Other Notable Dates
(On February 28th)
1940 - The First Televised Basketball Game Aired
* Fordham and the University of Pittsburgh Played at Madison Square Garden
1954 - The First Color TV Sets Went on Sale to the General Public
1958 - 26 Children and the Driver Died in One of the Worst School Bus Accidents in the United State When the Bus Hit a Truck and Plunged Into a River in Kentucky
1986 - Pretty in Pink Premiered in Theaters
Director: John Hughes
Starring: Molly Ringwald, John Cryer, Andrew McCarthy and James Spader
Fun Fact!
Pretty in Pink Was Filmed at the Same High School Where Grease Was Filmed
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1983 - The Final Episode of M*A*S*H Aired
Seasons: 11
Episodes: 256
Viewers: 106 Million
Fun Fact!
The Final Episode of M*A*S*H is the Most Watched TV Episode of All-Time
#2 Dallas (“Who Done It”) 83 Million
#3 Cheers (“One for the Road”) 80 Million
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Other Notable Birthdays
Bugsy Siegal (Gangster)
February 28, 1906 - June 20, 1947
Birthplace: New York City
Shot and Killed at Age 41
* Bootlegger During Prohibition With Partners Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano, and Frank Costello
Bugsy Siegal Was the Driving Force Behind the Development of the Las Vegas Strip
Gavin MacLeod (Actor)
February 28, 1931 - May 29, 2021
Birthplace: Mount Kisco, New York
Passed Away at Age 90
* Unknown Cause of Death
Played the Captain on the Love Boat
Bubba Smith (Football Player and Actor)
February 28, 1945 - August 3, 2011
Birthplace: Orange, Texas
Passed Away at Age 66 From Acute Drug Intoxication and Heart Disease
* Played 10 Years in the NFL
Best Known For Playing Hightower in the Police Academy Films
Fun Fact!
Bubba Smith Was the #1 Overall Pick in the 1967 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts
College: Michigan State
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Joe Coulombe (American Entrepreneur)
June 3, 1930 - February 28, 2020
Birthplace: San Diego, California
Passed Away at Age 89
* Unknown Cause of Death
Founded the Grocery Store Trader Joe's
Fun Fact!
Trader Joe’s Opened in the Los Angeles Area in 1958 as Pronto Markets
* Became Trader Joe’s in 1967
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1986 - House
Director: Steve Miner
Starring: William Katt, Richard Moll, Kay Lenz and George Wendt
Budget: $3 Million
Box Office: $22.1 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1983 - Final Episode of M*A*S*H
Seasons: 11
Episodes: 256
Network: CBS
1984 - The 26th Annual Grammy Awards Aired on CBS
Host: John Denver
Location: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
Winners
Record of the Year: "Beat It"
Artist: Michael Jackson
Album of the Year: Thriller
Artist: Michael Jackson
Song of the Year: "Every Breath You Take"
Artists: The Police
Best New Artist: Culture Club
1987 - Charlton Heston Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Wynton Marsalis
1989 - Coach Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 9
Episodes: 200
1989 - Gretchen Polhemus (Texas) Won the 38th Miss USA Pageant
Host: Dick Clark
Location: Mobile Civic Center Theatre in Alabama
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1983 - War
U2 (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts: #12
* Hit #1 in the UK
Over 11 Million Copies Sold Worldwide
1986 - Pretty in Pink (Soundtrack)
Various Artists
Featuring “If You Leave” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Listed as Rolling Stones Magazine's Top 25 Soundtracks Of All Time
1986 - Greed
Swans (3rd Album)
1989 - Indigo Girls
Indigo Girls (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #22
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1988 - The XV Winter Olympic Games Closed in Calgary, Canada
Gold Medals
1 - Soviet Union (11)
2 - East Germany (9)
3 - Switzerland (5)
9 - United States (2)
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<- February 27th February 29th ->
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On February 28, 1984 Michael Jackson Took Home a Record 8 Grammy Awards
Michael Jackson
#1 Songs in America
(February 28th)
1980 - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
Queen
2/23 - 3/21
1981 - "I Love a Rainy Night"
Eddie Rabbit
2/28 - 3/13
1982 - "Centerfold"
J. Geils Band
2/6 - 3/19
1983 - "Baby, Come to Me"
Patti Auston and James Ingram
2/19 - 3/4
1984 - "Jump"
Van Halen
2/25 - 3/30
1985 - "Careless Whisper"
Wham!
2/16 - 3/8
1986 - "How Will I Know"
Whitney Houston
2/15 - 2/28
1987 - "Livin' on a Prayer"
Bon Jovi
2/14 - 3/13
1988 - "Father Figure"
George Michael
2/27 - 3/11
1989 - "Straight Up"
Paula Abdul
2/11 - 3/3
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
Happy 80s Birthdays
1940 - Mario Andretti (Race Car Driver)
Birthplace: Montana, Istria, Italy
1944 - Kelly Bishop (Actress) A Chorus Line, Dirty Dancing
Birthplace: Colorado Springs, Colorado
1947 - Stephanie Beacham (Actress) The Colby’s
Birthplace: Barnet, Hertfordshire, England
1948 - Bernadette Peters (Actress) Pennies from Heaven
Birthplace: New York City
1948 - Mercedes Ruehl (Actress) Big
Birthplace: New York City
1953 - Ricky Steamboat (Wrestling)
Birthplace: West Point, New York
1955 - Adrian Dantley (Basketball)
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
1955 - Gilbert Gottfried (Actor and Comedian) Beverly Hills Cop II
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
1957 - John Turturro (Actor) Do the Right Thing
Birthplace: New York City
1957 - Cindy Wilson (Singer) B-52s
Birthplace: Athens, Georgia
1961 - Rae Dawn Chong (Actress) Commando
Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
1969 - Robert Sean Leonard (Actor) Dead Poets Society
Birthplace: Westwood, New Jersey
Fun Fact!
Ricky Steamboat Beat Randy Savage For the WWF Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania III
* Considered One of the Greatest Matches of All-Time
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February 28th in 80s History
The Final Episode of M*A*S*H
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Headlines
(February 28th)
1981 - "I Love a Rainy Night" by Eddie Rabbit Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from February 28 - March 13
1984 - The 26th Annual Grammy Awards Aired on CBS
Location: Shrine Auditorium
City: Los Angeles
Host: John Denver
Record of the Year: “Beat It” (Michael Jackson)
Album of the Year: Thriller (Michael Jackson)
Song of the Year: “Every Breath You Take” (The Police)
Best New Artist: Culture Club
Michael Jackson Won the Most Grammy Awards With 8
Fun Fact!
The 1984 Grammys Were the Most Watched Grammys of All-Time With Over 51 Million Viewers
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