1980s - January 31st in 80s History

#1 Songs in America

(January 31st)

1980 - "Rock With You"
Michael Jackson
1/19 - 2/15
1981 - "The Tide is High"
Blondie
1/31 - 2/6
1982 - "I Can't Go For that"
Daryl Hall & John Oates
1/30 - 2/5
1983 - "Down Under"
Men at Work
1/15 - 2/4
1984 - "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
Yes
1/21 - 2/3
1985 - "Like a Virgin"
Madonna
12/22 - 2/1
1986 - "That's What Friends Are For"
Dionne & Friends
1/18 - 2/14
1987 - "At This Moment"
Bill Vera and the Beaters
1/24 - 2/6
1988 - "Need You Tonight"
INXS

1/30 - 2/5
1989 - "Two Hearts"
Phil Collins
1/21 - 2/3

Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards

On January 31, 1986 The Best of Times Starring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell Premiered in Theaters

Youngblood

Other Notable Birthdays

Ernie Banks (Baseball)
January 31, 1931 - January 23, 2015
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
Passed Away at Age 83 From a Heart Attack
MLB Seasons: 19 (Chicago Cubs)
* Known as Mr. Cub
Position: Shortstop/First Base
All Star: 12
NL MVP MVP: 2 (1958, 1959)
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 (First Ballot)

Jessica Walter (Actress)
January 31, 1941 - March 24, 2021
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away in Her Manhattan Home at Age 80
* Best Known For Playing Phylis in The Flamingo Kid (1984) and Lucille on Arrested Development
Won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1975 For Her Role in the Police Drama Amy Prentiss

Jackie Robinson (Baseball)
January 31, 1919 - October 24, 1972
Birthplace: Cairo, Georgia
Passed Away at Age 53 From Complications of Heart Disease and Diabetes
MLB Seasons: 10 (Brooklyn Dodgers)
Position: 2nd Base
All-Star: 6
MVP: 1 (1949)
World Series Champion: 1955
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 (First Ballot)

Fun Fact!

Jackie Robinson Was the First African-American to Play in the Major Leagues

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Passed Away
(On This Day)

AA Milne (Author)
January 18, 1882 - January 31, 1956
Birthplace: Kilburn, London, England
Passed Away on January 31, 1956 at Age 74
* Unknown Cause of Death
Created Winnie the Pooh

Giant Baba (Wrestler)
January 23, 1938 - January 31, 1999
Birthplace: Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, Empire of Japan
Passed Away on January 31, 1999 at Age 61 From Liver Damage
* Caused by Colon Cancer
Co-Founded All Japan Pro Wrestling

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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)

1982 - The Border
Director: Tony Richardson
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Harvey Keitel, Valerie Perrine, Elpidia Carrillo and Warren Oates
Budget: $22 Million
Box Office: $6.1 Million

1986 - The Best of Times
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Starring: Robin Williams and Kurt Russell
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $7.8 Million

1986 - Down and Out in Beverly Hills
Director: Paul Mazersky
Starring: Nick Nolte, Bette Midler and Richard Dreyfuss
Budget: $14 Million

Box Office: $62.1 Million

1986 - Youngblood
Director: Peter Markle
Starring: Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Cynthia Gibb, Keanu Reeves and Ed Lauter
Budget: $8 Million
Box Office: $15.4 Million

1986 - Power
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Richard Gere, Julie Christie, Gene Hackman, Kate Capshaw and Denzel Washington
Budget: $16 Million
Box Office: $3.8 Million

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80s Television

(On This Day)

1987 - Paul Shaffer Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Bruce Hornsby & the Range

1988 - The Wonder Years Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 6
Episodes: 115

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80s Music

(Albums Released On This Day)

1983 - Another Page
Christopher Cross (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #11

Fun Fact!
At the 1981 Grammy Awards Christopher Cross Became the First Singer to Win All 4 Major Awards in One Night

