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''See also:''
[[de:Diskette]] [[sv:Diskett]]
[[1979 in music]],
[[1980|other events of 1980]],
[[1981 in music]] and the
[[list of 'years in music']].


==Events==
A '''floppy disk''' is a type of [[data]] [[storage device]] that comprises a circular piece of thin, flexible (hence the name) magnetic media encased in a square or rectangular [[plastic]] wallet. The fact that the exterior aspect is not circular confuses some novice users. Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive or FDD.
*[[January 1]] - [[Cliff Richard]] is awarded the [[British honours system|MBE]] from [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]]. The only other pop music acts to be awarded the MBE are [[the Beatles]] and [[Elton John]]
*[[January 2]] - At the age of 45, songwriter [[Larry Williams]] is found dead in his [[Los Angles, California]] home of a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators are never able to determine whether his death was a murder or suicide.
*[[January 13]] - [[The Grateful Dead]], [[The Beach Boys]] and [[Jefferson Starship]] perform at a benefit concert at Oakland Coliseum for the people of [[Kampuchea]].
*[[January 16]] - [[Paul McCartney]] is arrested in [[Tokyo]] for possession of a half pound of [[marijuana]]. The remaining part of McCartney's tour had to be canceled.
*[[January 25]] - [[Paul McCartney]] is released from a [[Tokyo]] jail and is kicked out of the country by Japanese authorities.
*[[January]] - [[Daniel Amos]] and [[Randy Stonehill]] wrap up the first part of the ''Amos and Randy Tour'' in [[Toronto]]. Both artists are joined on stage by [[Larry Norman]] for an encore. The event makes the news on local television and newspapers.
*[[February 8]] - [[David Bowie]] and his wife of nearly 10 years, Angie, file for divorce. Bowie gets custody of their 9 year old son, Zowie
*[[February 14]] - [[Lou Reed]] marries Sylvia Morales in [[New York City]]'s [[Greenwich Village]]
*[[February 21]] - [[Bon Scott]], lead singer of [[AC/DC]], dies in [[London]] after choking on his own vomit following an all-night drinking binge.
*[[February 29]] - [[Buddy Holly]]'s trademark glasses and the [[Big Bopper]]'s wristwatch are "rediscovered" in old police files by the Mason City Sheriff. Holly and the Big Bopper were killed in a plane crashed on [[February 3]], [[1959]].
*[[March 1]] - [[Patti Smith]] marries former [[MC5]] member [[Fred Sonic Smith]]
*[[March 3]] - [[Sotheby]]'s Auction house in [[London]] auctions off a Rivera Hotel, Las Vegas napkin signed by [[Elvis Presley]] for 500 pounds. Other items auctioned included four [[United States|American]] dollar bills autographed by [[the Beatles]], for 220 pounds and a collection of personal letters belonging to the [[Rolling Stones]], also for 220 pounds
*[[March 14]] - [[Record producer]] [[Quincy Jones]] receives a star on the [[Hollywood Walk Of Fame]]
*[[March 19]] - [[Elvis Presley]]'s autopsy is subpoened during the trial of Dr. George Nichopoulous, who would later be found guilty of overprescribing drugs to Presley, [[Jerry Lee Lewis]] and other clients.
*[[March 29]] - Ronald Selle, wins a lawsuit filed against the [[Bee Gees]], [[Paramount Pictures]] and [[Polygram Records]]. Selle alleged that the Bee Gees' song "How Deep is Your Love" plagiarized two sections of a song he wrote called "Let it End." The Bee Gees claim they never heard Selle's song. (The Bee Gees successfully appeal the decision in [[1983]].)
*[[April 13]] - The [[Broadway]] musical ''[[Grease (musical)|Grease]]'' closes its run of 3,883 performances, making it the longest running show on Broadway up until that time.
*[[April 14]] - A member of the [[New Jersey]] State assembly introduces a resolution to make [[Bruce Springsteen]]'s "Born to Run" the official state song.
*[[April 17]] - As the "official guests of State", [[Bob Marley]] and the Wailers perform at [[Zimbabwe]]'s Independence festival. Marley calls the event the "greatest honor of my life."
*[[April 30]] - The [[Roger Daltrey]] film, ''McVicar'', opens in [[London]].
*[[December]] - [[Duran Duran]] signs with [[EMI]] after finalizing its lineup and touring as a support act for [[Hazel O'Connor]]
*[[December 8]] - [[John Lennon]] is shot and killed outside of his apartment building in [[New York City]].
*[[Seals & Crofts]] break up
*[[Mercyful Fate]] forms
*[[Minor Threat]] forms
*[[The Sisters of Mercy]] forms
*[[Phil Collins]] signs a contract with [[Atlantic Records]] after leaving [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]]
*[[Hüsker Dü]] forms, and signs a contract with [[SST Records]]


