On January 1, 1988 The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Was Created
* The Merging of 3 Lutheran Church Bodies Making it the Largest Lutheran Denomination in America
On January 1, 1983 The Bell Phone System Officially Split UP
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Fun Facts!
The Star-Spangled Banner Was Written by American Lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814 During the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812
The Star-Spangled Banner Became the Official National Anthem For the United States on March 3, 1931
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The Bell System
#1 Songs in America
(January 1st)
1980 - "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"
Rupert Jones
12/22 - 1/4
1981 - "(Just Like) Starting Over"
John Lennon
12/27 - 1/30
1982 - "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John
11/21 - 1/29
1983 - "Maneater"
Daryl Hall and John Oates
12/18 - 1/14
1984 - "Say Say Say"
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
12/10 - 1/20
1985 - "Like a Virgin"
Madonna
12/22 - 2/1
1986 - "Say You Say Me"
Lionel Richie
12/21 - 1/17
1987 - "Walk Like an Egyptian"
The Bangles
12/20 - 1/16
1988 - "Faith"
George Michael
12/12 - 1/8
1989 - "Every Rose Has It's Thorn"
Poison
12/24 - 1/13
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
"Brain On Drugs"
January 1st in 80s History
On January 1, 1987 the "Brain On Drugs" Campaign Was Launched in a Partnership For a Drug-Free America
VH1Made Its Debut
First British Mobile Phone Call
1985 - VHS Was Launched
* Intended to Play Music Videos For a Slightly Older Demographic Than MTV
The First Video Played Was Marvin Gaye's Rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" From the NBA All-Star Game
Other Notable Birthdays
Paul Revere (Army Commander)
January 1, 1735 - May 10, 1818
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Passed Away in His Boston Home at Age 83
* Unknown Cause of Death
Said the Famous Words “The British Are Coming”
Betsy Ross (American Upholsterer)
January 1, 1752 - January 30, 1836
Birthplace: Gloucester City, New Jersey
'Passed Away at Age 84
* Unknown Cause of Death
Designed the First American Flag in 1870
J. Edgar Hoover (Law Enforcer)
January 1, 1895 - May 2, 1972
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
Passed Away at Age 77 From a Heart Attack
* Died in His Washington, D.C. Home
The First Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
In Office: 1935 - 1972
Hank Greenberg (Baseball)
January 1, 1911 - September 4, 1986
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York
Passed Away at Age 75 From Kidney Cancer
MLB Seasons: 13
Position: First Base/Left Field
All-Star: 5
AL Home Run Leader: 4
AL MVP: 2 (1935, 1940)
World Series Champion: 2 (1935, 1945) Detroit Tigers
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956 (9th Ballot)
Fun Fact!
Hank Greenberg Was the First Jewish Superstar in American Sports
* Endured in Anti-Semitic Abuse in During His Career
LaMar Hoyt (Baseball)
January 1, 1955 - November 29, 2021
Birthplace: Columbia, South Carolina
Passed Away at Age 66 From Cancer (Unknown Type of Cancer)
MLB Seasons: 8
Position: PItcher
Career Wins: 98
Losses: 68
ERA: 3.99
All-Star: 1985
AL Wins Leader: 2 (1982, 1983)
Won the American League Cy Young Award in 1983 as a Member of the Chicago White Sox
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Hank Williams (Country Singer)
September 17, 1923 - January 1, 1953
Birthplace: Butler County, Alabama
Passed Away at Age 29 From "Acute RT. Ventricular Dilation"
* Caused by Hemorrhages in the Heart and Neck
An Early Pioneer of Country Music and is Regarded as One of the Most Significant and Influential Musicians of the 20th Century
Ray Walston (Actor)
November 2, 1914 - January 1, 2001
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 86 From Lupus
* Played Mr. Hand in the 1982 Film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High
A 2x Emmy Award Winner For His Role as Judge Henry Bone on the TV Series Picket Fences
Donna Douglas (Actress)
September 26, 1932 - January 1, 2015
Birthplace: Pride, Louisiana
Passed Away at Age 82 From Pancreatic Cancer
* Born Doris Ione Smith
Played Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies
David Stern (NBA Commissioner)
September 22, 1942 - January 1, 2020
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 77 From a Brain Hemorrhage
NBA Commissioner: 1984 - 2014
Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014
Dan Reeves (Football Coach)
January 19, 1944 - January 1, 2022
Birthplace: Rome, Georgia
Passed Away at Age 77 From Complications of Dementia
Career Wins: 190
Losses: 165
Ties: 2
Playoff Record: 11 - 9
Led the Denver Broncos to 3 Super Bowls
* Lost All 3
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1982 - Madman
Director: Joe Giannone
Starring: Gaylen Ross and Paul Ehlers
Budget: $350,000
Box Office: $1.3 Million
1985 - Rockin' Road Trip
Director: William Olsen
Starring: Leon Rippy, Martin Tucker and Pat Miller
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Headline News Was Launched, the First 24-Hour News Station
* Originally Called CNN2
1983 - Soul Train Went On Hiatus For Don Cornelius's Brain Surgery
1985 - VH1 (Video Hits One) Was Launched
* The First Video Played was Marvin Gaye's Rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
1985 - WWF Prime Time Wrestling Premiered on the USA Network
Seasons: 9
Episodes: 417
Jesse "The Body Ventura" and Jack Reynolds Were the Host For the First Season Before Getting Replaced by Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain Heenan
1986 - Happy New Year, Charlie Brown Premiered on CBS
1987 - The “Brain On Drugs” Campaign Was Launched
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1983 - Feline
The Stranglers (7th Album)
* Reached #4 on the UK Charts
Fun Fact!
