December 8th in 80s History
Headlines
(December 8th)
1980 - Former Beatle John Lennon Was Murdered at Age 40 by Mark David Chapman in Front of The Dakota Apartment Building in New York City Because Chapman Had a Personal Resentment Against Him
Did You Know?
Mark David Chapman Served Time at Attica Prison In New York From 1981 to 2012
* Currently Serving His Time at Green Haven in Beekman, New York
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#1 Songs in America
(December 8th)
1980 - "Lady"
Kenny Rogers
11/15 - 12/26
1981 - "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John
11/21 - 1/29
1982 - "Truly"
Lionel Richie
11/27 - 12/10
1983 - "All Night Long"
Lionel Richie
11/12 - 12/9
1984 - "Out of Touch"
Daryl Hall and John Oates
12/8 - 12/21
1985 - "Broken Wings"
Mister Mister
12/7 - 12/20
1986 - "The Next Time I Fall"
Peter Cetera and Amy Grant
12/6 - 12/12
1987 - "Heaven Is A Place On Earth"
Belinda Carlisle
12/5 - 12/11
1988 - "Baby I Love Your Way"
Will to Power
12/3 - 12/9
1989 - "Blame It on the Rain"
Milli Vanilli
11/25 - 12/8
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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Happy 80s Birthdays
1944 - Bertie Higgins (Singer) “Key Largo”
Birthplace: Tarpon Springs, Florida
1953 - Kim Basinger (Actress) Batman
Birthplace: Athens, Georgia
1953 - Roy Firestone (Sportscaster) ESPN Up Close
Birthplace: Miami, Florida
1957 - Slick (Wrestling Manager) WWF
Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas
1957 - Phil Collen (Guitarist) Def Leppard
Birthplace: London, England
1964 - James Blundell (Country Singer)
Birthplace: Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia
1964 - Teri Hatcher (Actress) Tango & Cash
Birthplace: Palo Alto, California
Fun Fact!
James Blundell Won Country Singer of the Year in 1989
John Lennon Was Murdered
On December 8, 1982 Sophie's Choice, Starring Meryl Streep Premiered in Theaters
1984 - “Out of Touch” by Daryl Hall and John Oates Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from December 8 - 21
Fun Fact!
Hall & Oates is the Most Successful Singing Duo of All-Time With Over 80 Million Albums Sold
* Formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1970
1982 - 48 Hrs. Premiered in Theaters
Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte and Annette O’Toole
Eddie Murphy’s Film Debut
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The War of the Roses
1984 - The Final Episode of Captain Kangaroo Aired
Seasons: 29
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Sophies Choice
Other Notable Birthdays
Eli Whitney (American Inventor)
December 8, 1765 - January 8, 1825
Birthplace: Westborough, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
Passed Away at Age 59 From Prostate Cancer
* Invented the Cotton Gin in 1793
The Cotton Gin Helped Strengthen the Economic Foundation of American Slavery
William C. Durant (American Businessman)
December 8, 1861 - March 18, 1947
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Passed Away at Age 85 From Deteriorating Health
* Had Suffering From a Stroke
The Founder of General Motors and Chevrolet
E. C. Segar (Cartoonist)
December 8, 1894 - October 13, 1938
Birthplace: Chester, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 43 From Leukemia
* Born Elzie Crisler Segar
Created Popeye in 1929
Sammy Davis Jr. (Singer and Actor)
December 8, 1925 - May 16, 1990
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 64 From Throat Cancer
* Davis Was Part of the ""Rat Pack"
Sammy Davis Jr. Helped Break the Race Barrier in the Entertainment Industry
Flip Wilson (Actor and Comedian)
December 8, 1933 - November 25, 1998
Birthplace: Jersey City, New Jersey
Passed Away at Age 64 From Liver Cancer
* Hosted The Flip Wilson Show From 1970 to 1974
Won 1 Golden Globe Award and 2 Emmy Awards
David Carradine (Actor)
December 8, 1936 - June 3, 2009
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Passed Away at Age 72 From "Accidental Asphyxiation"
* Found Hanging in His Hotel
Star of the 1970’s TV Show Kung Fu
Dan Hartman (Singer)
December 8, 1950 - March 22, 1994
Birthplace: West Hanover Township, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 43 From a Brain Tumor
* Contracted AIDS in the Late 1980’s
Best Known For the Songs “Instant Replay” (1978) and “I Can Dream About You” (1984)
Sam Kinison (Comedian)
December 8, 1953 - April 10, 1992
Birthplace: Yakima, Washington
Passed Away at Age 38 in a Car Accident
* Hit by a Truck Driven by a Drunk 17-Year Old in Needles, California
Played the History Teacher, Professor Terguson in the 1985 Film Back to School
Bushwick Bill (Rapper)
December 8, 1966 - June 9, 2019
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Passed Away at Age 52 From Pancreatic Cancer
* Diagnosed on May 1st
A Member of The Geto Boys
Sinéad O'Connor (Irish Singer)
December 8, 1966 - July 26, 2023
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Passed Away at Age 56 From Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
* Also Had Bronchial Asthma
Her 1990 Hit Song "Nothing Compares 2 U" Hit #1 in Numerous Countries and Won the Billboard Song of the Year
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Tris Speaker (Baseball)
April 4, 1888 - December 8, 1958
Birthplace: Hubbard, Texas
Passed Away at Age 70 From a Heart Attack
MLB Seasons:
Position: Centerfield
Career Batting Average: .345
Hits: 3,514
AL MVP: 1912
World Series Champion: 3 (2 With the Boston Red Sox and 1 With the Cleveland Indians)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937 (2nd Ballot)
Bob Bell (American Clown)
January 18, 1922 - December 8, 1997
Birthplace: Flint, Michigan
Passed Away at Age 75
* Unknown Cause of Death
Introduced Bozo the Clown in 1946
Douglas Tompkins (American Businessman)
March 20, 1943 - December 8, 2015
Birthplace: Conneaut, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 72 From Hyperthermia
* Had Been in a Kayak Accident
Founded North Face and Esprit in San Francisco, California in 1968
John Glenn (Astronaut)
July 18, 1921 - December 8, 2016
Birthplace: Cambridge, OH
Passed Away at Age 95
* Unknown Cause of Death
The First American to Orbit the Earth
Fun Fact!
