On December 31, 1989 David Hasselhoff Sang "Looking For Freedom" on the Berlin Wall
On December 31, 1989 Bonnie Raitt Played a Concert at the Oakland Coliseum
Headlines
(December 31st)
1982 - Final Episode of The Doctors Aired
Seasons: 20
Episodes: 5,155
1984 - Def Leppard Drummer, Rick Allen Lost His Arm in a Car Crash
* After Recovering He Continued Playing With One Arm
_______________________________
Def Leppard's Drummer Rick Allen Lost His Arm In a Car Accident
1985 - Singer and Actor Ricky Nelson Died in an Airplane Accident On His Way to a Concert in Dallas
December 31st in 80s History
_______________________________
Bonnie Raitt
_______________________________
Happy 80s Birthdays
1937 - Anthony Hopkins (Actor) The Elephant Man, The Silence of the Lambs
Birthplace: Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales
1942 - Andy Summers (Guitarist) The Police
Birthplace: Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England
1943 - Ben Kingsley (Actor) Gandhi
Birthplace: Snainton, North Riding of Yorkshire, England
1947 - Tim Matheson (Actor) Fletch (Alan Stanwyck)
Birthplace: Glendale, California
1951 - Tom Hamilton (Bassist) Aerosmith
Birthplace: Colorado Springs, Colorado
1953 - James Remar (Actor) 48 Hrs. “Ganz”
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
1958 - Bebe Neuwirth (Actress) Cheers (Lilith)
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey
1959 - Val Kilmer (Actor) Top Gun, Top Secret, Real Genius
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
1959 - Paul Westerberg (Singer) The Replacements
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota
1961 - Rick Aguilera (Baseball)
Birthplace: San Gabriel, California
1963 - Scott Ian (Guitarist) Anthrax
Birthplace: New York City
1972 - Joey McIntyre (Singer) New Kids on the Block
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Fun Fact!
Ben Kingsley Won an Academy Award For Best Actor in 1982 For His Role as Gandhi
* Gandhi Also Won Best Picture
#1 Songs in America
(December 31st)
1980 - "(Just Like) Starting Over"
John Lennon
12/27 - 1/30
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 - "Like a Virgin"
Madonna
12/22 - 2/1
1985 - "Say You Say Me"
Lionel Richie
12/21 - 1/17
1986 - "Walk Like an Egyptian"
The Bangles
12/20 - 1/16
1987 - "Faith"
George Michael
12/12 - 1/8
1988 - "Every Rose Has It's Thorn"
Poison
12/24 - 1/13
1989 - "Another Day in Paradise"
Phil Collins
12/23 - 1/19
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
_______________________________
_______________________________
David Hasselhoff
Other Notable Birthdays
John Denver (Singer)
December 31, 1943 - October 12, 1997
Birthplace: Roswell, New Mexico
Passed Away at Age 53 in a Plane Crash Over Monterey Bay in California
* Best Known For the Hit Songs “Take Me Home, Country Roads" and “Rocky Mountain High”
One of the Best Selling Artists From the 1970’s
Donna Summer (Singer)
December 31, 1948 - May 17, 2012
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Passed Away at Age 63 From Lung Cancer
* Best Known For the Hit Sons "Works Hard For the Money" and Hot Stuff”
Known as the Queen of Disco
Val Kilmer (Actor)
December 31, 1959 - April 1, 2025
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Passed Away at Age 65 From Pneumonia and Respiratory Failure
* Diagnosed With Throat Cancer in 2015
Best Known For Playing Iceman in Top Gun
_______________________________
Passed Away
(On This Day)
Roberto Clemente (Baseball)
August 18, 1934 - December 31, 1972
Birthplace: Barrio San Antón, Carolina, Puerto Rico
Passed Away at Age 38 in a Plane Accident While On a Humanitarian Trip to Nicaragua to Deliver Emergency Relief
MLB Seasons: 18 (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Position: Right Field
Career Hits: 3000
All Star: 15
Gold Gloves: 12
NL MVP: 1966
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973
* The First Latin American Player Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame
Ricky Nelson (Singer)
May 8, 1940 - December 31, 1985
Birthplace: Teaneck, New Jersey
Passed Away at Age 45 in an Airplane Accident on His Way to a Concert in Dallas
* Starred on the TV Series, Ozzie and Harriet From 1952 to 1966
Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987
James Avery (Actor)
November 27, 1945 - December 31, 2013
Birthplace: Suffolk, VA
Passed Away at Age 68 Following Complications From Open Heart Surgery
* Died at the Memorial Medical Center in Glendale, California
Played Uncle Phil on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Natalie Cole (Singer)
February 6, 1950 - December 31, 2015
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Passed Away at Age 65 From Congestive Heart Failure
* Over 30 Million Records Sold Worldwide
In 1975 Cole Became the First African American to Win a Grammy Award For Best New Artist
Wayne Rogers (Actor)
April 7, 1933 - December 31, 2015
Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama
Passed Away at Age 82 From Pneumonia
* Earned a History Degree From Princeton in 1954
Played “Trapper” on M*A*S*H
William Christopher (Actor)
October 20, 1932 - December 31, 2016
Birthplace: Evanston, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 84 as the Result of Small-Cell Carcinoma
* William’s Family Were Descendants of Paul Revere
Played Father Mulcahy on M*A*S*H
Betty White (Actress)
January 17, 1922 - December 31, 2021
Birthplace: Oak Park, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 99 From a Stroke
* Best Known For Playing Rose on Golden Girls
Won 5 Primetime Emmy Awards
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1975, 1976)
The Golden Girls (1986)
The John Larroquette Show (1996)
Saturday Night Live (2010)
Also Won a Daytime Emmy Award as the Host of the Game Show Just Men!
