Headlines
(July 17th)
1981 - Endless Love Premiered in Theaters
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Starring: Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt with Tom Cruise and James Spade
Tom Cruise's Film Debut
#1 Songs in America
(July 17th)
1980 - "Coming Up"
Paul McCartney
6/28 - 7/18
1981 - "Bette Davis Eyes"
Kim Carnes
6/27 - 7/24
1982 - "Don't You Want Me"
The Human League
7/3 - 7/23
1983 - "Every Breath You Take"
The Police
7/9 - 9/2
1984 - "When Doves Cry"
Prince
7/7 - 8/10
1985 - "A View to Kill"
Duran Duran
7/13 - 7/26
1986 - "Holding Back the Years"
Simply Red
7/12 - 7/18
1987 - "Alone"
Heart
7/11 - 7/31
1988 - "The Flame"
Cheap Trick
7/9 - 7/22
1989 - "If You Don't Know Me By Now"
Simply Red
7/15 - 7/21
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
RoboCop Premiered in Theaters
1988 - Pro Wrestler, Bruiser Brody Died At Age 42 From Stab Wounds
* Attacked by a Fellow Wrestler Before a Match in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bruiser Brody Was Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019
1987 - RoboCop Premiered in Theaters
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith and Miguel Ferrer
Considered One of the Greatest Science Fiction Movies of All-Time
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July 17th in 80s History
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On July 17, 1984 the US Drinking Age Was Changed from 18 to 21
Happy 80s Birthdays
1949 - Geezer Butler (English Bassist) Black Sabbath
Birthplace: Birmingham, England
1949 - Charley Steiner (Sportscaster)
Birthplace: New York City
1952 - David Hasselhoff (Actor) Knight Rider
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
1956 - Bryan Trottier (Hockey)
Birthplace: Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada
1956 - Robert Romanus (Actor) Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Damone)
Birthplace: West Hartford, Connecticut
1963 - Regina Belle (Singer)
Birthplace: Englewood, New Jersey
1964 - Heather Langenkamp (Actress) A Nightmare on Elm Street
Birthplace: Tulsa, Oklahoma
1965 - Alex Winter (Actor) Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (Bill)
Birthplace: London, England
Fun Fact!
David Hasselhoff is in the Guinness Book of World Records For the Most Watched Man in Television
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Other Notable Birthdays
James Cagney (Actor)
July 17, 1899 - March 30, 1986
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 86 From a Heart Attack
* Best Known For Playing Roles as a Multifaced Tough Guy
Won an Academy Award For His Role as George M. Cohan in the 1943 Film Yankee Doodle Dandy
Lou Boudreau (Baseball)
July 17, 1917 - August 10, 2001
Birthplace: Harvey, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 84 From Cardiac Arrest
MLB Seasons: 15
Position: Shortstop
All-Star: 8
AL MVP: 1948
World Series Champion: 1948 (Cleveland Indians)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970 (10th Ballot)
Phyllis Diller (Comedian)
July 17, 1917 - August 20, 2012
Birthplace: Lima, Ohio
Passed Away at the Age of 95 From Various Ailments
* One of the First Female Comedians With a Household Name
Had a Huge Following in the Gay Community
Donald Sutherland (Actor)
July 17, 1935 - June 20, 2024
Birthplace: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Passed Away at Age 88 From a Lengthy Illness
* Unknown Cause of Death
Best Known For the War Films The Dirty Dozen (1967), M*A*S*H and Kelly's Hero in 1970
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Ty Cobb (Baseball)
December 18, 1886 - July 17, 1961
Birthplace: Narrows, Georgia
Passed Away at Age 74 After Falling into a Diabetic Coma
MLB Seasons: 22 (Detroit Tigers)
Position: Centerfield
AL Batting Champion: 12
Career Batting Average: 366
Hits: 4,189 (2nd All-Time)
AL Batting Champion: 12
Triple Crown: 1909
AL MVP: 1911
Elected to Baseball's First Class Hall of Fame in 1936
Fun Fact!
