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August 25th in 80s History
Headlines
(August 25th)
1984 - Black Opera Singer Kathleen Battle Made Her Solo Debut at the Salzburg Festival
Fun Fact!
In 1955, Robert McFerrin Became the First African American to Perform a Solo Opera Performance
1984 - Menudo Released Their 16th Album, Evolución
* First Album With New Member Ricky Martin
Mark McGwire Hit His First Major League Home Run
Happy 80s Birthdays
1933 - Tom Skerritt (Actor) Top Gun
1939 - John Badham (Director) WarGames
1946 - Rollie Fingers (Baseball)
1949 - John Savage (Actor) Do the Right Thing
1949 - Gene Simmons (Singer) Kiss
1951 - Rob Halford (Singer) Judas Priest
1952 - Geoff Downes (Keyboardist) The Buggles
1954 - Elvis Costello (Singer)
1958 - Tim Burton (Filmmaker) Beetlejuice
1961 - Billy Ray Cyrus (Singer)
1962 - Vivian Campbell (Guitarist) Def Leppard
1963 - Christine McGlade (Actress) So You Can't Do That on Television
1964 - Blair Underwood (Actor) L.A. Law
1965 - Cornelius Bennett (Football)
1966 - Terminator X (Rapper) Public Enemy
1966 - Albert Belle (Baseball)
Fun Fact!
Rollie Fingers Became the First Pitcher to Record 300 Career Saves
* Won the American League MVP and Cy Young Award in 1981
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992
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Other Notable Birthdays
Sean Connery (Scottish Actor)
August 25, 1930 - October 31, 2020
Passed Away in His Home at the Bahamas at Age 90 After Brief Illness
Played the Original James Bond
* Starred in 7 James Bond Films
Regis Philbin (TV Personality)
August 25, 1931 - July 24, 2020
Passed Away at Age of 88 From a Heart Attack
Held the Guinness Book of World Records For Most Hours on Television
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Passed Away
(On this Day)
Art Rooney (American Businessman)
January 27, 1901 - August 25, 1988
Passed Away on August 25, 1988 at Age 87 From a Stroke
Founded the Pittsburgh Steelers
Ted Kennedy (American Politician)
February 22, 1932 - August 25, 2009
Passed Away on August 25, 2009 at Age 77 From Brain Cancer
The Younger Brother of Former U.S. President John F. Kennedy
Neil Armstrong (Astronaut)
August 5, 1930 - August 25, 2012
Passed Away on August 25, 2012 at Age 82 From Coronary Heart Disease
The First Man to Walk on the Moon
John McCain (Politician)
August 29, 1936 - August 25, 2018
Passed Away on August 25, 2018 at Age 81 From Brain Cancer
* The Senator of Arizona From 1987 to 2018
The Republican Nominee For the 2008 Presidential Election
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1983 - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Starring: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi and Jack Thompson
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $2.3 Million
1989 - The Adventures of Milo and Otis
Director: Masanori Hata
Starring: Dudley Moore
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
1989 - The Package
Director: Andrew Davis
Starring: Gene Hackman, Joanna Cassidy, Tommy Lee Jones, Dennis Franzand Pam Grier
Budget: $18 Million
Box Office: $10.6 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
No 80s TV Premieres or Finales On This Day
Did You Know?
The Cosby Show Was the #1 Show in America 4 Years in a Row (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989)
Click Here For More TV Fun Facts and Awards
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1982 - What Time Is It?
The Time (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #26
1982 - Zipper Catches Skin
Alice Cooper (7th Album)
* Reached #94 in Canada
1984 - Evolución
Menudo (16th Album)
* First Album with Ricky Martin
1986 - Graceland
Paul Simon (7th Album)
Billboard Charts: #3
* Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand
Won a Grammy for “Album of the Year”
Over 14 Million Copies Sold Worldwide
1986 - Press to Play
Paul McCartney (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #30
* #8 in the UK
1986 - Fahrenheit
Toto (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #40
1987 - Permanent Vacation
Aerosmith (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #11
* Featuring “Dude Looks Like a Lady”
Over 5 Million Copies Sold in the US
1987 - Door to Door
The Cars (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #26
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - Texas Rangers Pitcher Ferguson Jenkins Was Arrested for Possession of Drugs
1985 - Dwight Gooden (20) Became the Youngest Pitcher Win 20 Games
* Won the Cy Young Award
1986 - Oakland A’s Slugger Mark McGwire Hit His First Major League Home Run
Pitcher: Walt Terrell
* The A’s Beat the Tigers 8 - 4 at Tiger Stadium on a Monday Night
Attendance: 20,475
Every A’s Starter Recorded a Hit
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1981 - The Voyager 2 Spacecraft Made its Closest Approach to Saturn
1989 - The Voyager 2 Spacecraft Made its Closest Approach to Neptune
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Other Notable Dates
(On August 25th)
1835 - The First “Great Moon Hoax” Article Was Published in The New York Sun
* Convinced Readers that Life and Civilization Was Discovered on the Moon
1875 - Captain Matthew Webb Became the First Person to Swim Across the English Channel
* Traveled from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in 21 hours and 45 minutes
Unfortunately Passed Away in 1883 at Age 35 trying to Swim the Whirlpool Rapids Below Niagara Falls
1916 - The United States National Park Service Was Created to Help Manage the US National Parks
* In 1872 Yellowstone National Park Became the First National Park
1944 - Paris Was Finally Liberated by the Allies During World War II
* Germany Occupied since 1940
1945 - Japan Announced Its Official Surrender of World War II
1945 - Supporters of the Chinese Communist Party Killed US Intelligence Officer John Birch
* Considered the First Victim of the Cold War
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Mark McGwire
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1985 - School Girl Samantha Smith and 7 Other Peace Activists Died in a Plane Crash Near Auburn, Maine
* In 1982, at Age 10, Samantha Smith Was Invited to the Soviet Union by Secretary General Yuri Andropov
Samantha Wrote a Letter to the Soviet Union Explaining Her Fear of Nuclear War
On August 25, 1987 Mark McGwire Hit His First Major League Home Run
Pitcher: Walt Terrell
Location: Tiger Stadium in Detroit
1986 - Paul Simon Released His 7th Album, Graceland
* Won a Grammy for “Album of the Year”
Featuring the Song "You Can Call Me Al" With Actor, Chevy Chase
#1 Songs in America
(August 25th)
1980 - "Magic"
Olivia Newton-John
8/2 - 8/29
1981 - "Endless Love"
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
8/15 - 10/16
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 - "The Power of Love"
Huey Lewis and the News
8/24 - 9/6
1986 - "Papa Don't Preach"
Madonna
8/16 - 8/29
1987 - "Who's That Girl"
Madonna
8/22 - 8/28
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