1980s

In the 1980s, a Swedish flea-market buyer paid just over SEK 20 for a small Buddha statue; four decades later, experts traced it to the Ming dynasty, and it sold for SEK 2.44 million at auction

by
In the 1980s, a Swedish flea-market buyer paid just over SEK 20 for a small Buddha statue; four decades later, experts traced it to the Ming dynasty, and it sold for SEK 2.44 million at auction

A tiny Buddha statue bought for just over SEK 20 at a Swedish flea market in the 1980s has turned into a multimillion-kronor discovery after experts identified it as a rare work from China’s Ming dynasty. The gilt-bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddhawhich had spent decades in a private Swedish home, fetched a final price of … Read more

Why is a 7.5% US mortgage still so expensive despite 18% rates in the 1980s?

by
US mortgage rates and home prices remain a challenge for American homebuyers. (Pexel/Representative image) (Pexel)

The average 30-year US mortgage rate climbed to 7.49% on September 25, 2026. Mortgage News Daily reported the rise, putting the current rate far below the record-high mortgage rates Americans faced in the early 1980s. US mortgage rates and home prices remain a challenge for American homebuyers. (Pexel/Representative image) (Pexel) At first glance, today’s 7.5% … Read more

A Chicago couple began protecting their Illinois woodland in the 1980s rather than develop it; decades later, all 126 acres have been bought for a new public preserve carrying their family name

by
A Chicago couple began protecting their Illinois woodland in the 1980s rather than develop it; decades later, all 126 acres have been bought for a new public preserve carrying their family name

Representative image from Canva In the 1980s, Dr. Shin Theke Kang and his wife, Tae Sue Kang, made a long-term decision to protect a piece of land in southwestern Will County, Illinois, rather than develop it. Over the decades, the Chicago couple restored former agricultural areas, planted thousands of trees and cared for the woodland … Read more

In the late 1980s, two explorers paddled the full length of the Amazon after walking its first 200 miles; they reached the Atlantic after a 4,200-mile journey

by
In the late 1980s, two explorers paddled the full length of the Amazon after walking its first 200 miles; they reached the Atlantic after a 4,200-mile journey

In the late 1980s, Polish explorer Piotr Chmielinski and American writer Joe Kane became the first people to paddle the full length of the Amazon from its source area to the Atlantic Ocean. Kane first walked 200 miles before joining the paddling journey. The expedition covered about 4,200 miles from the high-altitude headwaters to the … Read more

In the 1980s, Michael Jackson put his 2,700-acre California ranch under an agricultural preservation programme; years later, officials found an amusement park, a zoo and other unapproved developments

by
In the 1980s, Michael Jackson put his 2,700-acre California ranch under an agricultural preservation programme; years later, officials found an amusement park, a zoo and other unapproved developments

Michael Jackson‘s sprawling Neverland Ranch in California benefited for years from a state agricultural land-preservation programme that reduced its property-tax burden, but the arrangement came under scrutiny after county officials discovered extensive development on parts of the estate. The roughly 2,700-acre ranch in Santa Barbara County included Jackson’s home, an amusement park, zoo and other … Read more

In the 1980s, Burmese pythons invaded Florida’s Everglades, and decades later raccoons fell 99.3%, opossums 98.9% and bobcats 87.5%

by
In the 1980s, Burmese pythons invaded Florida’s Everglades, and decades later raccoons fell 99.3%, opossums 98.9% and bobcats 87.5%

For years, the Everglades was known for its tangled wetlands, alligators and an abundance of smaller mammals moving through the vegetation. Then an animal from south-east Asia began spreading through the marshes. Burmese pythons, most likely introduced through the pet trade, have established a breeding population in southern Florida and now occupy large parts of … Read more