20/07/81: Ian Botham's innings rescues the Ashes for England

Monday 20 July 1981 was Day 4 of the the third test Match between Australia and England. It was the day of England's 2nd innings. The six Test matches of the summer of 1981 between England and Australia were played between 18 June - 1 September 1981.
Despite having been 1–0 down after two Tests, England won the next three Tests to finish 3–1 victors (with two draws), thus retaining the Ashes. The series is popularly known as Botham's Ashes, owing to the remarkable performances of Ian Botham with both bat and ball.

full story: theguardian.com

England won the test the following day by 18 runs.

Geoff Boycott hands Ian Botham a stump and a tired Bob Willis waits for the presentation ceremony, England v Australia, 3rd Test, Headingley, 5th day, July 21, 1981 

07/07/81: The Specials' Ghost Town goes to no. 1 in UK

On Tuesday 7 July 1981 the single Ghost Town by Coventry group The Specials went to no. 1 in the UK charts.

The song spent three weeks at number one and 10 weeks in total in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. Addressing themes of urban decay, deindustrialisation, unemployment and violence in inner cities, the song is remembered for being a hit at the same time as riots were occurring in British cities, most recently in Toxteth, Liverpool.

Internal tensions within the band were also coming to a head when the single was being recorded, resulting in the song being the last single recorded by the original seven members of the group before splitting up.

By the end of the year the song had won over the critics to be named single of the year in Melody Maker, NME and Sounds, the UK's top three weekly music magazines at the time.

see also: Ska for the madding crowd, Alexis Petridis, theguardian.com,  08/03/2002

04/07/81: Wimbledon Men's Singles final: McEnroe vs. Borg

Saturday, 4 July 1981.

McEnroe beat Borg to win his first Wimbledon title, ending Borg's five year run.

Borg also went on to lose to McEnroe at the 1981 US Open.

Borg and McEnroe pictured prior to the Wimbledon final.

01/07/81: Three of a Kind comedy series launched on BBC1

On Wednesday 1 July 1981 a new comedy series Three of a Kind was launched on BBC 1 in the UK. The show starred three British comedians David Copperfield, Tracey Ullman and Lenny Henry. (below l-r)

Three of a Kind was a funny, fast-moving, non-satirical, mainstream sketch show that made Tracey Ullman a household name and emphasised the burgeoning talent of Lenny Henry. The third member of the team, David Copperfield (real name Stanley Barlow) did not capitalise on the success of the piece as much as his two co-stars but was equally important to its balance.

The show's state-of-the-art presentation, often using early computer graphics, was ground-breaking although makes it seem dated when viewed today, more so than other contemporary comedies that were not so high-tech.

source: BBC Guide to Comedy