Introduction
The year 1983 like any other period of historical cut is significant fr many reasons and events which happened at this time. As my birthday fell on the tenth of August, 1983, so I would like to analyze which events it was characterized with a month before and a month after my birthday. The thing is that many events occurring before and after first days of a man’s life can simply make some specific or huge emphasis on the destiny of a child along with the abilities which he can be able to possess in the future. This research paper is structured in the following way: first, here the events happened previously are discussed, then those having appeared afterwards in a month frame perspectives.
Main Body
So the events of the world in 1983 were rather different. First, Cold War was still in progress, world safety was interrupted by continuing war in Afghanistan. The process of decolonization is in progress among former empires. All these main streams of the historical development were supported by a faster elaboration of high technologies and scientific progress results of which are seen today.
July 1983 was known to have several aircraft disasters which happened in different places of the world. Thus, Sikorsky S-61 was crashed in Great Britain. According to unimpeachable source, namely Helicoptering: Webster’s Quotations, Facts and Phrases, p. 73:
On 16 July 1983, British Airways’ commercial Sikorsky S-61 helicopter Oscar November (G-BEON) crashed in the southern Celtic Sea when on route from Penzance to the St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly in thick fog. Only six of the 26 onboard survived. It sparked a review of helicopter safety and was the worst civilian helicopter disaster in the UK until 1986, when a Chinook helicopter crashed in the North Sea. (Icon Group International, Inc. 73)
The songs of Michael Jackson gained more popularity and his album The Thriller is placed on the top of Billboard Chart (Ebony, January, 1984) and like-named song having become the best hit in July 1983. The magazine article by Robert E. Johnson His Album Thriller Sets Guinness World Record illustrates the gradual succession of Michael from the very beginning and the phrase of him when being a schoolboy, namely: “I would like to be a great entertainer…” (Ebony, 163, May 1984)
Some of the black members of the American society made successful attempts in their political credibility. Harold Washington becomes the first black mayor of Chicago. In the article by Lynn Norment Mayor Harold Washington: Changing Of The Guard In Chicago gives him realization and better understanding of this crucial and unprecedented event, which changed the “colour and philosophy of the guard” in Chicago. (Ebony, July, 1983) The gains of African Americans will be also discussed a bit later.
Another terrific event concerned in the year 1983 the facts of mass outbreak and riots which then felt into massacre in Sri-Lanka known as ‘Black July 1983’. The struggle between two ethnic groups, Sinhala and Tamil, outgrew in July 1983 into massive actions of protest. This was caused by the fact that states in the news excerpt Black July by Asoka Bandarage “the killing of 13 Sri Lankan soldiers by Tamil militants in Jaffna on 23 July 1983, then the arrival of their dead bodies in Colombo.” (Bandarage, 105)
It was said due to some independent sources that the event was supported by governmental structures and, actually, that was a demonstration of hatred and ominous attitude of officials towards the nation of Sri Lanka. A very terrible fact regarding one of the opposing sides states that “some 100,000 Sri Lankan Tamils were forced to enter refugee camps when several thousands of their homes, shops, factories, vehicles, and other belongings were destroyed.” (Bandarage 105)
The greater verve of antihuman actions was due to the power of majority within Sri Lankans to oppress and physically abolish the minority of the country. Asoka Bandarage observing the situation on the island was greatly bewildered by the unfair actions of bygone brothers towards each other. The author of the book supposes this black page of the Sri Lankan history was not just spontaneous and unintentionally happened event. He bears in mind that it was “an organized and officially encouraged massacre of persecution of a minority group.” (Bandarage 106)
This year was too successful for the activity of black representatives of the American society. Having struggled from the racial segregation in 1950-1960s on the whole, Afro-American stars in various fields of life activity gained many top places and celebrated a lot of events which occurred at this particular time. With regards to popular edition “Jet” this very year was announced as “Year of Unusual Gains For Blacks”. (Jet 1983) In fact, the racial discrimination along with its ethnic part was rather high in the US, but with the help of achievements obtained by Afro-Americans many points as for racial impropriety seemed to be untrue.
First, in September 1983 African American participant in the well-known beauty contest, Miss America, Vanessa Williams won in this prestigious occurrence of the year. She became the first Afro-American competitress gaining the fame of newly appeared Miss America. Just before September, on August 28, many of Afro-Americans celebrated the twentieth anniversary of March on Washington. “In October, President Reagan signed the bill making the third Monday in January the date for observance beginning in 1986.” (Jet 27)
Along with such great achievements of African American people in the United States comes news having appeared near the boundaries of the Soviet Union, namely near Sakhalin Island.
On 1 September 1983, a Soviet fighter shot down Korean Air Lines flight 007 (KAL 007) near Sakhalin Island, killing 269 people. The Reagan administration insisted that the Soviets deliberately destroyed an innocent civilian airliner while Soviets asserted that the 747 was on a spy mission. (Knight 381)
The facts according to this accident are rather controversial and were applied to the perpetual attempts of secret services in both superpowers to maintain better tactics in getting secret information. The thing is that the USSR had a top secret military base near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the official in Moscow was immediately informed of probable intrusion into air boundaries of the USSR, though the aircraft fly on the distance of 12 miles from the official boundary line. (Knight 381)
On 15 September 1983 Israeli Prime Minister Menachim Begin resigned. The circumstances of constant political struggles and different charges towards Begin were an impulsion for this difficult decision of his. The war in Lebanon and quite different data were counted as the factors of his retirement and resignation, and “Avran Schweitzer (1986:145) stresses the “gravity of the resignation of the man who embodied the authority and democratic legitimacy of the government just at a time of confusion when the political and economic way had been lost.” (Cited in Aronoff 38)
Conclusion
Thus, taking into account some of the most intriguing news with several approaches on the thematic and geographic difference, one can obviously state that the period of time from July till September 1983 was problematic due to concrete operations of Cold War and the geopolitical worldwide situation on the whole. This time span was a beginning of triumphs for the representatives of African Americans part of the society. Also the patch is concerned with a lot of aircraft disasters and conflicts of the international character.
Works cited
Aronoff, Myron J. Israeli Visions and Divisions. Transaction Publishers, 1991.
“A list of ‘first’ highlights else to lift the morale”. Ebony, Vol. 39, No. 3. Johnson Publishing Company, 1984.
Bandarage, Asoka. The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: A Political-Economic Analysis. Taylor & Francis, 2008.
Icon Group International, Inc. Helicoptering: Webster’s Quotations, Facts and Phrases. ICON Group International, Inc., 2008.
Johns, Robert E. “His Album Thriller Sets Guiness World Record”. Ebony, Vol. 39, No. 7. Johnson Publishing Company, 1984.
Knight, Peter. Conspiracy theories in American history: an encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, 2003.
Norment, Lynn. “Mayor Harold Washington: Changing Of The Guard In Chicago”. Ebony, Vol. 38; No. 9. Johnson Publishing Company, 1983.
“1983: Year Of Unusual Gains For Balcks.” Jet, Vol. 65:No. 17; Johnson Publishing Company, 1984.