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Headlines
(March 20th)
1981 - The Postman Always Rings Twice Premiered in Theaters
Director: Bob Rafelson
Starring: Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange
NWA Championship
March 20th in 80s History
On March 20, 1985 Libby Riddles Became the First Woman to Win the 1,135-Mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska
1987 - The Food and Drug Administration Approved the Drug AZT For AIDS Treatment
* The First Successful Treatment For AIDS
#1 Songs in America
(March 20th)
1980 - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
Queen
2/23 - 3/21
1981 - "9 to 5"
Dolly Parton
3/14 - 3/20
1982 - "I Love Rock 'n' Roll
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
3/20 - 5/7
1983 - "Billie Jean"
Michael Jackson
3/5 - 4/22
1984 - "Jump"
Van Halen
2/25 - 3/30
1985 - 'Can't Fight This Feeling"
REO Speedwagon
3/9 - 3/29
1986 - "Sara"
Starship
3/15 - 3/21
1987 - "Jacob's Ladder"
Huey Lewis and the News
3/14 - 3/20
1988 - "Never Gonna Give You Up"
Rick Astley
3/12 - 3/25
1989 - "Lost in Your Eyes"
Debbie Gibson
3/4 - 3/24
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Robert Urich Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Mink De Ville
1984 - Shaping Up Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 5
Starring Leslie Nielson and Jennifer Tilly
1985 - The Coca-Cola Company Purchased Tandem Productions and Embassy Television For $485 Million Dollars
1986 - All is Forgiven Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 9
Featuring David Alan-Grier
1987 - The Charmings Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 21
1987 - Final Episode of Capitol (Soap Opera)
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 1293
Network: CBS
1989 - Heartland Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 10
1989 - Live-in Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 9
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Time Tells No Lies
Praying Mantis (Debut Album)
Reached #16 in the UK
1986 - Rapture
Anita Baker (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #11
* Hit #1 R&B
Won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
1989 - Another Place in Time
Donna Summer (14th Album)
Billboard Charts: #53
1989 - Shine (EP)
Mother Love Bone
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - Martina Navratilova Defeated Chris Evert Lloyd 6-2, 6-0 to Win Her Fiirst of 5 Straight WTA Tour Championships
1984 - Harley Race Beat Ric Flair For the NWA Heavyweight Championship
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
* Flair Won the Title Back 3 Days Later
1985 - Libby Riddles Became the First Woman to Win the 1,135-Mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska
* The Race is From Anchorage to Nome
1986 - The #11 Seed LSU Beat #2 Seed Georgia Tech 70 - 64 in the Sweet 16 Round of the NCAA Tournament
LSU Beat #1 Seed Kentucky 59 - 57 in the Elite 8
* Lost 88 - 77 to #1 Seed Louisville in the Final Four
1989 - MLB Announced the Cincinnati Reds Manager Pete Rose Was Under Investigation For Gambling on Baseball
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1985 - The Coca-Cola Company Purchased Tandem Productions and Embassy Television For $485 Million Dollars
1986 - Chaos Ensued After New York City Passed Its First Lesbian and Gay Rights to Legislation
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Other Notable Dates
(On March 20th)
1760 - A Huge Fire Broke Out in Boston That Destroyed 349 Buildings
* Known as the Great Boston Fire
1854 - The Republican Party Was Formed in Ripon, Wisconsin
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Dog Sled Champion
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On March 20, 1984 Harley Race Beat Ric Flair For the NWA Heavyweight Championship
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll Became the #1 Song in America
Happy 80s Birthdays
1931 - Hal Linden (Actor) Barney Miller
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York
1945 - Pat Riley (Basketball Coach)
Birthplace: Rome, New York
1948 - Bobby Orr (Hockey)
Birthplace: Parry Sound, Canada
1957 - Spike Lee (Director) Do the Right Thing
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
1958 - Holly Hunter (Actress) Raising Arizona
Birthplace: Conyers, Georgia
1958 - Rickey Jackson (Football)
Birthplace: Pahokee, Florida
1959 - Sting (Wrestler)
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska
1963 - Kathy Ireland (Supermodel)
Birthplace: Glendale, California
Fun Fact!
Spike Lee is Considered the Most Die Hard New York Knicks Fan
* Has Been a Courtside Season Ticket Holder For Decades
Fun Fact!
The First Self-Propelling Wheelchair Was Built In 1655 by Stephan Farffler, a 22-Year-Old Paraplegic Watchmaker
* The First Electric Wheelchair Was Built in 1953 by Canadian Inventor George Klein to Help Assist World War II Veterans
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Other Notable Birthdays
Mister Rogers (TV Host)
March 20, 1928 - February 27, 2003
Birthplace: Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 74 From Stomach Cancer
* Diagnosed in 2002
The Host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood From 1968 to 2001
Douglas Tompkins (American Businessman)
March 20, 1943 - December 8, 2015
Birthplace: Conneaut, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 72 From Hyperthermia
* Had Been in a Kayak Accident
Founded North Face and Esprit in San Francisco, California in 1968
William Hurt (Actor)
March 20, 1950 - March 13, 2022
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
Passed Away at Age 71 From Prostate Cancer
* Diagnosed in May 2018
Won an Academy Award For Best Actor in 1985 For His Role as Luis Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Kenny Rogers (Country Singer)
August 21, 1938 - March 20, 2020
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Passed Away at Age 81 in Hospice Care
* Diagnosed With Bladder Cancer in 2017
One of the Best Selling Artist of All-Time With Over 100 Million Albums Sold
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1981 - Omen III: The Final Conflict
Director: Graham Baker
Starring: Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi, Don Gordon, Lisa Harrow and Barnaby Holm
Budget: $5.5 Million
Box Office: $20.4 Million
1981 - The Postman Always Rings Twice
Director: Bob Rafelson
Starring: Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange
Budget: $12 Million
Box Office: $44.2 Million
1981 - Amy
Director: Vincent McEveety
Starring: Jenny Agutter, Barry Newman, Kathleen Nolan and Chris Robinson
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
1983 - My Breakfast with Blassie
Directors: Linda Lautrec, Johnny Legend and Mark Shepard
Starring: Andy Kaufman and Freddie Blassie
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
1987 - Hollywood Shuffle
Director: Robert Townsend
Starring: Robert Townsend and Keenan Ivory Wayans
Budget: $100,000
Box Office: $5.2 Million
1987 - Burglar
Director: Hugh Wilson
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Goldthwait, G. W. Bailey and Lesley Ann Warren
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $16.3 Million
1987 - Street Smart
Director: Jerry Schatzberg
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Morgan Freeman, Kathy Baker and Mimi Rogers
Budget: $6 Million
Box Office: $1.1 Million
1982 - "I Love Rock 'n' Roll' by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from March 20 - May 7
Also Hit #1 in Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
Fun Fact!
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Formed in Los Angeles in 1979
Fun Fact!
The Food and Drug Administration Was Formed in 1906
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1985 - Canadian Paraplegic Rick Hansen Began His Wheelchair Journey Around the Globe to Support Spinal Cord Injury Research
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