==Albums Released==
Floppy disks, also known as '''floppies''' or '''diskettes''' (to be similar to cassette), were ubiquitous in the [[1980s]] and [[1990s]], being used on [[personal computer]] platforms such as the [[IBM PC]] to distribute [[software]], transfer data between computers, and create small [[backup]]s. Before the advent of the [[hard drive]], floppy disks were used to store a computer's [[operating system]] and [[software]].
*''[[Back in Black]]'' - [[AC/DC]]
*''[[Heaven and Hell]]'' - [[Black Sabbath]]
*''[[Autoamerican]]'' - [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]]
*''[[Eat to the Beat]]'' - [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]]
*''[[Kurtis Blow (album)|Kurtis Blow]]'' - [[Kurtis Blow]]
*''[[Hold Out]]'' - [[Jackson Browne]]
*''[[Catholic Boy]]'' - [[Jim Carroll Band]]
*''[[Panorama]]'' - [[The Cars]]
*''[[XIV]]'' - [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]]
*''[[Humans (album)|Humans]]'' - [[Bruce Cockburn]]
*''[[Get Happy!!!]]'' - [[Elvis Costello & the Attractions]]
*''[[Christopher Cross (album)|Self-Titled]]'' - [[Christopher Cross]]
*''[[Group Sex]]'' - [[The Circle Jerks]] (debut)
*''[[London Calling]]'' - [[The Clash]] (2-record set)
*''[[Sandanista!]]'' - [[The Clash]]
*''[[Freedom of Choice]]'' - [[Devo]]
*''[[Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables]]'' - [[Dead Kennedys]]
*''[[Lightning to the Nations]]'' - [[Diamond Head]]
*''[[Making Movies]]'' - [[Dire Straits]]
*''Live'' - [[The Eagles]] (2-record set)
*''[[The Long Run]]'' - [[The Eagles]] (last recording until 2003)
*''[[Peter Gabriel III]]'' - [[Peter Gabriel]]
*''[[After Dark]]'' - [[Andy Gibb]]
*''[[Voices]]'' - [[Daryl Hall]] & [[John Oates]]
*''[[Roses in the Snow]]'' - [[Emmylou Harris]]
*''[[Iron Maiden (album)|Self-Titled]]'' - [[Iron Maiden]]
*''[[Sound Affects]]'' - [[The Jam]]
*''[[A (album)|A]]'' - [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]]
*''[[Glass Houses]]'' - [[Billy Joel]]
*''[[21 at 33]]'' - [[Elton John]]
*''[[Departure]]'' - [[Journey (band)|Journey]]
*''[[Dream After Dream]]'' - [[Journey (band)|Journey]]
*''[[Closer]]'' - [[Joy Division]]
*''[[British Steel]]'' - [[Judas Priest]]
*''[[In Through the Out Door]]'' - [[Led Zeppelin]]
*''[[Double Fantasy]]'' - [[John Lennon]] & [[Yoko Ono]]
*''[[Xanadu]]'' (soundtrack by [[Olivia Newton-John]], [[Electric Light Orchestra]])
*''[[Mekons (album)|Mekons]]'' - [[The Mekons]]
*''[[Zenyatta Mondatta]]'' - [[The Police]]
*''[[The Pretenders (album)|Self-Titled]]'' - [[The Pretenders]]
*''[[Dirty Mind]]'' - [[Prince Rogers Nelson|Prince]]
*''[[Second Edition]]'' - [[Public Image Ltd.]]
*''[[The Game]]'' - [[Queen (band)|Queen]]
*''[[Down to Earth (Rainbow album)|Down to Earth]]'' - [[Rainbow (band)|Rainbow]]
*''[[Permanent Waves]]'' - [[Rush (band)|Rush]]
*''[[Longest Road]]'' - [[Seals & Crofts]] (final album)
*''[[The Specials (album)|The Specials]]'' - [[The Specials]]
*''[[The River]]'' - [[Bruce Springsteen]]
*''[[Gaucho]]'' - [[Steely Dan]]
*''[[Remain in Light]]'' - [[Talking Heads]]
*''[[Empty Glass]]'' - [[Pete Townshend]]
*''[[Boy]]'' - [[U2 (band)|U2]] (debut)
*''[[Women and Children First]]'' - [[Van Halen]]
*''[[Hotter than July]]'' - [[Stevie Wonder]]


==Top Hits==
By the early [[1990s]], the increasing size of software meant that many programs were distributed on sets of floppies. Toward the end of the [[1990s]], software distribution gradually switched to [[CD-ROM]], and higher-density backup formats were introduced (e.g., the [[Zip disk]]). With the arrival of the mass [[internet]] and cheap [[ethernet]], the floppy was no longer necessary for data transfer either, and the floppy disk was essentially superseded. Mass backups are made to high capacity [[tape drive]]s (such as [[DAT]]) or written to [[compact disc]] using [[CD-R|CD-Writer]]s.


