#1 Songs in America
(May 21st)
1980 - "Call Me"
Blondie
4/19 - 5/30
1981 - "Bette Davis Eyes"
Kim Carnes
5/16 - 6/19
1982 - "Ebony and Ivory"
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5/15 - 7/2
1983 - "Let's Dance"
David Bowie
5/21 - 5/27
1984 - "Hello"
Lionel Richie
5/12 - 5/25
1985 - "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
Simple Minds
5/18 - 5/24
1986 - "Greatest Love of All"
Whitney Houston
5/17 - 6/6
1987 - "With or Without You"
U2
5/16 - 6/5
1988 - "Anything For You"
Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
5/14 - 5/27
1989 - "Forever Your Girl"
Paula Abdul
5/20 - 6/2
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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Did You Know?
With a $44 Million Budget, Heaven’s Gate Grossed Only $3.5 Million
* One of the Biggest Movie Busts of All-Time
1981 - Transamerica Corporation Agreed to Sell United Artists to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer For $380 Million Dollars
* Transamerica Was Hit Hard From the Failure of the Film, Heaven's Gate
1981 - The New York Islanders Won Their 2nd Consecutive Stanley Cup Finals
* Beat the Minnesota North Stars 4 Games to 1
The Islanders Won 4 Straight Stanley Cup Finals in a Row to Begin the 80s (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983)
On May 21, 1984 The Sports Illustrated Edition, The Soviet Boycott Was Released
* The Soviet Union Boycotted the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in Retaliation For the United States Boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow
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Empire Strikes Back Premiered in Theaters
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May 21st in 80s History
1983 - “Let’s Dance’ by David Bowie Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from May 21 - 27
Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Israel
Other Notable Dates
(On May 21st)
1881 - The American Red Cross Was Founded in Washington, D.C.
* By Clara Barton
1924 - University of Chicago Students, Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr. Murdered 14-Year-Old Bobby Franks in a "Thrill Killing"
* Franks Was the Son of a Wealthy Chicago Business Man
1927 - Charles Lindbergh Completed the World's First Solo Nonstop Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean
* Landed in Paris
1932 - Amelia Earhart Became the First Woman to Fly Solo Across the Atlantic Ocean
1979 - The White Nights Riot Took Place in San Francisco
* Following the Manslaughter Conviction of Dan White for the Assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk
1992 - Johnny Carson Hosted His Last Show of The Tonight Show
Guests: Robin Williams and Bette MIdler
2017 - Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus Performed Their Final Show
Venue: The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
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1990 - The Final Episode of Newhart Aired
Seasons: 8
Episodes: 184
Network: CBS
Other Notable Birthdays
Earl Averill (Baseball)
May 21, 1902 - August 16, 1983
Passed Away at Age 81 (Unknown Cause)
* Played 13-Seasons in Major League Baseball (10 with the Cleveland Indians)
6x All-Star
Hall of Fame (1975)
Fun Fact!
Earl Averill Hit the Line Drive That Broke Dizzy Dean's Toe in the 1937 All-Star Game, Making Dean Change His Delivery That Damaged His Arm
* Forced to Retire in 1941 at Age 31
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Sammy Davis Sr.
Passed Away on May 21, 1988 at Age 87 (Natural Causes)
The Father of Sammy Davis Jr.
Stephen Elliott (Author)
Passed Away on May 21, 2005 at Age 86 from Congestive Heart Failure
Played the Chief in Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Louis Johnson (Bassist)
Passed away on May 21, 2015 at the age of 60 from Gastrointestinal Bleeding of the Esophagus
Bassist for Brothers Johnson
Fun Fact!
Louis Johnson Played Many Sessions on Michael Jackson’s Thriller Album
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - The Empire Strikes Back
Director: Irvin Kershner
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams
Budget: $18 million
Box Office: $538 million ($209 Million Domestic)
1981 - Death Hunt
Director: Peter Hunt
Starring: Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson and Carl Weathers
Budget: $10 Million
Box Office: $5 Million
1982 - Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Director: Carl Reiner
Starring: Steve Martin and Rachel Ward
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $18.1 Million
1982 - Fighting Back
Director: Lewis Teague
Starring: Tom Skerritt, Patti LuPone, Michael Sarrazin, Yaphet Kotto, David Rasche, Lewis Van Bergen, Earle Hyman and Ted Ross
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $6.4 Million
1984 - B.C. Rock (Animation)
Director: Picha
Starring: Jim Vallely, Jonathan Schmock and Joseph Plewa
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
1986 - Crawlspace
Director: David Schmoeller
Starring: Klaus Kinski, Talia Balsam, Barbara Whinnery, Carole Francis, Tane McClure, Sally Brown, Jack Heller and David Abbott
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1987 - The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd Premiered on Lifetime
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 65
1989 - Steve Martin Hosted the Season 14 Finale of Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1982 - Hot Space
Queen (10th Album)
Billboard Charts: #22
* Hit #1 in Austria and Netherlands
1985 - The Confessor
Joe Walsh (7th Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #65
1985 - Glow
Rick James (8th Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #50
* #7 in R&B
1987 - Sandbox
Guided By Voices (2nd Album)
1987 - Strength of Steel
Anvil (4th Album)
Billboard Charts: #191
1988 - Long Cold Winter
Cinderella (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #10
Over 3 Million Copies Sold in the US
Singles Released
1984 - "God Bless the USA"
Lee Greenwood
Reached #16 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - The New York Islanders Beat the Minnesota North Stars 4 Games to 1 to Win their 2nd Straight Stanley Cup Finals
* The Islanders Won 4 Consecutive Stanley Cups in a Row
1983 - Donnie Miller Jr. Won the Preakness Stakes Aboard Deputed Testamony
Trainer: J. William Boniface
Owner: Francis P. Sears Jr.
Did Not Run In the Kentucky Derby
* Finished 6th at Belmont
1984 - The Sports Illustrated Edition (The Soviet Boycott) Was Released
1988 - Eddie Delahoussaye Won the Preakness Stakes Aboard Risen Star
Trainer: Louie Roussel III
Owner: Louie J. Roussel III
Finished 3rd at the Kentucky Derby
* Won the Belmont Stakes (Winning 2 Legs of the Triple Crown)
Soviet Boycott
Happy 80s Birthdays
1941 - Bobby Cox (Baseball)
1941 - Ronald Isley (Singer) Isley Brothers
1943 - John Dalton (Bassist) The Kinks
1947 - Bill Champlin (Singer) Chicago
1951 - Al Franken (Actor) Saturday Night Live
1952 - Mr T. (Actor) Rocky III
1955 - Stan Lynch (Drummer) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
1957 - Judge Reinhold (Actor) Beverly Hills Cop
1959 - Nick Cassavetes (Actor) Mask
1960 - Kent Hrbek (Baseball)
1974 - Fairuza Balk (Actress) Return to Oz
Fun Fact!
Mr. T is the Youngest of 12 Children
* 7 Brothers 4 Sisters
Headlines
(May 21st)
1980 - Empire Strikes Back Was Released in Theaters
* The Highest Grossing Movie From 1980