Date in year · 1981 · The 1980s

December 31, 1981

On December 31, 1981, a coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight lieutenant Jerry Rawlings. The year's #1 song was "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes. Antonis Fotsis, Bjørn Einar Romøren, Laura Bell Bundy would arrive in the same year.

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Births

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Year

1981

1980s

Around 1981

The year in brief

1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1981st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 981st year of the 2nd millennium, the 81st year of the 20th century, and the 2nd year of the 1980s decade.

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What happened

On December 31, 1981

  1. 1981 A coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.

    Military overthrow of Hilla Limann

    The 1981 Ghanaian coup d'état was a successful government takeover in Ghana led by Air Force Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, overthrowing the administration of President Hilla Limann and establishing the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), with Jerry Rawlings assuming leadership of the country. The second of two coups to be orchestrated by Jerry Rawlings, the 1981 coup d'état was motivated by Rawling's dissatisfaction with the management of the country under the Limann administration, as Ghana's economic situation, plagued by spiraling foreign debt and hyperinflation, continued to deteriorate without any real promised political change. Thus, on December 31, 1981, Jerry Rawlings intervened once again in a leftist-backed coup, replacing the government with the PNDC and seeking to transform the country into a Marxist state.

Arrivals

Born on December 31, 1981

Jason Campbell 1981– American football player (born 1981)
Francisco García 1981– Dominican basketball player (born 1981)
Matthew Pavlich 1981– Australian rules footballer, born 1981
Margaret Simpson 1981– Ghanaian heptathlete

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1981

The class of 1981

Others born in 1981

Antonis Fotsis 1981– Greek basketball player
Bjørn Einar Romøren 1981– Norwegian ski jumper
Laura Bell Bundy 1981– American actress and singer
Liz McClarnon 1981– English singer and dancer
Michael Pitt 1981– American actor, model and musician
Alexei Semenov 1981– Russian ice hockey player

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