13 Things Mississippians Will Remember About The 1980 S

Arguably one of the best decades of all time, the 1980’s were truly a unique period and, sometimes, you can’t help but to sit around and reminisce about the past. So, if you’re ready to take a trip back in time, check out the list below for some of the state’s most memorable events of the 1980’s.

Cheryl Prewitt from Ackerman, Mississippi won Miss America.

Miss America

You sat in suspense along with the rest of America as you found out who shot J.R. Ewing.

Miguel Olaya/Flickr

For the first time, the USA International Ballet Competition was held in Jackson.

USA International Ballet Competition

Mississippi appointed Judge Lenore Prather as its first female Supreme Court Justice.

Mississippi State University/Flickr

The 80’s were good to B.B. King. During the decade he received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement and was inducted into both the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Wikipedia

Honorary Mississippian John Grisham published “A Time to Kill” - the author’s first novel.

Cuddlebuggery

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was completed.

US Army Corps of Engineers/Flickr

Congressman Larkin Smith, a Poplarville native, was killed in a plane crash near Hattiesburg.

“Larkin I. Smith” by Unknown - (1989-January) One-Hundred First Congress, Pocket Congressional Directory, Government Printing Office, p. 73. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

The men’s basketball team of USM won the National Invitation Tournament in Madison Square Garden, bringing home the state’s first basketball championship.

University of Southern Mississippi/Flickr

In April of 1983, extreme flooding occurred in the southern part of the state.

Virginia Department of Transportation/Flickr

Followed a year later by a severe tornado outbreak which killed 15 people in Mississippi.

David Baugh/YouTube

In 1987, Mississippian Kristi Addis won Miss Teen USA.

Vids for Beauty Pageant Lovers/YouTube

Mississippian Richard H. Truly became the first astronaut to head NASA.

Wikimedia

This is just a portion of what happened in the state during the decade. What do you remember about growing up in Mississippi in the 1980’s?