Ty Cobb is Considered the Dirtiest Player of All-Time
* Used to Sharpen His Spikes to Cut Other Players Shins When Sliding
Dizzy Dean (Baseball)
January 16, 1910 - July 17, 1974
Birthplace: Lucas, Arkansas
Passed Away in Reno at Age 64 From a Heart Attack
MLB Seasons: 18
Position: Pitcher
Career Wins: 150
Losses: 83
ERA: 3.02
All-Star: 4
WIns Leader: 2 (1934, 1935)
Strikeout Leader: 4 (1934, 1935, 1936, 1937)
NL MVP: 1934
World Series Champion: 1934 (St. Louis Cardinals)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953 (9th Ballot)
Bruiser Brody (Wrestler)
June 18, 1946 - July 17, 1988
Birthplace: Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Passed Away at Age 46 From Stab Wounds
* Was Attacked Before a Match in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019
Walter Cronkite (Broadcast Journalist)
November 4, 1916 - July 17, 2009
Birthplace: St. Joseph, Missouri
Passed Away at Age 92 From Cerebrovascular Disease
* Died in His New York City Home
The Anchorman For the CBS Evening News From 1962 to 1981
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1981 - Arthur
Director: Steve Gordon
Starring: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli and John Gielgud
Budget: $7 Million
Box Office: $95.5 Million
1981 - Endless Love
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Starring: Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt with Tom Cruise (debut) and James Spader
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $32.4 Million
Fun Fact!
The Theme Song For the Film, Endless Love Was Sang by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
* #1 Song in America in 1981 from August 15 - October 16
1981 - Zorro, The Gay Blade
Director: Peter Medack
Starring: George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, Ron Leibman and Brenda Vaccaro
Budget: $12.6 Million
Box Office: $5.1 Million
1987 - RoboCop
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith and Miguel Ferrer
Budget: $13 Million
Box Office: $53.4 Million
1987 - Jaws: The Revenge
Director: Joseph Sargent
Starring: Lorraine Gary, Lance Guest, Mario Van Peebles, Karen Young and Michael Caine
Budget: $23 Million
Box Office: $51.9 Million
1987 - Nowhere to Hide
Director: Mario Philip Azzopardi
Starring: Amy Madigan, Michael Ironside, John Colicos, Daniel Hugh Kelly and Robin MacEachern
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1988 - "Shark Week" Premiered on Discovery Channel
* Still Airing
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Escape
Journey (7th Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Featuring “Who’s Crying Now” and “Don’t Stop Believin”
Over 9 Million Copies Sold in the US
1982 - Screaming for Vengeance
Judas Priest (8th Album)
Billboard Charts: #17
Over 2 Million Copies Sold in the US
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - Tom Watson (-9) Won the British Open
Prize: $40,000
Runner Up: Hale Irwin and Andy Bean (-8)
Runner Up Prize: $23,000
* Tom Watson’s 8th and Final Major Win
1987 - Don Mattingly Hit a Home Run in His 7th Straight Game
* Mattingly Would Hit a Record 8 Straight Games With a Home Run
Fun Fact!
Ken Griffey Jr. (1993) and Dale Long (1956) Also Hit Home Runs in 8 Straight Games
Click Here For More Baseball Fun Facts and Awards
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1981 - The Walkway at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri Collapsed
* 114 People Killed and Over 200 Injured
1989 - The B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Made Its Maiden Flight
1989 - Splash Mountain Opened at Disneyland
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Other Notable Dates
(On July 17th)
1955 - Disneyland Opened in Anaheim, California
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Drinking Age
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1983 - Tom Watson (-9) Won the 112th British Open
First Place Prize: $40,000
Runner Up: Hale Irwin and Andy Bean (-8)
Runner Up Prize: $23,000
Location: Southport, England
Course: Royal Birkdale Golf Club
The British Open is Now Called The Open Championship
Fun Fact!
Tom Watson Won 8 Major Championships During his Career
The Masters: 1977, 1981
U.S. Open 1982
The Open Championship: 1975, 1977, 1980, 1980, 1983