July 4th in 80s History
Dave Righetti Pitched a No-Hitter
Headlines
(July 4th)
1981 - John McEnroe Won the 95th Wimbledon Championship
* Defeated Björn Borg 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4
Borg Had Won the Previous 5 Wimbledons
Fun Fact!
John McEnroe Won 7 Major Championships
Wimbledon: 1981, 1983, 1984
U.S. Open: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984
Happy 80s Birthdays
1943 - Geraldo Rivera (Talk Show Host)
Birthplace: New York City
1951 - Ralph Johnson (Drummer) Earth, Wind & Fire
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
1952 - John Waite (English Singer)
Birthplace: Lancaster, Lancashire, England
1954 - Morganna (Entertainer)
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky
1958 - Kirk Pengilly (Australian Guitarist and Saxophonist) INXS
Birthplace: Kew, Victoria, Australia
1960 - Barry Windham (Wrestler)
Birthplace: Sweetwater, Texas
1962 - Pam Shriver (Tennis)
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
1963 - Jose Oquendo (Baseball)
Birthplace: Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
Fun Fact!
Pam Shriver Won 21 Grand Slam Doubles Titles
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Other Notable Birthdays
James Anthony Bailey (American Business Owner)
July 4, 1847 - April 11, 1906
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
Passed Away at Age 58 From Erysipelas
* Skin Bacteria
Co-Founded Barnum & Bailey Circus
Al Davis (Football Owner)
July 4, 1929 - October 8, 2011
Birthplace: Brockton, Massachusetts
Passed Away at Age 82 From Congestive Heart Failure
* 3x Super Bowl Champion (XI, XV, XVIII) as the Owner and Founder of the Oakland Raiders
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992
George Steinbrenner (American Businessman)
July 4, 1930 - July 13, 2010
Birthplace: Rocky River, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 80 From a Heart Attack
* The Owner of the New York Yankees From 1973 to 2010
Won 7 World Series Titles (1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009)
Bill Withers (Singer)
July 4, 1938 - March 30, 2020
Birthplace: Slab Fork, West Virginia
Passed Away at Age 81 From Heart Complications
* Best Known the Hit Songs "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971) and "Lean on Me" (1972)
A 3x Grammy Award Winner
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
John Adams (Former U.S. President)
October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826
Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America
Passed Away at Age 83 From a Heart Attack
* Died Few Hours After Thomas Jefferson
The 2nd President of the United States
Term: 1797 - 1801
Did You Know?
John Adams Passed Away A Few Hours After Thomas Jefferson on the 50th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson (Former U.S. President)
October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826
Birthplace: Shadwell Plantation, Colony of Virginia, British America
Passed Away at Age 83 From Deteriorating Health and Rheumatism
* Also Had Intestinal and Urinary Disorders
The 3rd President of the United States
Term: 1801 - 1809
James Monroe (Former U.S. President)
April 28, 1758 - July 4, 1831
Birthplace: Monroe Hall, Virginia
Passed Away at Age 73 From Heart Failure
* Also Had Tuberculosis
The 5th President of the United States
Term: 1817 - 1825
Adrian Adonis (Wrestler)
September 15, 1953 - July 4, 1988
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York
Passed Away at Age 34 From a Car Accident in Lewisporte, Newfoundland
* Born Keith Adonis Franke
Won the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1984 With Partner Dick Murdock (The North-South Connection)
Bob Ross (Painter)
October 29, 1942 - July 4, 1995
Birthplace: Daytona Beach, Florida
Passed Away at Age 52 From Lymphoma
* Was a Heavy Cigarette Smoker
Host of the TV Show The Joy of Painting From 1983 to 1994
Barry White (Singer)
September 12, 1944 - July 4, 2003
Birthplace: Galveston, Texas
Passed Away at Age 58 From a Stroke
* Best Known For the Hit Songs "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" (1974) and "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" (1974)
A 2x Grammy Award Winner
Hank Stram (Football Coach)
January 3, 1923 - July 4, 2005
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 82 From Diabetes Complications
* Coached the Kansas City Chiefs From 1960 to 1974 (Won Super Bowl IV)
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1986 - About Last Night
Director: Edward Zick
Starring: Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jim Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins
Budget: $8.5 Million
Box Office: $38.7 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1981 - Showtime Ended its Part-Time Schedule and Became a 24/7 Cable Station
1984 - Final Episode of Real People
Seasons: 5
Network: NBC
1985 - The Raccoons Premiered on CBC (Animation)
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 60
Canadian Animation Show
1988 - Family Feud Came Back After a 3-Year Hiatus
* Switched from ABC to CBS
Hosted Ray Combs
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Signals, Calls, and Marches (EP)
Mission of Burma
1983 - You and Me Both
Yazoo (2nd and Final Album)
Billboard Charts: #69
Hit #1 in the UK and New Zealand
1988 - Kylie
Kylie Minogue (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #53
Hit #1 in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Zimbabwe
* Featuring “Loco Motion”
Over 5 Million Copies Sold Worldwide
1989 - Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop
Boogie Down Productions (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts: #36
Singles Released
1986 -"Walk This Way”
Run D.M.C.
