#1 Songs in America
(October 31st)
1980 - "Woman in Love"
Barbra Streisand
10/24 - 11/14
1981 - "Arthur's Theme"
Christopher Cross
10/17 - 11/6
1982 - "Who Can It Be Now?"
Men at Work
10/30 - 11/5
1983 - "Islands in the Stream"
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
10/29 - 11/11
1984 - "I Just Called to Say I Love You"
Stevie Wonder
10/13 - 11/2
1985 - "Saving All My Love For You"
Whitney Houston
10/26 - 11/1
1986 - "True Colors"
Cyndi Lauper
10/25 - 11/7
1987 - "Bad"
Michael Jackson
10/24 - 11/6
1988 - "A Groovy Kind of Love"
Phil Collins
10/22 - 11/4
1989 - "Miss You Much"
Janet Jackson
10/7 - 11/3
Click Here For More 80s Music Fun Facts and Awards
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The Awakening
1989 - The Grateful Dead Released Their 13th and Final Album (Built to Last)
* Reached #27 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
Did You Know?
The Grateful Dead Was Formed in Palo Alto, California in 1965
Inducted Into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame (1994)
Unfortunately Lead Singer Jerry Garcia Passed Away in 1995 at Age 53 From a Heart Attack
1988 - Soundgarden Released Their Debut Album (Ultramega OK)
* Formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984
Did You Know?
Soundgarden Helped Popularize Grunge Music Groups, Alongside Other Seattle Bands, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana
October 31, 1981 I'm a Big Girl Now, Starring Martin Short Premiered on ABC
Happy 80s Birthdays
1931 - Dan Rather (TV Journalist) CBS Evening News
1941 - Sally Kirkland (Actress) Anna
1945 - Brian Doyle-Murray (Actor) Caddyshack
1947 - Deidre Hall (Actress) Days of Our Lives
1955 - Xavier Roberts (Inventor) Cabbage Patch Kids
1957 - Ken Wahl (Actor) Wiseguy
1960 - Mike Gallego (Baseball)
1961 - Larry Mullen (Drummer) U2
1963 - Johnny Marr (Singer) the Smiths
1963 - Dermot Multoney (Actor) Young Guns
1964 - Colm Ó Cíosóig (Drummer) My Bloody Valentine
1966 - Ad-Rock (Rapper) Beastie Boys
1966 - Annabella Lwin (Singer) Bow Wow Wow
1967 - Vanilla Ice (Rapper)
Fun Fact!
Vanilla Ice Was Born Robert Matthew Van Winkle in Dallas, Texas
* Got the Name Vanilla Ice at Age 13 From His Breakdancing Crew Because He Was the Only Gut That Was White
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Other Notable Birthdays
Michael Landon (Actor)
October 31, 1936 - July 1, 1991
Passed Away at Age 54 from Pancreatic Cancer
Played Charles Ingalls on the TV Show, Little House on the Prairie
* Also Little Joe Cartwright on Bonanza
John Candy (Actor)
October 31, 1950 - March 4, 1994
Passed Away at Age 43 from a Heart Attack
Played Uncle Buck in the 1989 Film, Uncle Buck
* Also Chet in The Great Outdoors (1988)
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
George Halas (Football Owner)
Passed Away on October 31, 1983 at Age 88 from Pancreatic Cancer
Founder of the Chicago Bears
River Phoenix (Actor)
Passed Away on October 31, 1993 at Age 23 from a Drug Overdose (Morphine and Cocaine) in Front of The Viper Room in Hollywood
Played Chris Chambers in the 1986 Film, Stand by Me
* Also Young Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Willie McCovey (Baseball)
Passed Away on October 31, 2018 at Age 80 80 from Long Ongoing Health Issues
1969 National League MVP (San Francisco Giants)
* 521 Career Home Runs
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - The Awakening
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Charlton Heston, Susannah York, Jill Townsend and Stephanie Zimbalist
Budget: $5.3 Million
Box Office: $8.4 Million
1980 - Touched by Love
Director: Gus Trikonis
Starring: Diane Lane, Deborah Raffin and John Amos
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
1986 - Let's Get Harry
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Starring: Michael Schoeffling, Thomas F. Wilson, Glenn Frey, Rick Rossovich, Gary Busey, Mark Harmon and Robert Duvall
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $140,000
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80s Televsion
(On This Day)
1980 - I'm a Big Girl Now Premiered on ABC
Season: 1
Episodes: 19
Starring Martin Short
1981 - The Star of the Horror Film Halloween, Donald Pleasance Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Fear
