Other Notable Birthdays
“Classy” Freddie Blassie (Wrestling Manager)
February 8, 1918 - June 2, 2003
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
Passed Away at Age 85 From Heart and Kidney Failure
* Coined the Phrase "Pencil Neck Geek"
Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 1994
Audrey Meadows (Actress)
February 8, 1922 - February 3, 1996
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 73 From Lung Cancer
* Was a Longtime Smoker
Best Known For Playing the Housewife Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners and Iris Martin on Too Close for Comfort
Jack Lemmon (Actor)
February 8, 1925 - June 27, 2001
Birthplace: Newton, Massachusetts
Passed Away at Age 76 From Bladder Cancer
* Had Gallbladder Surgery the Previous Month
A 2x Academy Award Winner
Mister Roberts (1956)
Save the Tiger (1974)
Nominations: 8
James Dean (Actor)
February 8, 1931 - September 30, 1955
Birthplace: Marion, Indiana
Passed Away at Age 24 in a Car Accident
* Best Known For Playing Jim Stark in the 1955 Film, Rebel Without a Cause
Nominated For 2 Academy Awards For His Roles in East of Eden (1955) and Giant (1956)
Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart” (Wrestling)
February 8, 1955 - August 13, 2018
Birthplace: Montebello, California
Passed Away at Age 63 From a Fall in His House
* A 2x WWF Tag Team Champion with Brother-in-Law Bret the "Hitman" Hart
Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a Member of the Hart Foundation
Sherri Martel (Wrestling)
February 8, 1958 - June 15, 2007
Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama
Passed Away at Age 49 of an Accidental Overdoss
* A Variety of Drugs Were Found in Her Body Including Oxycodone
A 3x AWA World Women's Champion and a Former WWF Champion
Gary Coleman (Actor)
February 8, 1968 - May 28, 2010
Birthplace: Zion, Illinois
Passed Away at the Age of 42 After Falling Down the Stairs and Hitting His Head
* Had Suffered a Seizure
Played Arnold on the TV Series Diff’rent Strokes
Fun Fact!
Gary Coleman Was Ranked #1 on VHS's Top 100 Kid Actors
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Connie Mack (Baseball Manager)
Passed Away on February 8, 1956 at Age 93
Passed Away at Age 93 From Natural Causes
* Managed the Philadelphia A’s For 50 Years, Winning 5 World Series
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937
Fun Fact!
Connie Mack Holds the Major League Record For Managing 7,755 Games
Derrick Thomas (Football)
January 1, 1967 - February 8, 2000
Birthplace: Miami, Florida
Passed Away at Age 33 in a Car Accident While Driving the NFC Championship Game in St. Louis
NFL Seasons: 11 (Kansas City Chiefs)
Position: Linebacker
Pro-Bowl: 9
First Team All-Pro: 2
All-Decade Team: 1990’s
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009
Anna Nicole Smith (Actress and Model)
November 28, 1967 - February 8, 2007
Birthplace: Houston Texas
Passed Away at Age 39 From Combined Drug Intoxication
* The Sleeping Pill Chloral Hydrate Was the Main Culperate
Named the 1993 Playmate of the Year
Mary Wilson (Singer)
March 6, 1944 - February 8, 2021
Birthplace: Greenville, Mississippi
Passed Away at Age 76 in Her Sleep in Her Henderson Nevada Home
* Suffered From Hypertensive Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease
A Founding Member of The Supremes
Marty Schottenheimer (Football Coach)
September 23, 1943 - February 8, 2021
Birthplace: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 77 From Alzheimer’s Disease
Cleveland Browns: 1984 - 1988
Kansas City Chiefs: 1989 - 1998
Washington Redskins: 2001
San Diego Chargers: 2002 - 2006
2x AFC Coach of the Year (1986, 2004)
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - The Fog
Director: John Carpenter
Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Hal Holbrook and Janet Leigh
Budget: $1.1 Million
Box Office: $21.3 Million
1980 - Hero at Large
Director: Martin Davidson
Starring: John Ritter, Anne Archer and Kevin Bacon
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $15.9 Million
1980 - Cruising
Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, and Karen Allen
Budget: $11 Million
Box Office $19.8 Million
1980 - Midnight Madness
Directors: Michael Nankin and David Wechter
Starring: David Naughton, Stephen Furst and Michael J. Fox
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $2.9 Million
* Michael J. Fox ‘s Film Debut
1980 - The Last Married Couple in America
Director: Gilbert Cates
Starring: George Segal and Natalie Wood
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $12.8 Million
1985 - Witness
Director: Peter Weir
Starring: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis and Lukas Haas
Budget: $12 Million
Box Office: $68.7 Million
Nominated for 8 Academy Awards
* Won for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing
1985 - Heaven Help Us
Director: Michael Dinner
Starring: Andrew McCarthy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Kevin Dillon, Malcolm Danare, Patrick Dempsey, Stephen Geoffreys, John Heard and Donald Sutherland
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $6 Million
1985 - Mischief
Director: Mel Damski
Starring: Doug McKeon, Chris Nash, Catherine Mary Stewart, Jami Gertz and Kelly Preston
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $8.6 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1985 - The Final Episode of The Dukes of Hazzard
Seasons: 7
Episodes: 147
Network: CBS
1986 - Ron Reagan Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: The Nelsons
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Malice in Wonderland
Nazareth (11th Album)
Billboard Charts: #15
1988 - Who Killed the JAMs?
