Here are some of the significant events that took place in 1983:

• The US invaded Grenada, a small island in the Caribbean, in Operation Urgent Fury.
• The Soviet Union shot down a Korean Airlines passenger plane (KAL 007) killing all 269 people on board.
• The US deployed Pershing II missiles in Western Europe, increasing tensions with the Soviet Union.
• The Black Monday stock market crash took place, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 22.6% in one day.
• Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly in space, aboard the space shuttle Challenger.
• The terrorist bombing in Beirut, Lebanon killed 241 US Marines and sailors.
• The Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as "Star Wars", was announced by President Ronald Reagan.
• The US-led NATO military exercises in Europe, Able Archer 83, almost caused a nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union.
• The publication of the first edition of the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP).