1988 - The Indianapolis Colts Beat the Denver Broncos 55 - 23 on Monday Night Football
* The First Monday Night Football Game in Indianapolis

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The Awakening

1989 - The Grateful Dead Released Their 13th and Final Album
Title:  Built to Last
Billboard Charts:  27

The Grateful Dead Was Formed in Palo Alto, California in 1966

October 31, 1980 The Awakening, Starring Charlton Heston Premiered in Theaters

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


Fun Fact!

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


Click There For More Basketbal Fun Facts and Awards

Saturday Night Live

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

1988 - Soundgarden Released Their Debut Album

Title:  Ultramega OK
Soundgarden Formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984


Fun Fact!

Soundgarden Helped Popularize Grunge Music Groups, Alongside Other Seattle Bands, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana

October 31st in 80s History

#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

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Happy 80s Birthdays


1931 - Dan Rather (TV Journalist)  CBS Evening News
Birthplace:  Wharton, Texas
1941 - Sally Kirkland (Actress)  Anna
Birthplace:  New York City
1945 - Brian Doyle-Murray (Actor)  Caddyshack
Birthplace:  Evanston, Illinois
1947 - Deidre Hall (Actress)  Days of Our Lives
Birthplace:  Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1955 - Xavier Roberts (Inventor)  Cabbage Patch Kids
Birthplace:  Cleveland, Georgia
1960 - Mike Gallego (Baseball)
Birthplace:  Whittier, California
1961 - Larry Mullen (Irish Drummer)  U2
Birthplace:  Artane, Dublin, Ireland
1963 - Johnny Marr (English Singer)  the Smiths
Birthplace:  Manchester, England
1963 - Dermot Multoney (Actor)  Young Guns
Birthplace:  Alexandria, Virginia
1964 - Colm Ó Cíosóig (Irish Drummer)  My Bloody Valentine
Birthplace:  Dublin, Ireland
1966 - Ad-Rock (Rapper)  Beastie Boys
Birthplace:  New York City
1966 - Annabella Lwin (Burmese Singer)  Bow Wow Wow
Birthplace:  Rangoon Burma
1967 - Vanilla Ice (Rapper)
Birthplace:  Dallas, Texas


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 White Member


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Other Notable Birthdays


Michael Landon (Actor)
October 31, 1936 - July 1, 1991
Birthplace:  New York City
Passed Away at Age 54 From Pancreatic Cancer
* Diagnosed in April 1991
Played Charles Ingalls On Little House on the Prairie and Joe Cartright on Bonanza

John Candy (Actor)
October 31, 1950 - March 4, 1994
Birthplace:  Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Passed Away at Age of 43 From a Heart Attack
* Best Known For Uncle Buck and Home Alone
The Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League Won the Grey Cup Under John Candy’s Ownership in 1991


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Passed Away

(On This Day)


George Halas (Football Owner)
February 2, 1895 - October 31, 1983
Birthplace:  Chicago, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 88 From Pancreatic Cancer
The Founder and Owner of the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears Were Founded in 1920 (The First Year of the NFL)

River Phoenix (Actor)
August 23, 1970 - October 31, 1993​
Birthplace:  Madras, Oregon
Passed Away at Age 23 From a Morphine and Cocaine Overdose
* Suffered Cardiac Arrest in Front of the Viper Club in Hollywood​​​​​​​​​​
Played Chris Chambers in the 1987 Film Stand by Me

Willie McCovey (Baseball)
January 10, 1938 - October 31, 2018
Birthplace:  Mobile, Alabama
Passed Away at Age 80 From Long Ongoing Health Issues
MLB Seasons:  19
Position:  First Base
All-Star:  6
Career Home Runs:  521
NL MVP:  1969
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 (1st Ballot)

Sean Connery (Scottish Actor)
August 25, 1930 - October 31, 2020
Birthplace:  Edinburgh, Scotland
Passed Away in His Sleep at His Bahamas Home at Age 90
* Was Battling a Brief Illness
Played the Original James Bond in the First 7 Films


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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
Billboard Charts:  #9

Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand​

October 31, 1981 I'm a Big Girl Now, Starring Martin Short Premiered on ABC

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2011 - The Global Population Reached 7 Billion

* Recognized by the United Nations as 7 Billion Day


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