June 19th in 80s History
1984 - Hakeem Olajuwan Was the #1 Overall Pick in the NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets
College: Houston
Other Notable Draft Picks
(Future Hall of Famers)
#3 Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)
College: North Carolina
#5 Charles Barkley (Philadelphia 76ers)
College: Auburn
#16 John Stockton (Utah Jazz)
College: Gonzaga
#131 Oscar Schmidt (New Jersey Nets)
Country: Brazil
* Didn't Sign With the Nets (Played 29 Seasons in Europe and South America)
Oscar Schmidt is the Top Scorer in the History of the Summer Olympics
Hakeem Olajuwan Was the #1 Overall Pick in the NBA Draft
Happy 80s Birthdays
1948 - Phylicia Rashad (Actress) The Cosby Show
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
1950 - Ann Wilson (Singer) Heart
Birthplace: San Diego, California
1954 - Kathleen Turner (Actress) Romancing the Stone
Birthplace: Springfield, Missouri
1959 - Mark DeBarge (Singer)
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
1962 - Paula Abdul (Singer)
Birthplace: San Fernando, California
1967 - Mia Sara (Actress) Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Birthplace: Brooklyn, Heights, New York
Fun Fact!
Paula Abdul Married Married Emilio Estevez on April 29, 1992 in a Santa Monica Judge’s Chamber
* Divorced in 1994
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Other Notable Birthdays
Lou Gehrig (Baseball)
June 19, 1903 - June 2, 1941
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 37 From ALS (Lou Gehrig Disease)
MLB Seasons: 17 (New York Yankees)
Position: First Base
Batting Average: .340
Home Runs: 493
All-Star: 7
* The All-Star Game Began in 1933
AL MVP: 2 (1927, 1936)
Triple Crown: 1934
World Series Champion: 6
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939
Wahoo McDaniel (Wrestler)
June 19, 1938 - April 18, 2002
Birthplace: Bernice, Louisiana
Passed Away at Age 63 From a Stroke
* Diabetes and Kidney Failure Contributing
A 5x NWA Heavyweight Champion
Fun Fact!
Wahoo McDaniel Played Linebacker 9-Seasons in the NFL
College: Oklahoma
NFL Teams
Houston Oilers (1960)
Denver Broncos (1961 - 1963)
New York Jets (1964 - 1965)
Miami Dolphins (1966 - 1968)
Lou Pearlman
June 19, 1954 - August 19, 2016
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 62 From a Heart Infection
* Died While in a Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Florida For Conspiracy, Money Laundering and Making False Statements During a Bankruptcy Hearing
Founded The Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and Many Other Boy Bands
Kim Walker (Actress)
June 19, 1968 - March 6, 2001
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 32 From a Brain Herniation
* Had Been Diagnosed With a Brain Tumor A Few Years Before
Best Known For Playing Heather Chandler in the 1989 Film Heathers and Sheila in Say Anything… (1989)
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Len Bias (Basketball)
November 18, 1963 - June 19, 1986
Birthplace: Landover, MAryoland
Passed Away on June 19, 1986 at Age 22 From a Cocaine Overdose
* 1986 First Team All-American (Maryland)
The 2nd Overall Pick in the 1986 NBA Draft
Manute Bol (Basketball)
Unknown Date - June 19, 2010
Birthplace: Turalei, Sudan
Passed Away on June 19, 2010 at Age 47 From Acute Kidney Failure
NBA Seasons: 12
Position: Center
NBA Blocks Leader: 2 (1986, 1989)
Bol Was One of the Tallest NBA Players of All-Time 7 ft 7
Koko (The Gorilla)
July 4, 1971 - June 19, 2018
Birthplace: San Francisco, California
Passed Away in Her Sleep in Woodside, California on June 19, 2018 at Age 46
* Born in the San Francisco Zoo
Koko Understood Over 1,000 Sign Languages and 2,000 English Words
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - Rough Cut
Director: Don Siegal
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Lesley-Anne Down and David Niven
Budget: $10 Million
Box Office: $16.6 Million
1981 - The Cannonball Run
Director: Hal Needham
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett and Jackie Chan
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $160 Million ($72 Million Domestic)
1981 - Superman II
Director: Richard Lester
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Jack O'Halloran and Margot Kidder
Budget: $54 Million
Box Office: $190.4 Million ($108 Million Domestic)
1987 - Roxanne
Director: Fred Schepisi
Starring: Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah, Shelley Duvall, Rick Rossovich, Fred Willard, Michael J. Pollard and Damon Wayans
Budget: $12 Million
Box Office: $40 Million
Steve Martin Was the Star, Executive Producer and the Screenwriter
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1987 - Final Episode of Nightlife (Talk Show)
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 195
Network: Syndication
Starring David Brenner and Billy Preston
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Only a Lad
Oingo Boingo (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #172
1984 - The Allnighter
Glenn Frey (2nd Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #22
1984 - Who’s Afraid of Art Noise?
Art of Noise (Debut Album)
* Reached #8 in the UK
1988 - Let It Bee
Voice of the Beehive (Debut Album)
* Reached #13 in the UK
1988 - Outrider
Jimmy Page (Debut Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #26
1989 - Heart of Stone
Cher (19th Album)
Billboard Charts: #10
* Hit #1 in Australia
Featuring “If I Could Turn Back Time”
1989 - Extreme Aggression
Kreator (4th Album)
* Reached #90 in Germany
1989 - Riders go Commercial (Live Album)
Riders in the Sky
1989 - Soul Provider
Michael Bolton (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #3
* Hit #1 in Australia
In Other 80s Music News
1982 - Amy Grant Married Christian Music Singer, Gary Chapman
* Divorced in 1999 (3 Children)
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1984 - Hakeem Olajuwan Was the #1 Overall Pick in the NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1988 - Pope John Paul II Canonized 117 Vietnamese Martyrs
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#1 Songs in America
(June 19th)
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 - "Together Forever"
Rick Astley
6/18 - 6/24
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
1981 - The Cannonball Run Premiered in Theaters
Director: Hal Needham
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett and Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan's American Film Debut
Fun Fact!
Jackie Chan is Chinese and Was Upset His Character Was Japanese
In Other News
(On June 19th)
1846 - The First Official Organized Baseball Game Was Played in Hoboken, New Jersey
* The New York Baseball Club Beat the New York Knickerbockers 23 - 1
1865 - Slaves in Galveston, Texas Were Officially Informed of Their Freedom 2 Years After the Emancipation Proclamation to Officially End Slavery in the United States
* Juneteenth is a Federal Holiday in the United States
1910 - The First Father's Day in the United States Was Celebrated in Spokane, Washington
1943 - The Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers Merged For 1 Season Because of Player Shortages Caused by World War II
1949 - Jim Roper Won the First NASCAR Race, The Strictly Stock at The Charlotte Speedway
* Glenn Dunaway Was Disqualified For Altering His Rear Springs
Fun Fact!
NASCAR Was Partly Originated From Bootleggers, During Prohibition, Building Cars to Outrun the Police
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Headlines
(June 19th)
1981 - Superman II Premiered in Theaters
Director: Richard Lester
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty and Margot Kidder
The 3rd Highest Grossing Movie From 1981
#1 Raiders of the Lost Ark
#2 On Golden Pond
1986 - Len Bias Died at Age 22 From a Cocaine Overdose Two Days After Being Selected 2nd Overall in the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics
* Was an All American From the University of Maryland
Did You Know?
Cocaine Was First Synthesized in 1898 by German Chemist Richard Willstätter
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