1982
- The Caldecott Tunnel fire kills seven people in the third, northernmost bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, on State Route 24 between Oakland and Orinda
- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana throws a memorable touchdown pass to Dwight Clark in the NFC Championship Game with the Dallas Cowboys
- The University of California Golden Bears perform The Play, a kickoff return during a college football game with the Stanford Cardinals, which is among the most memorable events in American sports.
- E-Trade (pictured) is founded in Palo Alto
- Symantec (pictured) is founded in Mountain View
- General Motors' Fremont Assembly (pictured) closes
- The San Francisco 49ers win the Super Bowl for the first time
- Cleve Jones and Marcus Conant establish the Kaposi's Sarcoma Research and Education Foundation
- Severe flooding in the Bay Area results in 33 deaths and $280 million in losses.