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Headlines
(December 25th)
1981 - Chuck Wollery Hosted His Last Episode of Wheel of Fortune Due to a Contract Dispute
* Went On To Host The Dating Game
Pat Sajak Became the New Host of Wheel of Fortune
Other Notable Dates
(On December 25th)
1776 - George Washington and the Continental Army Crossed the Delaware River to Attack the British in Trenton, New Jersey
1815 - The Handel and Haydn Society American Chorus and Orchestra Gave Its First Performance
* Located in Boston, Massachusetts
Oldest Performing Arts Studio in the United States
1868 - Pardons Were Given to Ex Confederate Army Soldiers by Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson
1941 - Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Arrived at Pearl Harbor to Assume Command of the US Pacific
* Played a Huge Role in the Naval Success in World War II as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet
The 880 Freeway in the Bay Area is Called the Nimitz Freeway
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On December 25, 1983 a Christmas Special of AWA Wrestling Aired
Charlie Chaplin (Actor)
April 16, 1889 - December 25, 1977
Birthplace: London, England
Passed Away in Switzerland at Age 88 (Unknown Cause)
Considered One of the Film Industry's Most Important Figures
* Became a Worldwide Icon in the Silent Era With His Popular Character, the Tramp
Billy Martin (Baseball)
May 16, 1928 - December 25, 1989
Birthplace: Berkeley, California
Passed Away at Age 61 From a Car Accident While Intoxicated
Martin Was Hired and Fired as the New York Yankees Manager 5 Times
* 5x World Series Champion as a Player For the Yankees
Dean Martin (Singer and Actor)
June 7, 1917 - December 25, 1995
Birthplace: Steubenville, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 78 From Lung Cancer
Formed the Rat Pack With Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr.
* Nicknamed the "King of Cool"
Denver Pyle (Actor)
May 11, 1920 - December 25, 1997
Birthplace: Bethune, Colorado
Passed Away at Age 77 From Lung Cancer
Played Jesse Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard
James Brown (Singer)
May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006
Birthplace: Barnwell, South Carolina
Passed Away at Age 73 From Congestive Heart Failure Caused by Pneumonia
The Godfather of Soul
George Michael (English Singer)
June 25, 1963 - December 25, 2016
Birthplace: East Finchley, Middlesex, England
Passed Away at Age 53 From an Inflammatory Heart and a Fatty Liver
One of the Best Selling Artist of All-Time With Over 100 Million Albums Sold
K.C. Jones (Basketball)
May 25, 1932 - December 25, 2020
Birthplace: Taylor, Texas
Passed Away at Age 88 From Alzheimer’s Disease
* Played All 10 NBA Seasons with the Boston Celtics
8x NBA Champion
Head Coach of the Celtics From 1983 to 1988, Winning 2 Championships (1984, 1986)
Fun Fact!
K.C. Jones Won 2 NCAA Championships (1955, 1956) as a Player with Bill Russell at the University of San Francisco
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1986 - The Morning After
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Raúl Juliá and Kathy Bates
Budget: $13 Million
Box Office: $25.1 Million
Jane Fonda Was Nominated for Best Actress For Her Role as Alex Sternbergan
1987- Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (Animation)
Director: Hal Sutherland
Starring: Scott Grimes, Tom Bosley, Edward Asner, Frank Welker, Jonathan Harris, William Windom, Don Knotts, Rickie Lee Jones and James Earl Jones
Budget: $10 Million
Box Office: $3.2 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1981 - Chuck Wollery Hosted His Last Episode of Wheel of Fortune After a Contract Dispute
1984 - Final Episode of Glitter
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 14
Network: ABC
1988 - Final Episode of The Care Bears (Animation)
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 48
Network: Syndication
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1989 - Consuming Impulse
Pestilence (2nd Album)
Fun Fact!
Pestilence (Thrash Metal Band) Was Formed in the Netherlands in 1986
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1989 - The Minnesota Vikings Beat the Cincinnati Bengals 29 - 21 on Monday Night Football on the Last Game of the Regular Season
* Bengals Were Eliminated From the Playoffs
Spread
Vikings -5
O/U 43.0
Season Leaders
Offense
Passing Yards: Don Majkowski (Packers) 4318
Rushing Yards: Christian Okoye (Chiefs) 1480
Receiving Yards: Jerry Rice (49ers) 1483
Defense
Sacks: Chris Doleman (Vikings) 21
Interceptions: Felix Wright (Browns) 9
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<- December 24th December 26th ->
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1986 - The Morning After Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Jane Fonda and Jeff Bridges
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Other Notable Birthdays
Sir Isaac Newton (Mathemitician)
December 25, 1642 - March 20, 1727
Birthplace: Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, Lincolnshire, England
Passed Away in His Sleep at Age 84
* Possible Mercury Poisoning
Considered the Greatest Mathematicians and Physicists of All-Time
Clara Barton (Nurse)
December 25, 1821 - April 12, 1912
Birthplace: North Oxford, Massachusetts
Passed Away at Age 90 From Pneumonia
Founded the American Red Cross
* Also a Hospital Nurse During the Civil War
Elected to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1973
Fun Fact!
