#1 Songs in America
(August 18th)
1980 - "Magic"
Olivia Newton-John
8/2 - 8/29
1981 - "Endless Love"
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
8/15 - 10/16
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 - "Papa Don't Preach"
Madonna
8/16 - 8/29
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
_________________________
Bon Jovi Released Slippery When Wet
_________________________
Headlines
(August 18th)
1982 - Four Streets in Liverpool Were Named After The Beatles
* John Lennon Drive, Paul McCartney Way, George Harrison Close and Ringo Starr Drive Were the Streets Named in a Liverpool Housing Project
Did You Know?
The Houses on the Streets, Named After the Beatles, Sell 12% Higher Than Others
1986 - Bon Jovi Released Their 3rd and Most Successful Album, Slippery When Wet
* Went 12 x Platinum
Featuring "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer"
Fun Fact!
Bon Jovi Formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey
Happy 80s Birthdays
1936 - Robert Redford (Actor) Out of Africa
1943 - Martin Mull (Actor) Mr. Mom
1945 - Sarah Dash (Singer)
1949 - Nigel Griggs (Bassist) Split Enz
1950 - Dennis Elliott (Drummer) Foreigner
1955 - Bruce Benedict (Baseball)
1956 - Jon Schwartz (Drummer) Weird Al’s Band
1957 - Ron Strykert (Guitarist) Men at Work
1958 - Madeleine Stowe (Actress) Stakeout
1960 - Mike La Valliere (Baseball)
1964 - Kenny “Sky” Walker (Basketball)
1969 - Christian Slater (Actor) Heathers
1970 - Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Actor) The Cosby Show
Fun Fact!
Kenny “Sky” Walker Won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1989
* Walker Was the 5th Overall Pick in the 1986 Draft by the New York Knicks
_________________________
Other Notable Birthdays
Marshall Field (Entrepreneur)
August 18, 1834 - January 16, 1906
Passed Away at Age 71 from Pneumonia
* Caught Pneumonia After Playing Golf with Abraham Lincoln’s Oldest Son (Todd)
The Founder of Marshall Fields Department Stores
Shelley Winters
August 18, 1920 - January 14, 2006
Passed Away at Age 85 from Heart Failure
Won an Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress For Her Role as Mrs. Petronella Van Daan in the 1959 Film, The Diary of Anne Frank
Marge Schott
August 18, 1928 - March 2, 2004
Passed Away at Age 75 from Pneumonia
Owner of the Cincinnati Reds From 1984 to 1999
Patrick Swayze
August 18, 1952 - September 14, 2009
Passed Away at Age 57 from Pancreatic Cancer
Best Known For the 1987 Film, Dirty Dancing and Roadhouse (1989)
_________________________
Passed Away
(On this Day)
Walter Chrysler (Industrial Pioneer)
Passed Away on August 18, 1940 at Age 65 from a Cerebral Hemorrhage
The Founder of the Chrysler Motor Corporation
Ben Cross
Passed Away on August 18, 2020 at Age 72 from Cancer
Played Harold Abrahams in the 1981 Film, Chariots of Fire
* The Movie Won Best Picture
_________________________
80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1989 - Casualties of War
Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn, John C. Reilly and John Leguizamo
Budget: $22.5 Million
Box Office $18.6 Million
1989 - Sex, Lies and Videotapes
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher and Laura San Giacomo
Budget: $1.2 Million
Box Office $36.7 Million
1989 - Eddie and the Cruisers II
Director: Jean-Claude Lord
Starring: Michael Pare, Marina Orsini, Bernie Coulson, Matthew Laurance, Michael Antunes, Anthony Sherwood, David Matheson, Harvey Atkin and Kate Lynch
Budget: $5 Million
Box Office $536,000
1989 - Blood Red
Director: Peter Masterson
Starring: Eric Roberts, Giancarlo Giannini, Dennis Hopper, Burt Young and Julia Roberts
Budget: N/A
Box Office $15,000
_________________________
80s Television
(On This Day)
No 80s TV Premiered or Finales On This Day
Fun Fact!
Michael J. Fox Won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series 3 Years in a Row (1986, 1987, 1988)
Click Here For More TV Fun Facts and Awards
_________________________
80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Drama
Yes (10th Album)
Billboard Charts: #18
* #2 in the UK
1980 - No More Dirty Deals
Johnny Van Zant (Debut Solo Album)
1981 - Dark Continent
Wall of Voodoo (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #177
1983 - White Feathers
Kajagoogoo (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #38
* Hit #1 in Japan
1986 - Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi (3rd Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Also #1 in Canada, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand
Over 12 Million Copies Sold Worldwide
1986 - ABBA (Live Album)
ABBA
* Reached #49 in Sweden
1986 - Kicking Against the Pricks
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (3rd Album)
* Reached #89 in the UK and #1 in UK Independent Albums
1986 - Silk & Steel
Five Star (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #80
1986 - True as Steel
Warlock (3rd Album)
1987 - Out of the Blue
Debbie Gibson (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #7
* Featuring “Shake Your Love” and “Only In My Dreams”
Over 5 Million Copies Sold Worldwide
1989 - Dig?
Bill Bruford's Earthworks (2nd Album)
_________________________
80s Sports
(On This Day)
1982 - Pete Rose Set a Major League Record With 13,941 Career Plate Appearances
* Pete Rose Still Holds the Record with 15,890
#2 Carl Yastrzemsk 13,992
#3 Hank Aaron 13,941
1982 - Jack Clark (6) and Jeffrey Leonard (5) Combined for 11 RBI’s
* The San Francisco Giants Beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 16 - 9 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on a Wednesday Night
Attendance: 14,205
1986 - Jim Kelly Signed a 5-Year $75 Million Contract With the Buffalo Bills
* Kelly Led the Bills to 4 Super Bowls (Lost All 4)
_________________________
Other Notable Dates
(On August 18th)
1903 - German Engineer, Karl Jatho “Allegedly” Flew His Airplane 4 Months Before the Wright Brothers
1920 - Women Received the Right to Vote in the United States
* The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
1923 - The Very First British Track Championship For Women Was Held in London
1965 - The First Major Ground Battle of the Vietnam War Began
* Called Operation Starlite
Featured in the 2002 Film, We Were Soldiers Starring Mel Gibson
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
1983 - Hurricane Alicia Hit the Greater Houston Area, Killing 21 People
Highest Winds: 115 MPH
Damage: $3 Billion
1987 - Debbie Gibson Released Her Debut Album, Out of the Blue
* Went 5x Platinum
Featuring “Only In My Dreams”
_________________________
August 18th in 80s History