Other Notable Birthdays
Charles Darwin (English Geologist)
February 12, 1809 - April 19, 1882
Passed Away at Age 83 from Heart Failure
Came Up With The Theory of Evolution
Abraham Lincoln (Former President)
February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865
Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Age 56
16th President of the United States
Bill Russell (Basketball)
February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022
Passed Away in His Mercer Island, Washington Home at Age 88 (Unknown Cause)
* Considered the Greatest Champion of All-Time Winning 11 NBA Championships in 13-Years With the Boston Celtics From 1956 to 1969
5x MVP
Won the NBA Championship in 1968 and 1969 as Player Coach
Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Nicholas Colasanto (Actor)
Passed Away on February 9, 1985 at Age 61 from a Heart Attack
Played Coach on Cheers
Tom Landry (Football)
Passed Away on February 9, 2000 at Age 75 from Leukemia
Coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988
* Won 2 Super Bowls
Charles M. Schultz (Cartoonist)
Passed Away on February 9, 2000 at Age 77 from Colon Cancer
Creator of the Peanuts Cartoons
Al Jarreau (Singer)
Passed Away on February 9, 2017 at Age 76 from Respiratory Failure
Won a Grammy For Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1982
Pedro Morales (Wrestling)
Passed Away on February 9, 2019 at Age 76 from Parkinson’s Disease
The First Wrestler to Win the WWF Triple Crown
* Heavyweight, Intercontinental and the Tag Team Championships
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1982 - Cannery Road
Director: David S. Ward
Starring: Nick Nolte, Debra Winger and Audrey Lindley
Budget: $11.5 Million
Box Office: $1.8 Million
1982 - Love and Money
Director: James Toback
Starring: Ray Sharkey
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $14,000
1982 - Missing
Director: Costa-Gavras
Starring: Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek
Budget: $9.5 Million
Box Office: $16 Million
1982 - One From the Heart
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan and Harry Dean Stanton
Budget: $26 Million
Box Office: $636,000
1982 - Making Love
Director: Arthur Hill
Starring: Kate Jackson, Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean
Budget: $14 Million
Box Office: $11.8 Million
1982 - The Beast Within
Director: Phillipe Mora
Starring: Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens and Don Gordon
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $7.7 Million
1987 - Over the Top (Los Angeles and New York)
Director: Menahem Golan
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia, Susan Blakely, David Mendenhall, Rick Zumwalt and Terry Funk
Budget: $25 Million
Box Office: $16 Million
* Released Worldwide the Next Day
1988 - Action Jackson
Director: Craig R. Baxley
Starring: Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Thomas F. Wilson and Sharon Stone
Budget: $7 Million
Box Office: $20.2 Million
1988 - Shoot to Kill
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Starring: Sidney Poitier, Tom Berenger, Kirstie Alley, Andrew Robinson and Clancy Brown
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $29.3 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1988 - Final Episode of Sledge Hammer
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 41
Network: ABC
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams (Debut Solo Album)
* Reached #69 in Canada
Bryan Adams Used to be the Lead Singer for Sweeney Todd
1981 - Moving Picture
Rush (8th Album)
Billboard Charts: #3
* Hit #1 in Canada
1982 - English Settlement (Double Album)
XTC (5th Album)
Billboard Charts: #48
1985 - Vision Quest (Soundtrack)
Various Artists
In Other 80s Music News
1989 - Tiny Tim Launched a Campaign to Become Mayor of New York City
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - The Oakland A’s Were Rejected Trying to Buy the Remaining Lease to the Oakland Coliseum
* A’s Were Rumored to Sell the Team and Move to Denver and This Prevented That
1982 - Wayne Gretzky Set an NHL Record with His 153rd Point of Season
1984 - Cale Yarborough Became the 1st Daytona 500 Qualifier to Reach 200 MPH
1984 - Figure Skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean Performed "Bolero" at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo
1984 - West Indies Beat Australia 2 - 1 to Win the World Series Cup of Cricket
1985 - Wales Conference Beat the Campbell Conference 6 - 4 in the All-Star Game in Calgary
MVP: Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
1985 - West Indies Beat Australia 2 - 1 to win the World Series Cup of Cricket
1989 - The West Beat the East 143 - 134 in the NBA All-Star Game
MVP: Karl Malone (Jazz)
West Coach: Pat Riley (Lakers)
East Coach: Lenny Wilkens (Hawks)
Location: Astrodome in Houston
Michael Jordan Was the Leading Vote Getter
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<- February 11th February 13th ->
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1985 - Nicholas Colasanto Passed Away at Age 61 From a Heart Attack
* Played Coach on Cheers
Happy 80s Birthdays
1938 - Judy Blume (Writer)
1945 - Maud Adams (Actress) Octopussy
1950 - Michael Ironside (Actor) Top Gun
1950 - Steve Hackett (Guitarist)
1952 - Michael McDonald (Musician) Doobie Brothers
1953 - Joanna Kerns (Actress) Growing Pains
1955 - Chet Lemon (Baseball)
1956 - Arsenio Hall (Talk Show Host)
1958 - Outback Jack (Wrestler)
1959 - Larry Nance (Basketball)
1960 - One Man Gang (Wrestler)
1963 - Ed Lover (Rapper) Yo MTV Raps
1964 - Omar Hakim (Drummer)
1965 - David Westlake (Singer) The Servants
1968 - Josh Brolin (Actor) The Goonies
1968 - Chynna Phillips (Singer) Wilson Phillips
Fun Fact!
Larry Nance Won the First NBA Slam Dunk Competition (1984)
1988 - Action Jackson Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson and Sharon Stone
"Bolero"
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Headlines
(February 12th)
1983 - “Down Under” by Men at Work Hit #1 on the US Billboard Charts For the 2nd Time
* #1 Song in America from January 15 - 29 and February 12 - 18
On February 12, 1984 Figure Skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean Performed "Bolero" at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo
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On February 12, 1988 Shoot to Kill Starring Sidney Poitier and Tom Bringer Premiered in Theaters
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1987 - Over the Top Was Released in Los Angeles and New York
* Starring Sylvester Stallone
Released Worldwide the Next Day
Fun Fact!
Sylvester Stallone Didn't Want to be in the Movie But the Studio Kept Offering Him More Money so He Said "What the Hell" Nobody Will See It
Was Paid a Record $10 Million Dollars
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Shoot to Kill
"Down Under" By Men at Work Became the #1 Song in America
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Other Notable Dates
(February 12th)
1855 - Michigan State Was Founded in East Lansing
* Magic Johnson is the Most Notable Alumni
2004 - San Francisco Began Issuing Marriage Licenses to Same-Sex Couples
* Directed by Mayor Gavin Newsom
February 12th in 80s History
#1 Songs in America
(February 12th)
1980 - "Rock With You"
Michael Jackson
1/19 - 2/15
1981 - "Celebration"
Kool and the Gang
2/7 - 2/20
1982 - "Centerfold"
J. Geils Band
2/6 - 3/19
1983 - "Down Under"
Men at Work
2/12 - 2/18
1984 - "Karma Chameleon"
Boy George
2/4 - 2/24
1985 - "I Want To Know What Love Is"
Foreigner
2/1 - 2/15
1986 - "That's What Friends Are For"
Dionne & Friends
1/18 - 2/14
1987 - "Open Your Heart"
Madonna
2/7 - 2/13
1988 - "Could've Been"
Tiffany
2/6 - 2/19
1989 - "Straight Up"
Paula Abdul
2/11 - 3/3
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