Other Notable Birthdays
Don Shula (Football Coach)
January 4, 1930 - May 4, 2020
Passed Away at Age 90 from Heart Disease
Head Coach of the Baltimore Colts (1963 - 1969)
* Lost to the Jets in Super Bowl III (Joe Namath Guarantee)
Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins (1970 - 1995)
* Won Super Bowl VII, VIII (Perfect Season in 1972)
Winning NFL Coach of All-Time
* 347 Victories
Elected to the Football Hall of Fame in 1997
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Tanya Roberts (Actress)
Passed Away on January 4, 2021 at Age 65 from Sepsis
Notable Roles
Beastmaster (1982)
Sheena (1984)
That 70's Show (1998 - 2004)
80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1985 - The Mutilator (New York)
Director: Buddy Cooper and John S. Douglass
Starring: Matt Mitler, Bill Hitchcock and Ruth Martinez
Budget: $1 Million
Box Office: N/A
1988 - The Boost
Director: Harold Becker
Starring: James Woods, Sean Young, John Kapelos, Steven Hill, June Chandler and Amanda Blake
Budget: $8 Million
Box Office: $784,000
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - The Elephant Man (Made-For-TV Movie) Aired on ABC
* Philip Anglim and Kevin Conway Reprised Their Broadway Roles
1984 - Night Court Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 9
Episodes: 135
1985 - Street Hawk Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
1988 - Blackout (Game Show) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 65
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - The Romantics
The Romantics (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #61
* Featuring “What I Like About You”
1983 - Sweet Dreams
Eurythmics (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #15
* #3 in the UK
1984 - Defenders of the Faith
Judas Priest (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #18
* #2 in Sweden
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - The Dallas Cowboys Beat the Atlanta Falcons 30 - 27 in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
* Danny White (Cowboys) 322 Yards Passing 3 TD’s
Spread
Falcons -2.5
O/U 45
The Cowboys Lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 20 - 7 in the NFC Championship Game
1981 - The Oakland Raiders Beat the Cleveland Browns 14 - 12 in the AFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
* Mark van Eeghen (Raiders) 2 TD’s
Spread
Browns -3.5
O/U 38
The Raiders Beat the San Diego Chargers 34 - 27 in the AFC Championship Game Before Beating the Philadelphia Eagles 27 - 10 in Super Bowl XV
1986 - The Miami Dolphins Beat the Cleveland Browns 24 - 21 in the AFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Orange Bowl in Miami
* Tony Nathan (Dolphins) 10 Catches 101 Yards
Spread
Dolphins -10.5
O/U N/A
The Dolphins Lost to the New England Patriots 31 - 14 in the AFC Championship Game
1986 - The Los Angeles Rams Shutout the Dallas Cowboys 20 - 0 in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Anaheim Stadium
* Eric Dickerson (Rams) Set an NFL Playoff Record with 248 Yards Rushing
Spread
Rams -2
O/U N/A
The Rams Lost to the Chicago Bears 24 - 0 in the NFC Championship Game
1987 - The Denver Broncos Beat the New England Patriots 22 - 17 in the AFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Mile High Stadium in Denver
* Sammy Winder (Broncos) 102 Yards Rushing
Spread
Broncos -4
O/U 43.0
The Broncos Beat the Cleveland Browns 23 - 20 (OT) in the AFC Championship Game Before Losing to the New York Giants 39 - 20 in Super Bowl XXI
1987 - The New York Giants Beat the San Francisco 49ers 49 - 3 in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Giants Stadium
* Joe Morris (Giants) 159 Yards Rushing 2 TD’s
Spread
Giants -3
O/U 39.0
The Giants Shutout the Washington Redskins 17 - 0 in the NFC Championship Game Before Beating the Denver Broncos 39 - 20 in Super Bowl XXI
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Night Court Premiered on NBC
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Other Notable Dates
(January 4th)
1853 - Solomon Northup Regained His Freedom After Being Kidnapped and Sold into Slavery in the South
* The Book Twelve Years a Slave Became a National Bestseller
1896 - Utah Became the 45th US State
* The Population Was 270,000
Now 3.2 Million
Fun Fact!
60% of People in Utah are Mormons
* Church of the Latter Day Saints
1999 -Former Professional Wrestler Jesse “The Body” Ventura Was Sworn in as Governor of Minnesota
* Served in the Navy from 1969 - 1975
January 4th in 80s History
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Happy 80s Birthdays
1927 - Barbara Rush (Actress) Can’t Stop the Music
1937 - Dyan Cannon (Actress) Caddyshack II
1955 - Mark Hollis (Musician) Talk Talk
1956 - Bernard Sumner (Musician) New Order
1956 - Ann Magnuson (Actress) Tequila Sunrise
1958 - Matt Frewer (Actor) Max Headroom
1958 - Julian Sands (Actor) The Killing Fields
1960 - Adrienne King (Actress) Friday the 13th
1960 - Michael Stipe (Singer) R.E.M.
1961 - Lee Curreri (Actor) Fame
1963 - Dave Foley (Comedian) Kids in the Hall
1965 - David Glasper (Singer) Breathe
Fun Fact!
Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) Grew Up an Army Brat Leaving His Family to Constantly Re-Locate
* Stipe Once Told Donald Trump to Shut Up
1982 - Bryant Gumbel Made His Debut as Co-Anchor of The Today Show on NBC
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1987 - An Amtrak Train Crashed en Route to Boston From Washington, D.C.
* 16 People Died
Known as The Maryland Train Collision
#1 Songs in America
(January 4th)
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 To See More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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1984 - Night Court Premiered on NBC
* Ran 9 Seasons with 135 Episodes
John Larroquette Won a Grammy For Best Supporting Actor 4 Years in a Row From 1985 - 1988 For His Role as Dan Fielding on Night Court
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Headlines
(January 4th)
1980 - The Romantics Released Their Debut Album
* Featuring “What I Like About You”