On December 16, 1987 Broadcast News Starring William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, John Cusack, Joan Cusack and Jack Nicholson Premiered in Theaters
#1 Songs in America
(December 16th)
1980 - "Lady"
Kenny Rogers
11/15 - 12/26
1981 - "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John
11/21 - 1/29
1982 - "Mickey"
Toni Basil
12/11 - 12/17
1983 - "Say Say Say"
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
12/10 - 1/20
1984 - "Out of Touch"
Daryl Hall and John Oates
12/8 - 12/21
1985 - "Broken Wings"
Mister Mister
12/7 - 12/20
1986 - "The Way It Is"
Bruce Hornsby & the Range
12/13 - 12/19
1987 - "Faith"
George Michael
12/12 - 1/8
1988 - "Look Away"
Chicago
12/10 - 12/23
1989 - "We Didn't Start the Fire"
Bill Joel
12/9 - 12/22
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
Other Notable Birthdays
Ben Cross (Actor)
December 16, 1947 - August 18, 2020
Birthplace: London, England
Passed Away at Age 72 From Cancer
* Unknown Type of Cancer
Played Harold Abrahams in the 1981 Film Chariots of Fire
Mike Flanagan (Baseball)
December 16, 1951 - August 24, 2011
Birthplace: Manchester, New Hampshire
Passed Away on August 24, 2011 at Age 59 From a Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound
MLB Seasons: 18
Position: Pitcher
Career Wins: 167
Losses: 143
ERA: 3.90
All-Star: 1978
World Series Champion: 1983 (Baltimore Orioles)
Won the American League Cy Young Award in 1979
Cliff Robinson (Basketball)
December 16, 1966 - August 29, 2020
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York
Passed Away at Age 53 From Lymphoma
NBA Seasons: 18
Position: Power Forward/Small Forward
All-Star: 1994
Sixth Man Award: 1993
The 36th Overall Pick (2nd Round) in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers
College: UConn
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Moses Gunn (Actor)
October 2, 1929 - December 16, 1993
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
Passed Away at Age 64 From Complications of Asthma
* Nominated for a Tony Award in 1976 (The Poison Tree)
Played Carl on the TV Show Good Times
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1981 - Quest For Fire
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Starring: Everett McGill, Rae Dawn Chong, Ron Perlman and Nameer El-Kadi
Budget: $12 Million
Box Office: $55.2 Million
* Sarah Monzani and Michèle Burke Won and Academy Award For Best Makeup
1983 - D.C. Cab
Director: Joel Schumaker
Starring: Adam Baldwin, Charlie Barnett, Irene Cara, Anne De Salvo, Max Gail, José Pérez, Paul Rodriguez, Gary Busey and Mr. T
Budget: $7 Million
Box Office: $16 Million
1983 - Uncommon Valor
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Starring: Gene Hackman, Fred Ward, Reb Brown, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Patrick Swayze, Harold Sylvester, Tim Thomerson and Robert Stack
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $30.5 Million
1983 - Two of a Kind
Director: John Herzfeld
Starring: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
Budget: $14 Million
Box Office: $23.6 Million
1987 - Broadcast News
Director: James L. Brooks
Starring: William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, John Cusack, Joan Cusack and Jack Nicholson
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $67.3 Million ($51 Million Domestic)
1988 - Rain Man
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise and Valeria Golina
Budget: $25 Million
Box Office: $354.8 Million ($172 Million Domestic)
1988 - Dangerous Liaisons
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz, Mildred Natwick, Peter Capaldi, Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman
Budget: $14 Million
Box Office: $34.7 Million
1988 - Purple People Eater
Director: Linda Shayne
Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Ned Beatty, Shelley Winters, Dustin Diamond, Peggy Lipton, Thora Birch and Dustin Diamond
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Christmas Comes to Pac-Land (Animation) Aired on ABC
1987 - A Muppet Family Christmas Aired on ABC
1989 - Andie McDowell Hosted the Season 15 Finale of Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Tracy Chapman
The Last Episode From the 1980's
1989 - Final Episode of The Karate Kid (Animation)
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
Network: NBC
1989 - Final Episode of Rude Dog (Animation)
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
Network: CBS
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Other Notable TV Dates
(On This Day)
1975 - One Day at a Time Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 9
Episodes: 209
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Albums Released
(On This Day)
1986 - Electric Cafe
Kraftwerk (9th Album)
1986 - Live?!*@Like a Suicide (EP)
Guns N' Roses
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - Yogi Berra Was Named New York Yankees Manager For the 2nd Time
1983 - The Iron Sheik Beat Bob Backlund For the WWF Heavyweight Championship
Location: Madison Square Garden
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Other Notable Dates
(On December 16th)
1773 - The Boston Tea Party Happened at the Boston Harbor
* Colonists Dumped Hundreds of Crates of Tea to Protest England’s Tea Act
1777 - Virginia Became the First State to Ratify the Articles of Confederation
* The First Frame of United States Government
1811 - Four Major Earthquakes Hit Madrid, Missouri
* The Magnitudes Ranged from 7.2 - 8.2
1905 - The Rugby "Match of the Century" Was Played Between Wales and New Zealand
Venue: Cardiff Arms Park
Country: Wales
Wales Won 3 - 0
1960 - A United Airlines and a TWA Airplane Collided Over Staten Island, New York
* Killed All 128 People Aboard and 6 on the Ground
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<- December 15th December 17th ->
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The Iron Sheik Won the WWF Heavyweight Championship
Headlines
(December 16th)
1983 - The Iron Sheik Beat Bob Backlund to Win the WWF Heavyweight Championship
* The Iron Sheik Lost the Belt to Hulk Hogan on January 23, 1984
Happy 80s Birthdays
1937 - Joyce Bulifant (Actress) The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Airplane
Birthplace: Newport News, Virginia
1944 - Jeffrey Kanew (Director) Revenge of the Nerds, Troop Beverly Hills
Birthplace: New York City
1949 - Billy Gibbons (Singer and Guitarist) ZZ Tops
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
1951 - Robben Lee Ford (Guitarist)
Birthplace: Woodlake, California
1961 - Shane Black (Screenwriter) Lethal Weapon
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1962 - William “Refrigerator” Perry (Football)
Birthplace: Aiken, South Carolina
1964 - Billy Ripken (Baseball)
Birthplace: Havre de Grace, Maryland
Fun Fact!
In 2002 William “Refrigerator” Perry Fought Manute Bol in a Celebrity Boxing Match
NFL Seasons: 10
Position: Defensive Tackle
Super Bowl Champion: XX (Chicago Bears)
College: Clemson
The 22nd Overall Pick (First Round) in the 1985 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears
Did You Know?
William “Refirgerator” Perry Was Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006
1989 - Appeals Court Judge Robert Smith Vance Was Killed by a Mail Bomb Sent by Walter Leroy Moody, Jr.
* Moody Was Also Charged With the Murder of Black Civil-Rights Activist Robert E. Robinson in Savannah, Georgia in a Separate Explosion
On December 16, 1983 D.C. Cab Starring Adam Baldwin and Mr. T Premiered in Theaters
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D.C. Cab
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1988 - Rain Man Premiered in Theaters
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise and Valeria Golina
Academy Awards
Best Picture
Best Director: Barry Levinson
Best Actor: Dustin Hoffman
Best Screenplay: Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow
Fun Fact!
Dustin Hoffman Wanted Off the Set Because He Thought He Was Doing a Horrible Job
Broadcast News
December 16th in 80s History
1983 - Two of a Kind Premiered in Theaters
Director: John Herzfeld
Starring: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
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