Soviet Boycott

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Other Notable Birthdays


​Earl Averill (Baseball)
May 21, 1902 - August 16, 1983
Birthplace:  Snohomish, Washington
Passed Away at Age 81 (Unknown Cause)
MLB Seasons:  13 (10 with the Cleveland Indians)
Position:  Centerfield
All-Star:  6

Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975 (Veterans Committee)


Did You Know?

Earl Averill Hit the Line Drive That Broke Dizzy Dean's Toe in the 1937 All-Star Game Making Dean Have to Change His Delivery That Eventually Damaged His Arm
* Forced to Retire in 1941 at Age 31

Jack Twyman (Basketball)
May 21, 1934 - May 30, 2012​
Birthplace:  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
​Passed Away at Age 78 From Blood Cancer
NBA Seasons:  11 (Rochester/Cincinnati Royals)
Position:  Forward
All-Star:  6

Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983


Fun Fact!

During the 1959-60 Season Jack Twyman and Wilt Chamberlain Became the First Players to Average 30-Points in a Season
* Jack Twyman's #27 Was Retired by the Sacramento Kings (Formerly the Royals)

Jeffrey Dahmer (Serial Killer)
May 21, 1960 - November 28, 1994
Birthplace:  Milwaukee, WI
Passed Away at Age 34 After Getting Brutally Attacked in a Prison Shower
* Killed and Dismembered 17 Men and Boys Between 1978 and 1991
Known as the Milwaukee Cannibal


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​​Passed Away
(On This Day)

Louis Johnson (Bassist)
April 13, 1955 - May 21, 2015
Birthplace:  Los Angeles, California
Passed Away at Age 60 From Gastrointestinal Bleeding of the Esophagus
* The 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)

#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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Headlines

(May 21st)


1980 - Empire Strikes Back Premiered in Theaters
Director:  Irvin Kershner
Starring:  Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams

The Highest Grossing Movie From 1980


View The Highest Grossing Movies From 1980

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

​Happy 80s Birthdays

​1941 - Bobby Cox (Baseball)
Birthplace:  Tulsa, Oklahoma
1941 - Ronald Isley (Singer)  Isley Brothers
Birthplace:  Cincinnati, Ohio
1943 - John Dalton (English Bassist)  The Kinks
Birthplace:  Chipping Barnet, London, England
1947 - Bill Champlin (Singer)  Chicago
Birthplace:  Oakland, California
1951 - Al Franken (Actor)  Saturday Night Live
Birthplace:  New York City
1952 - Mr T. (Actor)  Rocky III
Birthplace:  Chicago, Illinois
1955 - Stan Lynch (Drummer)  Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Birthplace:  Cincinnati, Ohio
1957 - Judge Reinhold (Actor)  Beverly Hills Cop
Birthplace:  Wilmington, Delawar
1960 - Kent Hrbek (Baseball)
Birthplace:  Minneapolis, Minnesota
1974 - Fairuza Balk (Actress)  Return to Oz​ (Dorothy)
Birthplace:  Point Reyes, California

Fun Fact!
Mr. T is the Youngest of 12 Children

* 7 Brothers 4 Sisters

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In Other News

(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


​1990 - The Final Episode of Newhart Aired
Seasons:  8
Episodes:  184
Network:  CBS


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<- May 20th            May 22nd ->


Back To The 80s Home Page


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​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 1980 Film Heaven's Gate


Did You Know?

With a $44 Million Budget Heaven’s Gate Pulled in $3.5 Million Dollars Making it One of the Biggest Busts of All-Time

​1981 - The New York Islanders Won Their 2nd Consecutive Stanley Cup Finals
* Beat the Minnesota North Stars 4 Games to 1

Head Coach:  Al Albour

​MVP:  Butch Goring
The Islanders Won 4 Straight Stanley Cup Finals in a Row (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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Fun Fact!

The First First British Artist to Have a #1 Song in America Was Mr. Acker Bilk in 1962
Song:  “Stranger on the Shore”


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