Other Notable Birthdays
Bob Smith (Physician)
August 8, 1879 - November 16, 1950
Passed Away at Age 71 from Colon Cancer
Co-Founded Alcoholics Anonymous With Bill Wilson
Gene Deitch (Animator)
August 8, 1924 - April 16, 2020
Passed Away at Age 95 from Intestinal Problems
Created the Cartoons, Popeye and Tom & Jerry
Jerry Tarkanian (Basketball Coach)
August 8, 1930 - February 11, 2015
* Passed away at Age 84 After Being Admitted to the Hospital for Difficult Breathing
Coached UNLV to the National Championship in 1990
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Passed Away
(On this Day)
Alan Napier
Passed Away on August 8, 1988 at Age 85 from Natural Causes
Played Bruce Wayne’s Butler in the 1960’s TV Series, Batman
Fay Wray
Passed Away on August 8, 2004 at Age 96 from Natural Causes
Played Ann Darrow in the 1933 Film, King Kong
Fun Fact!
Two Days After Fay Wray's Death, the Lights of the Empire State Building Were Lowered For 15 Minutes in Honor of Her Memory
Barbara Bel Geddes
Passed Away on August 8, 2005 at Age 82 from Lung Cancer
Won an Emmy Award in 1980 For Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series For Her Role as Miss Ellie Ewing on the TV Series Dallas
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - Xanadu
Director: Robert Greenwald
Starring: Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly and Michael Beck
Budget: $20 Million
Box Office: $23 Million
1980 - The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
Director: Piers Haggard
Starring: Peter Sellers, Helen Mirren, David Tomlinson, Sid Caesar and John Le Mesurier
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $10.6 Million
1981 - Hell Night
Director: Tom DeSimone
Starring: Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten and Peter Barton
Budget: $1.4 Million
Box Office: $2.3 Million
1986 - Stand By Me (Limited Theaters)
Director: Rob Reiner
Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko and John Cusack
Budget: $8 Million
Box Office: $52.3 Million
* Released August 22 Worldwide
1986 - One Crazy Summer
Director: Savage Steve Holland
Starring: John Cusack, Demi Moore, Bobcat Goldthwait, Curtis Armstrong, Joel Murray, William Hickey, Joe Flaherty, Mark Metcalf, John Matuszak, Kimberly Foster, Matt Mulhern and Jeremy Piven
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $13.4 Million
1986 - The Transformers: The Movie
Director: Nelson Shin
Starring: Peter Cullen, Judd Nelson, Robert Stack, Leonard Nimoy, Lionel Stander, Eric Idle, John Moschitta Jr., Frank Welker, Dan Gilvezan, Chris Latta, Casey Kasem, Scatman Crothers, Michael Bell, Corey Burton and Orson Welles
Budget: $6 Million
Box Office: $5.8 Million
1986 - She’s Gotta Have It
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Tracy Camilla Johns, Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee, Raye Dowell, Joie Lee, S. Epatha Merkerson and Bill Lee
Budget: $178,000
Box Office: $7.1 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1983 - NBC News at Sunrise Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 16
1987 - Animal Crack-Ups (Game Show) Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 3
Click Here For More TV Fun Facts and Awards
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80s Music
(Albumns Released On This Day)
1983 - An Innocent Man
Billy Joel (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #4
* Hit #1 in New Zealand
Featuring “Tell Her About It” and “Uptown Girl”
Over 7 Million Copies Sold in the US
1983 - Script of the Bridge
The Chameleons (Debut Album)
1988 - Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #37
1988 - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Robert Cray (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #32
1988 - Dragon's Kiss
Marty Friedman (Debut Solo Album)
1988 - What Good Is Grief to a God?
D.I. (3rd Album)
Singles Released
1988 - “Red Red Wine”
UB40
#1 Song in America from October 15 - 21
* Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands and New Zealand
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1982 - Raymond Floyd (-8) Won the PGA Championship
Prize: $65,000
Runner Up: Lanny Wadkins (-5)
Runner Up Prize: $45,000
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Course: Southern Hills Country Club
1984 - Carl Lewis Won the 200m Gold Medal at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
* Finished With 4 Gold Medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Carl Lewis Has Won 9 Olympic Gold Medals in His Career
1988 - The First Night Game at Wrigley Field in Chicago Was Rained Out in the 4th Inning
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Other Notable Dates
(On August 8th)
1903 - 12 Spectators Were Killed in Philadelphia When a Section of the Balcony Collapsed During a Baseball Game Between the Boston Braves and Philadelphia Phillies
* Known as Black Saturday
1908 - The Wright Brother Made Their First Public Flight
* In Le Mans, France
1963 - The Great Train Robbery Occurred In England, When a Gang of 15 People Robbed a Train of 2.6 Million Pounds of English Currency
1974 - President Richard Nixon Announced His Resignation as President of the United States For the Watergate Scandal
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Fun Fact!
The First Night Game in Major League History Was Played On May 24, 1935 in Cincinnati
* The Reds Beat the Phillies 2 - 1
1988 - The First Night Game Wrigley Field in Chicago Was Rained Out in the 4th Inning
* The Cubs Beat Mets 6 - 4 the Next Night in the “Official” First Night Game Played at Wrigley Field
August 8th in 80s History
1987 - “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2 Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from August 8 - 21
Also Hit #1 in Ireland
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Headlines
(August 8th)
1980 - Xanadu Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly
Did You Know?
John Travolta Turned Down the Role of Sonny to Star in the Film, Urban Cowboy
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N.W.A. Released Their Debut Album
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Happy 80s Birthdays
1937 - Dustin Hoffman (Actor) Rain Man
1947 - Larry Wilcox (Actor) CHiPS
1949 - Keith Carradine (Actor) Chiefs
1951 - Martin Brest (Director) Beverly Hills Cop
1952 - Anton Fig (Drummer)
1953 - Donny Most (Actor) Happy Days
1956 - Ali Score (Drummer) A Flock of Seagulls
1956 - Chris Foreman (Guitarist) Madness
1957 - Dennis Drew (Keyboardist) 10,000 Maniacs
1961 - The Edge (Guitarist) U2
1961 - Daniel House (Bassist) Skin Yard
1961 - Bruce Matthews (Football)
1961 - Rikki Rockett (Drummer) Poison
1962 - Kool Moe Dee (MC)
1963 - Ron Karkovice (Baseball)
Fun Fact!
Dustin Hoffman Thought He Was Doing a Horrible Acting Job in the 1988 Film, Rain Man and Wanted Off the Movie
* Hoffman Won an Academy Award For "Best Actor" and the Movie Won "Best Picture"
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1988 - N.W.A Released Their Debut Album, Straight Outta Compton
* The First Gangsta Rap Album to Hit Platinum
#1 Songs in America
(August 8th)
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 - "When Doves Cry"
Prince
7/7 - 8/10
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 - "Batdance"
Prince
8/5 - 8/11
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards