Two events caught Venezuelans' eyes during this year. The first was the wedding of Prince Charles, heir to the throne of England, and Diana Spencer, known as Lady Di, on July 29. Two months later, on September 28, Rómulo Betancourt, leader of Venezuelan democracy, died.

The wedding of Charles and Diana took place under the majestic dome of London's St. Paul's Cathedral, and the event caused nearly a million people to gather in the vicinity of the church. The wedding had 3,500 special guests and was broadcasted live to 500 million spectators in 70 countries.

Lady Di, who was crowned princess of Wales on that day, was twenty years old at the time, but soon began to play a significant role in favor of social causes, such as campaigns against AIDS and land mines. Diana became one of the most sought-after and photographed celebrities of the world. People magazine placed her on its cover 81 times.

Charles and Diana divorced on August 28, 1996, but they had two boys: William and Harry of Wales. Princess Diana died in a tragic automobile accident in Paris on August 31, 1997.   

Rómulo Betancourt, claimed as the father of Venezuelan democracy, died from brain hemorrhage in New York. As part of the generation of 1928, the Venezuelan caudillo born in Guatire on February 28, 1908 led one of the most troubled governments in the history of democracy, having faced military uprisings and armed struggles by leftist movements inspired by the Cuban Revolution. On June 24, 1960, on a day commemorating the Armed Forces and the Battle of Carabobo, as Betancourt headed to the official acts in Los Próceres an assassination attempt was staged; he was nearly killed.

1981 was a year of both failed and successful assassination attempts. On March 30, two months after being sworn in as US president, Ronald Reagan suffered an assassination attempt at the hands of John Hinkley in Washington.

On March 13, Alí Agca, a Turkish terrorist, shot Pope John Paul II during a public appearance at St. Peter's Square, seriously injuring the pope in the abdominal area. On October 6, Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat was assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists during a parade in Cairo.

On the 20th of July, Venezuela's Irene Sáez was crowned Miss Universe. Another Venezuelan, Pilín León, won the Miss World pageant. Irene Sáez would move on to a career in politics in which she became the first female Mayor of Chacao Municipality in Caracas, a presidential candidate and governor of the state of Nueva Esparta.