Leona Helmsley the billionaire New York City hotel operator and real estate investor is convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison ( Later Most charges were dropped and she served served 18 months in federal prison ) 1 count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. 3 counts of tax evasion. 3 counts of filing false personal tax returns. 10 counts of mail fraud. She is best known for a quote to a former housekeeper Elizabeth Baum when asked about her taxes. "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."

Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first black American astronaut to travel in space, aboard the third flight of the shuttle Challenger on the eighth Space Shuttle Mission. This was the first mission to launch and land at night. During 98 orbits of the Earth in 145 hours, the crew deployed the Indian National Satellite (INSAT-1B); operated the Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System with the Payload Flight Test Article; operated the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System with live cell samples; conducted medical measurements to understand biophysiological effects on space flight. STS-8 landed on 5 Sep 1983. By 1992, Bluford had spent 688 hours on four space shuttle flights.