#1 Songs in America
(June 17th)
1980 - "Funkytown"
Lipps Inc.
5/31 - 6/27
1981 - "Bette Davis Eyes"
Kim Carnes
5/16 - 6/19
1982 - "Ebony and Ivory"
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5/15 - 7/2
1983 - "Flashdance... What a Feeling"
Michael Sembello
5/28 - 7/8
1984 - "Time After Time"
Cyndi Lauper
6/9 - 6/22
1985 - "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
Tears for Fears
6/8 - 6/21
1986 - "On My Own"
Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
6/14 - 7/4
1987 - "Always"
Atlantic Starr
6/13 - 6/19
1988 - "One More Try"
George Michael
5/28 - 6/17
1989 - "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)"
New Kids on the Block
6/17 - 6/23
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
June 17th in 80s History
1988 - The Great Outdoors Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Dan Aykroyd, John Candy and Annette Benning
Directed by John Hughes
Happy 80s Birthdays
1943 - Barry Manilow (Singer)
1947 - George Clinton (Composer)
1947 - Gregg Rolie (Singer) Journey
1948 - Dave Concepcion (Baseball)
1951 - Joe Piscopo (Actor) SNL
1954 - Mark Linn -Baker (Actor) Perfect Strangers
1966 - Jason Patric (Actor) The Lost Boys
Fun Fact!
Joe Piscopo Received a Degree in Broadcast Management From Jones College in Jacksonville, Florida
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Other Notable Birthdays
Ruth Graves (Chef)
June 17, 1903 - January 10, 1977
Passed Away at Age 73 (Long Illness)
Invented the First Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ralph Bellamy
June 17, 1904 - November 29, 1991
Passed Away on November 29, 1991 at Age 87 from a Lung Ailment
Played Randolph Duke in the 1983 Film, Trading Places
Paul Young (Singer)
June 17, 1947 - July 15, 2000
Passed Away at the Age of 53 from a Heart Attack
Lead Singer For Mike + The Mechanics
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Dick Howser (Baseball)
Passed Away on July 17, 1987 at the Age of 51 from a Brain Tumor
Managed the Kansas City Royals to a World Series Championship in 1985
Rodney King
Passed Away at Age 47 (Drowned in His Pool)
A Victim of Police Brutality
* Caught on Film
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1983 - Superman III
Director: Richard Lester
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Annette O'Toole and Margot Kidder
Budget: $39 Million
Box Office: $80.2 Million ($59 Million Domestic)
1988 - The Great Outdoors
Director: Howard Deutch
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, John Candy and Annette Benning
Budget: $24 Million
Box Office: $43.4 Million
1988 - Red Heat
Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Belushi, Peter Boyle, Ed O'Ross and Gina Gershon
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $34.9 Million
1988 - Waxwork
Director: Anthony Hickox
Starring: Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, Michelle Johnson, David Warner, Dana Ashbrook and Patrick Macnee
Budget: $3.5 Million
Box Office: $808,000
1988 - The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Starring: Popular Heavy Metal Bands
Budget: $500,000
Box Office: $373,000
Click Here For More 80s Movie Fun Facts and Awards
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80s Television
(On This Day)
No 80s TV Premieres or Finales On This Day
Fun Fact!
The Luke and Laura Wedding Remains the Highest Rated Episode in Soap Opera History
TV Guide Ranked it as the Greatest Soap Opera Moment of All-Time
Click Here For More 80s TV Fun Facts and Awards
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1983 - Synchronicity
The Police (5th and Final Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Australian and New Zealand
1985 - Misplaced Childhood
Marillion (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts: #47
* Hit #1 in the UK
1985 - Single Life
Cameo (11th Album)
Billboard Charts: #62
* #2 in R&B
Featuring “Word Up”
1985 - Crush
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #38
1987 - Pleased to Meet You
The Replacements (5th Album)
Billboard Charts: #131
1988 - Open All Night
The Georgia Satellites (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #77
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1985 - The U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo) Beat the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff for the WWF Tag Team Championship
Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
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In Other 80s News
1985 - Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Became the First Arab and Muslim in Space, When the Space Shuttle Discovery Launched
* Payload Specialist
1987 - The Dusky Seaside Sparrow Became Extinct
* Founded in Florida
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Other Notable Dates
(On June 17th)
1775 - The Colonists Lost the Battle of Bunker of Hill to the British
* The Colonist Delivered Many Casualties (Meaning The Americans Were Here To Stay)
1885 - The Statue of Liberty Arrived in New York
* A Gift from France
1901 - The College Board Introduced the First Standardized Test
* Would Eventually Become the SAT’s
1972 - Five White House Operatives Were Arrested for Breaking Into the Offices of the Democratic National Committee
* Known as the Watergate Scandal
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Police Released Their Synchronicity Album
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1989 - "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" by New Kids on the Block Became the #1 Song in America
* 1 Song in America from June 17 - 23
The Groups First #1 Song
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Headlines
(June 17th)
1983 - The Police Released Their 5th and Final Album, Synchronicity
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Australian and New Zealand
Over 8 Million Copies Sold in the US
Featuring “Every Breath You Take”
1985 - The U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo) Beat the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff For the WWF Tag Team Championship