By the Numbers in 1983
World Population
—
UK Life Expectancy
57.5 years
US Life Expectancy
57.8 years
Gold Price (per oz)
$543.84
Dow Jones Index
1,501
US National Debt
—
Sovereign Nations
163
How Much Did Things Cost in 1983?
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £26,500 | $70,300 |
| Average salary | £8,200 | $22,100 |
| Pint of milk | 21p | $0.62 |
| Loaf of bread | 41p | $0.54 |
| Gallon of petrol/gas | £1.60 | $1.16 |
| Pint of beer | 48p | $1.20 |
| Dozen eggs | 60p | $0.89 |
| Cinema ticket | £1.90 | $3.15 |
Technology and Inventions in 1983
The first commercial mobile phone, the Motorola DynaTAC, was demonstrated. Microsoft Word debuted. The internet's predecessor, ARPANET, switched to TCP/IP on 1 January. Nintendo launched the Famicom in Japan, about to revolutionise home gaming.
- ● Motorola DynaTAC mobile phone demonstrated publicly
- ● Microsoft Word released for the first time
- ● ARPANET adopted TCP/IP protocol (1 January)
- ● Nintendo Famicom launched in Japan
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