4.25%, to close at 1,065.49, its first all-time high in more than 9 years. It last hit a record on January 11, 1973, when the average closed at 1,051.70. The points gain is the biggest ever up to this point.
• November 13 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., after a march to its site by thousands of Vietnam War veterans.
• November 20 - University of California, Berkeley executes "The Play" in a college football game against Stanford. Completing a wacky 57-yard kickoff return that includes 5 laterals, Kevin Moen runs through Stanford band members who had prematurely come onto the field. His touchdown stands and California wins 25–20.
• November 30 - Michael Jackson releases Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time.

  December

• December 2 - At the University of Utah, 61-year-old retired dentist Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
• December 3 - A final soil sample is taken from the site of Times Beach, Missouri. It is found to contain 300 times the safe level of dioxin.
• December 7 - The first U.S. execution by lethal injection is carried out in Texas.
• December 23 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency recommends the evacuation of Times Beach, Missouri, due to dangerous levels of dioxin contamination.

  Undated

• A severe recession intensifies in the United States as part of the early 1980s recession.
• Seattle is officially dubbed the Emerald City after a contest is held to choose a new city slogan.

  Ongoing

• Cold War
• Early 1980s recession

  Births

• January 2 - Kevin Dudley, American football player
• January 4 - Hollie Stevens, pornographic actress and model
• January 5 - Jessica Chaffin, actress, comedian and writer
• January 6 - Gilbert Arenas, basketball player
• January 10 - Josh Ryan Evans, actor
• January 11 - Blake Heron, actor
• January 12 - Dontrelle Willis, baseball player
• January 18 - Quinn Allman, guitarist
• January 19 - Pete Buttigieg, politician
• January 20 - Erin Wasson, model and actress
• January 22 - Jason Peters, American football player
• January 23 - Patrick Levis, actor
• January 24 - Daveed Diggs, actor and rapper
• January 25 - Bella Blue, burlesque dancer
• January 26 - Reggie Hodges, American football player
• January 29 - Adam Lambert, singer-songwriter and actor
• February 2 - Kelly Mazzante, basketball player
• February 4 - Mandisa Stevenson, basketball player
• February 5 - Kevin Everett, American football player
• February 8 - Danny Tamberelli, actor
• February 13 - Lanisha Cole, model
• February 18 - Jessie Ward, actress
• February 22 - Kelly Johnson, baseball player
• March 2
• * Mike Nugent, American football player
• * Ben Roethlisberger, American football player
• March 10 - Dr DisRespect, streamer and internet personality
• March 31 - Brian Tyree Henry, actor
• April 3 - Jared Allen, American football player
• April 4 - Justin Cook, voice actor
• April 5 - Matt Pickens, soccer player
• April 6
• * Bret Harrison, actor and singer
• * Alana Austin, actress
• April 7 - Sonjay Dutt, Indian-American professional wrestler
• April 19 - Shotti, record executive
• April 21 - Claybourne Elder, actor, singer, and writer
• April 24 - Kelly Clarkson, singer and winner of American Idol
• April 26
• * Brock Gillespie, basketball player
• * Cooper Wallace, American football player
• April 27 - Katrina Johnson, actress
• April 28 - Donna Feldman, model and actress
• April 30 - Kirsten Dunst, actress, singer and model
• May 11
• * Jonathan Jackson, actor, singer and guitarist
• * Andrew Walter, American football player
• May 20 - Candace Bailey, American actress and television personality
• June 7 - Virgil Vasquez, baseball player
• June 8 - Josh Pence, actor
• June 10 - Tara Lipinski, figure skater
• June 11
• * Marco Arment, businessman, co-creator of Tumblr
• * Johnny Candido, wrestler
• June 19
• * David Pollack, American football player
• * Michael Yarmush, American-Canadian actor and voice actor
• June 21
• *Jussie Smollett, actor
• * Benjamin Walker, actor
• June 22 - Ian Kinsler, baseball player
• June 23 - Beau Kittredge, ultimate player
• June 28 - Jason Tam, actor and dancer
• June 29 - Matthew Mercer, voice actor, screenwriter and director
• June 30
• * Lizzy Caplan, actress and model
• * Mitch Maier, baseball player
• * Delwyn Young, baseball player
• July 1
• * Hilarie Burton, actress and producer
• * Carmella DeCesare, model
• July 2
• * Ferras Alqaisi, singer-songwriter
• * Derek Yu, indie game designer, artist and blogger
• July 3 - Steph Jones, singer-songwriter
• July 4
• * Hannah Harper, porn actress and director
• * Mo McRae, actor, writer and producer
• * Michael Sorrentino, model, actor and author
• July 5
• * Monica Day, model and journalist
• * Dave Haywood, singer-songwriter and guitarist
• July 6 - Tay Zonday, singer, musician, announcer, voice artist, actor, comedian and YouTube personality
• July 7 - Nick Karner, actor and director
• July 8
• * Sophia Bush, actress
• * Pendleton Ward, animator
• * Hakim Warrick, basketball player
• July 21 - Veronica Belmont, American media personality
• July 24 - Elisabeth Moss, actress
• July 25
• * Oneohtrix Point Never, producer and composer
• * Brad Renfro, actor
• July 28 - Tom Pelphrey, actor
• August 9
• * Tyson Gay, athlete
• * Jes Macallan, actress
• August 13 - Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary
• August 16
• * Todd Haberkorn, voice actor
• * Matt Lauria, actor and musician
• August 17
• * Ryan Driller, porn actor
• * Mark Salling, actor
• August 18 - Cullen Finnerty, American football player
• August 18
• * Melissa Fumero, actress
• * Stipe Miocic, mixed martial artist
• * Erika Christensen, actress and singer
• August 26 - John Mulaney, actor and comedian
• September 29 - Stephen "tWitch" Boss, dancer
• September 30 - Lacey Chabert, actress and singer
• October 12 - Julie Kagawa, author
• October 18 - Ne-Yo, singer-songwriter
• November 12 - Anne Hathaway, actress
• November 15
• * D. J. Fitzpatrick, American football player
• * Joe Kowalewski, American football player
• * Lofa Tatupu, American football player
• November 21 - Jason Tom, beatboxer, blogger, speaker, and mathematician
• November 29 - Lucas Black, actor
• December 8 - Nicki Minaj, singer and rapper
• December 21 - Mike Gansey, basketball player
• December 28
• * Beau Garrett, actress and model
• * Cedric Benson, African-American professional football player

  Deaths

• February 11 - Eleanor Powell, actress and dancer
• February 17 - Thelonious Monk, pianist and composer
• March 5 - John Belushi, comedian and actor
• May 1 - William Primrose, Scottish-born violist in Provo, Utah
• June 12 - Al Rinker, singer-songwriter
• June 8 - Satchel Paige, baseball player
• July 6 - Bob Johnson, baseball outfielder and manager
• August 12 - Henry Fonda, actor
• October 18 - Bess Truman, First Lady of the United States, Second Lady of the United States
• November 1
• * James Broderick, actor
• * King Vidor, film director, producer and screenwriter
• November 16 - Al Haig, pianist
• December 21 - Ants Oras, Estonian-American author and academic
• December 27 - Jack Swigert, NASA astronaut