1870 - The Current National Flag of Japan Was Formed
* The Flag Was Originally Made to Help Japanese Merchant Ships
Happy 80s Birthdays
1930 - Joanne Woodward (Actress)
Birthplace: Thomasville, Georgia
1937 - Barbara Babcock (Actress) Hill Street Blues
Birthplace: Fort Riley, Kansas
1954 - Neal Schon (Guitarist) Journey
Birthplace: Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma
1957 - Adrian Smith (Guitarist) Iron Maiden
Birthplace: Hackney, London, England
1960 - Paul Humphreys (Keyboardist) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)
Birthplace: London, England
1960 - Johnny Van Zant (Singer) Lynyrd Skynyrd
Birthplace: Jacksonville, Florida
1961 - James Worthy (Basketball)
Birthplace: Gastonia, North Carolina
1962 - Adam Baldwin (Actor) My Bodyguard, D.C. Cab
Birthplace: Winnetka, Illinois
Fun Fact!
James Worthy Was the #1 Overall Pick in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers
College: North Carolina
* 7x All-Star
1988 NBA Finals MVP
Hall of Fame (2003)
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Fun Fact!
George Michael’s Father Kyriacos "Jack" Panayiotou Was a Greek Restaurant Owner That Emigrated From Patriki, Cypress in the 1950’s
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#1 Songs in America
(February 27th)
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 - "Father Figure"
George Michael
2/27 - 3/11
1989 - "Straight Up"
Paula Abdul
2/11 - 3/3
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
1988 - “Father Figure” by George Michael Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from February 27 - March 11
Also Hit #1 in Canada
Other Notable Dates
(On February 27th)
1864 - The First Northern Prisoners From the Civil War Arrived at Confederate Prison at Andersonville, Georgia
* Known as The 26 Acres of Hell
February 27th in 80s History
"Father Figure" Became the #1 Song in America
1987 - A Some Kind of Wonderful Premiered in Theaters
Director: Howard Deutch
Starring: Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, Craig Sheffer and Lea Thompson
Fun Fact!
Lea Thompson and Director Howard Deutch Fell in Love on the Set of A Some Kind of Wonderful
* Been Married Since 1989
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Headlines
(February 27th)
1980 - The 22nd Annual Grammy Awards Aired on CBS
Location: Shrine Auditorium
City: Los Angeles
Host: Kenny Rogers
Awards
Record of the Year: “What a Fool Believes” (The Doobie Brothers)
Album of the Year: 52nd Street (Billy Joel)
Song of the Year: “What a Fool Believes” (The Doobie Brothers)
Best New Artist: Rickie Lee Jones
Kenny Rogers Won the Most Grammys With 5
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1987 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors Premiered in Theaters
Director: Chuck Russell
Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Larry Fishburne, Priscilla Pointer, Craig Wasson and Robert Englund
Other Notable Dates
Elizabeth Taylor (Actress)
February 27, 1932 - March 23, 2011
Birthplace: London, England
Passed Away at Age 79 From Congestive Heart Failure
* The Highest Paid Movie Star From the 1960’s
Won 2 Academy Awards For Best Actress
Butterfield 8 (1961)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1967)
Elizabeth Taylor Was Married 7 Times
Howard Hesseman (Actor)
February 27, 1940 - January 29, 2022
Birthplace: Lebanon, Oregon
Passed Away at Age 81 of Complications From Colon Surgery
* Best Known For Playing Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and Charlie Moore (Teacher) on Head of the Class
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Louis Vuitton (French Fashion Designer)
August 4, 1821 - February 27, 1892
Birthplace: Anchay, Jura, France
Passed Away on November 27, 1892 at Age 70
* Unknown Cause of Death
The Founder of the Louis Vuitton Brand
Lillian Gash (Actress)
October 14, 1893 - February 27, 1993
Birthplace: Springfield, Ohio
Passed Away on February 27, 1993 at Age 99 From Heart Failure
* Had a 75-Year Film Career From 1912 to 1987
Played the Leading Role in the 1915 Silent Film A Birth of a Nation
Gash is Considered the First Lady of American Cinema
J.T. Walsh (Actor)
September 28, 1943 - February 27, 1998
Birthplace: San Francisco, California
Passed Away on February 27, 1998 at Age 54 From a Heart Attack
* Played Sergeant Major Phillip Dickerson in the 1987 Film Good Morning Vietnam
Duke Snider (Baseball)
September 19, 1926 - February 27, 2011
Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA
Passed Away on February 27, 2011 at Age 84 From an Undisclosed Illness
* Played 16 Seasons With the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers
All-Star: 8
Career Home Runs: 407
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 (11th Ballot)
Leonard Nimoy (Actor)
March 26, 1931 - February 27, 2015
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Passed Away on February 27, 1931 at Age 83 From Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
* Nimoy Had Been a Heavy Smoker Until 1985
Played Spock on the Original Star Trek
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1987 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Director: Chuck Russell
Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Larry Fishburne, Priscilla Pointer, Craig Wasson and Robert Englund
Budget: $5 Million
Box Office: $44.8 Million
1987 - A Some Kind of Wonderful
Director: Howard Deutch
Starring: Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, Craig Sheffer, John Ashton, Candace Cameron and Lea Thompson
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $18.5 Million
1987 - Number One With A Bullet
Director: Jack Smight
Starring: Robert Carradine, Billy Dee Williams, Valerie Bertinelli, Peter Graves and Doris Roberts
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $410,000
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1980 - The 22nd Annual Grammy Awards Aired on CBS
Host: Kenny Rogers
Location: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
Awards
Record of the Year: "What a Fool Believes"
Artists: The Doobie Brothers
Album of the Year "52nd Street"
Artist: Billy Joel
Song of the Year: "What a Fool Believes"
Artists: The Doobie Brothers
Best New Artist: Rickie Lee Jones
1982 - Elizabeth Ashley Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Hall & Oates
1985 - Final episode of E/R
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 22
Starring George Clooney and Mary McDonnell
Both Also Starred in 90's Drama ER
1987 - The Love Boat Special “Who Killed Maxwell Thorn?" Aired on ABC
* The Love Boat Aired 5 Movie Specials
1988- Judge Reinhold Hosted the Season 13 Finale of Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: 10,000 Maniacs
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80s Music
(Released On This Day)
1980 - Remorse Code
Desperate Bicycles (6th Album)
1984 - “Weird Al” Yankovich in 3-D
“Weird Al” Yankovich (2nd Album)
Reached #17 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Featuring “Eat It”
1984 - The Works
Queen (11th Album)
Reached #23 on the US Billboard Top 200 Charts and #2 in the UK
* Featuring “Radio Ga ga”
1984 - Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance (Debut Album)
1984 - Human Racing
Nik Kershaw (Debut Album)
Reached #70 on the US Billboard Top 200 Charts
1984 - Ricochet Days
Modern English (3rd Album)
Reached #93 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
1989 - Oranges & Lemons
XTC (11th Album)
Reached #44 on the US Billboard Top 200 Charts
In Other 80s Music News
1981 - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder Recorded "Ebony & Ivory"
* #1 Song in America from May 15 - July 2
Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Germany, Spain, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Israel
1982 - The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company Gave Their Final Performance After 110 Years
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - Calvin Murphy (Rockets) Set an NBA Record with 78 Consecutive Free Throws Made
* Calvin Murphy was Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993
Did You Know?
Calvin Murphy Has 14 Kids with 9 Different Wives