1985 - Better Off Dead Premiered in Theaters
Director: Savage Steve Holland
Starring: John Cusack, Diane Franklin, Amanda Wyss and Curtis Armstrong
Did You Know?
Even Though Better Off Dead Was a Comedy, it Was Actually an Autobiography of the Director's Savage Steve Holland's Life
* Holland Was Really Suicidal When His Girlfriend Dumped Him For the Captain of the Ski Team
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1989 - The Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Montreal Expos 1 - 0 in 22 Innings
* The Game Began on a Wednesday Night and Finished On Thursday Morning
Rick Dempsey His a Solo Home Run in the Top of the 22nd Inning
#1 Songs in America
(August 23rd)
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 - "Who's That Girl"
Madonna
8/22 - 8/28
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
Teen Wolf Premiered in Theaters
Happy 80s Birthdays
1940 - Richard Sanders (Actor) WKRP in Cincinnati (Anchorman Les)
Birthplace: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
1949 - Shelley Long (Actress) Cheers (Diane)
Birthplace: Fort Wayne, Indiana
1949 - Rick Springfield (Singer)
Birthplace: Guildford, New South Wales, Australia
1958 - Julio Franco (Baseball)
Birthplace: Hato Mayor del Ray, Dominican Republic
1961 - Dean DeLeo (Guitarist) Stone Temple Pilots
Birthplace: Montclair, New Jersey
1963 - Kenny Wallace (Race Car Driver)
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
1966 - Rik Smits (Basketball)
Birthplace: Eindhoven, Netherlands
Fun Fact!
Rik Smits Was the 2nd Overall Pick in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers
NBA Seasons: 12 (Indiana Pacers)
Position: Center
All-Star: 1998
College: Marist
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Other Notable Birthdays
Gene Kelly (Actor and Dancer)
August 23, 1912 - February 2, 1996
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 83 From a Stroke
* Best Known For His Energetic and Athletic Dancing
Won an Academy Award For his Role as Don Lockwood in the 1952 Musical Singin' in the Rain (Won Best Picture)
River Phoenix (Actor)
August 23, 1970 - October 31, 1993
Birthplace: Madras, Oregon
Passed Away at Age 23 From a Morphine and Cocaine Overdose
* Suffered Cardiac Arrest in Front of the Viper Club in Hollywood
Played Chris Chambers in the 1987 Film Stand by Me
Kobe Bryant (Basketball)
August 23, 1978 - January 26, 2020
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Passed Away in a Helicopter Accident at Age 41
NBA Seasons: 20 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Position: Shooting Guard
All Star: 18
First Team All NBA: 11
First Team All-Defense: 9
Scoring Champion: 2
NBA Champion: 5
MVP: 1 (2008)
Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020
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Passed Away
(On this Day)
Hoyt Wilhelm (Baseball)
July 26, 1922 - August 23, 2002
Birthplace: Huntersville, North Carolina
Passed Away at Age 80 From Heart Failure
MLB Seasons: 21
Position: Pitcher
Career Wins: 143
Losses: 122
ERA: 2.52
All-Star: 8
World Series Champion: 1954 (New York Giants)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 (8th Ballot)
Bobby Bonds (Baseball)
March 15, 1946 - August 23, 2003
Birthplace: Riverside, California
Passed Away at Age 57 From Lung Cancer and a Brain Tumor
MLB Seasons: 14
Position: Right Field
All-Star: 3 (1971, 1973, 1975)
Gold Glove: 3 (1971, 1973, 1974)
The First Player to Hit 30 Home Runs and Steal 30 Bases For 2 Seasons
Fun Fact!
On June 25, 1968 Bobby Bonds Became the 3rd Player in Major League Baseball History to Hit a Grand Slam in His Major League Debut
Brock Peters (Actor)
July 2, 1927 - August 23, 2005
Birthplace: Harlem, New York
Passed Away at Age 78 From Pancreatic Cancer
* Born George Fisher
Played Tom Robinson in the 1962 Film To Kill a Mockingbird
Terry Funk (Wrestler)
June 30, 1944 - August 23, 2023
Birthplace: Hammond, Indiana
Passed Away at Age 79 From Unknown Causes
* Was Diagnosed With Dementia and Had Been Living in an Assisted Living Facility
Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1985 - Teen Wolf
Director: Rod Daniel
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Jerry Lavine, James Hampton, Scott Paulin, Susan Ursitti, Lorie Griffin, Matt Adler and Jay Tarses
Budget: $1.2 Million
Box Office: $80 Million
1985 - Better Off Dead
Director: Savage Steve Holland
Starring: John Cusack, Diane Franklin, Amanda Wyss and Curtis Armstrong
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $10.3 Million
1985 - Godzilla 1985
Director: R.J. Kizer
Starring: Raymond Burr
Budget: $2 Million
Box Office: $4.1 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
No 80s TV Show Premieres or Finales On This Day
Fun Fact!
