On This Day June 16th in 80s History

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Happy 80s Birthdays

1952 - Gino Vannelli (Singer)
Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1955 - Laurie Metcalf (Actress) Roseanne (Jackie)
Birthplace: Edwardsville, Illinois
1957 - Ian Buchanan (Actor) General Hospital
Birthplace: Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland
1958 - Darrell Griffith (Basketball)
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky
1962 - Wally Joyner (Baseball)
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
1966 - Mark Occhilupo (Surfer)
Birthplace: Kurnell, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Fun Fact!
In 1986 Wally Joyner (California Angels) Became the First Rookie to Get Voted in as a Starter For the All-Star Game

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Other Notable Birthdays

The Ultimate Warrior (Wrestler)
June 16, 1959 - April 8, 2014
Birthplace: Crawfordsville, Indiana
Passed Away at the Age of 54 From a Heart Attack
* A 2x WWE World Heavyweight Champion
Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014

Tupac Shakur (Rapper)
June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 25 From Gunshot Wounds
* Shot While Driving On the Las Vegas Strip
One of the Highest Selling Music Artist of All-Time With Over 75 Million Allbums Sold

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Passed Away
(On This Day)

Brian Piccolo (Football)
October 31, 1943 - June 16, 1970
Birthplace: Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Passed Away at Age 26 From Embryonal Cell Carcinoma an Aggressive Form of Germ Cell Testicular Cancer
* Played Halfback For the Chicago Bears From 1965 to 1969
Brian Piccolo Was Best Friends With Hall of Famer Gale Sayers

James Honeyman-Scott (English Guitarist)
November 14, 1956 - June 16, 1982
Birthplace: Herford, Herefordshire, England
Passed Away at Age 25 From a Cocaine Overdose
* Died in His Girlfriends London Apartment
Founding Member of The Pretenders

Mel Allen (Sportscaster)
February 14, 1913 - June 16, 1996
Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama
Passed Away at Age 83 From Heart Failure
* Known as the “Voice of the Yankees”
Play by Play Commentator For the New York Yankees in the 1940's, 1950's, 1960's

Tony Gwynn (Baseball)
May 8, 1960 - June 16, 2014
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Passed Away at Age 54 From Cardiac Arrest
* Caused by Salivary Gland Cancer
MLB Seasons: 20 (San Diego Padres)
Position: Outfield
Career Batting Average: .338
Career Hits: 3,141
All-Star: 15
Batting Titles: 8
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 (First Ballot)

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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)

1989 - Ghostbusters II
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts
Budget: $35 Million

Box Office: $215.4 Million ($112 Million Domestic)

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80s Television
(On This Day)

1989 - Final Episode of Hollywood Squares Aired

* Returned in 1998

Click Here For More 80s TV Fun Facts and Awards

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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)

1980 - Come Upstairs
Carly Simon (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #36

1981 - Made in America
The Carpenters (10th Album)
Billboard Charts: #52

1983 - Old Wave
Ringo Starr (9th Album)

1986 - Change of Address
Krokus (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #45

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80s Sports
(On This Day)

1985 - Andy North (-1) Won the US Open
Prize: $103,000
Runner Up: Dave Barr (Canada) Chen Tze-chung (Taiwan) and Denis Watson (Zimbabwe) (E)
Runner Up Prize: $39,185
Location: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

1989 - Jerry Pate, Nick Price, Doug Weaver, and Mark Wiebe All Had Hole-In-Ones During the 2nd Round of the US Open

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Other Notable Dates

(On June 16th)

1858 - Abraham Lincoln Delivered His House Divided Speech in Springfield, Illinois

1844 - The First Roller Coaster, The Switchback Railway Opened in New York's Coney Island
* Built by LaMarcus Adna Thompson

Headlines

(June 16th)

1981 - President Reagan Awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to Canadian Ken Taylor For Helping 6 Americans Escape During the Iran Hostage Crisis
* Taylor Was the Ambassador to Iran
The First Foreign Citizen to Receive the Congressional Gold Medal