On January 1, 1988 The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Was Created
* The Merging of 3 Lutheran Church Bodies Making it the Largest Lutheran Denomination in America
On January 1, 1983 The Bell Phone System Officially Split UP
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The Bell System
#1 Songs in America
(January 1st)
1980 - "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"
Rupert Jones
12/22 - 1/4
1981 - "(Just Like) Starting Over"
John Lennon
12/27 - 1/30
1982 - "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John
11/21 - 1/29
1983 - "Maneater"
Daryl Hall and John Oates
12/18 - 1/14
1984 - "Say Say Say"
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
12/10 - 1/20
1985 - "Like a Virgin"
Madonna
12/22 - 2/1
1986 - "Say You Say Me"
Lionel Richie
12/21 - 1/17
1987 - "Walk Like an Egyptian"
The Bangles
12/20 - 1/16
1988 - "Faith"
George Michael
12/12 - 1/8
1989 - "Every Rose Has It's Thorn"
Poison
12/24 - 1/13
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
"Brain On Drugs"
January 1st in 80s History
On January 1, 1987 the "Brain On Drugs" Campaign Was Launched in a Partnership For a Drug-Free America
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VH1Made Its Debut
First British Mobile Phone Call
1985 - VHS Was Launched
* Intended to Play Music Videos For a Slightly Older Demographic Than MTV
The First Video Played Was Marvin Gaye's Rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" From the NBA All-Star Game
Fun Facts!
The Star-Spangled Banner Was Written by American Lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814 During the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812
The Star-Spangled Banner Became the Official National Anthem For the United States on March 3, 1931
Other Notable Birthdays
Paul Revere (Army Commander)
January 1, 1735 - May 10, 1818
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Passed Away in His Home at Age 83
Said the Famous Words “The British Are Coming”
Betsy Ross (American Upholsterer)
January 1, 1752 - January 30, 1836
Birthplace: Gloucester City, New Jersey
'Passed Away at Age 84 (Unknown Cause)
Made the First American Flag
Hank Greenberg (Baseball)
January 1, 1911 - September 4, 1986
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 75 From Kidney Cancer
* AL MVP (1935, 1940)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956 (9th Ballot)
Fun Fact!
Hank Greenberg Was the First Jewish Superstar in American Sports
* Endured in Anti-Semitic Abuse in During His Career
LaMar Hoyt
January 1, 1955 - November 29, 2021
Birthplace: Columbia, South Carolina
Passed Away at Age 66 From Cancer
* Unknown Type of Cancer
Won the American League Cy Young Award in 1983 as a Member of the Chicago White Sox
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Ray Walston (Actor)
November 2, 1914 - January 1, 2001
Birthplace: Laurel, Mississippi
Passed Away at Age 86 From Lupus
Played Mr. Hand On Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Donna Douglas (Actress)
September 26, 1932 - January 1, 2015
Birthplace: Pride, Louisiana
Passed Away at Age 82 From Pancreatic Cancer
Played Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies
David Stern (NBA Commissioner)
September 22, 1942 - January 1, 2020
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away on January 1, 2020 at Age 77 From a Brain Hemorrhage
The NBA Commissioner From 1984 to 2014
Dan Reeves (Football Coach)
January 19, 1944 - January 1, 2022
Birthplace: Rome, Georgia
Passed Away at Age 77 From Complications of Dementia
Led the Denver Broncos to 3 Super Bowls
* Lost All 3
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1982 - Madman
Director: Joe Giannone
Starring: Gaylen Ross and Paul Ehlers
Budget: $350,000
Box Office: $1.3 Million
1985 - Rockin' Road Trip
Director: William Olsen
Starring: Leon Rippy, Martin Tucker and Pat Miller
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Headline News Was Launched, the First 24-Hour News Station
* Originally Called CNN2
1983 - Soul Train Went On Hiatus For Don Cornelius's Brain Surgery
1985 - VH1 (Video Hits One) Was Launched
* The First Video Played was Marvin Gaye's Rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
1985 - WWF Prime Time Wrestling Premiered on the USA Network
Seasons: 9
Episodes: 417
Jesse "The Body Ventura" and Jack Reynolds Were the Host For the First Season Before Getting Replaced by Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain Heenan
1986 - Happy New Year, Charlie Brown Premiered on CBS
1987 - The “Brain On Drugs” Campaign Was Launched
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1983 - Feline
The Stranglers (7th Album)
* Reached #4 on the UK Charts
Fun Fact!
