_______________________________
September 17th in 80s History
The 1988 Summer Olympics Opened in Seoul, Korea
Headlines
(September 17th)
1984 - Vanessa Williams Became the First African-American to be Crowned Miss America
* Had to Give Up Her Crown After Pictures of Her Posing in Penthouse Surfaced
Fun Fact!
Vanessa Williams' 1992 Song “Save the Best For Last" Was the #1 Song in America From March 21 to April 24
1988 - The XXIV Summer Olympics Opened in Seoul, Korea
Nations: 160
Male Athletes: 6,250
Female Athletes: 2,023
Sports: 23
Events: 237
Fun Fact!
The Soviet Union Won the Most Gold Medals With 55
#2 East Germany (37)
#3 United States (36)
_______________________________
_______________________________
1986 - Head of the Class Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 114
_______________________________
#1 Songs in America
(September 17th)
1980 - "Upside Down"
Diana Ross
9/6 - 10/3
1981 - "Endless Love"
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
8/15 - 10/16
1982 - "Hard To Say I'm Sorry"
Chicago
9/11 - 9/24
1983 - "Maniac"
Michael Sembello
9/10 - 9/23
1984 - "What's Love Got To Do With It"
Tina Turner
9/1 - 9/21
1985 - "St. Elmos Fire"
John Parr
9/7 - 9/20
1986 - "Take my Breath Away"
Berlin
9/13 - 9/19
1987 - "La Bamba"
Los Lobos
8/29 - 9/18
1988 - “Sweet Child o’ Mine"
Guns N’ Roses
9/10 - 9/23
1989 - "Don't Want to Lose You"
Gloria Estefan
9/16 - 9/22
Click Here For More 80s Music Fun Facts and Awards
1984 - Reggie Jackson Hit His 500th Career Home Run
Career Home Runs: 562
Fun Fact!
Reggie Jackson is Only Player to Lead the League in Home Runs With 3 Different Teams
Oakland A's: 1973, 1975
New York Yankees: 1980
California Angels: 1982
Happy 80s Birthdays
1945 - Phil Jackson (Basketball)
Birthplace: Deer Lodge, Missouri
1950 - Fee Waybill (Singer) The Tubes
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska
1951 - Cassandra Peterson (Actress) Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Birthplace: Manhattan, Kansas
1953 - Rita Rudner (Comedian)
Birthplace: Miami, Florida
1955 - Scott Simpson (Golf)
Birthplace: San Diego, California
1956 - Thad Bosley (Baseball)
Birthplace: Oceanside, California
1957 - Susan Ursitti (Actress) Teen Wolf “Boof”
Birthplace: Unknown
1960 - Kevin Clash (Voice Actor) Elmo
Birthplace: Baltimore, California
1960 - John Franco (Baseball)
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
1961 - Jim Cornette (Wrestling Manager)
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky
1962 - Dustin Nguyen (Actor) 21 Jump Street (Harry Truman Ioki)
Birthplace: Saigon, South Vietnam
1966 - Doug E. Fresh (Rapper)
Birthplace: Bridgetown, Barbados
Fun Fact!
John Francso is a 2x Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (1988, 1990)
MLB Seasons: 21
All-Star: 4
Career Saves: 424
_______________________________
Other Notable Birthdays
Roddy McDowall (Actor)
September 17, 1928 - October 3, 1998
Birthplace: Herne Hill, London, England
Passed Away at Age 70 From Lung Cancer
* Career Spanned Over 60 Years With 260 Screen and Stage Roles
Played Cornelius In the Original Planet of the Apes (1968)
Anne Bancroft (Actress)
September 17, 1931 - June 6, 2005
Birthplace New York City:
Passed Away at Age 73 From Uterine Cancer
* Played Madge Kendal in the 1989 Film The Elephant Man
Won an Academy Award For Her Role as Anne Sullivan in the 1962 Film The Miracle Worker
Paul Benedict (Actor)
September 17, 1938 - December 1, 2008
Birthplace: Martha's Vineyard
Passed Away at Age 70 From a Brain Hemorrhage
* Was Found Dead in His Martha’s Vineyard Home
Played Mr. Bentley on the The Jeffersons
John Ritter (Actor)
September 17, 1948 - September 11, 2003
Birthplace: Burbank, California
Passed Away on September 11, 2003 at Age 54 From an Aortic Dissection
* Played Jack Tripper on Three's Company
Won a Primetime Emmy Award For Most Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series in 1984
_______________________________
Passed Away
(On This Day)
Bobby “The Brain” Heenan (Wrestling Manager)
November 1, 1944 - September 17, 2017
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Passed Away at Age 72 From Organ Failure Due to Throat Cancer
Wrestling Manager of the Year: 4 (1972, 1976, 1989, 1991)
Elected to WWE Hall of Fame in 2004
Fun Fact!
