Happy 80s Birthdays
1933 - John Boorman (Filmmaker) Hope and Glory
1943 - Paul Freeman (Actor) Raiders of the Lost Ark (René Belloq)
1954 - Ted DiBiase (Wrestler) “Million Dollar Man”
1955 - Kevin Costner (Actor) Field of Dreams
1956 - Tom Bailey (Musician) Thompson Twins
1961 - Jeff Yagher (Actor) Shag
1961 - Mark Messier (Hockey)
1962 - Alison Arngrim (Actress) Little House on the Prairie (Nellie Oleson)
1964 - Brady Anderson (Baseball)
Fun Fact!
Kevin Costner Was Born in Lynwood, California and Raised in Compton
* Kevin's Dad Was and Electrician and His Mom Was a Welfare Worker
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Headlines
(January 18th)
1981 - The Plasmatics Lead Singer, Wendy O. Williams Was Arrested in Milwaukee For Pretending to Masturbate With a Sledgehammer On Stage
* Unfortunately She Passed Away in 1998 From a Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound to the Head at Age 48
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1989 - Stevie Wonder (38) Became the Youngest Singer Inducted Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
* Inducted by Paul Simon
Other Inductees
The Rolling Stones
The Temptations
Otis Redding
Dion
Phil Spector
Bessie Smith
The Ink Spots
The Soul Stirrers
Sheena Easton
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#1 Songs in America
(January 18th)
1980 - "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"
Rupert Jones
1/12 - 1/18
1981 - "(Just Like) Starting Over"
John Lennon
12/27 - 1/30
1982 - "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John
11/21 - 1/29
1983 - "Down Under"
Men at Work
1/15 - 2/4
1984 - "Say Say Say"
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
12/10 - 1/20
1985 - "Like a Virgin"
Madonna
12/22 - 2/1
1986 - "That's What Friends Are For"
Dionne & Friends
1/18 - 2/14
1987 - "Shake You Down"
Gregory Abbott
1/17 - 1/23
1988 - "Got My Mind Set On You"
George Harrison
1/16 - 1/22
1989 - "My Prerogative"
Bobby Brown
1/14 - 1/20
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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1986 - “That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne Warwick and Friends Became the #1 Song in America
#1 Song in America from January 18 - February 14
* Also Hit #1 in Canada and Australia
The Song Raised Over $3 Million Dollars For AIDS Research
On January 18, 1981 Sheena Easton Released Her Debut Album, Take My Time Featuring "Morning Train"
"That's What Friends Are For" Became the #1 Song in America
80s Television
(On This Day)
1986 - Harry Dean Stanton Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: The Replacements
1986 - The Redd Foxx Show Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
1988 - Home (Talk Show) Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 7
1989 - A Fine Romance Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 12
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Just Testing
Wishbone Ash (10th Album)
Billboard Charts: #179
1980 - Metamic
John Foxx (10th Album)
Billboard Charts: #179
1981 - Take My Time
Sheena Easton (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #24
* Featuring “Morning Train (9 to 5)”
1982 - Mystical Adventures
Jean-Luc Ponty (22nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #44
1983 - Cuts Like a Knife
Bryan Adams (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts: #8
1986 - Made to be Broken
Soul Asylum (2nd Album)
Singles Released
1986 - “These Dreams”
Heart
#1 song in America from March 22 - 28
* Also hit #1 in Canada
Fun Fact!
Heart’s First #1 Song Was “Magic Man” (1975)
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield Became the First Base Jumpers to BASE Jump From All 4 Categories When They Jumped Off a Houston Skyscraper
* The 4 Categories are Buildings, Antennae, Spans (Bridges), and Earth (Cliffs)
1981 - Bjorn Borg Won His Second Straight ATP Masters Grand Prix Title
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<- January 17th January 19th ->
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January 18th in 80s History
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Other Notable Dates
(On January 18th)
1896 - An X-ray Machine Was Exhibited For the First Time by H. L. Smith.
1911 - Eugene B. Ely (Pilot) Became the First Person to Land an Aircraft on a Ship
* Landed His Plane On the USS Pennsylvania in the San Francisco Bay
1958 - Willie O’Ree Became the First Black Player in NHL History
* Made His Debut With the Boston Bruins
1990 - Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry Was Arrested for Drug Possession
* Caught Smoking Crack During an FBI Sting
1983 - The IOC (International Olympic Committee) Restored Jim Thorpe's Olympic Medals For the Pentathlon & Decathlon 70 Years After They Were Taken From Him For Being a Paid Athlete
* Was Paid $25 by a Semi-Pro Baseball Team
Other Notable Birthdays
Curt Flood (Baseball)
January 18, 1938 - January 20, 1997
Passed Away at Age 59 from Pneumonia
* 3x All-Star
7x Gold Glove
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Tony Verna (TV Producer)
Passed Away on January 18, 2015 at Age 81 from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Invented Instant Replay
* First Used in the Army-Navy Game in 1963
Glenn Frey (Singer)
Passed Away on January 18, 2016 at Age 67 from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute Ulcerative Colitis, and Pneumonia
Co-Founder of The Eagles
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - Windows
Director: Gordon Willis
Starring: Talia Shire, Joseph Cortese and Elizabeth Ashley
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $2.1 Million
1980 - Just Tell Me What You Want
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Ali MacGraw, Peter Weller and Alan King
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $2 Million
1983 - Lianna
Director: John Sayles
Starring: Linda Griffiths, Jane Hallaren and and Jon DeVries
Budget: $300,000
Box Office: $1.5 Million
1985 - The New Kids
Director: Sean S. Cunningham
Starring: Shannon Presby, Lori Loughlin, Eric Stoltz and James Spader
Budget: $6 Million
Box Office: $199,000
1985 - That's Dancing! (Dance Documentary)
Director: Jack Haley Jr.
Starring: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ray Bolger, Sammy Davis Jr., Gene Kelly and Liza Minnelli
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $4.2 Million
* The Film Featured a Complete Dance Routine of "If I Only Had a Brain" by Ray Bulger in His Last Film Appearance