On This Day May 8th in 80s History

Happy 80s Birthdays

1940 - Toni Tennille (Singer) Captain & Tennille
Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama
1944 - Gary Glitter (English Singer)
Birthplace: Banbury, Oxfordshire, England
1951 - Philip Bailey (Singer) Earth, Wind & Fire
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado
1951 - Chris Frantz (Drummer) Talking Heads
Birthplace: Fort, Campbell, Kentucky
1953 - Billy Burnette (Guitarist) Fleetwood Mac
Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee
1953 - Alex Van Halen (Drummer)
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
1954 - David Keith (Actor) An Officer and a Gentleman
Birthplace: Knoxville, Tennessee
1957 - Bill Cowher (Football)
Birthplace: Crafton, Pennsylvania
1959 - Ronnie Lott (Football)
Birthplace: Albuquerque, New Mexico
1964 - Melissa Gilbert (Actress) Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls)
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
1964 - Bobby Labonte (Race Car Driver)
Birthplace: Corpus Christi, Texas

Fun Fact!
In 1985 San Francisco 49ers Safety Ronnie Lott Had His Pinkie Finger Amputated So He Wouldn’t Miss the Playoffs

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Other Notable Birthdays

Harry S. Truman (Former U.S. President)
May 8, 1884 - December 26, 1972
Birthplace: Lamar, Missouri
Passed Away at Age 88 From Pneumonia
* Fell Into a Coma After Developing Multiple Organ Failure
The 33rd President of the United States
Term: 1945 - 1953

Don Rickles (Actor and Comedian)
May 8, 1926 - April 6, 2017
Birthplace: Queens, New York
Passed Away at Age 90 From Kidney Failure
* Played the Casino Manager Bill Sherbert in the 1995 Film Casino
Don Rickles is Best Known For His Insult Comedy

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Passed Away
(On This Day)

Lila Bell Wallace (Publisher)
December 25, 1889 - May 8, 1984
Birthplace: Virden, Manitova, Canada
Passed Away at Age 94 From Heart Failure
* Founded Reader's Digest With Her Husband Dewitt Wallace in 1922
Was Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1972

Ricky Nelson (Singer)
May 8, 1940 - December 31, 1985
Birthplace: Teaneck, New Jersey
Passed Away at Age 45 in an Airplane Accident on His Way to a Concert in Dallas
* Starred on the TV Series, Ozzie and Harriet From 1952 to 1966
Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987

Dolph Sweet (Actor)
July 18, 1920 - May 8, 1985
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 64 From Stomach Cancer
* Credited With Over 60 Film and TV Roles
Best Known For Playing the Police Chief (Dad) From Gimme a Break!

George Peppard (Actor)
October 1, 1928 - May 8, 1994
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
Passed Away at Age 65 From Pneumonia
* Caused by Lung Cancer
Played Hannibal on The A-Team and Paul Varjak in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Dana Plato (Actress)
November 7, 1964 - May 8, 1999
Birthplace: Hunting Park, California
Passed Away at Age 34 From an Accidental Overdose
* Later Ruled a Suicide
Played Kimberly on Diff’rent Strokes

Jeanne Cooper (Actress)
October 25, 1928 - May 8, 2013
Birthplace: Taft, California
Passed Away on May 8, 2013 at Age 84 From an Infection
* Diagnosed With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Played Katherine Chancellor For 40 Years on The Young and the Restless From 1973 to 2013

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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)

1981 - Graduation Day
Director: Herb Freed
Starring: Patch Mackenzie, Christopher George, Michael Pataki, E. J. Peaker, Linnea Quigley and E. Danny Murphy
Budget: $250,000

Box Office: $23.8 Million

1981 - The Burning
Director: Tony Maylam
Starring: Brian Matthews, Lou David and Leah Ayers
Budget: 1.5 Million

Box Office: $707,770

1985 - Creature
Director: William Malone
Starring: Stan Ivar and Wendy Schaal
Budget: N/A

Box Office: N/A

1987 - Gardens of Stone
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones, D.B. Sweeney, Mary Stuart Masterson and Laurence Fishburne
Budget: $13 Million

Box Office: $5.2 Million

1987 - Hot Pursuit
Director: Steven Lisberger
Starring: John Cusack, Robert Loggia, Wendy Gazelle, Jerry Stiller, Monte Markham, Shelley Fabares, Ben Stiller and Keith David
Budget: $4 Million

Box Office: $4.2 Million

Ben Stiller's Film Debut

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80s Television
(On This Day)

1985 - Final Episode of Sara
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13

Starring Geena Davis, Bill Maher and Bronson Pinchot

1987 - Final Episode of Stingray
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 24

1988 - Something is Out There (Miniseries) Premiered on NBC

Episodes: 9

1988 - Final Episode of Our House
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 46

Starring Shannon Doherty

1988 - Final Episode of Magnum P.I.
Seasons: 8
Episodes: 162

Starring Tom Selleck

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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)

1980 - The Golden Years (Live Album)
Motörhead

1984 - Legend (Compilation Album)
Bob Marley & the Wailers
Billboard Charts: #5

* Hit #1 in the UK

1989 - Junta
Phish (Debut Album)

1989 - Kite
Kirsty MacColl (2nd Album)
* Reached #34 in the UK

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80s Sports
(On This Day)

1984 - Minnesota Twins Rookie Kirby Puckett Made His Major League Debut With 4 Hits (Leadoff Hitter)
* The Minnesota Twins Beat the California Angels 5 - 0 at Anaheim Stadium on a Tuesday Night
Attendance: 23,678

1984 - The Chicago White Sox Beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7 - 6 in 25 Innings at Comiskey Park in Chicago on a Tuesday Night
Attendance: 14,754
* The Game Was Suspended After 17 Innings and Continued the Next Day

1984 - Don Kernodle and Ivan Koloff Beat Wahoo McDaniel and Mark Youngblood For the NWA Tag Team Championship
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina

1984 - The Soviet Union Announced it Will Not Participate in the Los Angeles Summer Olympics

* Retaliation For the American Boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics

1988 - Mike Tyson Crashed His $183,000 Bentley in New York City

1989 - High School Pitcher Jon Peters Was on the Cover of Sports Illustrated
Title: “SUPERKID”

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In Other 80s News

(On This Day)

1984 - The USSR Announced Their Boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in Retaliation For the United States Boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow

* 14 Other Countrie

1984 - Corporal Denis Lortie Entered the Quebec National Assembly and Opened Fire
* 3 Killed and 13 Wounded

1984 - The Thames Barrier Was Officially Opened to Prevent Most of Greater London From Being Flooded

1988 - A Fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office Triggered the "Worst Telecommunications Disaster in U.S. Telephone Industry History"

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In Other News

(On May 8th)

1877 - The First Westminster Dog Show Was Held at Gilmore's Gardens in New York City

1912 - Paramount Pictures Was Formed
* 2nd Oldest Studio Behind Universal

1945 - World War II in Europe Officially Came to an End
* The German Instrument of Surrender Was Signed
The War in the Pacific Continued

1976 - The Revolution (Roller Coaster) Opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, California
* The First Steel Roller Coaster with a Vertical Loop
Made Famous in the 1983 Film National Lampoon's Vacation