Allan Dwan ( April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981 ) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.

Because of the game's success, a sequel followed in 1981 dubbed Asteroids Deluxe.

Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova (; born 7 June 1981 ) is a Russian retired professional tennis player.

* 1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American aviation industrialist ( d. 1981 )

* 1892 – Lowell Thomas, American writer ( d. 1981 )

* 1981 – The first launch of a Space Shuttle ( Columbia ) takes place-the STS-1 mission.

* 1895 – Andreas Alföldi, Hungarian historian and archaeologist ( d. 1981 )

* 1933 – Joke Smit, Dutch activist and politician ( d. 1981 )

* 1981 – C. C. Swiney, American actor, writer, and director

Brearley retired from Test cricket in 1979 and was succeeded by Ian Botham, who started the 1981 series as England captain, by which time the WSC split had ended.

* 1981 – Eua Sunthornsanan, Thai composer and bandleader ( b. 1910 )

* Sanderson, Steven E. Agrarian populism and the Mexican state: the struggle for land in Sonora ( 1981 )

* 1981 – MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, " Video Killed the Radio Star " by the Buggles.

* 1981 – Senegalese opposition parties, under the leadership of Mamadou Dia, launch the Antiimperialist Action Front – Suxxali Reew Mi.

* 1901 – Stefan Wyszyński, Polish cardinal ( d. 1981 )

* 1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world's first human open fetal surgery.

This graph shows the proportion of world population in extreme poverty 1981 – 2008 according to the World Bank.

In 1981, Parsons, Woolfson and their record label Arista, were stalled in contract renegotiations when on 5 March the two submitted an all-instrumental atonal album tentatively titled ' The Sicilian Defence ' ( the name of an aggressive opening move in chess ), arguably to get out of their recording contract.

No. 93, ( 1981 ), pp. 483-494 in Persée

* 1981 – The Washington Star ceases all operations after 128 years of publication.

* 1901 – Ann Harding, American actress ( d. 1981 )

Varāhamihira's classical work Brihatsamhita, written about 500 AD, provides clear evidence that a deep knowledge of atmospheric processes existed even in those times.

Varāhamihira's knowledge of Western astronomy was thorough.

Sanjay Rath uses Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra, Jaimini Upadeśa Sūtra, Bṛhat Jātaka and Kalyāṇavarmā's Sārāvalī as the foundations of Jyotiṣa and teaches from various other Jyotiṣa scripture and sacred literature such as the Bhagavadgītā, Upaniṣad, Purāṇa, etc.

During the days of the Ayuddha dynasty, Sthaneshwar, Matsya and Panchala Desh, are described in the Bṛhat Saṃhitā as forming a part of the Madhyadesha or Middle Kingdom ; Saharanpur was also ruled by the Ayuddha Dynasty, but this did not continue for long.

The description tallies with those in the Bṛhat Saṃhitā, a 6th century CE encyclopedia and the major epic Mahabharata, which makes particular reference to the wealth of the Kambojas.