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Fun Fact!

The First Police Training Academy in the United States Opened in 1908 in Berkeley, California

* Called August Vollmer's Berkeley Police School

Joanie Loves Chachi Made Its Debut

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<- March 22nd            March 24th ->


Back To The 80s Home Page


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Happy 80s Birthdays


1928 - Mark Rydell (Director)  On Golden Pond
1951 - Ron Jaworski (Football)
1953 - Chaka Khan (Singer)
1954 - Kenneth Cole (Fashion Designer)
1957 - Amanda Plummer (Actress) 
The World According to Garp
1959 - Catherine Keener (Actress) 
Ohara
1965 - Richard Grieco (Actor) 
21 Jump Street

Fun Fact!

In High School Richard Grieco Was All-State in 3 Different Sports
* Football, Hockey and Lacrosse

On March 23, 1982 Rick Springfield Released His 5th Album, Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet Featuring "Don't Talk To Strangers"

Rick Springfield

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Fun Fact!

The First Handheld Electronic Video Game Was Mattel's Auto Race in 1976

#1 Songs in America

(March 23rd)


1980 - "Another Brick in the Wall Part II"
Pink Floyd
3/22 - 4/18

1981 - "Keep on Loving You"
REO Speedwagon
3/21 - 3/27

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 - "These Dreams"
Heart
3/22 - 3/28

1987 - "Lean on Me"
Club Nouveau
3/21 - 4/3

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

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1982 - Joanie Loves Chachi Premiered on ABC

* Ran 2 Seasons with 17 Episodes

Spinoff From Happy Days 

​​​​​​​​​March 23rd in 80s History

Other Notable Dates

(On March 23rd)


1775 - Patrick Henry Said the Famous Words "Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!" During a Speech at the St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia
*The Voice of the Revolutionary War

Headlines

(March 23rd)


​​1980 - 18-Year Old American Tracey Austin Upset Martina Navratilova 6–2, 2–6, 6–2 to Win the WTA Championship

Other Notable Birthdays


​Joan Crawford (Actress)
March 23, 1908 - May 10, 1977
Passed Away at Age 69 From a Heart Attack
Portrayed in the Film Mommy Dearest (1981) 

Tony Burton (Actor)
March 23, 1937 - February 25, 2016
Passed Away at Age 78 From Pneumonia
Played Apollo Creed’s Manager in Rocky

Ric Ocasek (Singer)
March 23, 1944 - September 15, 2019
Passed Away at Age 75 (Natural Causes)
* Suffered From Heart Disease

Lead Singer For the Cars

Moses Malone (Basketball)
March 23, 1955 - September 13, 2015
Passed Away at Age 60 From Heart Disease
* 3x NBA Most Valuable Player (1979, 1982, 1983)

Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001

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Passed Away
(On This Day)

Elizabeth Taylor (Actress)

February 27, 1932 - March 23, 2011
Passed Away at Age 79 From Congestive Heart Failure
2x Academy Award Winner For Best Actress

Butterfield 8 (1961)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1967)


Joe Weider (Bodybuilding)

November 29, 1919 - March 23, 2013
Passed Away at Age 93 From Heart Failure
Co-Founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) With His Brother Ben

Ken Howard (Actor)

March 28, 1944 - March 23, 2016
Passed Away at Age 71 (Unknown Causes)
Played Coach Reeves on the TV Series, The White Shadow

George Segal (Actor)

February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021
Passed Away on March 23, 2021 at Age 87 From Bypass Surgery Complications
Played Albert in Look Who’s Talking (1989)
* Also Played Pop Pop on the TV Series, The Goldberg’s​

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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)

1983 - Eddie Macon’s Run
Director:  Jeff Kanew
Starring:  Kirk Douglas, John Schneider, Lee Purcell and John Goodman

* Goodman's Film Debut
Budget:  N/A
Box Office:  N/A


1984 - Police Academy
Director:  Hugh Wilson
Starring:  Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, G.W. Bailey and George Gaynes

Budget:  $4.5 Million
Box Office:  $149.8 Million ($81 Million Domestic)


1984 - Racing With the Moon
Director:  Richard Benjamin
Starring:  Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern and Nicolas Cage

Budget:  $6.5 Million
Box Office:  $6.6 Million


1984 - Racing With the Moon
Director:  Richard Benjamin
Starring:  Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern and Nicolas Cage

Budget:  $6.5 Million
Box Office:  $6.6 Million


In Other 80s Movie News

1986 - The 6th Golden Raspberry Awards
Worst Movie:  "Rambo: First Blood Part II"
Worst Actor:  Sylvester Stallone - "Rambo: First Blood Part II"
Worst Actress:  Linda Blair - Night Patrol


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80s Television
(On This Day)

1982 - Joanie Loves Chachi Premiered on ABC
Seasons:  2
Episodes:  17


1987 - The First Soul Train Music Awards Aired on WGN
Hosts:  Dionne Warwick and Luther Vandross
Location:  Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California

Album of the Year
Male:  Luther Vandross (Give Me the Reason)
Female:  Janet Jackson (Control)
Group:  Cameo (Word Up)


1987 - The Bold and the Beautiful Premiered on CBS
* Still on the Air


1987 - The Popcorn Kid Premiered on CBS
Seasons:  1
Episodes:  6

Featuring Penelope Ann Miller

1988 - Heartbeat Premiered on ABC​
Seasons:  2
Episodes:  18
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80s Music

(Albums Released On This Day)


1982 - Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet
Rick Springfield (5th Album)
Billboard Charts:  #2

* Featuring “Don’t Talk to Strangers”


1983 - Eliminator
ZZ Top (8th Album)
Billboard Charts:  #9


1987 - Now That’s What I Call Music 9 (UK Edition)
Various Artists
* Reached #1 in the UK

1988 - Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm
Joni Mitchell (13th Album)
Billboard Charts:  #45


1989 - Brain Drain
Ramones (11th Album)
Billboard Charts:  #122


In Other 80s Music News


1985 - Julian Lennon Performed His First Concert (San Antonio Texas)


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80s Sports

(On This Day)


1980 - 18-Year Old American Tracey Austin Upset Martina Navratilova 6–2, 2–6, 6–2 in to Win the WTA Championship

1980 - Lee Trevino Won the PGA Player Championship by 1 Stroke Over Ben Crenshaw

1981​​ - Raymond Floyd Won the PGA Player Championship in a Sudden Death Playoff Over Batty Jaeckel and Curtis Strange


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In Other 80s News

(On This Day)


1981 - US Supreme Court Upheld the Law Making Statutory Rape a Crime Only a Man Could Commit

2003 - The Production of the Nintendo's Game Boy Came to an End
* First Released in 1989
Became a Cultural Icon in the 90s With Over 120 Million Units Sold

1868 - The University of California System Was Founded in Oakland, California
* UC Berkeley Was the First Campus


Did You Know?

UC Berkeley Has 4x More Nobel Prize Winners (110) Than Any Other UC School

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1984 - Police Academy Premiered in Theaters

* Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, G.W. Bailey and George Gaynes

With Only a $4.5 Million Budget the Film Grossed Over $150 Million Worldwide 

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1983 - President Reagan Introduced "Star Wars" Missile Defense System to the American People

* Called The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to Protect Americans From Nuclear War