Cale Yarborough (NASCAR Driver)
March 27, 1939 - December 31, 2023
Birthplace: Timmonsville, South Carolina
Passed Away at Age 84 From Complications of a Rare Genetic Disorder
Daytona 500 Winner: 4 (1968, 1977, 1983, 1984)
Elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012
_______________________________
80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1986 - Wisdom
Director: Emilio Estevez
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright and Charlie Sheen
Budget: $6.5 Million
Box Office: $5.7 Million
Emilio Estevez Filmmaking and Directorial Debut
1986 - Witchboard
Director: Kevin Tenney
Starring: Tawny Kitaen, Stephen Nichols and Todd Allen
Budget: $2 Million
Box Office: $7.4 Million
_______________________________
80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Final Episode of Texas (Soap Opera)
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 625
Network: NBC
Spinoff From Another World
1982 - Final Episode of The Doctors
Seasons: 20
Episodes: 5,155
Network: NBC
_______________________________
80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Arc of a Diver
Steve Winwood (2nd Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #3
Singles Released
1985 - "Can't Fight This Feeling"
REO Speedwagon
* #1 Song in America from March 9 - 29
_______________________________
80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - The San Francisco 49ers Beat the Detroit Lions 24 - 23 in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Candlestick Park in San Francisco
Spread
49ers -7.5
O/U 41.0
1983 - The Seattle Seahawks Beat the Miami Dolphins 27 - 20 in the AFC Divisional Round
Location: Orange Bowl in Miami
* Curt Warner (Seahawks) 113 Yards Rushing 3 TD’s
Spread
Dolphins -8
O/U 44.0
Curt Warner (Seahawks) 113 Yards Rushing 3 TD’s
1988 - The Chicago Bears Beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20 - 12 in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Soldier Field in Chicago
Spread
Bears -5.5
O/U 38.0
Dennis McKinnon (Bears) 4 Receptions 108 Yards 1 TD (64 Yards)
1988 - The Cincinnati Bengals Beat the Seattle Seahawks 21 - 13 in the AFC Divisional Round
Location: Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati
Spread
Bengals 6.5
O/U 46.0
Icky Woods (Bengals) 126 Yards Rushing 1 TD
1989 - The Pittsburgh Steelers Beat the Houston Oilers 26 - 23 (OT) in the AFC Wild Card Game
Location: Houston Astrodome
Spread
Oilers -7
O/U 43.0
Merril Hoge (Steelers) 100 Yards Rushing 1 TD
1989 - The Los Angeles Rams Beat the Philadelphia Eagles 21 - 7 in the NFC Wild Card Game
Location: Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia
Spread
Eagles -3
O/U 39.0
Greg Bell (Rams) 124 Yards Rushing 1 TD
1989 - Jockey Kent Desormeaux Set a Thoroughbred Racing Record by Winning 598 Races in a Year
* Still Holds the Record
_______________________________
Other Notable Dates
(On December 31st)
1759 - Arthur Guinness Began Brewing Guinness Beer
1796 - The City of Baltimore Was Inaugurated
Population: 13,500
Now Over 560,000
1907 - The First New Year's Eve Celebration in Times Square Took Place
* Known as Longacre Square in Manhattan at the Time
1946 - President Harry S. Truman Officially Announced That World War II Ended With an Allies Victory
1955 - General Motors Became the First Corporation to Earn Over a Billion Dollars in a Year
_______________________________
<- December 30th January 1st ->
_______________________________
1986 - Wisdom Premiered in Theaters
Director: Emilio Estevez
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright and Charlie Sheen
Emilio Estevez Made His Debut as Filmmaker and Director