*"(Just Like) Starting Over" - [[John Lennon]]
Nonetheless, manufacturers were reluctant to remove the floppy drive from their PCs, for backwards compatibility. [[Apple Computer]] was the first to eschew the floppy altogether on the release of their [[iMac]] model: it had no floppy disk drive.
*"All Night Long" - [[Rainbow (band)|Rainbow]]
*"Another Brick in the Wall" - [[Pink Floyd]]
*"Another One Bites the Dust" - [[Queen (band)|Queen]]
*"Big Man, Big M.A.N." - [[Crass]]
*"Borrowed Time" - [[Styx (band)|Styx]]
*"Breaking the Law" - [[Judas Priest]]
*"Call Me" - [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]]
*"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - [[Queen (band)|Queen]]
*"Drivin' My Life Away" - [[Eddie Rabbit]]
*"Games Without Frontiers" - [[Peter Gabriel]]
*"Fool in the Rain" - [[Led Zeppelin]]
*"Freewill" - [[Rush (band)|Rush]]
*"Funkytown" - [[Lipps, Inc.]]
*"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - [[Pat Benatar]]
*"Hungry Heart" - [[Bruce Springsteen]
*"I Can't Tell You Why" - [[The Eagles]]
*"I'm Alright" - [[Kenny Loggins]]
*"It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" - [[Billy Joel]]
*"Lady" - [[Kenny Rogers]]
*"Living After Midnight" - [[Judas Priest]]
*"London Calling" - [[The Clash]]
*"The Long Run" - [[The Eagles]]
*"Magic" - [[Olivia Newton-John]]
*"Metal Gods" - [[Judas Priest]]
*"Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - [[Aerosmith]]
*"Rock with You" - [[Michael Jackson]]
*"Sailing" - [[Christopher Cross]]
*"Since You Been Gone" - [[Rainbow (band)|Rainbow]]
*"Touch and Go" - [[The Cars]]
*"Train in Vain" - [[The Clash]]
*"Tulsa Time" - [[Eric Clapton]]
*"Upside Down" - [[Diana Ross]]
*"We Don't Talk Anymore" - [[Cliff Richard]]
*"Woman in Love" - [[Barbra Streisand]]
*"You May Be Right" - [[Billy Joel]]


== History ==
==Births==
*[[January 28]] - [[Nick Carter]], [[The Backstreet Boys]]
*[[February 27]] - [[Cyrus Bolooki]], [[New Found Glory]]
*[[June 20]] - [[Tony Lovato]], [[Mest]]
*[[July 26]] - [[Dave Baksh]], [[Sum 41]]
*[[September 3]] - [[Jason McCaslin]], [[Sum 41]]
*[[October 5]] - [[Paul (aka: Ghetto Lovah)|Paul]], [[Good Charlotte]]
*[[November 17]] - [[Clarke Isaac Hanson]], [[Hanson]]
*[[December 18]] - [[Christina Aguilera]]
*[[Chris Gaynor]], [[The All-American Rejects]]


==Deaths==
The original floppy disk was the eight-inch. These large disks predate the desktop machine and were mainly used for transferring data between [[mainframe]] machines. Their capacity was extremely limited by today's standards, with 160 [[kilobyte]]s available. The reason for the name ''floppy'' was that the exterior casing was only soft flexible plastic, leaving them vulnerable to manhandling.
*[[January 2]] - [[Larry Williams]]
*[[January 7]] - [[Carl White]], [[the Rivingtons]]
*[[January 29]] - [[Jimmie Durante]]
*[[January 30]] - [[Professor Longhair]]
*[[February 19]] - [[Bon Scott]], lead singer of [[AC/DC]]
*[[March 26]] - [[Jon Paulus]] (32), [[the Buckinghams]], drug overdose
*[[April 28]] - [[Tommy Caldwell]], [[Marshall Tucker Band]], car accident
*[[June 27]] - [[Barney Bigard]]
*[[December 8]] - [[John Lennon]]


==Awards==
Home computer manufacturers, who had previously been using [[magnetic tape]] (compact cassette) to save data, saw the possibilities for this medium. [[Amstrad]] incorporated a 3-inch disk drive into their CPC664 and CPC6128 models, amongst other manufacturers. They remained expensive and did not become standardised. However, they had a small [[form factor]] and a rigid case with a slideable [[write-protect]] catch, features which would be seen later in the 3½" disk.


