August 1st in 80s History
Happy 80s Birthdays
1939 - Terry Kiser (Actor) Weekend at Bernie’s
1948 - Cliff Branch (Football)
1953 - Robert Cray (Blues Guitarist)
1958 - Michael Penn (Singer)
1959 - Joe Elliott (Singer) Def Leppard
1960 - Chuck D (Rapper) Public Enemy
1973 - Tempestt Bledsoe (Actress) The Cosby Show (Vanessa)
Fun Fact!
Tempestt Bledsoe Earned a Bachelor's Degree in Finance From New York University
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Other Notable Birthdays
Jerry Garcia (Singer)
August 1, 1942 - August 9, 1995
Passed Away at Age of 53 From a Heart Attack
Lead Singer For The Grateful Dead
Coolio (Rapper)
August 1, 1963 - September 28, 2022
Passed Away at Age 59 From an Accidental Overdose of Fentanyl, Heroin, and Methamphetamine
Won a Grammy Award in 1995 For His Hit Song "Gangster's Paradise"
* Also Sang the Hit Songs "Fantastic Voyage" and "1,2,3,4"
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Rocky Dixon (Football)
December 26, 1966 - August 1, 2020
Passed Away at Age 53 From Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Motor Neuron Disease)
The Oklahoma Safety Was Drafted 5th Overall in the 1988 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - The Final Countdown
Director: Don Taylor
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross, James Farentino and Ron O'Neal
Charles Durning
Budget: $12 Million
Box Office: $6 Million
1980 - The Hunter
Director: Buzz Kulik
Starring: Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, Kathryn Harrold, LeVar Burton and Ben Johnson
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $16.2 Million
1980 - Loose Shoes
Director: Ira Miller
Starring: Royce D. Applegate, Bill Murray, Lewis Arquette and Howard Hesseman
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
1980 - Raise the Titanic
Director: Jerry Jameson
Starring: Jason Robards, Richard Jordan, David Selby, Anne Archer and Sir Alec Guinness
Budget: $40 Million
Box Office: $7 Million
One of the Biggest Movie Flops From the 80s
1980 - I Go Pogo
Director: Marc Paul Chinoy
Starring: Jonathan Winters, Vincent Price and Ruth Buzzi
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
1986 - Howard the Duck
Director: Willard Huyck
Starring: Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones and Tim Robbins
Budget: $37 Million
Box Office: $38 Million
1986 - Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Director: Tom McLoughlin
Starring: Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke and David Kagen, C. J. Graham & Dan Bradley as Jason Voorhees
Budget: $3 Million
Box Office: $19.4 Million
1986 - Flight of the Navigator
Director: Randal Kleiser
Starring: Joey Cramer, Matt Adler, Sarah Jessica Parker and the voice of Pee-wee Herman
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $18.5 Million
1986 - Good to Go
Director: Blaine Novak
Starring: Art Garfunkel, Robert DoQui, Harris Yulin and Reginald Daughtry
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $1.5 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1980 - Cinemax Made its Debut
1981 - MTV Made its Debut
Fun Fact!
The First Music Video Played was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - The Affectionate Punch
Associates (Debut Album)
1980 - Kaleidoscope
Siouxsie & the Banshees (3rd Album)
* Reached #5 in the UK
1982 - Everybody's Rockin'
Neil Young and the Shocking Pinks (15th Album)
Billboard Charts: #46
1983 - No Frills
Bette Midler (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #60
* Hit #1 in Sweden
1985 - Innocence Is No Excuse
Saxon (7th Album)
Billboard Charts: #130
1986 - Crowded House
Crowded House (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #12
* Hit #1 in Australia
1988 - Chimes of Freedom (Live Album)
Bruce Springsteen
1988 - Red Rose for Gregory
Gregory Isaacs (24th Album)
Singles Released
1981 - "Endless Love"
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
#1 Song in America from August 15 - October 16
* Also Hit #1 in Canada, Australia and South Africa
In Other 80s Music News
1987 - Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama) got Married in France
1987 - MTV Europe Made Its Debut
* The First Music Video was "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - Hulk Hogan Made His AWA Debut in Wisconsin
1982 - Darryl Waltrip Became the First Driver to Win the Talladega 500 Twice
1985 - St. Louis Cardinals Rookie, Vince Coleman Set a National League Rookie Record With His 74th Stolen Base
* Finished the Season with 110 Stolen Bases
1986 - Minnesota Twins Pitcher, Bert Blyleven Struck Out Oakland A’s Hitter, Mike Davis to Record his 3,000th Career Strikeout
* The Twins Beat the A’s 10 - 1 at The Metrodome on a Friday Night
Attendance: 14,855
Kirby Puckett (Twins) 4 - 5 (Home Run)
1987 - Chicago Cubs Outfielder, Andre Dawson Hit 3 Home Runs Against the Philadelphia Phillies
* The Cubs Beat the Phillies 5 - 3 at Wrigley Field on a Saturday Afternoon
Attendance: 33,002
1987 - Mike Tyson Beat Tony Tucker by Unanimous Decision to Retain the Heavyweight Championship Belts
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Other Notable Dates
(On August 1st)
1876 - Colorado Became the 38th US State
1893 - Henry Perky Patented the Cereal, Shredded Wheat
1936 - The Summer Olympics Opened in Berlin
* Supervised by Adolf Hitler
1965 - The Science Fiction Novel, Dune Was Published
* Written by Frank Herbert
The World's Best-Selling Science Fiction Book
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MTV Was Launched
1987 - “Shakedown” by Bob Seger Became the #1 Song in America
#1 Song in America from August 1 - 7
* Also Hit #1 in Canada
The Soundtrack For Beverly Hills Cop II
1981 - “Jessie's Girl” by Rick Springfield Became the #1 Song in America
#1 Song in America from August 1 - 14
* Also Hit #1 in Australia
Was Written About His Real Friend Gary’s, Girlfriend
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1987 - Andre Dawson (Chicago Cubs) Hit 3 Home Runs Against the Philadelphia Phillies
* Andre Dawson Played 21 Seasons in Major League Baseball
8x All-Star
1977 National League Rookie of the Year
1987 National League MVP
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame (9th Ballot)
#1 Songs in America
(August 1st)
1980 - "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"
Billy Joel
7/19 - 8/1
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 - "When Doves Cry"
Prince
7/7 - 8/10
1985 - "Everytime You Go Away"
Paul Young
7/27 - 8/2
1986 - "Sledgehammer"
Peter Gabriel
7/26 - 8/1
1987 - "Shakedown"
Bob Seger
8/1 - 8/7
1988 - "Roll With It"
Steve Winwood
7/30 - 8/26
1989 - "Toy Soldiers"
Maltika
7/22 - 8/4
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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Headlines
(August 1st)
1981 - MTV Made its Debut
Original VJ's: Mark Goodman, Martha Quinn, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Nina Blackwood
Did You Know?
“Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles Was the First Music Video Played
#2 "You Better Run" (Pat Benatar)
#3 "She Won't Dance with Me" (Rod Stewart)
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