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Headlines
(August 12th)
1981 - The IBM Personal Computer Went on Sale in the United States
Price: $1,565
The IBM Computer Went on Sale
August 12th in 80s History
1984 - The Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres Engaged in a Bench Clearing Brawl, Resulting in 19 Ejections
* 4 Separate Brawls in 2 Minutes
1989 - “Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from August 12 - September 1
Also Hit #1 in Canada, Poland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand
Fun Fact!
Richard Marx Was Married to Actress & Dancer Cynthia Rhode For Over 25 Years Before Divorcing in 2014
* Cynthia Rhodes Starred in Staying Alive, Flashdance and Dirty Dancing
Happy 80s Birthdays
1939 - George Hamilton (Actor)
Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee
1949 - Mark Knopfler (Singer and Guitarist) Dire Straits
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
1954 - Sam J. Jones (Actor) Flash Gordon
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
1956 - Bruce Greenwood (Actor) St. Elsewhere
Birthplace: Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada
1961 - Roy Hay (English Guitarist) Culture Club
Birthplace: Southend, Essex, England
1963 - Sir Mix-a-Lot (Rapper)
Birthplace: Auburn, Washington
Fun Fact!
Sir Mix-a-Lot Released His Debut Album in 1988
Title: Swass
Billboard Charts: #82
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Other Notable Birthdays
Christy Mathewson (Baseball)
August 12, 1880 - October 7, 1925
Birthplace: Factoryville, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 45 From Tuberculosis
MLB Seasons: 17
Position: Pitcher
Career Wins: 373
Losses: 188
ERA: 2.13
Elected to the First Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1936 With Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson and Honus Wagner
Sid Bernstein (Music Promoter)
August 12, 1918 - August 21, 2013
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 95
* Unknown Cause of Death
Best Known For Bringing the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, the Moody Blues, and the Kinks to America
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Passed Away
(On this Day)
Henry Fonda (Actor)
May 16, 1905 - August 12, 1982
Birthplace: Grand Island, Nebraska
Passed Away at Age 77 From Heart Disease
* Died in His Los Angeles Home
Won an Academy Award For Best Actor in 1981 For His Role as Norman Thayer Jr, in the Film, On Golden Pond
Nominated: 1940 (The Grapes of Wrath)
Character: Tom Joad
Merv Griffin (Talk Show Host)
July 6, 1925 - August 12, 2007
Birthplace: San Mateo, California
Passed Away at Age 82 From Prostate Cancer
* The Host of The Merv Griffin Show From 1962 to 1986
The Creator of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune
Enos Slaughter (Baseball)
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)
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1983 - Cujo
Director: Lewis Teague
Starring: Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh-Kelly, Joey Pintauro and Moe as Cujo
Budget: $8 Million
Box Office: $21.2 Million
1983 - Curse of the Pink Panther
Director: Blake Edwards
Starring: David Niven, Robert Wagner, Herbert Lom, Joanna Lumley, Capucine, Robert Loggia, Harvey Korman, Ted Wass and Roger Moore
Budget: $11 Million
Box Office: $4.4 Million
1983 - The Man Who Wasn't There
Director: Bruce Malmuth
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Art Hindle and William Forsythe
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $2.4 Million
1983 - Smokey and the Bandit Part 3
Director: Dick Lowry
Starring: Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Paul Williams, Pat McCormick, Mike Henry, Colleen Camp and a cameo by Burt Reynolds
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $7 Million
1988 - Young Guns
Director: Christopher Cain
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Casey Siemaszko, Terence Stamp, Terry O'Quinn, Brian Keith and Jack Palance
Budget: $11 Million
Box Office: $45.6 Million
1988 - The Last Temptation of Christ
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring:Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Andre Gregory, Harry Dean Stanton and David Bowie
Budget: $7 Million
Box Office: $8.9 Million
1988 - Mac and Me
Director: Stuart Raffill
Starring: Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, Katrina Caspary, Lauren Stanley and Jade Calegory
Budget: $13 Million
Box Office: $6.4 Million
1988 - Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forrest, Mako and Dean Stockwell
Budget: $24 Million
Box Office: $19.7 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1989 - Comic Strip Live Premiered on Fox
Seasons: 4
Click Here For More TV Fun Facts and Awards
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - One-Trick Pony
Paul Simon (5th Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #12
1981 - Never Too Much
Luther Vandross (Debut Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #19
* #1 in R&B
Over 2 Million Copies Sold in the US
1985 - Old Ways
Neil Young (14th Album)
Billboard Charts: #75
1988 - Leprosy
Death (2nd Album)
In Other Music News
1988 - Public Enemy Put On a Concert at Rikers Island Prison in Front of 250 Inmates and 100 Journalists
Fun Fact!
Richard Marx was Married to Actress & Dancer Cynthia Rhodes (Staying Alive, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing) for over 25 Years before Divorcing in 2014
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1984 - The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres Engaged in a Bench Clearing Brawl that Resulted in 19 Ejections
* The Braves Beat the Padres 5-3 at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta on a Sunday Afternoon
Attendance: 23,912
1984 - Harmon Killebrew, Don Drysdale, Luis Aparicio Pee Wee Reese and Rick Ferrell Were Inducted Into the Baseball Hall of Fame
* Pee Wee Reese and Rick Farrell were Voted in by the Veterans Committee
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1985 - Japan Airlines Flight 123 Crashed Into Osutaka Ridge in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, Killing 520
* The Worst Single-Plane Air Disaster
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Other Notable Dates
(On August 12th)
1851 - Isaac Singer Received a Patent For the Sewing Machine
1896 - British Surgeon, Joseph Lister Performed the First Antiseptic Surgery
1954 - Dr. Suess's, Horton Hears a Who! Was Published
1964 - South Africa Was Banned From the Olympics Because of Their Racial Views
* Reinstated After the 1988 Olympics
Fun Fact!
In 1908, Reggie Walker Became the First South African to Win an Olympic Gold Medal
Sport: Track and Field
Event: 100 Meters
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1988 - Young Guns Premiered in Theaters
Director: Christopher Cain
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Casey Siemaszko, Terence Stamp, Terry O'Quinn, Brian Keith and Jack Palance
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#1 Songs in America
(August 12th)
1980 - "Magic"
Olivia Newton-John
8/2 - 8/29
1981 - "Jessie's Girl"
Rick Springfield
8/1 - 8/14
1982 - "Eye of the Tiger"
Survivor
7/24 - 9/3
1983 - "Every Breath You Take"
The Police
7/9 - 9/2
1984 "Ghostbusters"
Ray Parker, Jr.
8/11 - 8/31
1985 - "Shout"
Tears for Fears
8/3 - 8/23
1986 - "Glory of Love"
Peter Cetera
8/2 - 8/15
1987 - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
U2
8/8 - 8/21
1988 - "Roll With It"
Steve Winwood
7/30 - 8/26
1989 - "Right Here Waiting"
Richard Marx
8/12 - 9/1
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards