Other Notable Birthdays
Bette Davis (Actress)
April 5, 1908 - October 6, 1989
Passed Away at Age 81 From Breast Cancer
Won 2 Academy Awards For Best Actress For Her Roles as Joyce Heath in Dangerous (1935) and Julie Marsden in Jezebel (1938)
* First Actor/Actess to Receive 10 Nominations
Gregory Peck (Actor)
April 5, 1916 - June 12, 2003
Passed Away at Age 87 From Bronchopneumonia
Won an Academy Award For Best Actor For His Role as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Sam Walton (American Businessman)
March 29, 1918 - April 5, 1992
Passed Away at Age 74 From Multiple Myeloma (Blood Cancer)
Founder of Walmart and Sam's Club
Kurt Cobain (Singer)
February 20, 1967 - April 5, 1994
Passed Away at Age 27 From a Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound to the Head
Lead Singer For Nirvana
Layne Staley (Singer)
August 22, 1967 - April 5, 2002
Passed Away at Age 34 From a Heroin and Cocaine Overdose
Lead Singer For Alice in Chains
Charlton Heston (Actor)
October 4, 1923 - April 5, 2008
Passed Away at Age 84 From Alzheimer’s Complications
Won an Academy Award For Best Actor For HIs Role as Judah Ben-Hur in Ben -Hur (1959)
* Also Played “Blue Eyes” in the Original Planet of the Apes (1968)
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
No 80s Movies Released On This Day
Fun Fact!
Rick Moranis Was Originally Offered the Janitor Role in The Breakfast Club But Declined Because of Difference in Opinions About How the Character Should be Played
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1980 - Final Episode of Hawaii Five-O
Seasons: 12
Episodes: 279
1982 - Report to Murphy Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
Starring Michael Keaton
1987 - Married with Children Premiered on Fox
Seasons: 11
Episodes: 258
1987 - The Tracey Ullman Show Premiered on Fox
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 81
1988 - The Robert Guillaume Show Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1988 - Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman (Debut Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and New Zealand
Featuring “Fast Car”
Over 20 Million Copies Sold Worldwide
1988 - Conscious Party
Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers (4th Album)
Billboard Charts: #23
Won a Grammy For "Reggae Album of the Year"
1988 - Stronger Than Pride
Sade (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts: #7
* Hit #1 in the Netherlands
Over 3 Million Copies Sold in the US
Singles Released
1988 - “The Flame”
Cheap Trick
#1 Song in America from July 9 - 22
* Also Hit #1 in Canada and Australia
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1982 - St. Louis Cardinals Pitcher Jim Kaat Pitched in His Record 24th Consecutive Season
* Made His Debut in 1959 With the Washington Senators
1983 - Tom Seaver Started His NL Record Breaking 14th Consecutive Opening Day Start
* Pitched 6 Scoreless Innings to Help the Mets beat the Phillies 2 - 0 in New York
Attendance: 46,687
1984 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Broke Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Time NBA Career Scoring Record
* Kareem Scored 22 Points in a 129 - 115 Laker Victory Over the Jazz in Las Vegas
1987 - Wayne Gretzky Won His 7th Straight NHL Scoring Title
* Won 10 scoring Titles During His Career
1989 - Orel Hershiser’s 59 Consecutive Scoreless Innings Was Snapped by the Cincinnati Reds
* Tom Benzinger Singled to Right Field in the Bottom of the 1st Inning to Score Barry Larkin
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1989 - The David Letterman Show Became the First TV Show to Use Dolby Stereo Sound
Christopher Reid Talks About His Irish Family Disowning His Mom for Having a Black Baby
Headlines
(April 5th)
1980 - The Final Episode of Hawaii Five-O Aired
* Ran 12 Seasons with 279 Episodes
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Other Notable Dates
(On April 5th)
1614 - Pocahontas Married English Colonist John Rolfe
* Held in Virginia
1989 - Orel Hershiser’s Major League Record of 59 Consecutive Scoreless Innings Was Snapped by the Cincinnati Reds
* Tom Benzinger Singled to Score Barry Larkin in the 1st Inning
Hershiser Still Holds the Record
1987 - Fox Network Made Its Debut
* Married with Children and The Tracey Ullman Show Were the First Shows
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Fox Network Made its Debut
1862 - The Battle of Yorktown Began
* Part of the American Civil War
1922 - The American Birth Control League Was Incorporated
* The Predecessor to Planned Parenthood
April 5th in 80s History
Happy 80s Birthdays
1926 - Roger Corman (Actor) Swing Shift
1941 - Michael Moriarty (Actor) Pale Rider
1943 - Max Gail (Actor) Barney Miller
1949 - Larry Franco (Producer) Christine
1951 - Les Binks (Drummer) Judas Priest
1952 - Mitch Pileggi (Actor) Shocker
1954 - Stan Ridgway (Musician) Wall of Voodoo
1956 - Dallas Diamond Page (Wrestler)
1964 - Christopher Reid (Rapper) Kid 'n Play
1966 - Mike McCready (Guitarist) Pearl Jam
Fun Fact!
Christopher Reid (Kid) Was Born in the Bronx to a Jamaican Father and an Irish Mother
* Reid Graduated From Lehman College in New York
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1984 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Passed Wilt Chamberlain to Become the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer
* Finished Career With 33,387 Points
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Fun Fact!
LeBron James Passed Jabbar on February 16, 2023
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#1 Songs in America
(April 5th)
1980 - "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II
Pink Floyd
3/22 - 4/18
1981 - "Rapture"
Blondie
3/28 - 4/10
1982 - "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
3/20 - 5/7
1983 - "Billie Jean"
Michael Jackson
3/5 - 4/22
1984 - "Footloose
Kenny Loggins
3/31 - 4/20
1985 - "One More Night"
Phil Collins
3/30 - 4/12
1986 - "Rock Me Amadeus"
Falco
3/28 - 4/18
1987 - "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
Starship
4/4 - 4/17
1988 - "Man in the Mirror"
Michael Jackson
3/26 - 4/8
1989 - "Eternal Flame"
The Bangles
4/1 - 4/7