#1 Songs in America
(February 15th)
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 - "How Will I Know"
Whitney Houston
2/15 - 2/28
1987 - "Livin' on a Prayer"
Bon Jovi
2/14 - 3/13
1988 - "Could've Been"
Tiffany
2/6 - 2/19
1989 - "Straight Up"
Paula Abdul
2/11 - 3/3
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
The Breakfast Club Premiered in Theaters
_______________________________
_______________________________
1989 - The Soviet Union Officially Announced That All Their Troops Had Left Afghanistan
* Invaded in 1979
Headlines
(February 15th)
1984 - Ethel Merman Passed Away at Age 76 From Brain Cancer
* Best Known For the Song "There's No Business Like Show Business"
Considered Broadway's First Lady of Musical Comedy
Vision Quest
On February 15, 1982 The Ocean Ranger (Driller Rig) Sank During a Storm Off the Coast of Newfoundland Killing 84 Workers
1986 - "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from February 15 - 28
Also Hit #1 in Canada and Iceland
Happy 80s Birthdays
1944 - Mick Avory (English Drummer) The Kinks
Birthplace: Chipping Barnet, London, England
1951 - Melissa Manchester (Singer)
Birthplace: New York City
1951 - Jane Seymour (Actress)
Birthplace: Uxbridge, Middlesex, England
1954 - Matt Groening (Cartoonist) The Simpsons
Birthplace: Portland, Oregon
1955 - Janice Dickinson (Supermodel)
Birthplace: New York City
1955 - Christopher McDonald (Actor) Grease 2 “Goose”
Birthplace: New York City
1959 - Ali Campbell (Singer) UB40
Birthplace: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
1960 - Darrell Green (Football)
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
1964 - Mark Price (Basketball)
Birthplace: Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Fun Fact!
Mark Price Was Drafted in the 2nd Round (25th Overall) in the 1986 Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers
* 4x All-Star
Member of the Original Dream Team (1992)
On February 15, 1985 Vision Quest Starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino Premiered in Theaters
The Ocean Ranger Accident
_______________________________
February 15th in 80s History
_______________________________
1984 - The Breakfast Club Premiered in Theaters
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy and Paul Gleason
Director: John Hughes
Fun Fact!
With Only a $1 Million Dollar Budget the Film Grossed Over $50 Million Dollars
The Mean Season
Other Notable Dates
(February 15th)
1961 - All 72 Passengers Died on Flight 548 in Belgium
* The United States Figure Skating Team, Coaches and Family Members Were on Board
1992 - Jeffrey Dahmer (Serial Killer) Was Sentenced to Life in Prison
* Murdered in Prison by Christopher Scarver in 1994
On February 15, 1985 Mean Season Starring Kurt Russell and Mariel Hemingway Premiered in Theaters
Other Notable Birthdays
Galileo Galilei (Italian Astronomer and Mathematician)
February 15, 1564 - January 8, 1642
Birthplace: Pisa, Duchy of Florence
Passed Away at Age 77 From Heart Palpitations and Fever
* The Father of Modern Physics
Fun Fact!
Three of Galileo’s Fingers Are On Exhibition at the Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy
Chris Farley (Actor and Comedian)
February 15, 1964 - December 18, 1997
Birthplace: Madison, Wisconsin
Passed Away at Age 33 From an Overdose of Cocaine and Heroin
* A Regular Cast Member on SNL From 1990 to 1996
_______________________________
Passed Away
(On This Day)
Nat King Cole (Singer and Pianist)
March 17, 1919 - February 15, 1965
Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama
Passed Away February 15, 1965 at Age 45 From Lung Cancer
* Known to be a Heavy Smoker
In 1956 Became the First African-American to Host of a TV Show with The Nat King Cole Show
Ethel Merman (Singer)
January 16, 1908 - February 15, 1984
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 76 From Brain Cancer
* Merman Was Elected to the Inaugural American Theater Hall of Fame Class of 1972
Considered Broadway's First Lady of Musical Comedy
McLean Stevenson (Actor)
November 14, 1927 - February 15, 1996
Birthplace: Normal, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 68 From Bladder Cancer
* Played Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on M*A*S*H*
George Gaynes (Actor)
May 16, 1917 - February 15, 2016
Birthplace: Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Passed Away at Age 98 in HIs Daughter’s Home
* Unknown Cause of Death
Best Known For Playing Henry on Punky Brewster and Commandant Lassard in Police Academy
Vanity (Singer and Actress)
January 4, 1959 - February 15, 2016
Birthplace: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Passed Away on February 15, 2016 at Age 57 From Kidney Failure as a Result of Cocaine Abuse
* Played Sydney in the 1988 Film Action Jackson
Best Known For the 1982 Hit Song “Nasty Girl”
Raquel Welch (Actress)
September 5, 1940 - February 15, 2023
Birthplace: Chicago Illinois
Passed Away at Age 82 From Cardiac Arrest
* Best Known For the 1966 Film One Million Years B.C.
Welch Was Ranked #3 in Playboys 100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th Century
_______________________________
80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1985 - The Breakfast Club
Director: John Hughes
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy and Paul Gleason
Budget: $1 Million
Box Office: $51.5 Million
1985 - Vision Quest
Director: Harold Becker
Starring: Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, Michael Schoeffling and Ronny Cox
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $13 Million
1985 - Turk 182
Director: Bob Clark
Starring: Timothy Hutton, Robert Urich, Kim Cattrall, Robert Culp and Peter Boyle
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $1.9 Million
1985 - Fast Forward
Director: Sidney Poitier
Starring: John Scott Clough and Don Franklin
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $2.7 Million
1985 - The Mean Season
Director: Phillip Borsos
Starring: Kurt Russell, Mariel Hemingway, Joe Pantoliano and Andy García
Budget: $10 Million
Box Office: $4.3 Million
_______________________________
80s Television
(On This Day)
1986 - Jerry Hall Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
1986 - Fortune Dane Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 5
Starring Carl Weathers
1987 - Amerika (Miniseries) Aired on ABC
* A Science-Fiction Drama Showing Life 10 Years After the United States was Defeated and Occupied by the USSR
_______________________________
80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Get Happy!
Elvis Costello (4th Album)
Billboard Charts: #11
1980 - ...But the Little Girls Understand
The Knack (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #15
1980 - Earth & Sky
Graham Nash (3rd Album)
1980 - Metal for Muthas (Compilation Album)
Angel Witch and Neal Kay
1981 - Bad Luck Streak
Warren Zevon (4th Album)
Billboard Charts: #20
1985 - A Classic Case
Jethro Tull with the London Symphony Orchestra
Billboard Charts: #93
* Hit #1 in Canada and Iceland
_________________________
80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - Richard Petty Won the Daytona 500
Number: 43
Starting Position: 8th
Team: Petty Enterprises
Car Manufacturer: Buick
1987 - Bill Elliott Won the Daytona 500
Number: 9
Starting Position: Pole
Team: Melling Racing
Car Manufacturer: Ford
1988 - Elle Macpherson Was on the Cover of the Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Edition for the 3rd Year in a Row
_______________________________
<- February 14th February 16th ->
_______________________________
__________________________
Fun Fact!
Afghanistan’s Number One Export is Carpet and Rugs
_______________________________