#1 Songs in America
(August 26th)
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
Happy 80s Birthdays
1946 - Valerie Simpson (Singer) Ashford & Simpson
1960 - Branford Marsalis (Saxophonist)
1960 - Ola Ray (Actress and Model) “Thriller” Video
1980 - Macaulay Culkin (Actor) Uncle Buck
Fun Fact!
Branford Marsalis Was the Band Leader For The Tonight Show From 1992 to 1995
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Other Notable Birthdays
Mother Teresa (Nun)
August 26, 1910 - September 5, 1997
Passed Away at Age 87 From Heart Failure (Health was Declining)
Mother Teresa Was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic Nun
Michael Jeter (Actor)
August 26, 1952 - March 30, 2003
Passed Away at Age 50 From an Epileptic Seizure (HIV Positive)
Played Arnie in the 1986 Film, The Money Pit
* Also Herman in the 90s TV Show, Evening Shade
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Passed Away
(On this Day)
Tex Avery
February 26, 1908 - August 26, 1980
Passed Away at Age 72 From Lung Cancer
Played a Huge Role in Creating the Animated Characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Droopy, Screwy Squirrel, The Wolf, Red Hot Riding Hood, and George and Junior
Ted Knight (Actor)
December 7, 1923 - August 26, 1986
Passed Away on August 26, 1986 at Age 62 From Colon Cancer
Best Known For Playing Judge Smalls in the 1980 Film Caddyshack
* Also Played Henry Rush in the 80s TV Show, Too Close for Comfort
Laura Branigan (Singer)
July 3, 1952 - August 26, 2004
Passed Away on August 26, 2004 at Age of 52 From a Ventricular Brain Aneurysm
Sang the 1982 Hit Song “Gloria”
Bob Barker (Game Show Host)
December 12, 1923 - August 26, 2023
Passed Away at Age 99 After Years With Alzheimer's Disease
Hosted The Price is Right From 1972 to 2007
* Won 18 Daytime Emmy Awards
Did You Know?
The Price is Right is the Longest-Running Game Show in North American History
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1983 - Strange Brew
Directors: Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas
Starring: Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas
Budget: $4 Million
Box Office: $8.5 Million
1983 - Fire and Ice
Director: Ralph Bakshi
Starring: Susan Tyrrell, Maggie Roswell, William Ostrander, Stephen Mendel and Steve Sandor
Budget: $1.2 Million
Box Office: $860,000
1983 - Hercules
Director: Luigi Cozzi
Starring: Lou Ferrigno
Budget: N/A Box Office: $11 Million
1983 - Young Warriors
Director: Lawrence D. Foldes
Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Richard Roundtree, Lynda Day George and James Van Patten
Budget: $1 Million
Box Office: $238,000
1988 - Betrayed
Director: Costa-Gavras
Starring: Debra Winger and Tom Berenger
Budget: $19 Million
Box Office: $25.8 Million
Fun Fact!
In the Early 70s, Tom Berenger Worked as a Flight Attendant For Eastern Airlines
* Eastern Was a Major Airline From 1926 to 1991
1988 - Hero and Terror
Director: William Tannen
Starring: Chuck Norris
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $5.3 Million
1988 - Hot to Trot
Director: Michael Dinner
Starring: Bobcat Goldthwait, Virginia Madsen, Jim Metzler, Dabney Coleman, Cindy Pickett, John Candy (voice) and Burgess Meredith (voice)
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $6.4 Million
1988 - Stealing Home
Director: Steven Kampmann
Starring: Mark Harmon, Jodie Foster, Blair Brown, Jonathan Silverman and Helen Hunt
Budget: $14 Million
Box Office: $7.4 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
No 80s TV Premieres or Finales On This Day
Fun Fact!
Hill Street blues Won 4 Consecutive Emmy Awards (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984) For Most Outstanding Drama
Click Here For More TV Fun Facts and Awards
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - New Traditionalist
Devo (4th Album)
Billboard Charts: #23
* #3 in Australia
1981 - Dead Set
Grateful Dead (18th Album)
Billboard Charts: #29
1985 - Romance 1600
Sheila E. (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #50
1985 - The Head on the Door
The Cure (6th Album)
Billboard Charts: #59
In Other 80s Music News
1980 - Pete Comita Replaced Tom Peterson as the Bassist For Cheap Trick
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1982 - Rickey Henderson Stole His 118th Base, Tying Lou Brock's Single Season Stolen Base Record
* Finished the Season With a Record 130 Stolen Bases
1985 - Baltimore Orioles First Baseman, Eddie Murray Hit 3 Home Runs With 9 RBI’s Against the California Angels
* The Orioles Beat the Angels 17 - 3 at Anaheim Stadium on a Monday Night
Attendance: 25,805
Fun Fact!
Babe Ruth, Thurgood Marshall, John Clancy and Michael Phelps are From Baltimore
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Other Notable Dates
(On August 26th)
1791 - John Finch Received a Patent For the Steamboat
1920 - The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution Went Into Effect, Giving Women the Right to Vote
1970 - The 50th Anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment Was Celebrated Nationwide, With a Women's Strike For Equality
Fun Fact!
The First Amendment to the Constitution Prevented the Government From Making Laws to Regulate Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Assembly and the Right to Petition
* Adopted on December 15, 1791
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Rickey Henderson
1985 - Baltimore Orioles Slugger Eddie Murray Hit 3 Home Runs with 9 RBI’s Against the California Angels
Career Home Runs: 504
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 (1st Ballot)
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On August 26, 1982 Rickey Henderson Stole His 118th Base to Tie Lou Brock's Single Season Stolen Base Record
August 26th in 80s History
Headlines
(August 26th)
1980 - The FBI Detonated a Bomb at Harvey's Hotel in South Lake Tahoe, After Several Men Dressed Like Delivery Workers Planted a Booby Trapped Bomb in the Casino
Did You Know?
John Birges Was Convicted For Building the Bomb and Trying to Extort $750,000 From the Casino
* Passed Away in Prison in 1996 at Age 74
Eddie Murray Hit 3 Home Runs With 9 RBI's
1986 - Actor, Ted Knight Passed Away at Age 62 From Colon Cancer
* Played Henry Rush on the 80s TV Show, Too Close For Comfort
Did You Know?
Ted Knights Last Movie Role Was Judge Smalls in the 1980 Film Caddyshack
1983 - Strange Brew Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas
Did You Know?
The Word Eh? Was Said 174 Times