Headlines

(May 9th)


1980 - Five Gunmen Held up a Security Pacific Bank in Norco, California Leading to a Violent Shoot-Out in One of the Largest Pursuits in California History

* 2 Gunmen and 1 Police Officer Were Killed and 33 Police and Civilian Cars Were Destroyed

May 9th in 80s History

On May 9, 1989 Madonna Released "Express Yourself" as a Single

Happy 80s Birthdays

1940 - James L. Brooks (Director and Producer)  Terms of Endearment
Birthplace:  New York City
1946 - Candice Bergen (Actress)  Murphy Brown
Birthplace:  Los Angeles, California
1949 - Billy Joel (Singer)
Birthplace:  The Bronx, New York
1951 - Alley Mills (Actress)  The Wonder Years
Birthplace:  Chicago, Illinois
1962 - Dave Gahan (English Singer)  Depeche Mode
Birthplace:  Epping, Essex, England
1965 - Steve Yzerman (Hockey)
Birthplace:  Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada

Fun Facts!

James L. Brooks Won 3 Academy Awards For the 1981 Film Terms of Endearment​
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Adapted Screenplay


Billy Joel's 52nd Street Album Won a Grammy For Album of the Year in 1980


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Other Notable Birthdays


Tony Gwynn (Baseball)
May 8, 1960 - June 16, 2014
Birthplace:  Los Angeles, California
Passed Away at Age 54 From Cardiac Arrest
* Caused by Salivary Gland Cancer
MLB Seasons:  20 (San Diego Padres)
Position:  Outfield
Career Batting Average:  .338
Career Hits:  3,141
All-Star:  15
Batting Titles:  8

Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 (First Ballot)


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Passed Away
(On This Day)


C.W. Post (American Innovator)
October 26, 1854 - May 9, 1914
Birthplace:  Springfield, IL
Passed Away at Age 59 From a Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound
* Post Was Suffering From Extreme Stomach Pains
Founded Post Cereal in Battle Creek Michigan in 1895

Harold Gray (Cartoonist)
January 20, 1894 - May 9, 1968
Birthplace:  Kankakee, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 74 From Cancer
* Created Little Orphan Annie
Gray Became a Millionaire Through Film, Radio and Merchandising

Chuck Daly (Basketball Coach)
July 20, 1930 - May 9, 2009
Birthplace:  Kane, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 78 From Pancreatic Cancer
NBA Seasons:  14
* Won 2 NBA Championships as the Head Coach of the Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990)

Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014

Lena Horne (Singer and Actress)
June 30, 1917 - May 9, 2010
Birthplace:  New York City
Passed Away at Age 92 From Congestive Heart Failure
* Horne Was a Groundbreaking African-American Performer as a Singer, Actress, Dancer and Civil Rights Activist
A 4x Grammy Award Winner

Vidal Sasoon (Hairdresser)
January 17, 1928 - May 9, 2012
Birthplace:  Hammersmith, London, England
Passed Away at Age 84 From Leukemia
* Died in His Bel-Air Home
Popularized the Five-Point Cut Worn by Famous Movie Stars Such as Mia Farrow, Goldie Hawn, Cameron Diaz, Nastassja Kinski and Helen Mirren

Little Richard (Singer and Pianist)
December 5, 1932 - May 9, 2020
Birthplace:  Macon, GA
Passed Away at Age 87 From Bone Cancer
* Best Known For the Hit 1955 Song "Tutti Frutti"
Considered the "Architect" of Rock and Roll


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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)

1980 - Friday the 13th
Director:  Sean S. Cunningham
Starring:  Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby and Kevin Bacon
Budget:  550,000

Box Office:  $59.8 Million

1980 - The Nude Bomb
Director:  Clive Donner
Starring:  Don Adams and Sylvia Kristel
Budget:  $15 Million

Box Office:  $14.7 Million

1986 - Short Circuit
Director:  John Badham
Starring:  Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens and G.W. Bailey
Budget:  $15 Million

Box Office:  $40.7 Million

1986 - Dangerously Close
Director:  Harold Sobel
Starring:  John Stockwell, Carey Lowell, Madison Mason, Bradford Bancroft and J. Eddie Peck
Budget:  $1.5 Million

