Happy 80s Birthdays
1938 - Paul Verhoeven (Director) RoboCop
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
1940 - James Brolin (Actor)
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
1940 - Joe Torre (Baseball)
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
1941 - Martha Reeves (Singer)
Birthplace: Eufaula, Alabama
1957 - Nick Faldo (Golf)
Birthplace: Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England
1960 - Anne-Marie Johnson (Actress) I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
1961 - Elizabeth McGovern (Actress) Ragtime
Birthplace: Evanston, Illinois
1966 - Dan O’Brien (Decathlon)
Birthplace: Portland, Oregon
Fun Fact!
Joe Torre Won the National League MVP in 1971
* Managed the New York Yankees to 4 World Series Championships (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014
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Other Notable Birthdays
Harriet Nelson (Actor)
July 18, 1909 - October 2, 1994
Birthplace: Des Moines, Iowa
Passed Away at Age 85 From Congestive Heart Failure
* Born Peggy Lou Snyder
Starred in the TV Show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Nelson Mandela (South African Politician)
July 18, 1918 - December 5, 2013
Birthplace: Mvezo, South Africa
Passed Away at Age 95 From a Respiratory Infection
* Died in His Houghton Home
The First President of South Africa (1994 - 1999)
John Glenn (Astronaut)
July 18, 1921 - December 8, 2016
Birthplace: Cambridge, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 95
* Unknown Cause of Death
The 3rd American in Space and the 1st American to Orbit the Earth Circling it 3 times in 1962
Glenn Hughes (Singer)
July 18, 1950 - March 4, 2001
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 50 From Lung Cancer
* A Heavy Smoker Since He Was a Teenager
The "Leatherman" in The Village People
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Nico (German Singer)
October 16, 1938 - July 18, 1988
Birthplace: Cologne, Germany
Passed Away at Age 49 From a Severe Cerebral Hemorrhage
* Fell Off Her Bike While Vacationing in the Mediterranean Island of Ibiza
Her Distinctive Voice Was Once Described as a Cello Getting up in the Morning
Donnie Moore (Baseball)
February 13, 1954 - July 18, 1989
Birthplace: Lubbock, Texas
Passed Away at Age 35 From a Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound to the Head After Shooting His Wife
* His Wife Survived
MLB Seasons: 13
Position: Pitcher
All Star: 1985
Drafted in the First Round of the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs
Rebecca Schaeffer (Actress and Model)
November 6, 1967 - July 18, 1989
Birthplace: Eugene, Oregon
Passed Away at Age 21 From Gunshot Wounds
* Shot and Killed by a Crazy Fan in Her West Hollywood Home
Played Patti on the TV Show My Sister Sam
Alex Rocco (Actor)
February 29, 1936 - July 18, 2015
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Passed Away at Age 79 From Pancreatic Cancer
* Died in His Studio City, California Home
Played Moe Green in the 1972 Film The Godfather
Lou Dobbs (TV Host)
September 24, 1945 - July 18, 2024
Birthplace: Childress, Texas
Passed Away at Age 78
* Unknown Cause of Death
The Host of Moneyline From 1980 to 2021
Bob Newhart (Actor and Comedian)
September 5, 1929 - July 18, 2024
Birthplace: Oak Park, IL
Passed Away at Age 94 in His Los Angeles Home From Different Illnesses
* Died in His Los Angeles Home
Nominated For 3 Primetime Emmy Awards For HIs Role as the Innkeeper Dick Louden on the Sitcom Newhart From 1982 to 1990
Fun Fact!
