The year 1981 in science and technology observed many events, some of which are included in the list below.

Computer science

• IBM PC released

Space exploration

• April 12 - The first launch of a Space Shuttle: Columbia launches on the STS-1 mission.

Awards

• Nobel Prizes
  • Physics - Nicolaas Bloembergen, Arthur Leonard Schawlow, Kai M. Siegbahn
  • Chemistry - Kenichi Fukui, Roald Hoffmann
  • Medicine - Roger W. Sperry, David H. Hubel, Torsten N. Wiesel
• Turing Award - Edgar F. Codd

Births

Deaths

• March 9 - Max Delbrück (b. 1906), German biologist
• November 22 - Hans Adolf Krebs (b. 1900), German medical doctor and biochemist. Discoverer of the citric acid cycle

1981 | 1980s in science

1981 en science | 1981 a tudományban