On This Day May 8th in 80s History

Happy 80s Birthdays

1940 - Toni Tennille (Singer)
1944 - Gary Glitter (Singer)
1951 - Philip Bailey (Singer) Earth, Wind & Fire
1951 - Chris Frantz (Drummer) Talking Heads
1953 - Billy Burnette (Guitarist) Fleetwood Mac
1953 - Alex Van Halen (Drummer)
1954 - David Keith (Actor) An Officer and a Gentleman
1959 - Ronnie Lott (Football)
1960 - Eric Brittingham (Bassist) Cinderella
1963 - Sylvain Cossette (Singer)
1964 - Melissa Gilbert (Actress) Little House on the Prairie
1964 - Bobby Labonte (Race Car Driver)

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
Passed Away at Age 88 From Pneumonia
33rd President of the United States

Don Rickles (Comedian)
May 8, 1926 - April 6, 2017
Passed Away at Age 90 From Kidney Failure

Best Known For Insult Comedy

Ricky Nelson (Singer)
May 8, 1940 - December 31, 1985
Passed Away at Age 45 in a Plane Accident

Starred Alongside His Family in the Radio and Television Eeries The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

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Passed Away
(On This Day)

Dolph Sweet (Actor)

July 18, 1920 - May 8, 1985
Passed Away at Age 64 From Stomach Cancer
Police Chief (Dad) From Gimme a Break!

George Peppard (Actor)

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

Dana Plato (Actress)

November 7, 1964 - May 8, 1999
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
Passed Away on May 8, 2013 at Age 84 From an Infection and 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