August 1981 - August 13, 1981 (Thursday)

August 13, 1981 (Thursday)

• On vacation at his ranch near Santa Barbara, California, U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, the 25% income tax cut for which he had sought passage.
• At the U.S. Long Course Swimming Championships at Brown Deer, Wisconsin, Mary T. Meagher, 16, shattered her own world record for fastest time in the women's 100-meter butterfly swimming competition, with a time of 57.93 seconds. The mark stood for 18 years until it was broken by Jenny Thompson on August 23, 1999.