April 17th in 80s History
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Happy 80s Birthdays
1954 - Michael Sembello (Singer) “Maniac”
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1957 - Terry Austin (Actress) Knots Landing
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1957 - Afrika Bambaataa (DJ)
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York
1961 - Boomer Esiason (Football)
Birthplace: East Islip, New York
1964 - Lela Rochon (Actress) Harlem Nights “Sunshine”
Birthplace: Torrance, California
Fun Fact!
Boomer Esiason Won the NFL MVP in 1988 as the Quarterback For the Cincinnati Bengals
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Other Notable Birthdays
Alexander Cartwright (Firefighter)
April 17, 1820 - July 12, 1892
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 72
* Unknown Cause of Death
Cartwright Invented Baseball
Fun Fact!
The Myth Says it Was Abner Doubleday, But That Was Debunked by Cooperstown
Did You Know?
Alexander Cartwright Was the Honolulu Fire Chief From 1950 to 1963
J.P. Morgan (American Banker)
April 17, 1837 - March 31, 1913
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut
Passed Away at Age 75
* Unknown Cause of Death
Founded J.P. Morgan & Co
Bud Paxson (American Broadcaster)
April 17, 1935 - January 9, 2015
Birthplace: Rochester, New York
Passed Away at Age 79
* Unknown Cause of Death
Founded The Home Shopping Network
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper (Wrestler)
April 17, 1954 - July 31, 2015
Birthplace: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Passed Away at Age 61 From Cardiopulmonary Arrest
* Caused by Hypertension
Considered One of the Most Popular and Hated Wrestlers of All-Time
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
George Jennings (English Engineer and Plumber)
November 10, 1810 - April 17, 1882
Birthplace: Eling, Hampshire, England
Passed Away at Age 72 After Getting Thrown From a Horse
* Died From Congestion to the Lungs
Invented the Toilet Flush
Robert Atkins (American Cardiologist)
October 17, 1930 - April 17, 2003
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 72 After Falling and Hitting His His Head on an Icy Sidewalk
* Had a History of Heart Attack, Congestive Heart Failure and Hypertension
The Founder of The Atkins Diet
Doris Roberts (Actress)
November 4, 1925 - April 17, 2016
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
Passed Away in Her Los Angeles Home at Age 90 From a Stroke
* Was Diagnosed With Pulmonary Hypertension
Played Raymond's Mother in I Love Raymond and Francis in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Barbara Bush (Former First Lady)
June 8, 1925 - April 17, 2018
Birthplace: Queens, New York
Passed Away in Her Houston Home at Age 92
* Unknown Cause of Death
Married to George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - The Private Eyes
Director: Lang Elliott
Starring: Tim Conway and Don Knotts
Budget: $2.3 Million
Box Office: $18.1 Million
1981 - Caveman
Director: Carl Gottlieb
Starring: Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long and Barbara Bach
Budget: N/A
Gross: $15.9 Million
1987 - Project X
Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Starring: Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt
Budget: $18 Million
Box Office: $21 Million
1987 - Wild Thing
Director: Max Reid
Starring: Robert Knepper and Kathleen Quinlan
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $84,000
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Johnny Cash Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Elton John
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Go for It
Stiff Little Fingers (3rd Album)
* Reached #14 in the UK
1982 - Iron Fist
Motörhead (5th Album)
Billboard Charts: #174
* #6 in the UK
1989 - Alice in Hell
Annihilator (Debut Album)
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - Lynn Adams Won the LPGA Combanks Orlando Golf Classic
1983 - Nolan Ryan Struck Out Andre Dawson to Record His 3,500th Career Strikeout
* The Astros Beat the Expos 6 - 3 at the Astrodome in Houston on a Sunday Afternoon
Attendance: 9,334
1984 - Atlanta Braves Pitcher Pascual Perez Was Suspended For Cocaine
1984 - The North-South Connection (Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch) Beat The Soul Patrol (Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson) to Win the WWF Tag Team Championship
1987 - Dr. J Became the 3rd NBA Player to Score 30,000 Career Points
* Wilt Chamberlain (1st) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2nd)
1988 - Belayneh Densamo (Ethiopia) Beat the World Record Marathon Time by 22 Seconds Time: 2:06:50
Event: Rotterdam Marathon in the Netherlands
1989 - Abebe Mekonnen (Ethiopia) Won the 93rd Boston Marathon
Time: 2:09:06
1989 - Ingrid Kristiansen (Norway) Won the Boston Marathon (Female)
Time: 2:24:33
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1986 - The Pulitzer Prize Was Awarded to Larry McMurtry for "Lonesome Dove"
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In Other News
(On April 17th)
1969 - Sirhan Sirhan Was Convicted of Assassinating Robert F. Kennedy
* A Palenstanian Who Thought Kennedy Was Supporting Israel to Harm Palenstanians
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World Marathon Record
3,500 Career Strikeouts
On April 17, 1988 Ethiopia's Belayneh Densamo Broke the World Marathon Record (2:06:50) by 22 Seconds at The Rotterdam Marathon in the Netherlands
* The Current Record is Held By Eliud Kipchoge (2:01:39) From Kenya in 2018
1987 - Dr. J Scored His 30,000th Career NBA Point
Career Points: 30,026
NBA MVP: 1981)
NBA Champion: 1983
ABA MVP: 3 (1974, 1975, 1976)
Fun Fact!
Dr. J Won the First Slam Dunk Contest in 1976 During the ABA All-Star Festivities
* Larry Nance Won the First NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1984
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#1 Songs in America
(April 17th)
1980 - "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II
Pink Floyd
3/22 - 4/18
1981 - "Kiss on My List"
Hall & Oates
4/11 - 5/1
1982 - "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
3/20 - 5/7
1983 - "Billie Jean"
Michael Jackson
3/5 - 4/22
1984 - "Footloose
Kenny Loggins
3/31 - 4/20
1985 - "We Are the World"
USA for Africa
4/13 - 5/10
1986 - "Rock Me Amadeus"
Falco
3/28 - 4/18
1987 - "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
Starship
4/4 - 4/17
1988 - "Get Out of Dreams, Get Into My Car"
Billy Ocean
4/9 - 4/22
1989 - "She Drives Me Crazy"
Fine Young Cannibals
4/15 - 4/21
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
Headlines
(April 17th)
1983 - Nolan Ryan Recorded His 3,500th Career Strikeout
* Struck Out Future Hall of Famer Andre Dawson
Career Strikeouts: 5,714 (Major League Record)
Nolan Ryan Holds the Major League Record With 7 Career No-Hitters
1984 - The North-South Connection (Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch) Beat The Soul Patrol (Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson) to Win the WWF Tag Team Championship
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1987 - Project X Premiered in Theaters
Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Starring: Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt