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1982 - Kenneth Sims Was the #1 Overall Pick in the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots
College: Texas
Position: Defensive End
NFL Seasons: 8 (New England Patriots)
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Fun Fact!
HBO Was Launched On November 8, 1972 Making it the Oldest Paid Television Network in the United States
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1986 - John R. MacDougall Who Was Dressed as Captain Midnight Jammed the HBO Signal to Protest the $12.95 Monthly Fee
Penalty: $5,000 Fine
MacDougall Was an Electrical Engineer
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1983 - Nolan Ryan Passed Walter Johnson to Become Major League Baseball's All-Time Strikeout Leader
Career Strikeouts: 5,714 (Major League Record)
Fun Fact!
Nolan Ryan Holds the Major League Record With 7 Career No-Hitters
Happy 80s Birthdays
1951 - Ace Frehley (Guitarist) Kiss (Space Ace)
Birthplace: New York City
1952 - "The Iceman" George Gervin (Basketball)
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
1954 - Herman Edwards (Football)
Birthplace: Fort Monmouth, New Jersey
1959 - Sheena Easton (Scottish Singer)
Birthplace: Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Fun Fact!
“The Iceman” George Gervin Led the NBA in Scoring 4 Times (1978, 1979, 1980, 1982)
* 9x All-Star
Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996
In Other News
(On April 26th)
1974 - Over 10,000 People Marched in Washington, D.C. Calling For the Impeachment of President Richard Nixon For the Watergate Scandal
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Headlines
(April 27th)
1981 - Tommy Rich Beat Harley Race to Win the NWA Heavyweight Championship
Location: Augusta, Georgia
Harley Race Regained the Championship 4 Days Later
Location: Gainesville, Florida
1987 - Austrian President Kurt Waldheim and Wife, Elisabeth Were Banned From Entering the United States
* Waldheim Aided Thousands of Executions of Jews as a German Officer During World War II
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#1 Songs in America
(April 27th)
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
Ulysses S. Grant (Former U.S. President)
April 27, 1822 - July 23, 1885
Birthplace: Point Pleasant, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 63 From Throat Cancer
* A Frequent Cigar Smoker
The 18th President of the United States
Term: 1869 - 1877
Fun Fact!
Ulysses S. Grant Was a Commanding Officer For the Union Army During the Civil War
* Lead the Union to Victory
Rogers Hornsby (Baseball)
April 27, 1896 - January 5, 1963
Birthplace: Winters, Texas
Passed Away at Age 66 From a Heart Attack
MLB Seasons: 23
Position: Infielder
Batting Champion: 7
Triple Crown: 2 (1925, 1929)
NL MVP: 2 (1925, 1929)
World Series Champion: 1926 (St. Louis Cardinals)
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942 (5th Ballot)
Walter Lantz (Cartoonist)
April 27, 1899 - March 22, 1994
Birthplace: New Rochelle, New York
Passed Away at Age 94 From Heart Failure
* Founded Walter Lantz Productions
Created Woody Woodpecker
Enos Slaughter
April 27, 1916 - August 12, 2002
Birthplace: Roxboro, North Carolina
Passed Away at Age 86 From Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
MLB Seasons: 19
Position: Outfielder
All-Star: 10
World Series Champion: 1942, 1946 (St. Louis Cardinals) 1952, 1958 (New York Yankees)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 (Veterans Committee)
Jack Klugman (Actor)
April 27, 1922 - December 24, 2012
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 90 From Prostate Cancer
* Died in His Woodland Hills California Home
Best Known For Playing Oscar on the TV Series The Odd Couple
Casey Kasem (Radio Personality)
April 27, 1932 - June 15, 2014
Birthplace: Detroit Michigan
Passed Away at Age 82 From Sepsis
* Caused by Bedsores
The Host of American Top 40 From 1970 to 1988
* Also the Voice of Shaggy From Scooby-Doo
Chuck Knox (Football Coach)
April 27, 1932 - May 12, 2018
Birthplace: Sewickley, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 86 From a Long Battle of Dementia
NFL Seasons: 22
Won NFL Coach of the Year With 3 Different Teams
1973 (Los Angeles Rams)
1980 (Buffalo Bills)
1984 - Seattle Seahawks
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Verne Gagne (Wrestling)
February 26, 1926 - April 27, 2015
Birthplace: Corcoran, Minnesota
Passed Away at Age 89 From Alzheimer's Disease
* Possibly Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Caused by a Career of Head Injuries
Founded AWA Wrestling
Jerry Springer (TV Host)
February 13, 1944 - April 27, 2023
Birthplace: Highgate, London, England
Passed Away at Age 79 From Pancreatic Cancer
* Died in His Evanston, Illinois Home
The Host of the Jerry Springer Show From 1991 to 2018
Fun Fact!
Jerry Springer Was the Mayor of Cincinnati From 1977 to 1978
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1984 - Love Letter
Director: Amy Holden Jones
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Bonnie Bartlett and James Keach
Budget: $600,000
Box Office: $5.2 Millon
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1984 - Final Episode of Masquerade
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
Starring Kirstie Alley
1986 - Final Episode of Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors (Animation)
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 65
1988 - China Beach Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 62
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Slates (EP)
The Fall
1983 - Whammy!
The B-52’s (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts: #29
1987 - You Boyz Make Big Noize
Slade (14th Album)
* Reached #98 in the UK
Fun Fact!
Slade’s Most Successful Album Was Their 1972 Album, Slayed?
* Hit #1 in the UK and #69 in the US
1988 - Flirt
Evelyn “Champagne” King (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #192
* #20 in R&B
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - The First Female Soccer Official Was Hired by the NASL
1981 - Tommy Rich Beat Harley Race to Win the NWA Heavyweight Championship
1982 - Kenneth Sims (DE) Was the #1 Overall Pick in the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots
Top 10 Picks
1. Kenneth Sims DE
New England Patriots
College: Texas
2. Johnie Cooks LB
Baltimore Colts
College: Mississippi State
3. Chip Banks LB
Cleveland Browns
College: USC
4. Art Schlichter QB
Baltimore Colts
College: Ohio State
5. Jim McMahon QB
Chicago Bears
College: BYU
6. Jeff Bryant DE
Seattle Seahawks
College: Clemson
7. Darrin Nelson RB
Minnesota Vikings
College: Stanford
8. Mike Munchak OG
Houston Oilers
College: Penn State
9. Gerald Riggs RB
Atlanta Falcons
College: Arizona State
10. Marcus Allen RB
Oakland Raiders
College: USC
* Heisman Trophy Winner
1983 - Nolan Ryan Struck Brad Miller to Become the All-Time Strikeout Leader in Major League Baseball
* The Astros Beat the Expos 4 - 2 at Olympic Stadium in Montreal on a Wednesday Afternoon
Attendance: 19,309
1984 - The Cleveland Indians Beat Detroit Tigers 8 - 4 in 19 innings on a Friday Evening
Game Duration: 5:44
Attendance: 34,112
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In Other 80s News
(On April 23rd)
1981 - Ringo Starr Married Barbara Bach in London
* Still Married
April 27th in 80s History
Nolan Ryan Became the All-Time Strikeout Leader