Billboard Charts: #4
Hit #1 in New Zealand
1988 - “Monkey”
George Michael
Billboard Charts: #1
* #1 Song in America from August 27 - September 9
Also Hit #1 in Canada
In Other 80s Music News
1987 - The First Joint Rock Concert Between the United States and the Soviet Union Was Held in Moscow to Promote Peace
* The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Santana and Bonnie Raitt Performed with Autograph (Soviet Rock Band)
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - Evonne Goolagong Cawley (Australia) Won Wimbledon
Runner Up: Chris Evert
Match: 6-1, 7-6
1981 - John McEnroe Won Wimbledon
Runner Up: Björn Borg
Match: 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4
1982 - Jimmy Connors Won Wimbledon
Runner Up: John McEnroe
Match: 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4
1983 - New York Yankees Pitcher Dave Righetti Pitched a No-Hitter Against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium
Attendance: 41,077
1984 - Phil Niekro Recorded His 3,000th Career Strikeout
Career Strikeouts: 3,342
1987 - Martina Navratilova Won Wimbledon
Runner-Up: Steffi Graf
Match: 7-5, 6-3
1988 - Stefan Edberg (Sweden) Won Wimbledon
Runner Up: Boris Becker (Germany)
Match: 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2
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Other Notable Dates
(On July 4th)
1802 - The United States Military Academy Opened in West Point, New York
1827 - Slavery Was Abolished in New York
* Slavery Officially Ended in 1865
1939 - Lou Gehrig Delivered "The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" Speech After Being Diagnosed With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
* Later Renamed Lou Gehrig Disease
1960 - The 50-Star Flag Made Its Debut in Philadelphia
* Hawaii Became the 50th State in 1959
1976 - The United States Celebrated Its Bicentennial (200 Years)
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#1 Songs in America
(July 4th)
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 - "Flashdance... What a Feeling"
Michael Sembello
5/28 - 7/8
1984 - "The Reflex"
Duran Duran
6/23 - 7/6
1985 - "Heaven"
Bryan Adams
6/22 - 7/5
1986 - "On My Own"
Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
6/14 - 7/4
1987 - "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"
Whitney Houston
6/27 - 7/10
1988 - "Dirty Diana"
Michael Jackson
7/2 - 7/8
1989 - “Baby Don’t Forget My Number” Milli Vanilli
7/1 - 7/7
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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1988 - Kylie Minogue Released Her Debut Album
Title: Kylie
Billboard Charts: 35
Hit #1 in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Zimbabwe
* Featuring "The Loco-Motion"
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Fun Fact!
Barbra Streisand is the Only Female Artist to Have a #1 Album in Six Different Decades Beginning With the 1964 Album People
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1983 - New York Yankees Pitcher Dave Righetti Pitched a No-Hitter Against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium
Red Sox: 4 Yankees: 0
Attendance: 41,077
Fun Fact!
Hooks Wiltse (1908 New York Giants) and George Mullen (1912 Detroit Tigers) Are the Only Other Pitchers to Throw No-Hitter's on the 4th of July
1982 - Ozzy Osbourne Married Sharon Arden in Hawaii
* Sharon Was Ozzie’s Manager at the Time
Still Married With 3 Children
Fun Fact!
Ozzy Has 2 Other Kids With Ex Wife Thelma Riley