_______________________________
_______________________________
#1 Songs in America
(August 20th)
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
Saved by the Bell Premiered on NBC
Happy 80s Birthdays
1931 - Don King (Boxing Promoter)
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
1944 - Craig Nettles (Baseball)
Birthplace: San Diego, California
1946 - Connie Chung (Journalist)
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
1948 - Robert Plant (English Singer) Led Zeppelin
Birthplace: West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England
1952 - John Hiatt (Singer)
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana
1954 - Al Roker (Weather Anchor)
Birthplace: New York City
1956 - Joan Allen (Actress) Peggy Sue Got Married
Birthplace: Rochelle, Illinois
1960 - Mark Langston (Baseball)
Birthplace: San Diego, California
1963 - Kal Daniels (Baseball)
Birthplace: Vienna, Georgia
1965 - KRS-One (Rapper)
Birthplace: New York City
1971 - Ke Huy Quan (Actor) The Goonies
Birthplace: Saigon, South Vietnam
Fun Fact!
Mark Langston Attended San Jose State University
* Led the Major Leagues in Strikeouts (1984, 1986, 1987) as a Member of the Seattle Mariners
_______________________________
Other Notable Birthdays
Benjamin Harrison (Former U.S. President)
August 20, 1833 - March 13, 1901
Birthplace: North Bend, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 67 From Pneumonia
* Died in His Indianapolis Home
The 23rd President of the United States
Term: 1889 - 1893
Fun Fact!
Benjamin Harrison Was the Grandson of the 9th U.S. President William Henry Harrison
Isaac Hayes (Singer)
August 20, 1942 - August 10, 2008
Birthplace: Covington, Tennessee
Passed Away at Age 65 From a Stroke
* Was Found Unresponsive in His Memphis, Tennessee Home
Won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 1971 For the Theme Song to Shaft
_______________________________
Passed Away
(On this Day)
William Booth (English Minister)
April 10, 1829 - August 20, 1912
Birthplace: Sneinton, Nottingham, England
Passed Away at Age 83
* Unknown Cause of Death
Founded The Salvation Army on July 2, 1865 in London, England
Did You Know?
Over 40,000 People Attended William Booth's Funeral Including Queen Mary
Phyllis Diller (Comedian)
July 17, 1917 - August 20, 2012
Birthplace: Lima, Ohio
Passed Away at the Age of 95 From Various Ailments
* One of the First Female Comedians With a Household Name
Considered a Gay Icon With a Huge Following in the Gay Community
Jerry Lewis (Actor and Comedian)
March 16, 1926 - August 20, 2017
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey
Passed Away at Age 91 From Cardiac Disease
* Best Known For the Comedy Duo Martin and Lewis
Hosted the Jerry Lewis Telethon, For the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) From 1966 to 2010
Al Attles (Basketball)
November 7, 1936 - August 20, 2024
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey
Passed Away at Age 87 in a Oakland, California Hospice Care
NBA Seasons: 11 (Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors)
Position: Point Guard
College: North Carolina A&T
Head Coach: 14 (San Francisco/Golden State Warriors)
NBA Champion: 1975
Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019
________________________ _______
80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1982 - The Beastmaster
Director: Don Coscarelli
Starring: Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, Rip Torn and John Amos
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $14.1 Million
_______________________________
80s Television
(On This Day)
1985 - NBC's Today Show Was Interrupted by David Letterman, Who Leaned Out of His and Yelled "My Name is Larry Grossman (President of NBC News) and I'm Not Wearing Any Pants!"
1989 - Saved By The Bell
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 86
Click Here For More TV Fun Facts and Awards
_______________________________
80s Music
(Albums On This Day)
1980 - 24 Carrots
Al Stewart (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #37
1982 - Upstairs at Eric's
Yazoo (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #92
* #2 in the UK
1983 - Passionworks
Heart (7th Album)
Billboard Charts: #39
* #7 in Canada
1985 - Astra
Asia (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts: #67
1986 - Fore!
Huey Lewis and the News (4th Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Also Hit #1 in Canada, New Zealand and Japan
Over 3 Million Copies Sold in the US
In Other 80s Music News
1983 - The Rolling Stones Signed a $28 Million Dollar Recording Contract with CBS
* Largest Recording Contract Ever Signed at the Time
_______________________________
80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - For the Second Straight Day, Bob Watson (New York Yankees) Hit a Home Run That Hit the Speaker in the Seattle Kingdome
* The Yankees Beat the Mariners 6 - 4 on a Wednesday Night
Attendance: 14,143
1982 - Don Lever Was Announced as the First Captain of the New Jersey Devils
1985 - Dwight Gooden Became the First National League Pitcher to Strikeout 200 Batters in His First 2 Seasons
1989 - Howard Johnson Joined the 30-30 Club (30 Home Runs and 30 Stolen Bases)
_______________________________
In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1988 - The Biggest Fire in Yellowstone National Park History Began
* Known as Black Saturday
1988 - Iran and Iraq Called a Truce After 8 Years of War
1988 - 8 British Soldiers Were Killed and 28 Wounded When Their Bus Was Hit by an IRA (Irish Republican Army) Roadside Bomb in the Village of Ballygawley, County Tyrone in Ireland
1989 - 51 People Were Killed When 2 Vessels Collided on the River Thames in London
_______________________________
Other Notable Dates
(August 20th)
1866 - U.S. President Andrew Johnson Officially Announced the Civil War Was Over
1938 - Lou Gehrig (New York Yankees) Hit His Major League Record 23rd Career Grand Slam
* Alex Rodriguez Broke the Record in 2013
_______________________________
_______________________________
1986 - A 44-Year Old Postal Worker Patrick Sherrill Gunned Down 14 of His Co-Workers and Injured 6 Before Turning the Gun on Himself in Edmonton, Oklahoma
* Currently the Deadliest Workplace Shooting in U.S. History
1985 - New York Mets Pitcher Dwight Gooden Became the First National League Player to Strikeout 200 Hitters in His First 2 Seasons
* Won the Cy Young Award in 1985
Did You Know?
Dwight Gooden Could Have Been One of the Greatest Pitchers of All-Time But His Career Was Damaged by a Cocaine Addiction
_______________________________
Headlines
(August 20th)
1980 - For the Second Straight Day New York Yankees Slugger Bob Watson Hit a Home Run That Hit the Speaker in the Seattle Kingdome
Fun Fact!
In 1975 Bob Watson Scored the One Millionth Run in Major League Baseball
August 20th in 80s History
1989 - Saved by the Bell Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 86
Fun Fact!
Saved by the Bell Originally Premiered in 1988 as Good Morning Miss Bliss Before Getting Rebranded as Saved by the Bell in 1989
_______________________________