The National Women’s Hall of Fame Was Founded in 1969 by Men and Women in Seneca Falls, New York
* The First Inductee Was Faye Glenn Abdellah (First Woman to Serve as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States)
Pud Galvin (Baseball)
December 25, 1856 - March 7, 1902
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
Passed Away at Age 45 (Unknown Cause)
Major League Baseball’s First 300 Game Winner
Wins: 365
Losses: 310
* Pitched 2 No-Hitters For the Buffalo Bison (1880, 1884)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1965 (Veterans Committee)
Lila Bell Wallace (Publisher)
December 25, 1889 - May 8, 1984
Birthplace: Virden, Manitova, Canada
Passed Away at Age 94 From Heart Failure
Founded Reader's Digest With Her Husband Dewitt Wallace
Humphrey Bogart (Actor)
December 25, 1899 - January 14, 1957
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 57 From Esophagus Cancer
Known as the Greatest Male Star of Classic American Cinema
* Best Known For His Role as Rick Blaine in the 1942 Film, Casablanca
Tony Martin (Actor and Singer)
December 25, 1913 - July 27, 2012
Birthplace: San Francisco, California
Passed Away at Age 98 From Natural Causes
Attended St. Mary's College in Orinda, California
Nellie Fox (Baseball)
December 25, 1927 - December 1, 1975
Birthplace: Saint Thomas Township, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 47 From Skin Cancer
All Star: 15
1959 American League MVP
Considered One of the Best 2nd Baseman of All-Time
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 (Veterans Committee)
Did You Know?
Nellie Fox is Considered the 3rd Most Difficult Player to Strike Out in MLB History
1. Joe Sewell
2. Lloyd Waner
Mabel King (Actor)
December 25, 1932 - November 9, 1999
Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina
Passed Away at Age 66 From Complications of Diabetes
Played the Mama on the TV Series, What’s Happening!!
O’Kelly Isley Jr. (Singer)
December 25, 1937 - March 31, 1986
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 48 From a Heart Attack
Co-Founded The Isley Brothers
Kenny “Snake” Stabler (Football)
December 25, 1945 - July 8, 2015
Birthplace: Foley, Alabama
Passed Away at Age 69 From Colon Cancer
NFL MVP (1974)
Played 12-Seasons with the Oakland Raiders
Appeared in a Record 5 Straight Conference Championship Games (1973 - 1977)
* Tom Brady Broke the Record in 2016
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016
Did You Know?
Some Say Tom Brady Breaking Stabler’s Record Was an Eye Opener to Hall of Fame Committee to Finally Elect Kenny Stabler (Long Overdue) into the Hall of Fame
Jimmy Buffett (Singer)
December 25, 1946 - September 1, 2023
Birthplace: Pascagoula, Mississippi
Passed Away at Age 76 From Skin Cancer (Merkel-Cell Carcinoma)
Sang the 1977 Hit Song "Margaritaville
Rickey Henderson (Baseball)
December 25, 1958 - December 20, 2024
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 65 From Pneumonia
All Star: 10
American League MVP (1990)
Holds the Major League Record With 1,406 Career Stolen Bases
* Also Holds the Record For Most Runs Scored (2,295)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 (First Ballot)
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Young Tom Morris (Golfer)
April 20, 1851 - December 25, 1875
Birthplace: Saint Andrews, Fife, Scotland
Passed Away at Age 24 From Pulmonary Hemorrhage Causing Apnea or a Possible Broken Heart
* A Few Months Prior His Wife and and Newborn Died During Labor
Fun Fact!
Tom Morris is Considered the First Young Prodigy in Golf History and the Only Golfer to Win 4 Consecutive British Opens in History
* Some Say He Could Have Been the Best Golfer of All-Time
1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev Resigned as President of the Soviet Union
Happy 80s Birthdays
1944 - John Edwards (Singer) The Spinners
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
1945 - Gary Sandy (Actor) WKRP in Cincinnati (Andy Travis)
Birthplace: Dayton, Ohio
1945 - Rick Berman (Director) Stark Trek: The Next Generation
Birthplace: New York City
1948 - Barbara Mandrell (Singer) Mandrell Sisters
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
1949 - Sissy Spacek (Actress) Coal Miner’s Daughter
Birthplace: Quitman, Texas
1950 - Manny Trillo (Baseball)
Birthplace: Caripito, Venezuela
1954 - Annie Lennox (Scottish Singer) Eurythmics
Birthplace: Aberdeen, Scotland
1962 - Dean Cameron (Actor) Summer School "Chainsaw"
Birthplace: Morrison, Illinois
1968 - Helena Christensen (Model)
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Fun Fact!
Sissy Spacek Won an Academy Award For Best Actress For Her Role as Loretta Lynn in the 1980 Film, Coal Miner’s Daughter
* Has Been Nominated For 6 Academy Awards
December 25th in 80s History
AWA Wrestling
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1986 - Liberace Made His Final Public Appearance on a Pre-Recorded Episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show
* Passed Away On February 4th From AIDS Related Pneumonia
Fun Fact!
Liberace Was the Highest Paid Entertainer in the 50s, 60s, and 70s
1989 - Former Baseball Player and Manager Billy Martin Died In a Car Accident at Age 61 While Driving Intoxicated
Liberace's Made His Last Public Appearance
#1 Songs in America
(December 25th)
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 - "Like a Virgin"
Madonna
12/22 - 2/1
1985 - "Say You Say Me"
Lionel Richie
12/21 - 1/17
1986 - "Walk Like an Egyptian"
The Bangles
12/20 - 1/16
1987 - "Faith"
George Michael
12/12 - 1/8
1988 - "Every Rose Has It's Thorn"
Poison
12/24 - 1/13
1989 - "Another Day in Paradise"
Phil Collins
12/23 - 1/19
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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