Headlines
(December 18th)
1981 - Sean Penn Made His Film Debut in Taps
*Also Starring George C. Scott and Tom Cruise
1982 - “Maneater” by Daryl Hall and John Oates Hit #1 on the US Billboard Charts
* #1 Song in America from December 18 - January 14
Also Hit #1 in Spain
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Other Notable Dates
(On December 18th)
1787 - New Jersey Became the 3rd US State (Admitted to the Union)
* Population Was 180,000
Now Over 9 Million
1833 - The Russian Empire National Anthem "God Save the Tsar!" Was First Performed
1958 - The First Communication Satellite (Project SCORE) Was Launched
Soviet Tu-160
Happy 80s Birthdays
1943 - Keith Richards (Guitarist) The Rolling Stones
1943 - Alan Rudolph (Director) Choose Me
1946 - Steven Spielberg (Director) E.T.
1948 - Bill Nelson (Musician) Orchestra Arcana
1953 - Elliot Easton (Guitarist) The Cars
1956 - T.K. Carter (Actor) Seems Like Old Times
1963 - Charles Oakley (Basketball)
1963 - Brad Pitt (Actor)
1964 - Don Beebe (Football)
1967 - Mille Petrozza (Musician) Kreator
Fun Fact!
Brad Pitt Left the University of Missouri 2 Weeks Before Completing His Degree to Move to Los Angeles
"Maneater" Became the #1 Song in America
1985 - Out of Africa Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep
Won an Academy Award For Best Picture
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1985 - The Color Purple Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey
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#1 Songs in America
(December 18th)
1980 - "Lady"
Kenny Rogers
11/15 - 12/26
1981 - "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John
11/21 - 1/29
1982 - "Maneater"
Daryl Hall and John Oates
12/18 - 1/14
1983 - "Say Say Say"
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
12/10 - 1/20
1984 - "Out of Touch"
Daryl Hall and John Oates
12/8 - 12/21
1985 - "Broken Wings"
Mister Mister
12/7 - 12/20
1986 - "The Way It Is"
Bruce Hornsby & the Range
12/13 - 12/19
1987 - "Faith"
George Michael
12/12 - 1/8
1988 - "Look Away"
Chicago
12/10 - 12/23
1989 - "We Didn't Start the Fire"
Bill Joel
12/9 - 12/22
Fun Fact!
'We Didn't Start the Fire" Includes Over 100 Headlines Between 1949 and 1989
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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December 18th in 80s History
On December 18, 1981 The First Flight of the Russian Heavy Strategic Bomber Tu-160
* The World's Largest Combat Aircraft Built
Other Notable Birthdays
Ty Cobb (Baseball)
December 18, 1886 - July 17, 1961
Passed Away at Age 74 After Falling into a Diabetic Coma
* 12x Batting Champion
4,189 Career Hits (2nd All-Time)
Elected to the First Hall of Fame Class of 1936
Randy Castillo (Drummer)
December 18, 1950 - March 26, 2002
Passed Away at the Age 51 from Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Drummer For Ozzy Osbourne and Mötley Crüe
Ray Liotta (Actor)
December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022
Passed Away at Age 67 from Heart Failure
Best Known For Playing Henry Hill in the 1990 Film, Goodfellas
* Also Played "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams (1989)
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Mark Goodson (TV Producer)
Passed Away on December 18, 1992 at Age 77 from Pancreatic Cancer
* Mark Goodson Productions
Created Family Feud and The Price is Right
Joseph Barbera (Cartoonist)
Passed Away on December 18, 2006 at Age 95 (Unknown Causes)
Co-Founded the Animation Studio, Hanna-Barbera
* Produced The Flinstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Scooby Doo, Huckleberry Finn and The Smurfs
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1981 - Taps
Director: Harold Becker
Starring: George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn
Budget: $14 Million
Box Office: $35.8 Million
Sean Penn’s Film Debut
1981 - Absence of Malice
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Paul Newman and Sally Field
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $40.7 Million
1981 - Ghost Story
Director: John Irvin
Starring: Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., John Houseman, Craig Wasson and Alice Krige
Budget: $13.5 Million
Box Office: $23.4 Million
1981 - Neighbors
Director: John G. Avildsen
Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriarty and Kathryn Walker
Budget: $8.5 Million
Box Office: $29.9 Million
1981 - Sharky's Machine
