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2012 - Michael Phelps (Swimmer) Broke the Olympic Record For Most Gold Medals With 10
* Currently Has 23
2006 - Fidel Castro Turned Over the Cuban Power to His Brother Raúl
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Happy 80s Birthdays
1939 - Susan Flannery (Actress) Dallas
1956 - Michael Biehn (Actor) Terminator
1958 - Bill Berry (Drummer) R.E.M.
1959 - Stanley Jordan (Guitarist)
1962 - Wesley Snipes (Actor) Major League
1963 - Fatboy Slim (Musician)
1969 - Loren Dean (Actor) Say Anything…
Fun Fact!
Wesley Snipes Made His Movie Debut in the 1985 Film, Wildcats
#1 Songs in America
(July 31st)
1980 - "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"
Billy Joel
7/19 - 8/1
1981 - "The One That You Love"
Air Supply
7/25 - 7/31
1982 - "Eye of the Tiger"
Survivor
7/24 - 9/3
1983 - "Every Breath You Take"
The Police
7/9 - 9/2
1984 - "When Doves Cry"
Prince
7/7 - 8/10
1985 - "Everytime You Go Away"
Paul Young
7/27 - 8/2
1986 - "Sledgehammer"
Peter Gabriel
7/26 - 8/1
1987 - "Alone"
Heart
7/11 - 7/31
1988 - "Roll With It"
Steve Winwood
7/30 - 8/26
1989 - "Toy Soldiers"
Maltika
7/22 - 8/4
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
The Lost Boys Premiered in Theaters
1988 - Willie Stargell Was the Only Player Inducted Into the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1988
* 7x All-Star
1979 National League MVP
Attended Encinal High School in Alameda
Fun Fact!
Former MLB Players Tommy Harper and Curt Motton Played With Willie Stargell at Encinal High School
Headlines
(July 31st)
1981 - The Major League Baseball Strike Came to an End
* Began On June 12th
The First Work Stoppage Since 1972
Fun Fact!
The Players and Fans Blamed the Strike On the Greedy Owners
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1987 - The Lost Boys Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Jason Patrick, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman and Kiefer Sutherland
Did You Know?
The Lost Boys Was Corey Haim and Corey Feldman's First Film Together
Other Notable Birthdays
Curt Gowdy (Sportscaster)
July 31, 1919 - February 20, 2006
Passed Away at Age 86 From Leukemia
Coined the Nickname "The Granddaddy of Them All" For the Rose Bowl Game
Hank Bauer (Baseball)
July 31, 1922 - February 9, 2007
Passed Away at Age 84 From Lung Cancer
* Won 7 World Series Titles as a Player For the New York Yankees
Managed the Baltimore Orioles to a World Series Championship in 1968
Kevin Greene (Football)
July 31, 1962 - December 21, 2020
Passed Away at Age 50 From a Heart Attack
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Andrew Johnson (Former U.S. President)
December 29, 1808 - July 31, 1875
Passed Away at Age 66 From a Stroke
Thee 17th President of the United States
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper (Wrestler)
April 17, 1954 - July 31, 2015
Passed Away at Age 61 From Cardiac Arrest
Considered One of the Most Popular Wrestlers of All-Time
Harold Prince (Theatre Director)
January 30, 1928 - July 31, 2019
Passed Away at Age 91 After a Brief Illness
Won the Most Tony Awards in History
Bill Russell (Basketball)
February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022
Passed Away in His Mercer Island, Washington Home at Age 88 (Unknown Cause)
Considered the Greatest Champion of All-Time Winning 11 NBA Championships in 13-Years With the Boston Celtics From 1956 to 1969
* 5x MVP
Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975
Fun Fact!
Bill Russell Won the NBA Championship in 1968 and 1969 as Player Coach
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1981 - Under the Rainbow
Director: Steve Rash
Starring: Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher
Budget: $18 Million
Box Office: $18.8 Million
1987 - The Lost Boys
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Jason Patrick, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Jamison Newlander, Barnard Hughes and Alex Winter
Budget: $8.5 Million
Box Office: $32.2 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
No 80s TV Premieres or Finales On This Day
Fun Fact!
Michael J. Fox Won an Emmy Award 3 Years in a Row (1986, 1987, 1988) For His Role as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Step by Step
Eddie Rabbitt (7th Album)
Billboard Charts: #23
* #1 on the Country Charts
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - Baltimore Orioles Pitcher, Steve Stone Had His 14-Game Winning Streak Snapped by the Texas Rangers
* The Rangers Beat the Orioles 7 - 4 at Arlington Stadium on a Thursday Night
Attendance: 14,969
1981 - The MLB Strike Came to an End
* The Strike Began on June 12
1987 - Baltimore Orioles Slugger, Eddie Murray Hit His 299th and 300th Home Run in an 8 - 4 Victory over the Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium on a Friday Night
Attendance: 28,228
1988 - Willie Stargell Was Inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame
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Other Notable Dates
(July 31st)
1790 - The Very First United States Patent Was Granted to Samuel Hopkins For His Potash Process
July 31st in 80s History
1989 - Nintendo's Game Boy Was Released in the United States and Went on to Sell 1 Million Units in the First 2 Weeks
* Production Ended on March 23, 2003
The Game Boy Was a Cultural Icon in the 90s