Box Office:  $2 Million

1986 - Fire with Fire
Director:  Duncan Gibbons
Starring:  Virginia Madsen, Craig Sheffer, Kari Wuhrer and D.B. Sweeney
Budget:  N/A

Box Office:  $4.6 Million


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80s Television
(On This Day)

​1987 - Mark Harmon Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest:  Suzanne Vega


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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)

1980 - Warm Leatherette
Grace Jones (4th Album)
Billboard Charts:  #132

1980 - Bass Culture (Poet Album)
Linton Kwesi Johnson

1989 - Big Daddy
John Mellencamp (10th Album)
Billboard Charts:  #7

* Hit #1 in Australia

1989 - A Night to Remember
Cyndi Lauper (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts:  #37

#3 in Japan

Fun Fact!
Cyndi Lauper Earned Her GED and Left Home at 17 to Escape Her Abusive Stepfather

1989 - Dangerous Toys
Dangerous Toys (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts:  #65


Singles Released

1989 - “Express Yourself”
Madonna
Reached #2 on the US Billboard Charts and #1 on the Dance Club Charts​
* Also Hit #1 in Canada and Switzerland


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80s Sports
(On This Day)

​1981 - The Boston Celtics Beat the Houston Rockets 94 - 71 in Houston to Take a 2 - 1 Lead in the NBA Finals

1983 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Was on the Cover of Sports Illustrated
Title:  “THE KAREEM RISES…”

1984 - The Game Between the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers Finished 7 - 6 After 25 innings at Comiskey Park in Chicago
Attendance:  14,754
* Game Was Suspended After 17 Innings the Night Before


1987 - Eddie Murray Became the First Player to Hit Home Runs From Both Sides of the Plate in Back to Back Games

1988 - Cincinnati Reds Manager Pete Rose Was on the Cover of Sports Illustrated
Title:  “SUSPENDED”

1989 - New York Mets Shortstop, Kevin Elster Made an Error to Snap His 88 Game Errorless Streak

1989 - New York Mets, Rick Cerone Made an Error to Snap His 159 Game Errorless Streak


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In Other 80s News

(On This Day)

1980 - A Cargo Ship from Liberia Crashed into the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa ,Florida Making a 1,400-ft. Section of the Southbound Span Collapse
* A Greyhound Bus and 6 Cars Fell Into the Water, Killing 35

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1988 – The New Parliament House Canberra Officially Opened in Australia


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In Other News

(On May 9th)


​1960 - The Food and Drug Administration Approved the Birth Control Pill
* The First World's Approved Oral Contraceptive Pill


​1988 – The New Parliament House Canberra Officially Opened in Australia


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Back To The 80s Home Page


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"Express Yourself"

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1980 - Friday the 13th Premiered in Theaters
Director:  Sean S. Cunningham
Starring:  Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby and Kevin Bacon

With Only a $500,000 Budget the Film Grossed Nearly $60 Million Dollars


Fun Fact!

Kevin Bacon's Character Jack Burrell Was Killed by Jason

#1 Songs in America

(May 9th)


1980 - "Call Me"
Blondie
4/19 - 5/30

1981 - "Morning Train
Sheena Easton

5/2 - 5/17

1982 - "Chariots of Fire"

Vangelis

​5/8 - 5/14

1983 - "Beat It"

Michael Jackson

​4/30 - 5/20

1984 - "Against All Odds"
Phil Collins
4/21 - 5/11

1985 - "We Are the World"

USA for Africa​

4/13 - 5/10

1986 - "Addicted to Love"

Robert Palmer

5/3 - 5/9

1987 - "(I Just) Died in Your Arms"
Cutting Crew
5/2 - 5/15

1988 - "Wishing Well"

Terrence Trent D'Arby

​5/7 - 5/13

1989 - "Like a Prayer"

Madonna

​4/22 - 5/12


Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards

1984 - The Game Between the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers Finished After 25 Innings and Over 8 Hours
* The White Sox Beat the Brewers 7 - 6 at Comiskey Park in Chicago

Game Was Suspended After 17 Innings the Night Before

Friday the 13th Premiered In Theaters

1986 - Short Circuit Premiered in Theaters

Director:  John Badham
Starring:  Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens and G.W. Bailey


Fun Fact!

With a $15 Million Dollar Budget, $1.4 Million Was Spent on Building the Robot Number 5

* Weighed 250 Pounds