"Album of the Year"

Song of the Year"

"Record of the Year"

"Breakthrough Artist of the Year"

1984 - Footloose (Soundtrack)
Various Artists
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts

Over 9 Million Copies Sold in the US
* “Footloose” and “Let’s Hear It For the Boys” both Hit #1 on the Singles Charts

1985 - New Day Rising
Husker Du (3rd Album)

1989 - Life Is... Too Short
Too Short (5th Album)

Billboard Charts: #37

1989 - Dirty Rotten Filthy Shrinking Woman
Warrant (Debut Album)

Billboard Charts: #10

1989 - Mystery Girl
Roy Orbison (22nd Album)

Billboard Charts: #5

* Hit #1 in Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and Australia

Singles Released

1989 - "Every Little Step"
Bobby Brown
Reached #3 on the US Billboard Charts

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80s Sports

(On This Day)

1982 - The East beat the West 120 - 118 in the NBA All-Star Game
MVP: Larry Bird (19 Points 12 Rebounds)
East Coach: Bill Fitch
West Coach: Pat Riley
Location: Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey

Dr. J Was Leading Vote Getter

1984 - Wales Conference Beat Campbell Conference 7 - 6 in the NHL All-Star Game
MVP: Don Maloney (Rangers)
Location: Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey

1988 - The Washington Redskins Beat the Denver Broncos 42 - 10 in Super Bowl XXII
* The Redskins Scored 35 Points in the 2nd Quarter

Location: Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, CA
MVP: Doug Williams (340 Yards Passing 4 TD’s)
Winning Coach: Joe Gibbs
Spread

Broncos -3.5

O/U 47.0

Other Notable Super Bowl XXII Notes
National Anthem: Herb Albert

Coin Toss: Don Hutson

Halftime Show: Chubby Checker and The Rockettes

Network: ABC

Announcers: Frank Gifford, Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf

TV Rating: 41.9 (80.1 million viewers)
30-Second Commercial: $645,000
Attendance: 73,302

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Other Notable Dates

(On January 31st)

1865 - Robert E. Lee Became the General of the Confederate Army

1949 - The First Daytime Soap These Are My Children Premiered on NBC

1961 - The First Chimpanzee (Ham) Traveled in Outer Space
* Known as The Mercury Redstone 2 Project

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<- January 30th February 1st ->

Back To The 80s Home Page

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Headlines

(January 31st)

1981 - “The Tide is High” by Blondie Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from January 31 - February 6

Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada and New Zealand

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1988 - The Washington Redskins Beat the Denver Broncos 42 - 10 in Super Bowl XXII
* The Redskins Scored 35 Points in the 2nd Quarter
MVP: Doug Williams
Head Coach: Joe Gibbs

Location: Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, CA
Attendance: 73,302
Spread
Broncos -3.5
O/U 47.0
The Cost of a 30-Second Commercial Cost $645,000

Fun Fact!

Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams Became the First Black Quarterback to Start in a Super Bowl
* The Original Starting Quarterback Joe Theisman Was Injured

On January 31, 1986 Youngblood Starring Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves Premiered in Theaters

Power

Happy 80s Birthdays

1947 - Nolan Ryan (Baseball)
Birthplace: Refugio, Texas
1947 - Glynn Turman (Actor) Gremlins, A Different World
Birthplace: New York City
1951 - Harry Wayne Casey (Musician) K.C. and the Sunshine Band
Birthplace: Opa-locka, Florida
1954 - Adrian Vandenberg (Dutch Guitarist) Whitesnake
Birthplace: The Hague, Netherlands
1956 - Johnny Rotten (English Singer) Sex Pistols
Birthplace: Finsbury Park, London, England
1959 - Kelly Lynch (Actress) Road House
Birthplace: Golden Valley, Minnesota
1966 - Dexter Fletcher (Actor) The Elephant Man
Birthplace: Enfield, Greater London, England

Fun Fact!