The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (2nd Album)
Singles Released
1983 - “Little Red Corvette"
Prince
Reached #6 on the US Billboard Charts
In Other 80s Music News
1980 - David Bowie and Angie Divorced After 10 Years
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - 21 Spectators Were Trampled to Death After a Football Match Between Olympiacos F.C. and AEK Athens F.C at The Karaiskakis Stadium in Neo Faliro, Greece
* Known as The Karaiskakis Stadium Accident
1982 - Davey Lopes was Traded From the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Oakland A's
* Broke Up the Longest Playing Infield of Davey Lopes, Steve Garvey, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey in Major League History
1983 - Campbell Conference Beat the Wales Conference 9-3 in the All-Star Game in Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale
MVP: Wayne Gretzky (Oilers)
1986 - Randy Savage Beat Tito Santana to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
* Savage Pulled a Foreign Object From His Tights and Hit Santana in the Head With It
1986 - Spud Webb (Hawks) Won the NBA Slam Dunk Competition
* Shortest Player to Ever Win at 5’7
1987 - The West Beat the East 154 - 149 (OT) in the NBA All-Star Game
MVP: Tom Chambers (Supersonics)
34 pts. 4 steals
West Coach: Pat Riley (Lakers)
East Coach: K.C. Jones (Celtics)
Location: Kingdome in Seattle, Washington
Michael Jordan Was the Leading Vote Getter
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1983 - The Melbourne Dust Storm Hit Melbourne, Australian
* The Worst Drought on Record
1986 - The Hinton Train Collision Took Place in Alberta, Canada
* 23 People were Killed When a Passenger Train Collided With Freight Train Near Hinton, Alberta, Edmonton
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Other Notable Dates
(On February 8th)
1693 - William & Mary College was Established in Virginia by King William III and Queen Mary II
1837 - Richard Johnson Became the First Vice President of the United States
Martin Van Buran was the President
1885 - The First Government Approved Japanese Immigrants Arrived in Hawaii
1910 - The Boy Scouts of America was Incorporated by William D. Boyce
1915 - The Birth of a Nation Premiered in Los Angeles
* Became Very Controversial Because of the Racism
1922 - U.S. President Warren G. Harding Brought the First Radio Set into the White House
1924 - Gee Jon Became the First Death Row Prisoner in the United States to Get the Gas Chamber
* Convicted in Nevada
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<- February 7th February 9th ->
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1984 - The Opening Ceremonies For the XIV Winter Olympics Began
Location: Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
Countries: 49
Athletes: 1,273 (399 Men 274 Women)
Events: 39
Sports: 6
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On February 8, 1986 Randy Savage Beat Tito Santana to Win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
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WWF Intercontinental Championship
Happy 80s Birthdays
1940 - Ted Koppel (Journalist)
Birthplace: Nelson, Lancashire, England
1941 - Nick Nolte (Actor) 48 Hours
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska
1942 - Robert Klein (Comedian) Robert Klein Time
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York
1953 - Mary Steenburgen (Actress) Parenthood
Birthplace: Newport, Arkansas
1961 - Vince Neil (Singer) Motley Crue
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
1974 - Seth Green (Actor) Can’t Buy Me Love
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fun Fact!
Vince Neil Was Very Athletic as a Kid, Playing Football, Basketball, Baseball, Wrestling and Surfing
The Fog
The Final Episode of The Dukes of Hazard Aired
1985 - The Final Episode of The Dukes of Hazzard Aired
Seasons: 7
Episodes: 147
Moonshiners
February 8th in 80s History
Headlines
(February 8th)
1980 - Midnight Madness Premiered in Theaters
Directors: Michael Nankin and David Wechter
Starring: David Naughton, Stephen Furst and Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox’s Film Debut
1986 - At Only 5'7 Spud Webb (Atlanta Hawks) Won the NBA Slam Dunk Competition
* Shortest Player to Ever Win the Dunk Contest
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Did You Know?
The Dukes of Hazard Was Inspired by the 1975 Film Moonrunners
Fun Fact!
Larry Nance (Phoenix Suns) Won the First NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1984
Host City: Denver
Did You Know?
The ABA Had a Slam Dunk Contest For the 1976 and 1977 All-Star Games
1976: Dr. J (New York Nets)
1977: Darnell Hillman (Indiana Pacers)
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#1 Songs in America
(February 8th)
1980 - "Rock With You"
Michael Jackson
1/19 - 2/15
1981 - "Celebration"
Kool and the Gang
2/7 - 2/20
1982 - "Centerfold"
J. Geils Band
2/6 - 3/19
1983 - "Africa"
Toto
2/5 - 2/11
1984 - "Karma Chameleon"
Boy George
2/4 - 2/24
1985 - "I Want To Know What Love Is"
Foreigner
2/1 - 2/15
1986 - "That's What Friends Are For"
Dionne & Friends
1/18 - 2/14
1987 - "Open Your Heart"
Madonna
2/7 - 2/13
1988 - "Could've Been"
Tiffany
2/6 - 2/19
1989 - "When I'm With You"
Sheriff
2/3 - 2/10
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
On February 8, 1980 The Fog Starring Jamie Lee Curtis Premiered in Theaters