===[[Grammy]] Awards===
The first floppy disk that was used in home machines was the 5¼". Small enough to fit in a desktop unit, the usual incarnation offered 360kB of storage space. Since these machines had no [[hard disk]], the [[operating system]] would have to be loaded on one disk and then removed and replaced by another disk containing the [[application]]. Later machines using two disk drives enabled the user to leave the operating system disk in one drive and only change the application disk. These disks were also flexible and were usually contained within individual paper envelopes. The much later Quad Density disk provided 1.2 [[megabyte]]s of information on one disk.
*[[Grammy Awards of 1980]]


===[[Country Music Association]] Awards===
But by this time, the 90mm disk was arriving. American computing manufacturers called it a "3½ inch" disk (although 3.50 inches is actually 89mm), and the name has stuck even in countries that normally use the metric system. Borrowing from the advances made in the three-inch disks, as well as enhanced methods of manufacturing, they were able to contain 720kB of data in their first standard, Double Sided Double Density (when formatted to MS-DOS; [[Amiga]] floppies carried 880k, and early Apple floppies carried 800k). However, there was soon a new standard - High Density - represented by a human-readable stylised 'HD' in the top right of the disk and a machine-readable hole in the bottom left corner, with the write-protect catch remaining in the bottom-right corner. These were capable of 1.44MB (1.76MB on [[Amiga]]), and remain the standard in floppy disks until this day (2002), despite successful attempts to put 2.88MB on a disk via enhanced formatting techniques and use of special oxide coatings. [[Microsoft]] applications were often distributed on 'Microsoft distribution format' disks, a hack that allowed 1.68MB to be stored on a 1.44MB disk by formatting it with 21 sectors instead of 18. The most often used [[file system]] on floppy disks is [[FAT12]].


===[[Eurovision Song Contest]]===
== Structure ==
*[[Eurovision Song Contest 1980]]

The 5¼" disk had a large circular hole in the centre for the spindle of the drive and a small oval aperture in both sides of the plastic to allow the heads of the drive to read and write the data. The magnetic media could be spun by rotating it from the middle hole. A small notch on the right hand side of the disk would identify whether the disk was read-only or writeable, detected by a [[photo transistor]] above it. Another LED/phototransistor pair located near the centre of the disk could detect a small hole, called the index hole, in the magnetic disk. It was used to detect the start of each [[track]], and whether or not the disk rotated at the correct speed. Very early 5¼" disks also had holes for each [[sector]]. Inside the disk were two layers of fabric designed to reduce friction between the media and the outer casing, with the media sandwiched in the middle. The outer casing was usually a one-part sheet, folded double with flaps usually spot-melted together. A catch was lowered into position in front of the drive to prevent the disk from emerging, as well as to raise or lower the spindle.

The 3½ disk is made of two pieces of rigid plastic, with the fabric-media-fabric sandwich in the middle. The front has only a label and a small aperture for reading and writing data, protected by a spring-loaded metal cover, which is pushed back on entry into the drive. The reverse has a similar covered aperture, as well as a hole to allow the spindle to connect into a metal plate glued to the media. Two holes, bottom left and right, indicate the write-protect status and high-density disk correspondingly, a hole meaning protected or high density, and a covered gap meaning write-enabled or low density. A notch top right ensures that the disk is not inserted incorrectly, and an arrow top left indicates the direction of insertion. The drive usually has a button that, when pressed, will spring the disk out at varying degrees of force. Some would barely make it out of the disk drive; others would shoot out at a fairly high speed. In a majority of drives, the ejection force is provided by the spring that holds the cover shut, and therefore the ejection speed is dependent on this spring.

<i>Useless floppy disk [[trivia]] - the write-protect and high-density holes on a 3&frac12;" disk are spaced exactly as far apart as the holes in punched A4 paper, allowing (write protected) floppies to be clipped into European [[ringbinder]]s</i>.

Revision as of 01:24, 2 April 2003

See also: 1979 in music, other events of 1980, 1981 in music and the list of 'years in music'.

Events

Albums Released

Top Hits

Births

Deaths

Awards

Grammy Awards

Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

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