On This Day April 15th in 80s History

Happy 80s Birthdays

1944 - Dave Edmunds (Singer)
1947 - Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (Producer) Designing Woman
1947 - Lois Chiles (Actress) Dallas
1950 - Amy Wright (Actress) Stardust Memories
1956 - Michael Cooper (Basketball)
1957 - Evelyn Ashford (Track) 1984 Olympic Gold
1959 - Thomas F. Wilson (Actor) Back to the Future
1959 - Emma Thompson (Actress) Henry V
1966 - Samantha Fox (Singer)

Fun Fact!

Michael Cooper (Los Angeles Lakers) Won Defensive Player of the Year in 1987
* 5x NBA All-Defense First Team
5x NBA Champion

April 15th in 80s History

On April 15, 1989 The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Took Place in South Yorkshire, England

* 96 People Were Crushed to Death

1989 - "She Drives Me Crazy by The Fine Young Cannibals Became the #1 Song in America

* #1 Song in America from April 15 - 21

Also Hit #1 in Canada, Spain, Austria, Australia and New Zealand

Fun Fact!

The Fine Young Cannibals Were Formed in Birmingham, England in 1984

_____________________________

Flashdance Premiered in Theaters

Other Notable Birthdays

Elizabeth Montomery (Actress)
April 15, 1933 - May 18, 1995
Passed Away at Age 62 From Liver Cancer
Played Samantha on Bewitched

Willie Davis (Baseball)
April 15, 1940 - March 9, 2010
Passed Away at Age 69 (Natural Causes)

Played 17 Seasons

* 14 Seasons With the Los Angeles Dodgers

_______________________________

Passed Away
(On This Day)

Abraham Lincoln (Former U.S. President)

February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865
Passed Away at Age 56 From Gunshot Wounds
16th President of the United States

Joey Ramone (Singer)

May 19, 1951 - April 15, 2001
Passed Away at Age 49 From Lymphoma

Lead Singer and the Founder of The Ramones

Clifton James (Actor)

May 29, 1920 - April 15, 2017
Passed Away at Age 96 From Diabetes
Played Charles Comiskey in Eight Men Out (1988)

* Also Played the Texas Tycoon in the Bad News Bears Breaking Training (1977)

R. Lee Ermey (Actor)

March 24, 1944 - April 15, 2018
Passed Away at Age 74 From Pneumonia
Played Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Liz Sheridan

April 10, 1929 - April 15, 2022

Passed Away at Age 93 (Unknown Cause)

Played Seinfeld's Mom on Seinfeld

* Also Played the Nosey Neighbor on Alf

_______________________________

80s Movies
(Released On This Day)

1983 - Flashdance
Director: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri and Cynthia Rhodes
Budget: $7 Million

Box Office: $201.5 Million ($92 Million Domestic)

1983 - Liquid Sky
Director: Slava Tsukerman
Starring: Anne Carlisle and Paula E. Sheppard
Budget: $500,000

Box Office: $1.7 Million

Most Successful Independent Film From 1983

1983 - Lone Wolf McQuade
Director: Steve Carver
Starring: Chuck Norris and David Carradine
Budget: $5 Million

Box Office: $15 Million

1988 - Colors
Director: Dennis Hopper
Starring: Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Don Cheadle, Damon Wayans, Trinidad Silva, Mario Lopez and Maria Conchita Alonso
Budget: $10 Million

Box Office: $46.6 Million

1988 - Appointment with Death
Director: Michael Winner
Starring: Peter Ustinov, Carrie Fisher and Hayley Mills
Budget: $6 Million

Box Office: $960,000

1988 - Brain Damage
Director: Frank Henenlotter
Starring: Rick Hearst, Jennifer Lowry and Gordon MacDonald
Budget: N/A

Box Office: N/A

1988 - The Moderns
Director: Alan Rudolph
Starring: Keith Carradine, Linda Fiorentino and John Lone
Budget: $3.5 Million

Box Office: $2 Million

1988 - Plain Clothes
Director: Martha Coolidge
Starring: Arliss Howard, Suzy Amis and George Wendt
Budget: $7.5 Million

Box Office: $289,000

1988 - Return to Snowy River
Director: Geoff Burrowes
Starring: Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton and Brian Dennehy
Budget: $8.7 Million

Box Office: $13.6 Million

_______________________________

80s Television
(On This Day)

1983 - The Paper Chase Premiered on Showtime

Seasons: 4

Episodes: 59

1985 - Lady Blue Premiered on ABC

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 14

Starrring Danny Aiello

1989 - Dolly Parton Hosted Saturday Night Live
* The “Sprockets Skit” Premiered

_______________________________

80s Music
(On This Day)

1981 - What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me
Chaka Khan (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts: #17

* #3 in R&B

1985 - Feel the Fire
Overkill (Debut Album)

1985 - Horror Epics
The Exploited (4th Album)

1985 - As the Band Turns
Atlantic Starr (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #17

* #3 in R&B

1986 - Love Zone
Billy Ocean (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #6

* #1 R&B

Featuring “Going Gets Tough”

1987 - Death Before Dishonour
The Exploited (5th Album)

1989 - The Headless Children
W.A.S.P (4th Album)
Billboard Charts: #48

* #8 in the UK

Singles Released

1983 - “True”
Spandau Ballet
Reached #4 on the US Billboard Charts
* Hit #1 in the UK, Canada and Ireland

In Other 80s Music News

1989 - Loc-ed After Dark by Tone Loc Hit Became the #1 Album in America
#1 Album in America from April 15 - 21
* Featuring “Wild Thing”

_______________________________

80s Sports
(On This Day)

1984 - Ben Crenshaw Won the Masters

1985 - Geoff Smith (England) Won the Boston Marathon For the Second Year in a Row
Female Winner: Lisa Larsen (USA)

Larsen is the Last American Woman to Win the Boston Marathon

_______________________________

In Other 80s News

(On April 15th)

1983 - Tokyo Disney Opened in Japan

_______________________________

In Other News

(On April 15th)

1817 - Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc Founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford Connecticut
* The First American School For Deaf Students

1861 - President Lincoln Called 75,000 Volunteers to Prepare For a Possible Civil War

1865 - President Lincoln Died the Day After Being Shot by Actor John Wilkes Booth
* Vice President Andrew Johnson Became President

1892 - General Electric Was Founded

1896 - The Closing Ceremonies of the First Olympic Games in Athens, Greece Closed
* USA Won the Most Gold Medals (11)

1912 - The RMS Titanic Sank in the North Atlantic After Hitting an Iceberg
* Over 1500 People Died

1947 - Jackie Robinson Became the First Black Player in Major League Baseball History
* Made His Debut For the Brooklyn Dodgers on Opening Day