| January 8: | AT&T broken up |
| April 2: | Falkland Islands War
Argentina invades the British-occupied Falklands. After two months, Argentina surrenders to British forces on June 14. |
| June 30: | Equal Rights Amendment defeated
The ERA, that would prohibit discrimination by sex, falls short of ratification when the deadline passes. |
| July 9: | Pan Am crash |
| August 5: | Spontaneous human combustion
A Chicago woman burst into flames and dies. She is the eighth recorded victim of human spontaneous combustion, based on records dating back to the 18th century. |
| September 29: | Tylenol tampering scare
In the fall of 1982, seven people die from taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. The nation panics and Johnson and Johnson quickly recalls over 30 million bottles. |
| November 13: | Dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial |
