#1 Songs in America
(December 18th)
1980 - "Lady"
Kenny Rogers
11/15 - 12/26
1981 - "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John
11/21 - 1/29
1982 - "Maneater"
Daryl Hall and John Oates
12/18 - 1/14
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
Fun Fact!
'We Didn't Start the Fire" Includes Over 100 Headlines Between 1949 and 1989
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
1985 - The Color Purple Premiered in Theaters
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Adolph Caesar, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Laurence Fishburne, Dana Ivey and Oprah Winfrey
Nominated For 10 Academy Awards Including Best Actress (Whoopi Goldberg) and Best Supporting Actress (Oprah Winfrey)
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December 18th in 80s History
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On December 18, 1981 The First Flight of the Russian Heavy Strategic Bomber Tu-160
* The World's Largest Combat Aircraft Built
Headlines
(December 18th)
1981 - Taps Premiered in Theaters
Director: Harold Becker
Starring: George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn
Sean Penn’s Film Debut
1982 - “Maneater” by Hall & Oates Hit #1 on the US Billboard Charts
* #1 Song in America from December 18 - January 14
Also Hit #1 in Spain
Fun Fact!
Hall & Oates is the Most Successful Singing Duo of All-Time With Over 80 Albums Sold
Soviet Tu-160
Happy 80s Birthdays
1943 - Keith Richards (English Guitarist) The Rolling Stones
Birthplace: Dartford, Kent, England
1946 - Steven Spielberg (Director) E.T.
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
1948 - Bill Nelson (English Singer and Guitarist) Orchestra Arcana
Birthplace: Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England
1953 - Elliot Easton (Guitarist) The Cars
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
1956 - T.K. Carter (Actor) Seems Like Old Times, Punky Brewster
Birthplace: New York City
1963 - Charles Oakley (Basketball)
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
1963 - Brad Pitt (Actor)
Birthplace: Shawnee, Oklahoma
1964 - Don Beebe (Football)
Birthplace: Aurora, Illinois
1967 - Mille Petrozza (German Musician) Kreator
Birthplace: Essen, West Germany
Fun Fact!
Brad Pitt Left the University of Missouri 2 Weeks Before Completing His Degree to Move to Los Angeles
"Maneater" Became the #1 Song in America
1985 - Out of Africa Premiered in Theaters
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Klaus Maria Brandauer
Academy Awards
Best Picture
Best Director: Sydney Pollack
* Also Won Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score and Best Sound
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Other Notable Birthdays
Ty Cobb (Baseball)
December 18, 1886 - July 17, 1961
Birthplace: Narrows, GA
Passed Away at Age 74 After Falling into a Diabetic Coma
Batting Titles: 12
Career Hits: 4,189 (2nd All-Time)
Elected to the First Hall of Fame Class of 1936
Fun Fact!
Ty Cobb is Considered the Dirtiest Player of All-Time
* Used to Sharpen His Spikes to Cut the Shins of the Infielders When He Slid
Randy Castillo (Drummer)
December 18, 1950 - March 26, 2002
Birthplace: Albuquerque, NM
Passed Away at the Age 51 From Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Drummer For Ozzy Osbourne and Mötley Crüe
Ray Liotta (Actor)
December 18, 1954 - May 26, 2022
Birthplace: Newark, NJ
Passed Away at Age 67 From Heart Failure
Best Known For Playing Henry Hill in the 1990 Film Goodfellas
* Also Played "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams (1989)
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Mark Goodson (TV Producer)
January 14, 1915 - December 18, 1992
Birthplace: Sacramento, CA
Passed Away at Age 77 From Pancreatic Cancer
Mark Goodson Productions Created Family Feud and The Price is Right
Joseph Barbera (Cartoonist)
March 24, 1911 - December 18, 2006
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 95 (Unknown Causes)
Co-Founded the Animation Studio, Hanna-Barbera
* Produced The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Scooby Doo, Huckleberry Finn and The Smurfs
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1981 - Taps
Director: Harold Becker
Starring: George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn
Budget: $14 Million
Box Office: $35.8 Million
1981 - Absence of Malice
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Paul Newman and Sally Field
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $40.7 Million
1981 - Ghost Story
Director: John Irvin
Starring: Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., John Houseman, Craig Wasson and Alice Krige
Budget: $13.5 Million
Box Office: $23.4 Million
1981 - Neighbors
Director: John G. Avildsen
Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriarty and Kathryn Walker
Budget: $8.5 Million
Box Office: $29.9 Million
1981 - Sharky's Machine
Director: Burt Reynolds
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Vittorio Gassman, Brian Keith, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman, Bernie Casey, Henry Silva, Darryl Hickman, Richard Libertini, Rachel Ward and Joseph Mascolo
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $35.6 Million
1985 - The Color Purple
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Adolph Caesar, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Laurence Fishburne, Dana Ivey and Oprah Winfrey
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $142 Million ($94 Million Domestic)
1985 - Out of Africa
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Klaus Maria Brandauer
Budget: $28 Million
Box Office: $227.5 Million
Academy Awards
Best Picture
Best Director: Sydney Pollack
Best Art Direction: Stephen B. Grimes and Josie MacAvin
Best Cinematography: David Watkins
Best Adapted Screenplay: Kurt Luedtke
Best Original Score: John Barry
Best Sound: Chris Jenkins, Gary Alexander, Larry Stensvold and Peter Handford
1987 - Eddie Murphy Raw
Director: Robert Townsend
Starring: Eddie Murphy
Budget: $8 Million
Box Office: $50.5 Million
1987 - Overboard
Director: Garry Marshall
Starring: Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Edward Herrmann, Katherine Helmond and Roddy McDowall
Budget: $22 Million
Box Office: $26.7 Million
1987 - Moonstruck
Director: Norman Jewison
Starring: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia, Olympia Dukakis and Danny Aiello
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $80.6 Million
Academy Awards
Best Actress: Cher
Best Supporting Actress: Olympia Dukakis
Best Original Screenplay: John Patrick Shanley
1987 - Batteries Not Included
Director: Matthew Robbins
Starring: Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy
Budget: $25 Million
Box Office: $65.1 Million
1987 - Ironweed
Director: Héctor Babenco
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Carroll Baker, Michael O'Keefe, Fred Gwynne, Diane Venora and Tom Waits
Budget: $27 Million
Box Office: $7.3 Million
1987 - The Dead
Director: John Huston
Starring: Anjelica Huston and Donal McCann
Budget: $3.5 Million
Box Office: $4.3 Million
1987 - Leonard Part 6
Director: Paul Weiland
Starring: Bill Cosby, Tom Courtenay and Joe Don Baker
Budget: $24 Million
Box Office: $4.6 Million
* Considered One of the Worst Films Ever Made
1987 - September
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, Dianne Wiest, Elaine Stritch, Jack Warden and Denholm Elliott
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $486,000
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Final Episode of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (Animation)
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 33 (99 Shorts)
Network: ABC
1986 - Final Episode of Beverly Hills Teens (Animation) aired
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 65
Network: Syndication
1986 - Final Episode Spiral Zone aired
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 65
Network: Syndication
1988 - A Very Brady Christmas Aired on CBS
* The Second Highest Rated TV Show of the Year
1989 - A Rare Christmas Episode of I Love Lucy Aired on CBS
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Albums Released
(On This Day)
No 80s Albums Released On This Day
In Other 80s Music News
1982 - “Maneater” by Daryl Hall and John Oates hit #1 on the US Billboard Charts
#1 Song in America from December 18 - January 14
* Also Hit #1 in Spain
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - The San Diego Clippers Beat the Houston Rockets 110 - 95 to Snap Their 29-Game Road Losing Streak
1988 - Gary Anderson (San Diego Chargers) Rushed For 217 Yards Against the Kansas City Chiefs
* The Chargers Beat the Chiefs 24 - 13 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego
Spread
Chargers -1
O/U 39.0
1988 - The Seattle Seahawks Clinched Their First Division Title
* Beat the Los Angeles Raiders 43 - 37 at the Los Angeles Coliseum
Spread
Raiders -3
O/U 40.0
Both Teams Combined For 932 Yards of Offense
1988 - The Minnesota Vikings Beat the Chicago Bears 28 - 27 at the Metrodome on Monday Night Football
* The Final Game of the Regular Season
Spread
Vikings -7
O/U 39.0
1988 NFL Leaders
Passing: Dan Marino (Dolphins) 4434
Rushing: Eric Dickerson (Rams) 1659
Receiving: Henry Ellard (Rams) 1414
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Other Notable Dates
(On December 18th)
1787 - New Jersey Became the 3rd U.S. State
* Population Was 180,000
Now Over 9 Million
1833 - The Russian Empire National Anthem "God Save the Tsar!" Was First Performed
1958 - The First Communication Satellite (Project SCORE) Was Launched
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