Considered the Greatest Manager in Wrestling History
_______________________________
80s Movies
(On This Day)
No 80s Movies Released On This Day
Fun Fact!
Red Dawn (1984) Was the First PG-13 Movie
_______________________________
80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - The Powers of Matthew Star Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 22
1983 - Alvin and the Chipmunks (Animation) Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 8
Episodes: 102 (168 segments)
1983 - Mister T (Animation) Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 33
1983 - Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
1983 - Biskitts (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13 (26 segments)
1983 - The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 18
1983 - Dungeons & Dragons (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 27
1983 - Saturday Supercade (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 26 (98 segments)
1984 - The Transformers (Animation) Premiered in Syndication
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 98
1986 - Head of the Class Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 114
1987 - Out of This World Premiered in Syndication
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 96
1988 - Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop Premiered on The Family Channel
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 106
* The Show was Called Katts and Dog in the UK and Canada
1988 - Garfield and Friends (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 7
Episodes: 121 (363 Segments)
1988 - Hey Vern, It's Ernest! Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
Starring Jim Varney
1988 - Superman (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
1988 - Fantastic Max (Animation) Premiered in Syndication
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 26
1989 - Major Dad Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 96
_______________________________
80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Oingo Boingo (EP)
Oingo Boingo
* The EP Was the Band’s First Official Release
Oingo Boingo’s First Studio Album Was "Only the Lad" (1981)
1980 - One Step Closer
The Doobie Brothers (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #3
1982 - The Philip Lynott Album
Philip Lynott (2nd Album)
* Reached #18 in Sweden
1985 - Ready for the World
Ready for the World (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #17
* #3 in R&B
Featuring “Oh Sheila”
1985 - Here's to Future Days
Thompson Twins (5th Album)
Billboard Charts: #20
* #5 in the UK
1985 - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #52
1988 - Tougher Than Leather
Run-D.M.C. (4th Album)
Billboard Charts: #9
* #2 in R&B
Featuring “Mary, Mary”
1989 - Soldier of Fortune
Loudness (8th Album)
_______________________________
80s Sports
1981 - Ric Flair Beat Dusty Rhodes to WIn the NWA Heavyweight Championship
1983 - The Chicago White Sox Clinched the American League West For the First Time
* The White Sox Beat the Mariners 4 - 3 at Comiskey Park on a Saturday Night
Attendance: 45,646
1984 - Reggie Jackson Hit His 500th Career Home Run
Pitcher: Bud Black
* The Royals Beat the Angels 10 - 1 at Anaheim Stadium on a Monday Night
Attendance: 28,862
1984 - Chicago White Sox Outfielder ,Harold Baines Hit 3 Home Runs Against the Minnesota Twins
* The White Sox Beat the Twins 7 - 3 at the Metrodome on a Monday Night
Attendance: 17,052
1988 - The Summer Olympics Opened in Seoul, Korea
_______________________________
Other Notable Dates
(On September 17th)
1776 - The San Francisco Presidio Was Founded by New Spain
* The Presidio Served 219 Years of Military Service
Became a National Park in 1994
1789 - The Constitution of the United States Was Created and Signed
1920 - The National Football League Was Founded as The American Football League
Original Teams
Akron Pros
Canton Bulldogs
Cleveland Tigers
Columbus Panhandlers
Dayton Triangles
Chicago Tigers
Decatur Staleys
Racine Cardinals Chicago
Rock Island Independents
Hammond Pros
Muncie Flyers
Buffalo All-Americans
Rochester Jeffersons
Detroit Heralds
Fun Fact!
The Green Bay Packers Were Formed in 1919,B ut Didn't Join the League Until 1921
1972 - M*A*S*H Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 11
Episodes: 256
Top 10 in Ratings 9 Out of 11 Seasons
Fun Fact!
On February 28, 1983 the Final Episode of M*A*S*H Aired, Becoming, the Most Watched Non Sporting Event TV Episode of All-Time With Over 105 Million Viewers
_______________________________
<- September 16th September 18th ->
_______________________________