31 Crazy Facts From the 1980s That’ll Overwhelm You With Nostalgia

In 1982, as a protest against actions by the United States federal government, Key West in Florida seceded from and then declared war on the United States, surrendered one minute later and then applied for $1 billion in foreign aid.

27. In 1980, a Centaur skeleton was assembled using the remains of a human and Shetland pony, then displayed as a real artifact in order to challenge student skepticism

28. In 1984, Michael Larson was a contestant on 'Press Your Luck'. Using the stop-motion on his VCR, he noticed that the presumed random patterns of the game board weren't actually random, and memorized the sequences. He won 45 consecutive spins and earned a total of $110,237 in cash and prizes.

29. The 1980’s song "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" is widely misinterpreted as a positive outlook on the future. Writer Pat MacDonald explained the song is actually about a grim outlook, even hinting that the “bright future” was in fact due to an impending nuclear holocaust.

30. In 1983, a 61-year-old potato farmer named Cliff Young won a 544 mile endurance race because he ran throughout the night while the younger 'professional' athletes slept.

In 1984, American actress Cynthia Nixon made her Broadway history by appearing in two Broadway plays at the same time. Her roles were short, and the two theaters were only two blocks away from each other, so she would run from one to the other. She was only 18 years old.