Director: Burt Reynolds
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Vittorio Gassman, Brian Keith, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman, Bernie Casey, Henry Silva, Darryl Hickman, Richard Libertini, Rachel Ward and Joseph Mascolo
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $35.6 Million
1985 - The Color Purple
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Adolph Caesar, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Laurence Fishburne, Dana Ivey and Oprah Winfrey
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $142 Million ($94 Million Domestic)
1985 - Out of Africa
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Klaus Maria Brandauer
Budget: $28 Million
Box Office: $227.5 Million
Academy Awards
Best Picture
Best Director: Sydney Pollack
Best Art Direction: Stephen B. Grimes and Josie MacAvin
Best Cinematography: David Watkins
Best Adapted Screenplay: Kurt Luedtke
Best Original Score: John Barry
Best Sound: Chris Jenkins, Gary Alexander, Larry Stensvold and Peter Handford
1987 - Eddie Murphy Raw
Director: Robert Townsend
Starring: Eddie Murphy
Budget: $8 Million
Box Office: $50.5 Million
1987 - Overboard
Director: Garry Marshall
Starring: Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Edward Herrmann, Katherine Helmond and Roddy McDowall
Budget: $22 Million
Box Office: $26.7 Million
1987 - Moonstruck
Director: Norman Jewison
Starring: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia, Olympia Dukakis and Danny Aiello
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $80.6 Million
Academy Awards
Best Actress: Cher
Best Supporting Actress: Olympia Dukakis
Best Original Screenplay: John Patrick Shanley
1987 - Batteries Not Included
Director: Matthew Robbins
Starring: Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy
Budget: $25 Million
Box Office: $65.1 Million
1987 - Ironweed
Director: Héctor Babenco
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Carroll Baker, Michael O'Keefe, Fred Gwynne, Diane Venora and Tom Waits
Budget: $27 Million
Box Office: $7.3 Million
1987 - The Dead
Director: John Huston
Starring: Anjelica Huston and Donal McCann
Budget: $3.5 Million
Box Office: $4.3 Million
1987 - Leonard Part 6
Director: Paul Weiland
Starring: Bill Cosby, Tom Courtenay and Joe Don Baker
Budget: $24 Million
Box Office: $4.6 Million
* Considered One of the Worst Films Ever Made
1987 - September
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, Dianne Wiest, Elaine Stritch, Jack Warden and Denholm Elliott
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $486,000
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Final Episode of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (Animation)
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 33 (99 Shorts)
Network: ABC
1986 - Final Episode of Beverly Hills Teens (Animation) aired
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 65
Network: Syndication
1986 - Final Episode Spiral Zone aired
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 65
Network: Syndication
1988 - A Very Brady Christmas Aired on CBS
* The Second Highest Rated TV Show of the Year
1989 - A Rare Christmas Episode of I Love Lucy Aired on CBS
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Albums Released
(On This Day)
No 80s Albums Released On This Day
In Other 80s Music News
1982 - “Maneater” by Daryl Hall and John Oates hit #1 on the US Billboard Charts
#1 Song in America from December 18 - January 14
* Also Hit #1 in Spain
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - The San Diego Clippers Beat the Houston Rockets 110 - 95 to Snap Their 29-Game Road Losing Streak
1988 - Gary Anderson (San Diego Chargers) Rushed For 217 Yards Against the Kansas City Chiefs
* The Chargers Beat the Chiefs 24 - 13 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego
Spread
Chargers -1
O/U 39.0
1988 - The Seattle Seahawks Clinched Their First Division Title
* Beat the Los Angeles Raiders 43 - 37 at the Los Angeles Coliseum
Spread
Raiders -3
O/U 40.0
Both Teams Combined For 932 Yards of Offense
1988 - The Minnesota Vikings Beat the Chicago Bears 28-27 at the Metrodome on Monday Night Football
* The Final Game of the Regular Season
Spread
Vikings -7
O/U 39.0
1988 NFL Leaders
Passing: Dan Marino (Dolphins) 4434
Rushing: Eric Dickerson (Rams) 1659
Receiving: Henry Ellard (Rams) 1414
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