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

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

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

* 1981 – Robert Earnshaw, Zambian-Welsh footballer

* 1981 – Jeff Faine, American football player and agent

* 1981 – Kari Jobe, American singer and songwriter ( Gateway Worship )

* 1981 – Alex Suarez, American bassist ( Cobra Starship and This Is Ivy League )

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

* 1981 – Nicolás Burdisso, Argentine footballer

* 1981 – Grant Holt, English footballer

* 1981 – Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist

* 1981 – John O ' Shea, Irish footballer

* 1981 – Emma Pierson, English actress

* 1981 – Kunal Nayyar, Indian-English actor

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

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

* 1981 – Maxwell Cabelino Andrade, Spanish footballer

* 1981 – Alessandro Gamberini, Italian footballer

* 1981 – Demetria McKinney, American actress

* 1981 – Vitantonio Liuzzi, Italian race car driver

* 1981 – Travie McCoy, American rapper and songwriter ( Gym Class Heroes )

* 1981 – Diána Póth, Hungarian figure skater

* 1981 – Jarvis Hayes, American basketball player

* 1981 – Li Jiawei, Singaporean table tennis player

* 1981 – Claire Dames, American porn actress

He was succeeded by Datuk Hussein Onn, the son of UMNO ’ s founder Onn Jaafar, and then by Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, who had been Education Minister since 1981, and who held power for 22 years.

Under Mahathir bin Mohamad ’ s long Prime Ministership ( 1981 – 2003 ), Malaysia ’ s political culture became increasingly centralized and authoritarian, due to Mahathir's belief that the multiethnic Malaysia could only remain stable through controlled democracy.

The ban was only lifted after Mahathir became prime minister in 1981 ; he thus served as a minister and deputy prime minister while being the author of a banned book.

Mahathir is regarded has having been a successful Minister for Education and then Minister for Trade and Industry ( 1978 – 1981 ).

Nonetheless, when Hussein relinquished power due to ill health in 1981, Mahathir succeeded him unopposed and with his blessing.

Mahathir was sworn in as Prime Minister on 16 July 1981, at the age of 56.

Mahathir was readmitted to UMNO in 1972 and became Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1981, and in time most of the policies suggested in the book were indeed adopted by the Malaysian government, most notably in the Malaysian New Economic Policy.

In 1981, the group became a wholly Malaysian-owned company after former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad engineered a raid by Pemodalan Nasional Berhad to take over the group at the London Stock Exchange.

In 1981, the group became a wholly Malaysian-owned company after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad engineered a raid by Pemodalan Nasional Berhad to take over the group at the London Stock Exchange.

When Mahathir became Prime Minister in 1981, he sent Daim on a number of missions.

In 1981, Harun was released after receiving a pardon from the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong on advice of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, after serving three years of his sentence.

* 1981 – François Mitterrand wins the presidential election and becomes the first Socialist President of France in the French Fifth Republic.

* 1981 – The John Bull becomes the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operates it under its own power outside Washington, D. C.

* 1981 – Vanuatu becomes a member of the United Nations.

* 1979-81-Iran becomes an Islamic republic after the overthrow of American-backed shah ; militants seize 63 American diplomats for 444 days during the Iran hostage crisis ; America seizes $ 12 billion in Iranian assets ; American rescue effort fails ; hostages and assets are freed on January 20, 1981.

* 1981 Bayer buys out Gevaert and becomes 100 % owner.

* In 1981 Tandberg becomes a founding member of QIC committee for standardising interfaces and recording formats, and produces its first streaming linear tape drive.

* World rankings – Cliff Thorburn becomes world number one for 1981 / 82

* September 15, 1981: The John Bull becomes the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when it runs under its own power outside Washington, DC.

The opening scenes of the 1981 horror film " Wolfen " starring Albert Finney were shot in St. George, and the area has served as a stand-in for many nameless small towns, as was the case in the low-budget 1984 film " Death Mask " starring Farley Granger as a medical examiner who becomes obsessed with finding out the ID of a young boy found dead.

* 1981 – Canadian University Service Overseas becomes just CUSO as many volunteers were now professionals with a wide variety of skills and experiences.

1981 – KAON Factory studies initiated, Erich Vogt becomes director of TRIUMF

* 1981: The Movement for Change and Initiative renames itself Shinui, and in 1988 becomes Shinui-Center Party

* 1981 Novo becomes the first company in Scandinavia to be quoted on the New York Stock Exchange.

* 1981: Simpsons becomes " Simpson ", in a symbolic move across Quebec to hide its Anglicized " s ".

" Overall the displacement of identities that Franco Maghrebis feel becomes a unifying factor in French society and assimilation is particularly difficult because of their placement in the banlieue, and the French's refusal to assimilate due to the violence portrayed at events such as in the summer of 1981.

The 5. 0 % ABV beer has been described to have a " tangy malt and hops aroma, rich malt in the mouth, and a bitter-sweet finish that becomes dry and hoppy ", and has won more than a dozen awards through the years, starting with the 1981 Monde Selection Bruxelles Gold Medal ; the 1979 Golden Caralious 19th Caralious Gold Medal ; the 1973 Sélection Mondiale Paris Gold Medal ; and the 1972 12th Annual World Beer and Non-Alcoholic Drinks Selection Gold and Silver Medals for Dark Beer and White Beer, respectively.

In the 1981 BBC serial The Nightmare Man the pilot of a high-tech mini submarine is linked to his craft via a brain implant but becomes a savage killer after ripping out the implant.

In 1981 Silver Star Sports purchased by Norm Crerar, Charlie Locke, John Hindle, Rob Marshall and John Gow and becomes Silver Star Mountain Resorts Ltd.

September 25, 1981: O ' Connor becomes first woman justice on U. S. Supreme Court