The Stranglers Released Their Debut Album in 1977 (Rattus Norvegicus)
* Reached #4 in the UK and #82 in Australia
1986 - New Trails
Riders in the Sky (6th Album)
1986 - Atomizer
Big Black (Debut Album)
Fun Fact!
The Punk Band Big Black Was Formed in 1981 at Northwestern University
* Only Released 2 Full-Length Albums
1987 - Best of the West (Compilation Album)
Riders in the Sky
In Other 80s Music News
1980 - Cliff Richard Was Appointed an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
1983 - ZTT Records Was Founded
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1984 - The Los Angeles Raiders Beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 38 - 10 in the AFC Divisional Round
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Spread
Raiders -7
O/U 43.0
Marcus Allen (Raiders) 121 Yards Rushing 2 TD’s (49 Long)
The Los Angeles Raiders Went on to Beat the Seattle Seahawks 38 - 10 in the AFC Championship Game
* Beat the Washington Redskins 38 - 9 in Super Bowl XVIII
1984 - The Washington Redskins Beat the Los Angeles Rams 51 - 7 in the NFC Divisional Round
Location: RFK Stadium in Washington
Spread
Redskins -9.5
O/U 48.5
John Riggins (Redskins) 119 Yards Rushing 3 TD’s
The Washington Redskins Beat the San Francisco 49ers 24 - 21 in the NFC Championship Game
* Lost to the Los Angeles Raiders 38 - 9 in Super Bowl XVIII
1989 - The Buffalo Bills Beat the Houston Oilers 17 - 10 in the AFC Divisional Round
Location: Rich Stadium in Buffalo
Spread
Bills -3.5
O/U 37.0
The Buffalo Bills Lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 21 - 10 in the AFC Championship Game
1989 - The San Francisco 49ers Beat the Minnesota Vikings 34 - 9 in the NFC Divisional Round
Location: Candlestick Park in San Francisco
Spread
49ers 3.5
O/U 44.0
Roger Craig 135 Yards Rushing 2 TD’s (long 80)
The San Francisco 49ers Beat the Chicago Bears 28 - 3 in the NFC Championship Game
* Beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20 - 16 in Super Bowl XXIII
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<- December 31st January 2nd ->
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1983 - The Foundation of the Internet Was Invented
* ARPANET Officially Began Using TCP/IP (The Internet Protocol)
Fun Fact!
The First Website Was www.info.cer.ch Launched on August 6, 1991
Happy 80s Birthdays
1936 - James Sinegal (Businessman) Costco
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1938 - Frank Langella (Actor) Masters of the Universe
Birthplace: Bayonne, New Jersey
1943 - Jimmy Hart (Wrestling Manager) "Mouth of the South"
Birthplace: Jackson, Mississippi
1943 - Don Novello (Actor) SNL
Birthplace: Ashtabula, Ohio
1952 - Stephanie Faracy (Actress) The Great Outdoors
Birthplace: New York City
1954 - Richard Edson (Actor) Ferris Buelller's Day Off (Valet Parker)
Birthplace: New Rochelle, New York
1956 - Martin Plaza (Australian Singer) Mental as Anything
Birthplace: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1958 - Grandmaster Flash (Hip Hop Artist)
Birthplace: Bridgetown, Barbados
1964 - Dedee Pfeiffer (Actress) Moving Violations (Cissy)
Birthplace: Midway City, California
1970 - Gabriel Jarret (Actor) Real Genius (Mitch)
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Fun Fact!
In 1965 Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Had the #4 Song in America “Keep On Dancing” as a Member The Gentrys
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Lutheran Church
1982 - Headline News Made Its Debut
* Called CNN 2 at the Time
The First 24-Hour News Channel
On January 1, 1985 The First Phone Call by a British Mobile Phone Was Made by Michael Harrison
* Called His Father Sir Ernest Harrison (Chairman of Vodafone)
Headlines
(January 1st)
1980 - The First Far Side Comic Was Published in the San Francisco Chronicle
Creator: Gary Larson
Fun Fact!
The Far Side Ran For 15 Years and Was Carried by Over 1,900 Newspapers
* Translated Into 17 Different Languages
Other Notable Dates
(On January 1st)
1902 - The First College Bowl Game Was Played Between Michigan and Stanford in the Rose Bowl
* Michigan Won 49 - 0
Fun Fact!
The Average Price For a Pack of Cigarette's in 1971 Was $0.27
1971 - Cigarette Advertisements Were Banned From American Television
* The Last Cigarette Commercial Was Paid For by Virginia Slims