The news 30 years ago...

On my birthday, I looked at what was in the headlines around the world on the day I was born. Here are three of the news articles on that day.

At this time in 1981, the AIDS epidemic was officially recognised worldwide in a publication of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The NY Times article shows, however, that doctors have started to notice a high occurrence of Kaposi's Sarcoma in homosexual men. Understanding about AIDS was lacking back then, as doctors believed that heterosexual people were safe from the disease. 

In 1981, there was a worsening animosity between the Liverpool police and the black community. Chaos ensued when a black man was arrested on July 3 in front of a crowd. The riots were attributed to unemployment and not to race (1).

Scientists found new compounds in sea squirts that could fight against leukemia and melanoma in rats. Studies on these chemicals were in their early stages at Illinois University and Upjohn Laboratories (Michigan). 

Year 1981 was before the age of the internet and before the age of PDF (portable document format). Many local newspapers don't have website archives that reach that far back. Hence the lack of local headlines.

I therefore conclude that I was born just as the AIDS era was formally recognised.

Reference

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