The history of the 80s as it first appeared in Usenet groups

Before the Web, there was Usenet. And like the web, it had everything. Just in text form. 🙂

Someone has mined Usenet to find the first cultural references in the 1980s to famous events. It’s an fascnating list of when things first started to gain prominence. For example:

1. May 1981 First mention of Microsoft
2. Dec 1982 First thread about AIDS
3. Jul 1983 First mention of Madonna
4. Nov 1989 First post from Berlin after the wall came down

Check it out for some major 80s flashbacks.

PS. If all you are thinking while you read this is “what the heck is Usenet??” then read this.