1986 - The World’s Worst Nuclear Disaster of All-Time Happened at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union
* Nearly 100 Deaths Directly Attributed to the Accident and Over 9,000 Cancer Related Fatalities
Happy 80s Birthdays
1933 - Carol Burnett (Actress) Annie
1940 - Giorgio Moroder (Singer) "Father of Disco"
1958 - Giancarlo Esposito (Actor) Do the Right Thing
1960 - Roger Taylor (Drummer) Duran Duran
1962 - Michael Damian (Actor) Young and the Restless
Fun Fact!
Queen's Drummer and Duran's Duran Drummer Share the Same Name
Roger Taylor (Queen)
Roger Taylor (Duran Duran)
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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 - Stanford Quarterback John Elway Was the #1 Overall Pick by the Baltimore Colts Before Getting Traded to the Denver Broncos
Did You Know?
John Elway Led the Denver Broncos to 5 Super Bowls, Winning 2
* Elected to the 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
Hit #1 on the US Billboard Charts
* Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Japan
Featuring the Hit Song “Ebony and Ivory”
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1988 - Just the Ten Of Us Premiered on ABC
* Theme Song Sang by Bill Medley
A Spinoff From Growing Pains
John Elway Was the #1 Overall Pick in the NFL Draft
#1 Songs in America
(April 26th)
1980 - "Call Me"
Blondie
4/19 - 5/30
1981 - "Kiss on My List"
Hall & Oates
4/11 - 5/1
1982 - "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
3/20 - 5/7
1983 - "Come on Eileen"
Dexys Midnight Riders
4/23 - 4/29
1984 - "Against All Odds"
Phil Collins
4/21 - 5/11
1985 - "We Are the World"
USA for Africa
4/13 - 5/10
1986 - "Kiss"
Prince
4/19 - 5/2
1987 - "I Knew You Were Waiting"
Aretha Franklin and George Michael
4/18 - 5/1
1988 - "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
Whitney Houston
4/23 - 5/6
1989 - "Like a Prayer"
Madonna
4/22 - 5/12
Other Notable Birthdays
Hack Wilson (Baseball)
April 26, 1900 - November 23, 1948
* Holds the Major League Record With 191 RBI’s in a Season (1930)
4x Home Run Leader
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979
Jerry Blackwell (Wrestler)
April 26, 1949 - January 22, 1995
Passed Away at Age 45 in a Car Accident
A Main Event Star For the AWA
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Jim Davis (Actor)
August 26, 1909 - April 26, 1981
Passed Away in His Northridge Home at Age 71
Played Jock Ewing on Dallas
Lucille Ball (Actress)
August 6, 1911 - April 26, 1989
Passed Away at Age 77 From a Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Best Known For the Hit TV Show I Love Lucy
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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
April 26th in 80s History