The Stranglers Released Their Debut Album in 1977 (Rattus Norvegicus)
* Reached #4 in the UK and #82 in Australia
1986 - New Trails
Riders in the Sky (6th Album)
1986 - Atomizer
Big Black (Debut Album)
Fun Fact!
The Punk Band Big Black Was Formed in 1981 at Northwestern University
* Only Released 2 Full-Length Albums
1987 - Best of the West (Compilation Album)
Riders in the Sky
In Other 80s Music News
1980 - Cliff Richard Was Appointed an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
1983 - ZTT Records Was Founded
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1984 - The Los Angeles Raiders Beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 38 - 10 in the AFC Divisional Round
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Spread
Raiders -7
O/U 43.0
Marcus Allen (Raiders) 121 Yards Rushing 2 TD’s (49 Long)
The Los Angeles Raiders Went on to Beat the Seattle Seahawks 38 - 10 in the AFC Championship Game
* Beat the Washington Redskins 38 - 9 in Super Bowl XVIII
1984 - The Washington Redskins Beat the Los Angeles Rams 51 - 7 in the NFC Divisional Round
Location: RFK Stadium in Washington
Spread
Redskins -9.5
O/U 48.5
John Riggins (Redskins) 119 Yards Rushing 3 TD’s
The Washington Redskins Beat the San Francisco 49ers 24 - 21 in the NFC Championship Game
* Lost to the Los Angeles Raiders 38 - 9 in Super Bowl XVIII
1989 - The Buffalo Bills Beat the Houston Oilers 17 - 10 in the AFC Divisional Round
Location: Rich Stadium in Buffalo
Spread
Bills -3.5
O/U 37.0
The Buffalo Bills Lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 21 - 10 in the AFC Championship Game
1989 - The San Francisco 49ers Beat the Minnesota Vikings 34 - 9 in the NFC Divisional Round
Location: Candlestick Park in San Francisco
Spread
49ers 3.5
O/U 44.0
Roger Craig 135 Yards Rushing 2 TD’s (long 80)
The San Francisco 49ers Beat the Chicago Bears 28 - 3 in the NFC Championship Game
* Beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20 - 16 in Super Bowl XXIII
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Other Notable Dates
(On January 1st)
1902 - The First College Bowl Game Was Played Between Michigan and Stanford in the Rose Bowl
* Michigan Won 49 - 0
1971 - Cigarette Advertisements Were Banned From American Television
* The Last Cigarette Commercial Was Paid For by Virginia Slims
Fun Fact!
The Average Price For a Pack of Cigarette's in 1971 Was $0.27
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<- December 31st January 2nd ->
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1983 - The Foundation of the Internet Was Invented
* ARPANET Officially Began Using TCP/IP (The Internet Protocol)
Fun Fact!
The First Website Was www.info.cer.ch Launched on August 6, 1991
Happy 80s Birthdays
1936 - James Sinegal (Businessman) Costco
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1943 - Jimmy Hart (Wrestling Manager) "Mouth of the South"
Birthplace: Jackson, Mississippi
1952 - Stephanie Faracy (Actress) The Great Outdoors
Birthplace: New York City
1954 - Richard Edson (Actor) Ferris Buelller's Day Off (Valet Parker)
Birthplace: New Rochelle, New York
1958 - Grandmaster Flash (Hip Hop Artist)
Birthplace: Bridgetown, Barbados
1964 - Dedee Pfeiffer (Actress) Moving Violations (Cissy)
Birthplace: Midway City, California
1970 - Gabriel Jarret (Actor) Real Genius (Mitch)
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Fun Fact!
In 1965 Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Had the #4 Song in America “Keep On Dancing” as a Member The Gentrys
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Lutheran Church
1982 - Headline News Made Its Debut
* Called CNN 2 at the Time
The First 24-Hour News Channel
On January 1, 1985 The First Phone Call by a British Mobile Phone Was Made by Michael Harrison
* Called His Father Sir Ernest Harrison (Chairman of Vodafone)
Headlines
(January 1st)
1980 - The First Far Side Comic Was Published in the San Francisco Chronicle
Creator: Gary Larson
Fun Fact!
The Far Side Ran For 15 Years and Was Carried by Over 1,900 Newspapers
* Translated Into 17 Different Languages