1983 - The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 191
1987 - Dabney Coleman Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: The Cars
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Dig It
Klaus Schulze (13th Album)
1983 - Head over Heels
Cocteau Twins (2nd Album)
* Reached #51 in the UK and Hit #1 in UK Indie
1983 - Star Fleet Project (EP)
Brian May + Friends
1986 - Beyond the Gates
Possessed (2nd Album)
1988 - Bug
Dinosaur Jr. (3rd Album)
1988 - Choba B CCCP (USSR Release)
Paul McCartney (7th Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #109
* Released the Album in the U.S. in 1991
1988 - Ultramega OK
Soundgarden (Debut Album)
1989 - Built to Last
Grateful Dead (13 & Final Album)
Billboard Charts: #27
1989 - Book of Days
The Psychedelic Furs (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #138
Singles Released
1984 - “Like a Virgin”
Madonna
#1 Song in America from December 22 - February 1
* Also Hit #1 in Canada, Australia and Japan
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - The Washington Redskins Beat the San Diego Chargers 27 - 24 in San Diego on Monday Night Football
Spread
Redskins -4.5
O/U 52.0
Both Teams Combined for 910 Yards of Offense
* Ed Luther (Chargers) Threw 6 Interceptions
1987 - Lee Haney (USA) Won His 4th Straight Mr. Olympia
Prize: $55K
Runner Up: Rich Gaspari (USA)
Location: Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden
1987 - Chris Antley Became the First Jockey to 9 Win Races in a Day
* Won 4 in Aqueduct and then 5 at the Meadowlands
1988 - The Indianapolis Colts Beat the Denver Broncos 55 - 23 in Indianapolis on Halloween Night
Spread
Colts -1
O/U 40.0
First Monday Night Football Game in Indianapolis
* Eric Dickerson (Colts) 159 Yards Rushing with 4 Touchdowns
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Other Notable Dates
(On October 31st)
1941 - The Construction of Mt. Rushmore Came to an End
* Located in Kensington, South Dakota
Did You Know?
The 4 Presidents on Mt. Rushmore are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln
The 4 Presidents Were Chosen to Represent the Nation's Birth, Growth, Development and Preservation, Respectively
1957 - Toyota Began Exporting Cars to the United States
* Toyota Crown and the Toyota Land Cruiser Were the First Cars to be Exported
Did You Know?
Toyota Was Founded by Kiichiro Toyoda on August 28, 1937
Now Produces Over 10 Million Cars Per Year
1975 - Queen Released "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a Single
Reached #9 in the US
* Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand
Soundgarden Released Their Debut Album
Headlines
(October 31st)
1987 - Lee Haney (USA) Won His 4th Straight Mr. Olympia Competition
Location: The Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden
Did You Know?
Lee Haney Won 8 Straight Mr. Olympia Competitions From 1984 to 1991
Fun NBA Facts!
(#1 Overall Picks)
1980 - Joe Barry Carroll (Center)
Team: Golden State Warriors
College: Purdue
1981 - Mark Aquirre (Forward)
Team: Dallas Mavericks
College: DePaul
1982 - James Worthy (Forward)
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
College: North Carolina
1983 - Ralph Sampson (Center)
Team: Houston Rockets
College: Virginia
1984 - Hakeem Olajuwon (Center)
Team: Houston Rockets
College: Houston
1985 - Patrick Ewing (Center)
Team: New York Knicks
College: Georgetown
1986 - Brad Daugherty (Center)
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
College: North Carolina
1987 - David Robinson (Center)
Team: San Antonio Spurs
College: Navy
1988 - Danny Manning (Forward)
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
College: Kansas
1989 - Pervis Ellison (Center)
Team: Sacramento Kings
College: Louisville
Saturday Night Live
October 31st in 80s History
1988 - The Indianapolis Colts Beat the Denver Broncos 55 - 23 on Monday Night Football on Halloween Night
* The First Monday Night Football Game in Indianapolis
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October 31, 1980 The Awakening, Starring Charlton Heston Premiered in Theaters
October 31, 1981 Donald Pleasance (Star of Halloween) Hosted Saturday Night Live on Halloween Night
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I'm a Big Girl Now