1988 - Bloodsport Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
#1 Songs in America
(February 26th)
1980 - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
Queen
2/23 - 3/21
1981 - "9 to 5"
Dolly Parton
2/21 - 2/27
1982 - "Centerfold"
J. Geils Band
2/6 - 3/19
1983 - "Baby, Come to Me"
Patti Auston and James Ingram
2/19 - 3/4
1984 - "Jump"
Van Halen
2/25 - 3/30
1985 - "Careless Whisper"
Wham!
2/16 - 3/8
1986 - "How Will I Know"
Whitney Houston
2/15 - 2/28
1987 - "Livin' on a Prayer"
Bon Jovi
2/14 - 3/13
1988 - "Seasons Change"
Expose
2/20 - 2/26
1989 - "Straight Up"
Paula Abdul
2/11 - 3/3
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
Other Notable Dates
(February 26th)
1919 - The Grand Canyon Was Established as a National Park
On February 26, 1988 Frantic Starring Harrison Ford Premiered in Theaters
February 26th in 80s History
Happy 80s Birthdays
1942 - Karen Grassle (Actress) Little House on the Prairie
1943 - Bill Duke (Actor) Predator
1950 - Billy Steinberg (Songwriter)
1953 - Michael Bolton (Singer)
1958 - Greg Germann (Actor) Miss Firecracker
Fun Fact!
Michael Bolton’s First #1 Song in America Was “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” (1989)
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1989 -Hairspray Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Ricki Lake, Divine, Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono and Jerry Stiller
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Frantic
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1985 - The 27th Annual Grammy Awards Aired on CBS
Host: John Denver
“What’s Love Got To Do With It” by Tina Turner Won Song of the Year
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Thriller Became the #1 Album in America
Headlines
(February 26th)
1983 - Michael Jackson’s Thriller Became the #1 Album in America
* Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, France, Netherlands, Austria and Australia
The Top Selling Album of All-Time
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Other Notable Birthdays
Levi Strauss (German Born American Businessman)
February 26, 1829 - September 26, 1902
Passed Away at Age 73 (Unknown Cause)
Founder of Levi’s Jeans
Buffalo Bill (Soldier)
February 26, 1846 - January 10, 1917
Passed Away at Age 70 (Unknown Cause)
A Rider For The Pony Express at at 15
John Harvey Kellogg (American Surgeon)
February 26, 1852 - December 14, 1943
Passed Away at Age 90 (Unknown Cause)
Created Corn Flakes
Grover Cleveland Alexander (Baseball)
February 26, 1887 - November 4, 1950
Passed Away at Age 63 (Unknown Cause)
* 3x Triple Crown Winner (Wins, ERA, Strikeouts)
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938
Jackie Gleason (Actor)
February 26, 1916 - June 24, 1987
Passed Away at Age 71 From Colon Cancer
Played Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners
Tony Randall (Actor)
February 26, 1920 - May 17, 2004
Passed Away at Age 84 From Pneumonia (Following Coronary Bypass Surgery)
Played Felix Unger on the TV Series, The Odd Couple
Verne Gagne (Wrestling)
February 26, 1926 - April 27, 2015
Passed Away at Age 89 From Alzheimer's Disease
Founded AWA Wrestling
Johnny Cash (Singer)
February 26, 1932 - September 12, 2003
Passed Away at Age 71 of Complication From Diabetes
Inducted Into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1992
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Jef Raskin (Computer Science)
Passed Away on February 26, 2005 at Age 61 From Pancreatic Cancer
Created the Macintosh Project at Apple
Judge Wapner (American Judge)
November 15, 1919 - February 26, 2017
Passed Away at Age 97 From Respiratory Failure
Best Known For the the TV Series People’s Court
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1982 - Evilspeak
Director: Eric Weston
Starring: Clint Howard, R. G. Armstrong, Joseph Cortese and Claude Earl Jones
Budget: $1 Million
Box Office: N/A
1988 - Bloodsport
Director: Newt Arnold
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres and Bolo Yeung
Budget: $2 Million
Box Office: $65 Million
1988 - Frantic
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Harrison Ford and Emmanuelle Seigner
Budget: $20 Million
Box Office: $17.6 Million
1988 - Hairspray
Director: John Waters
Starring: Ricki Lake, Divine, Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono, Jerry Stiller, Leslie Ann Powers, Colleen Fitzpatrick and Michael St. Gerard
Budget: $2 Million
Box Office: $8.3 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1983 - Brothers Jeff and Beau Bridges Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Randy Newman
1983 - Wizard and Warriors Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 8
Starring Jeff Conway
1984 - Star Wars Aired on CBS
* The First Time Star Wars Aired on Network Television
1985 - The 27th Annual Grammy Awards Aired on CBS
Host: John Denver
Location: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
Winners
Record of the Year: “What's Love Got To Do With It”
Artist: Tina Turner
Album of the Year: Can't Slow Down
Artist: Lionel Richie
Song of the Year: “What's Love Got To Do With It”
Artist: Tina Turner
Best New Artist: Cyndi Lauper
1985 - Final Episode of Pink Panther and Sons (Animation)
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 26
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Point Entry
Judas Priest (7th Album)
Billboard Charts: #39
1982 - Set
The Thompson Twins (2nd Album)
* Reached #48 in the UK
In Other 80s Music News
1987 - The First 4 Beatles Albums Were Transferred to a CD (Compact Disc)
Please Please Me (1963)
With the Beatles (1963)
Introducing... the Beatles (1964)
Meet the Beatles! (1964)
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - A Record 84 Penalties Were Given After a Brawl Between the Boston Bruins and the Minnesota North Stars
* Bruins Won 5 - 1
1987 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) Scored 58 Points Against the New Jersey Nets
* The Bulls Beat the Nets 128 - 113 in Chicago
Attendance: 14,008
1987 - The Washington Bullets Tied an NBA Record with 20 Blocks Against the Indiana Pacers
* The Bullets Beat the Pacers 100 - 94 in Washington
Manute Bol 15 blocks
Attendance: 10,187
1989 - The Dallas Cowboys Fired Tom Landry After 29 Seasons
* Replaced by Jimmy Johnson
Regular Season: 250 - 162 - 6
Post Season: 20 - 16
Super Bowl Appearances: 5
Super Bowl Wins: 2
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