Special Report
25 Real 'Jeopardy!' Clues About the ’80s That Will Make You a Trivia Champion
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The 1980s were iconic in several ways. The decade was a time of loud fashion like “big hair” and bright colors as well as a time defined by classic entertainment productions, breakdancing, Ronald Reagan, and tricky Cold War politics.
Answering trivia questions is a favorite pastime of many Americans and few game shows in TV history are as iconic as “Jeopardy!” A combination of these two makes for a fun trip down memory lane.
24/7 Tempo went through J! Archives — a site created by fans of the show that lists clues going back to 1984, when the show first aired in its current format — to identify 25 challenging clues about pop culture, sports, and lifestyle in the 1980s. The following clues were randomly selected among nearly 800 1980s-related clues and cover several game categories — from science and technology to sports and movies.
Many of Jeopardy!’s clues are in the entertainment category, usually about the biggest movies, fictional characters, or the people who played them. But the show has even more engaging clues about Hollywood productions. Can you answer these real “Jeopardy!” questions about movies?
Click here to see 25 Real ‘Jeopardy!’ clues about the ’80s that will make you a trivia champion.
FROM C TO D $600:
A classic Atari video game of the 1980s was called Missile this
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Answer: Missile Command
BIOCHEMISTRY $800:
It was seen as the sad sack nucleic acid until the 1980s discovery that it can be a catalyst for biological reactions
Answer: RNA
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POP CULTURE-POURRI $800:
You can get your own red energy dome hat from the website of this 4-letter band, popular in the 1980s
Answer: Devo
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ACTORS & ROLES $400:
Both Susan Blakely & Jessica Lange played this tragic Hollywood actress in 1980s films
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Answer: Frances Farmer
THE 1980s $400:
This 16-hour rock concert for African relief was broadcast worldwide from London & Philadelphia
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Answer: Live Aid
THE 1980s $1000:
US journalist arrested in Moscow shortly after the FBI’s 1986 arrest of Soviet physicist Zakharov
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Answer: Nicholas Daniloff
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THE 1980s $200:
Suffering from a little overexposure, Vanessa Williams resigned as this in July, 1984
Answer: Miss America
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U.S. DEMOGRAPHICS $400:
Answer: Mexico
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NFL $1600:
Answer: Al Davis
1980s POP MUSIC $200:
1 of 2 performers with whom Paul McCartney has had No. 1 singles in the 1980s
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Answer: Michael Jackson (or Stevie Wonder)
THE 1980s $500:
Their long-standing dispute over the Shatt al-Arab waterway became open warfare in 1980
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Answer: Iran and Iraq
1980s TELEVISION $500:
On “The Munsters Today”, this actor plays Herman, the role 1st played by Fred Gwynne
Answer: John Schuck
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1980s ROCK $500:
Using his real name, Gordon Sumner, this rocker taught at a Catholic girls school
Answer: Sting
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SPORTS $200:
In the 1980s this Boston Celtics player won 3 straight NBA MVP Awards
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Answer: Larry Bird
IN THE 1980s MOVIE SOUNDTRACK $1000:
1980: “Call Me” by Blondie
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Answer: American Gigolo
THE 1980s $200:
To warn parents that a film may be unsuitable for pre-teens, the movie industry created this rating in 1984
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Answer: PG-13
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY $500:
The 1st automated instrument to analyze this genetic material’s structure was developed in the mid-1980s
Answer: DNA
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1980s MOVIES $400:
In this 1986 film, Gene Hackman played the basketball coach of a small Indiana high school
Answer: Hoosiers
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ATLANTA BUSINESS & INDUSTRY $200:
In the 1980s it adopted the slogan “We Run the Tightest Ship in the Shipping Business”
Answer: United Parcel Service (UPS)
THEY’VE BEEN GOING IN & OUT OF STYLE $2000:
First popular after WWI, these riding breeches named for a city in India were fashionable in the 1980s
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Answer: Jodhpurs
TV ACTORS & ACTRESSES $800:
Now an “ER” doctor, he played Helen Hunt’s teenage brother on the 1980s sitcom “It Takes Two”
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Answer: Anthony Edwards
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THE 1980s $400:
At the 1980 Winter Olympics he set records in the 500-, 1,000-, 1,500-, 5,000- & 10,000-m. speed skating races
Answer: Eric Heiden
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FROM THE GREEK $2000:
Omigod! One of the top names for girls in the 1980s, it’s from the Greek Theophania, “manifestation of God”
Answer: Tiffany
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ANCIENT HISTORY: THE 1980s $1600:
The first female British prime minister, she lead Great Britain for the entire 1980s
Answer: Margaret Thatcher
TRADEMARKS $1200:
Spinning is a trademark name for an exercise program developed in the 1980s using this piece of equipment
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Answer: Bike
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