Happy 80s Birthdays
1939 - George Hamilton (Actor) Zorro, The Gay Blade
1941 - Dana Ivey (Actress) The Color Purple
1949 - Mark Knopfler (Guitarist) Dire Straits
1950 - Jim Beaver (Actor) Turner & Hooch
1954 - Sam J. Jones (Actor) My Chauffeur
1956 - Bruce Greenwood (Actor) St. Elsewhere
1961 - Roy Hay (Guitarist) Culture Club
1963 - Sir Mix-a-Lot (Rapper)
Fun Fact!
Sir Mix-a-Lot’s Debut Album Was Swass, Released in 1988
* Reached #82 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
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Other Notable Birthdays
John Derek (Director)
August 12, 1926 - May 22, 1998
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Passed Away at Age 71 From Cardiovascular Disease
Was Married to Actress and Model Bo Derek Since 1976
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Passed Away
(On this Day)
Henry Fonda (Actor)
May 16, 1905 - August 12, 1982
Passed Away at Age 77 Frrom Heart Disease
Won an Academy Award For Best Actor in 1981 For His Role as Norman Thayer Jr, in the Film, On Golden Pond
* Also Nominated For His Role as Tom Joad in the 1940 Film The Grapes of Wrath
Merv Griffin (Talk Show Host)
July 6, 1925 - August 12, 2007
Passed Away at Age 82 From Prostate Cancer
The Host of The Merv Griffin Show From 1962 to 1986
* Also Created the Game Shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1983 - Cujo
Director: Lewis Teague
Starring: Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh-Kelly, Joey Pintauro and Moe as Cujo
Budget: $8 Million
Box Office: $21.2 Million
1983 - Curse of the Pink Panther
Director: Blake Edwards
Starring: David Niven, Robert Wagner, Herbert Lom, Joanna Lumley, Capucine, Robert Loggia, Harvey Korman, Ted Wass and Roger Moore
Budget: $11 Million
Box Office: $4.4 Million
1983 - The Man Who Wasn't There
Director: Bruce Malmuth
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Art Hindle and William Forsythe
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $2.4 Million
1983 - Smokey and the Bandit Part 3
Director: Dick Lowry
Starring: Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Paul Williams, Pat McCormick, Mike Henry, Colleen Camp and a cameo by Burt Reynolds
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $7 Million
1988 - Young Guns
Director: Christopher Cain
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Casey Siemaszko, Terence Stamp, Terry O'Quinn, Brian Keith and Jack Palance
Budget: $11 Million
Box Office: $45.6 Million
1988 - The Last Temptation of Christ
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring:Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Andre Gregory, Harry Dean Stanton and David Bowie
Budget: $7 Million
Box Office: $8.9 Million
1988 - Mac and Me
Director: Stuart Raffill
Starring: Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, Katrina Caspary, Lauren Stanley and Jade Calegory
Budget: $13 Million
Box Office: $6.4 Million
1988 - Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forrest, Mako and Dean Stockwell
Budget: $24 Million
Box Office: $19.7 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1989 - Comic Strip Live Premiered on Fox
Seasons: 4
Click Here For More TV Fun Facts and Awards
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - One-Trick Pony
Paul Simon (5th Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #12
1981 - Never Too Much
Luther Vandross (Debut Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #19
* #1 in R&B
Over 2 Million Copies Sold in the US
1985 - Old Ways
Neil Young (14th Album)
Billboard Charts: #75
1988 - Leprosy
Death (2nd Album)
In Other Music News
1988 - Public Enemy Put On a Concert at Rikers Island Prison in Front of 250 Inmates and 100 Journalists
Fun Fact!
Richard Marx was Married to Actress & Dancer Cynthia Rhodes (Staying Alive, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing) for over 25 Years before Divorcing in 2014
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1984 - The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres Engaged in a Bench Clearing Brawl that Resulted in 19 Ejections
* The Braves Beat the Padres 5-3 at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta on a Sunday Afternoon
Attendance: 23,912
1984 - Harmon Killebrew, Don Drysdale, Luis Aparicio Pee Wee Reese and Rick Ferrell Were Inducted Into the Baseball Hall of Fame
* Pee Wee Reese and Rick Farrell were Voted in by the Veterans Committee
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1985 - Japan Airlines Flight 123 Crashed Into Osutaka Ridge in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, Killing 520
* The Worst Single-Plane Air Disaster
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Other Notable Dates
(On August 12th)
1851 - Isaac Singer Received a Patent For the Sewing Machine
1896 - British Surgeon, Joseph Lister Performed the First Antiseptic Surgery
1954 - Dr. Suess's, Horton Hears a Who! Was Published
1964 - South Africa Was Banned From the Olympics Because of Their Racial Views
* Reinstated After the 1988 Olympics
Fun Fact!
In 1908, Reggie Walker Became the First South African to Win an Olympic Gold Medal
Sport: Track and Field
Event: 100 Meters
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1988 - Young Guns Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips and Charlie Sheen
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#1 Songs in America
(August 12th)
1980 - "Magic"
Olivia Newton-John
8/2 - 8/29
1981 - "Jessie's Girl"
Rick Springfield
8/1 - 8/14
1982 - "Eye of the Tiger"
Survivor
7/24 - 9/3
1983 - "Every Breath You Take"
The Police
7/9 - 9/2
1984 "Ghostbusters"
Ray Parker, Jr.
8/11 - 8/31
1985 - "Shout"
Tears for Fears
8/3 - 8/23
1986 - "Glory of Love"
Peter Cetera
8/2 - 8/15
1987 - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
U2
8/8 - 8/21
1988 - "Roll With It"
Steve Winwood
7/30 - 8/26
1989 - "Right Here Waiting"
Richard Marx
8/12 - 9/1
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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Headlines
(August 12th)
1981 - The IBM Personal Computer Went on Sale in the United States
Price: $1,565
The IBM Computer Went on Sale
August 12th in 80s History
1984 - The Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres Engaged in a Bench Clearing Brawl, Resulting in 19 Ejections
* 4 Separate Brawls in 2 Minutes
1989 - “Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from August 12 - September 1
Also Hit #1 in Canada, Poland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand
Fun Fact!
Richard Marx Was Married to Actress & Dancer, Cynthia Rhode For Over 25 Years Before Divorcing in 2014
* Cynthia Rhodes Starred in Staying Alive, Flashdance and Dirty Dancing