The '80s: The Decade That Made Us

The Revolutionaries (1x2)

Air date: Apr 14, 2013

In 1981, Ronald Reagan is propelled into the U.S. presidency, but his much-scrutinized administration is shaken to its core a mere 70 days in when an assassin’s bullet pierces his lung. Vivid accounts from newsman Sam Donaldson, on the ground that day, and Dr. David Adelberg, the medical intern who cradled Reagan’s heart in his hands during surgery, describe a country in panic. After a full recovery, and an ensuing upswing in popularity, Reagan’s business mandate leads to a new breed of entrepreneurs, including Steve Jobs, whose “1984” commercial helped launch the Super Bowl commercial phenomenon; Ted Turner, who reinvented the news business with the creation of 24-hour news; and Ben & Jerry, who successfully combined the hippie vibe of the 1960s with the entrepreneurial spirit of the 1980s.