Bob Newhart Won 3 Emmy Awards For His 1960 Live Album The Button-Down Mind
* Also Won in 1962 (The Bob Newhart Show) and 2013 For a Guest Appearance on The Big Bang Theory
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie
Director: Tommy Chong
Starring: Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Evelyn Guerrero, Edie McClurg and Paul Reubens
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $41.7 Million
1980 - Prom Night
Director: Paul Lynch
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen
Budget: $1.5 Million
Box Office: $14.8 Million
1980 - Honeysuckle Rose
Director: Jerry Schatzberg
Starring: Willie Nelson, Dyan Cannon, Amy Irving and Slim Pickens
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $17.8 Million
1980 - The Little Dragons
Director: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Charles Lane, Ann Sothern, Chris Petersen and Pat Petersen
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
1986 - Aliens
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sigourney Weaver with Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser
Budget: $18 Million
Box Office: $183 Million ($86 Million Domestic)
1986 - Vamp
Director: Richard Wenk
Starring: Chris Makepeace, Sandy Baron, Robert Rusler, Dedee Pfeiffer,Gedde Watanabe and Grace Jones
Budget: $3.3 Million
Box Office: $4.9 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1987 - Karen's Song Premiered on Fox
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
Starring Patty Duke
1987 - The New Adventures of Beans Baxter Premiered on Fox
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 17
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Closer
Joy Division (2nd and Final Album)
* Reached #6 in the UK
1980 - Crocodiles
Echo & the Bunnymen (Debut Album)
* Reached #17 in the UK
1980 - Full Moon
Charlie Daniels Band (11th Album)
Billboard Charts: #11
1980 - Honeysuckle Rose (Soundtrack)
Willie Nelson
Billboard Charts: #11
* #1 on the Country Charts
1987 - Dirty Dancing (Soundtrack)
Various Artists
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Also Hit #1 in Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand
Over 32 Million Copies Sold Worldwide
1989 - UHF (Soundtrack)
Weird Al Yankovich
Billboard Charts: #146
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1982 - Tom Watson (-4) Won The British Open
Prize: $32,000
Runner Up: Peter Oosterhuis and Nick Price (-3)
Runner Up Prize: $19,300
Location: Troon, Scotland
Course: Royal Troon Golf Club
1987 - Don Mattingly (New York Yankees) Set a Major League Baseball Record by Hitting a Home Run in 8 Straight Games
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1988 - Seve Ballesteros (Spain) -11 Won The British Open
Prize: $80,000
Runner Up: Nick Price (Zimbabwe) -9
Runner Up Prize: $60,000
Location: Lytham St Annes, England
Courses: Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
1989 - The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) Beat Demolition For the WWF Tag Team Championship
Location: Worcester, MA
Event: Saturday Night's Main Event
Click Here For More Wrestling Fun Facts and Awards
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Other Notable Dates
(On July 18th)
1863 - The First African-American Civil War Unit, The 54th Massachusetts Went Into Battle at Fort Wagner
* The 54th Massachusetts Was Portrayed in the 1988 Film, Glory
1968 - Intel Was Founded in Mountain View, California
1976 - Nadia Comăneci Became the First Gymnast to Score a Perfect 10 in the Summer Olympics
* The Montreal Summer Olympics
1984 - The McDonald's Massacre Occurred in San Ysidro, California Killing 21 People and Injuring 19
* The Shooter James Oliver Huberty Was Eventually Shot and Killed by the Police
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Headlines
(July 18th)
1982 - Tom Watson (-4) Won the 111th British Open
Prize: $32,000
Runner Up: Peter Oosterhuis and Nick Price (-3)
Runner Up Prize: $19,300
Location: Troon, Scotland
Course: Royal Troon 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
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#1 Songs in America
(July 18th)
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
1988 - Seve Ballesteros (-11) Beat Nick Price by 2-Strokes to Win The 117th British Open
Prize: $80,000
Runner Up: Nick Price (Zimbabwe) -9
Runner Up Prize: $60,000
Location: Lytham St Annes, England
Courses: Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
The British Open is Now Called The Open Championship
Fun Fact!
Seve Ballesteros Won 5 Major Championships During His Career
The Masters: 1980, 1983
The Open Championship: 1979, 1984, 1988
1986 - Aliens Premiered in Theaters
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sigourney Weaver with Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser
The 7th Highest Grossing Movie From 1986
#1 Top Gun
#2 Crocodile Dundee
# 3 Platoon
# 4 The Karate Kid Part II
# 5 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
# 6 Back to School
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July 18th in 80s History
Aliens Premiered in Theaters
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1994 - The Rwandan Genocide Finally Ended
* 500,000 - 800,000 Tutsis Were Killed by Hutu Rebel
2013 - The Government of Detroit, With $20 Billion in Debt, Filed For the Largest Bankruptcy in U.S. History
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