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1989 - American Gladiators Made Its Debut
Seasons: 7
Episodes: 139
#1 Songs in America
(September 9th)
1980 - "Upside Down"
Diana Ross
9/6 - 10/3
1981 - "Endless Love"
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
8/15 - 10/16
1982 - "Abracadabra"
Steve Miller Band
9/4 - 9/10
1983 - "Sweet Dreams"
Eurythmics
9/3 - 9/9
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 - "Venus"
Bananarama
9/6 - 9/12
1987 - "La Bamba"
Los Lobos
8/29 - 9/18
1988 - "Monkey"
George Michael
8/27 - 9/9
1989 - "Hangin' Tough"
New Kids on the Block
9/9 - 9/15
Click Here For More 80s Music Fun Facts and Awards
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John McEnroe Won the U.S. Open
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Happy 80s Birthdays
1949 - Joe Theisman (Football)
Birthplace: New Brunswick, New Jersey
1950 - John McFee (Guitarist) The Doobie Brothers
Birthplace: Santa Cruz, California
1951 - Tom Wobat (Actor) The Dukes of Hazzard "Luke"
Birthplace: Lodi, Wisconsin
1952 - Dave Stewart (English Guitarist) Eurythmics
Birthplace: Sunderland, England
1959 - Tom Foley (Baseball)
Birthplace: Columbus, Georgia
1960 - Hugh Grant (Actor)
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England
1965 - Dan Majerle (Basketball)
Birthplace: Traverse City, Michigan
1966 - Adam Sandler (Actor)
Birthplace: New York City
1967 - B. J. Armstrong (Basketball)
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
1971 - Henry Thomas (Actor) E.T. "Elliott"
Birthplace: San Antonio, Texas
Fun Fact!
Dan Majerle Was the 14th Overall Pick in the 1988 Draft by the Phoenix Suns
College: Central Michigan
NBA Seasons: 14
Position: Shooting Guard/Small Forward
All-Star: 3 (1992, 1993, 1995)
Teams
Phoenix Suns 1988 - 1995
Cleveland Cavaliers 1995 - 1996
Miami Heat 1996 - 2001
Phoenix Suns 2001 - 2002
Click Here For More NBA Fun Facts and Awards
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Other Notable Birthdays
Sylvia Miles (Actress)
September 9, 1924 - June 12, 2019
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 94 in a Manhattan Resting Home From Declining Health Caused by Anemia and Respiratory Issues
* Played Dolores the Realtor in the 1987 Film Wall Street
A 2x Academy Award Nominee For Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Burgess Meredith (Actor)
November 16, 1907 - September 9, 1997
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 89 From Alzheimer's Disease and Melanoma
* Played the Penguin the 1960's TV Show Batman
A 2x Academy Award Nominee For His Role as Rocky's Manager, Mickey in Rocky (1976) and Harry in the Day of the Locust (1975)
Richie Ashburn (Baseball)
March 19, 1927 - September 9, 1997
Birthplace: Tilden, Nebraska
Passed Away at Age of 70 From a Heart Attack
MLB Seasons: 15
Position: Centerfield
All-Star: 6
NL Batting Champion: 2 (1955, 1958)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 (Veterans Committee)
Catfish Hunter (Baseball)
April 8, 1946 - September 9, 1999
Birthplace: Hetford, North Carolina
Passed Away at Age of 53 From ALS
MLB Seasons: 15
Position: Pitcher
All-Star: 8
AL Cy Young: 1974
World Series Champion: 5
Perfect Game: May 8, 1968
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 (3rd Ballot)
James Earl Jones (Actor)
January 17, 1931 - September 9, 2024
Birthplace: Arkabutla, Mississippi
Passed Away in His Pawling, New York Home at Age 93 From Declining Health Caused by Type 2 Diabetes
* Died in His Pawling, New York Home Surrounded by Family
Best Known For Playing the Voice of Darth Vader
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - Phobia
Director: John Huston
Starring: Paul Michael Glaser, Susan Hogan and John Colicos
Budget: $5.1 Million
Box Office: $59,000
1983 - Nightmares
Director: Joseph Sargent
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Lance Henriksen, Cristina Raines, Veronica Cartwright, and Richard Masur
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $6.6 Million
1988 - Moon over Parador
Director: Paul Mazursky
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga, Jonathan Winters and Fernando Rey
Budget: $20 Million
Box Office: $11.4 Million
1988 - Running on Empty
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Christine Lahti, Judd Hirsch, Martha Plimpton, Steven Hill and River Phoenix
Budget: $7 Million
Box Office: $2.8 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1983 - Lottery! Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 17
1985 - She-Ra: Princess of Power (Animation) Premiered in Syndication
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 93
1986 - The Wizard Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 19
1989 - American Gladiators Premiered in Syndication
Seasons: 7
Episodes: 139
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Out of Control
Peter Criss (2nd Solo Album)
1982 - Signals
Rush (9th Album)
Billboard Charts:
Reached #10 on the US Billboard 200 Charts and #3 in the UK
1985 - A Cappella
Todd Rundgren (12th Album)
Billboard Charts:
Reached #128 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
1985 - You're Under Arrest
Miles Davis (56th Album)
Billboard Charts:
Reached #111 on the US Billboard 200 Charts and #3 in Jazz
1987 - Earth, Sun, Moon
Love and Rockets (3rd Album)
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1984 - John McEnroe Won the U.S. Open
Runner Up: Ivan Lendl
Match: 6-3, 6-4, 6-1
1987 - Nolan Ryan Recorded His 4,500th Career Strikeout
Career Strikeouts: 5,714 (MLB Record)
1988 - Bruce Sutter Recorded His 300th and Final Career Save
Click Here For More Baseball Fun Facts and Awards
1989 - Steffi Graf Won the U.S. Open
Runner Up: Martina Navratilova
Match: 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
1989 - Lee Haney (USA) Won His 6th of 8 Straight Mr. Olympia Competitions
Prize: $80,000
Runner Up: Lee Labrada (USA)
Location: Sala Dei Congressi in Rimini, Italy
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Other Notable Dates
(On September 9th)
1850 - California Became the 31st U.S. State, With a Population of 92,000
* The Population is Now Over 40 Million, the Most Populist State
Fun Fact!
39% of California is Hispanic, 38% White, 17% Asian and 6% Black
* Chinese is the Most Popular Asian Population
1956 - Elvis Presley Made His First Appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Singing the Hit Song, "Don't Be Cruel"
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1989 - “Hangin’ Tough” by The New Kids on the Block Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from September 9 - 15
Also Hit #1 in the UK and Ireland
Fun Fact!
The Lead Vocals For "Hangin' Tough" Was Sung by Donnie Wahlberg
1966 - The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act Was Enacted in the United States to Empower the Government to Set and Administer New Safety Standards For Road Traffic Safety
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<- September 8th September 10th ->
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September 9th in 80s History
Headlines
(September 9th)
1984 - John McEnroe (USA) Won the 104th Mens U.S. Open
Runner Up: Ivan Lendl (Czechoslovakia)
Match: 6-3, 6-4, 6-1
Fun Fact!
John McEnroe Won 7 Majors During His Career
Wimbledon: 1981, 1983, 1984
U.S. Open: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984
1989 - Steffi Graf (West Germany) Won the 103rd Women's U.S. Open
Runner Up: Martina Navratilova (Czechoslovakia)
Match: 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
Fun Fact!
Steffi Graf is Considered One of the Greatest Female Tennis Players of All-Time Winning 22 Majors
Wimbledon: 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996
U.S. Open: 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996
French Open: 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999
Australian Open: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994