On This Day April 26th in 80s History

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1986 - Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union Exploded
* The World’s Worst Nuclear Disaster of All-Time

Did You Know?

Nearly 100 Deaths Were Directly Attributed to the Accident and Over 9,000 Deaths Were Related to Cancer From the Radiation

In Other News

(On April 26th)

1865 - Union Troops Shot and Killed John Wilkes Booth in Virginia
* Booth Assassinated President Abraham Lincoln

2018 - Bill Cosby Was Convicted of Sexual Assault

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1983 - John Elway Was the #1 Overall Pick by the Baltimore Colts Before Getting Traded to the Denver Broncos
College: Stanford
Position: Quarterback
NFL Seasons: 16
Pro Bowl: 9
NFL MVP: 1987

Fun Fact!

John Elway Led the Denver Broncos to 5 Super Bowls (Won 2)
* Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004

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Headlines

(April 26th)

1982 - Former Beatle Paul McCartney Released His 3rd Solo Album Tug of War
Billboard Charts: #1
Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Japan
* Featuring “Ebony and Ivory”

Happy 80s Birthdays

1933 - Carol Burnett (Actress) Annie
Birthplace: San Antonio, Texas
1940 - Giorgio Moroder (Italian Singer) "Father of Disco"
Birthplace: South Tyrol, Italy
1958 - Giancarlo Esposito (Actor) Do the Right Thing
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
1960 - Roger Taylor (English Drummer) Duran Duran
Birthplace: Birmingham, England

Fun Fact!
Queen's Drummer and Duran's Duran Drummer Share the Same Name

Roger Taylor (Queen)

Roger Taylor (Duran Duran)

Other Notable Birthdays

Hack Wilson (Baseball)
April 26, 1900 - November 23, 1948
Birthplace: Elwood City, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 48 From Internal Hemorrhaging After Falling in His Baltimore Home
MLB Seasons: 12
Home Run Leader: 4
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 (Veterans Committee)

Fun Fact!

Hack Wilson Holds the Major League Record With 191 RBI’s in a Season (1930)

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Passed Away
(On This Day)

Lucille Ball (Actress)
August 6, 1911 - April 26, 1989
Birthplace: Jamestown, New York
Passed Away at Age 77 From a Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
* Died in a Los Angeles Hospital After an Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery
Best Known For I Love Lucy

Fun Fact!

Lucille Ball Was a 5x Emmy Awards Winner
Nomination: 13

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80s Movies
(Albums Released On This Day)

1985 - Just One of the Guys
Director: Lisa Gottlieb
Starring: Joyce Hyser, Billy Jacoby, Sherilyn Fenn and William Zabka
Budget: N/A

Box Office: $11.5 Million

1985 - Stick
Director: Burt Reynolds
Starring: Burt Reynolds, George Segal, Candice Bergen and Charles Durning
Budget: $22 Million

Box Office: $8.4 Million

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80s Television
(On This Day)

1987 - Down and Out in Beverly Hills Premiered on Fox
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13

1988 - Just the Ten Of Us Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 47

Spin-Off From Growing Pains

Fun Fact!
The Just the Ten of Us Theme Song “Doin it the Best I Can” Was Performed by Bill Medley

1989 - Final Episode of Nightingales
Seasons: 1

Episodes: 13

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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)

1980 - X
Los Angeles (Debut Album)
Ranked No. 24 on Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums of the 80s”

1982 - Tug of War
Paul McCartney (3rd Solo Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts

* Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Japan

Featuring “Ebony and Ivory”

1982 - Are You Ready
Bucks Fizz (2nd Album)
* Reached #10 in the UK

1988 - Colors (Soundtrack)
Various Artists
Billboard Charts: #70

1988 - Guitar (Live Album)
Frank Zappa

1989 - Repeat Offender
Richard Marx (2nd Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts and #1 in Australia
* Featuring “Right Here Waiting”
Over 4 Million Copies Sold in the US

1989 - Best Wishes
Cro-Mags (2nd Album)

In Other 80s Music News

1982 - Rod Stewart’s $50,000 Porsche Was Stolen After Getting Mugged in Los Angeles

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80s Sports
(On This Day)

1980 - Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher, Steve Carlton Pitched a 1-Hitter Against the St. Louis Cardinals
* The Phillies Beat the Cardinals 7 - 0 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia on a Saturday Evening
Attendance: 25,16

Carlton Pitched Six 1-Hitters During His Career

1982 - Gene Michael Became the New York Yankees Manager For the 2nd Time

1983 - Stanford Quarterback John Elway Was the #1 Overall Pick in the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts
* Traded to the Denver Broncos

Top 10 Picks

1. John Elway QB
Baltimore Colts (Traded to Broncos)
College: Stanford
2. Eric Dickerson RB
Los Angeles Rams
College: SMU
3. Curt Warner RB
Seattle Seahawks
College: Penn State
4. Chris Hinton OG
Denver Broncos (Traded to Colts)
College: Northwestern
5. Billy Ray Smith LB
San Diego Chargers
College: Arkansas
6. Jim Covert OT
Chicago Bears
College: Pittsburgh
7. Todd Blackledge QB
Kansas City Chiefs
College: Penn State
8. Michael Haddix RB
Philadelphia Eagles
College: Mississippi State
9. Bruce Matthews OT
Houston Oilers
College: USC
10. Terry Kinard S
New York Giants
College: Clemson

1988 - NBA Approved a 3rd Referee For the Upcoming Seasons

1988 - New York Mets Manager, Davey Johnson Became the 2nd Manager to Record 400 Wins in His First 4 Years With a Team
* Al Lopez is the other

1989 - Mike Tyson Got a Speeding Ticket For Drag Racing in His Lamborghini in Albany, New York

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In Other 80s News

(On April 26th)

1981 - Dr. Michael R. Harrison Performed the First Human Open Fetal Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center

1989 - The Deadliest Tornado Ever Recorded on Recorded Struck Central Bangladesh
* Over 1,300 Killed
12,000 Injured
80,000 Homeless

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