John Glenn Was the Senator of Ohio From 1974 to 1999
Caroll Spinney (Puppeteer and Cartoonist)
December 26, 1933 - December 8, 2019
Birthplace: Waltham, MA
Passed Away at Age 85
* Unknown Cause of Death
Played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street From 1969 to 2018
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1982 - 48 Hrs.
Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte and Annette O’Toole
Budget: $12 Million
Box Office: $78.9 Million
1982 - Sophie’s Choice
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $30 Million
Meryl Streep Won an Academy Award For Best Actress
1982 - The Verdict
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, and Lindsay Crouse
Budget: $16 Million
Box Office: $54 Million
AFI’s #4 Greatest Courtroom Drama Films
* Also AFi’s #75 Most Inspirational Films
1988 - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (West Germany)
* United States March 10
Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Jonathan Price and Uma Thurman
Budget: $46.6 Million
Box Office: $8.1 Million
1989 - War of the Roses
Director: Danny DeVito
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito
Budget: $26 Million
Box Office: $160.2 Million
Fun Fact!
The Real War of the Roses Were a Series of Wars in 15th Century England For Control of the Throne Between 2 Rival Branches of the Royal House of Plantagenet
* House of Lancaster Was Represented by a Red Rose and the House of York by a White Rose
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1984 - Ringo Starr Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Herbie Hancock
1984 - Final Episode of Captain Kangaroo
Seasons: 29
Episodes: 6,090
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Flash Gordon
Queen (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #23
1980 - Live
Fleetwood Mac
Billboard Charts: #14
1980 - Replay
Crosby, Stills & Nash (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #122
1986 - Mechanical Resonance
Tesla (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #32
1987 - Inside Information
Foreigner (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #15
Featuring “I Don’t Want to Live Without You and “Say You Will”
1987 - I'm the Man (EP)
Anthrax
Billboard Charts: #53
* #4 In Finland
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - Pedro Morales Beat Ken Patera For the WWF Intercontinental Championship
1984 - Chris Evert-Lloyd Won the Australian Open
Runner Up: Helena Suková
Match: 6-7, 6-1, 6-3
1985 - Stefan Edberg Won the Australian Open
Runner Up: Mats Wilander
Match: 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Stefan Edberg’s First Major
1985 - Atlanta Falcons Running Back, Gerald Riggs Rushed For 197 Yards Against the Kansas City Chiefs
* The Falcons Lost to the Chiefs 38 - 10 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City
Spread
Chiefs -3.5
O/U 43.0
1986 - The Seattle Seahawks Recorded 11 Sacks Against the Los Angeles Raiders on Monday Night Football
* The Seahawks Beat the Raiders 37 - 0 at the Kingdome in Seattle
Spread
Raiders. -2.5
O/U 41.0
1987 - Ron Hextall (Philadelphia Flyers) Became the First Goalie to Shoot and Score a Goal
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1988 - A United States Aircraft Crashed Into an Apartment Complex in Remscheid, Germany
* Killed 5 People and Injured 50
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Other Notable Dates
(On December 8th)
1955 - The European Flag Was Adopted
1963 - Pan Am Flight 214 (Boeing 707) Was Struck by Lightning and Crashed in Elkton, Maryland
* Killed All 81 People on Board
2013 - Metallica Performed in Iceland Becoming the First Band to Perform in All 7 Continents
2019 - The First Case of Covid-19 Was Discovered in China
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<- December 7th December 9th ->
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First Goalie To Score
On December 8, 1987 Philadelphia Flyers Goalie Ron Hextall Became the First Goalie to Shoot and Score a Goal
On December 8, 1989 The War of the Roses Starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito Premiered in Theaters
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