1984

After watching I Love the 80s on VH1, I've decided that 1984 is hands down the best pop culture year of the 80s. From music (Prince, Huey Lewis, Van Halen to Madonna, Wham! and Cyndi Lauper) to movies (Ghostbusters, Gremlins and Footloose) to clothes (Madonna's ripped lace Desperately Seeking Susan look to jelly shoes, Guess? and stonewash jeans) to toys (Atari, Transformers and Glo Worm), it was a huge year. Some other facts about 1984, from Wikipedia:

January 23: Hulk Hogan defeats The Iron Sheik.
January 24: The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.
January 28: Michael Jackson's hair catches fire while shooting a Pepsi commercial.
June 22: Inaugural flight of Virgin Atlantic.
July 23: Vanessa Williams surrenders her Miss America crown.
July 28: Opening day of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Soviets boycott.
November 2: U.S. executes first woman since 1962.
December 3: Union Carbide leak in Bhopal, India kills thousands.
December 22: On the subway in The Bronx, four black youths attempt to rob Bernhard Goetz. Goetz shoots them. The event sparks a national debate about urban crime.
Unknown Date: Ethiopian famine begins.

Other Big Movies: Beverly Hills Cop, The Karate Kid, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Nightmare on Elm Street.
Big Albums: Purple Rain, Born in the U.S.A., 1984, Like a Virgin. Run DMC becomes the first rap group to have a gold record.
On TV: The Cosby Show (debuts), Punky Brewster, Miami Vice, Webster.
Deaths: Johnny Weismuller, Jackie Coogan, Francois Truffaut, Michel Foucault, Count Basie, Ansel Adams.