Jane Curtin Won Back to Back Emmy Awards in For Most Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in 1984 and 1985 85 For Her Role as Allie in the TV Show, Kate & Allie
Click Here For More TV Fun Facts and Awards
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Wild Cat
Tygers of Pan Tang (Debut Album)
* Reached #16 in the UK
1983 - Ratt (EP)
Ratt (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #111
1984 - Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger
Frank Zappa (39th Album)
1988 - Dangerous Age
Bad Company (8th Album)
Billboard Charts: #58
1988 - Nothing's Shocking
Jane's Addiction (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #103
1988 - Two Nuns and a Pack Mule
Rapeman (Debut Album)
* Reached #4 on UK Indie Charts
In Other 80s Music News
1980 - The Heatwave Festival Near Toronto Began, Featuring The B-52's, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and Many Others
1981 - The Violent Femmes Were Discovered by The Pretenders Outside a Milwaukee Venue, Then Invited to Play a Set in Their Next Show
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - Charles O. Finley Sold the Oakland A's for $12.7 Million Dollars to Walter Haas Jr. (Levi Strauss)
1982 - Gaylord Perry (seattle Mariners) Was Ejected for Throwing a Spitball
1985 - Paul Hornung Was Awarded $1.1 Million Dollars Against the NCAA
* Hornhung was Banned as a College Football Analyst for Betting on Games
1988 - Mike Tyson Got Into a Brawl With Mitch Green in Harlem
1989 - The Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Montreal Expos 1-0 in 22 Innings on a Wednesday Night
* Game Finished Thursday Morning (Rick Dempsey Home Run)
Attendance: 21,742
Lenny Harris (Dodgers) 5 hits
Alfredo Griffin (Dodgers) 0-9
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1989 - The Singing Revolution Took Place When 2 Million People From Latvia and Lithuania Began Singing While Holding Hands
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Other Notable Dates
(On August 23rd)
1904 - Snow Tire Chains For Cars Were Patented by Inventor Harry D. Weed From Canasta, New York
1942 - The World War II Battle of Stalingrad Began Between Germany and the Soviet Union
* There Were Over 2 Million Casualties in the Bloodiest Battle in World History
1970 - The Salad Bowl Strike Began in Salinas, California Organized by César Chávez
Date: August 23, 1970 - March 26, 1971
The Largest Farm Workers Strike in US History With 5,000 to 7,000 Protesters
1975 - The Pontiac Silverdome Opened in Pontiac, Michigan (30 Miles from Detroit)
* The Detroit Lions Played the Kansas City Chiefs in a Preseason Game
Fun Fact!
The Largest Crowd at the Pontiac Silverdome Was 93,173 in 1987 For WrestleMania III
* Hulk Hogan beat Andre the Giant in the Featured Match
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Headlines
(August 23rd)
1980 - Charlie Finley Sold the Oakland A's to Levi Strauss Owner Walter Hass, Jr. For $12.7 Million Dollars
* The A's and Finley Won 3 Consecutive World Series Championships (1972, 1973, 1974)
Charlie Finley's Teams Were Known as the Swinging' A's
1985 - Teen Wolf Premiered in Theaters
Director: Rod Daniel
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Jerry Lavine, James Hampton, Scott Paulin, Susan Ursitti, Lorie Griffin, Matt Adler and Jay Tarses
Fun Fact!
Michael J. Fox Didn’t Do the Sequel Because He Hated the Original So Much
Fun Fact!
The Longest Major League Baseball Game by Innings is 26 Played On May 1, 1920 Between the Brooklyn Robins and the Boston Braves
* The Game Ended in a 1 - 1 Tie Due to Darkeness
Both Starting Pitchers Leon Cadore and Joe Oeschger Pitched All 26-Innings
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August 23rd in 80s History