Fun Fact!
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January 21st in 80s History
Passed Away
(On This Day)
Jackie Wilson (Singer)
June 9, 1934 - January 21, 1984
Birthplace: Highland Park, Michigan
Passed Away at Age 49 of From Pneumonia
* Nicknamed Mr. Excitement
Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987
Jack Lord (Actor)
December 30, 1920 - January 21, 1998
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
Passed Away at Age 77 From Congestive Heart Failure
* Played Capt. Steve McGarrett on Hawaii 5-O
Louie Anderson (Actor and Comedian)
March 24, 1953 - January 21, 2022
Birthplace: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Passed Away at Age 68 From Large B-Cell Lymphoma (Cancer of the B-Cells)
* Played Maurice The Fast Food Worker in Coming to America
Hosted Family Feud From 1999 to 2002
80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1983 - The House on Sorority Row
Director: Mark Rosman
Starring: Eileen Davidson and Katherine McNeil
Budget: $425,000
Box Office: $10.6 Million
1983 - Treasure of the Four Crowns
Director: Ferdinando Baldi
Starring: Tony Anthony, Ana Obregón, Gene Quintano and Francisco Rabal
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1984 - Michael Palin Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: The Motels
Michale Palin’s Mom Showed Up and Surprised Him During His Opening Monologue
1987 - The American Civil Rights Documentary Eyes on the Prize Premiered on PBS
Episodes: 14
1989 - John Malkovich Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Anita Baker
Mike Myers Made His SNL Debut
1989 - Dolphin Cove Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 8
1989 - Nightingales Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
Starring Kristy Swanson
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80s Music
(Released On This Day)
1983 - The Law of Devil's Land
Loudness (3rd Album)
1984 - Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi (Debut Album)
Reached #43 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
1985 - Real Love
Dolly Parton (27th Solo Album)
Reached #9 on the Country Charts
Singles Released
1983 - “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
Eurythmics
#1 Song in America from September 3 - 9
1984 - “Sunglasses At Night”
Corey Hart
Reached #7 on the US Billboard Charts
* First Single from His Debut Album (First Offense)
Fun Fact!
Corey Hart Wrote “Sunglasses At Night” Because the Studio Air Vents Blew Directly Into the Faces of the Control Room Workers and Wore Glasses to Protect Their Eyes
In Other 80s Music News
1982 - B. B. King Donated His Personal Record Collection to the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture
* Included Nearly 7,000 Rare Blues Records
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1985 - The U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham) Beat The North-South Connection (Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch) For the WWF Tag Team Championship
1986 - Ivan Lendl Defeated Boris Becker to Win the ATP Masters Grand Prix Title For a 3rd Time
Locati0n: Madison Square Garden
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In Other 80s News
(On January 21st)
1985 - Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 Crashed Near Reno, Nevada
* 70 People Died
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<- January 20th January 22nd ->
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1984 - Singer Jackie Wilson Passed Away at Age 49 From Pneumonia
* Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement
Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987
#1 Songs in America
(January 21st)
1980 - "Rock With You"
Michael Jackson
1/19 - 2/15
1981 - "(Just Like) Starting Over"
John Lennon
12/27 - 1/30
1982 - "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John
11/21 - 1/29
1983 - "Down Under"
Men at Work
1/15 - 2/4
1984 - "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
Yes
1/21 - 2/3
1985 - "Like a Virgin"
Madonna
12/22 - 2/1
1986 - "That's What Friends Are For"
Dionne & Friends
1/18 - 2/14
1987 - "Shake You Down"
Gregory Abbott
1/17 - 1/23
1988 - "Got My Mind Set On You"
George Harrison
1/16 - 1/22
1989 - "Two Hearts"
Phil Collins
1/21 - 2/3
Click Here For Music Fun Facts and Awards
Other Notable Birthdays
Telly Savalas (Actor)
January 21, 1922 - January 22, 1994
Birthplace: Garden City, New York
Passed Away at Age 72 From Bladder and Prostate Cancer
* Best Known For His Role as Kojak
Won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1974
Benny Hill (Actor and Comedian)
January 21, 1924 - April 20, 1992
Birthplace: Southampton, Hampshire, England
Passed Away at Age 68 From Kidney Failure
* Best Known For The Benny Hill Show
Ann Wedgeworth (Actress)
January 21, 1934 - November 16, 2017
Birthplace: Abilene, Texas
Passed Away at Age 83 After Battling a Long Illness
* Best Known For Playing Lana on Three’s Company
Wolfman Jack (Disc Jockey)
January 21, 1938 - July 1, 1995
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
Passed Away at Age 57 From a Heart Attack
* Famous For His Gravelly Voice
Edwin Starr (Singer)
January 21, 1942 - April 2, 2003
Birthplace: Nashville, Tennessee
Passed Away at Age 61 From a Heart Attack
* Best Known For the 1969 Anti-Vietnam War Song "War"
Paul Allen (American Businessman)
January 21, 1953 - October 15, 2018
Birthplace: Seattle, Washington
Passed Away at Age 65 From Septic Shock Caused by Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
* Co-Founder of Microsoft
Jam Master Jay (Rapper and DJ)
January 21, 1965 - October 30, 2002
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
Shot and Killed at Age 37
* A Member of the Rap Group Run D.M.C.
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WWF Tag Team Championship
"Owner of a Lonely Heart" Became the #1 Song in America
On January 21, 1985 The U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham) Beat The North-South Connection (Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch) For the WWF Tag Team Championship
Headlines
(January 21st)
1981 - The First DMC DeLorean Rolled Off the Assembly Line in Northern Ireland
Cost: 25,000
Made Popular as the Time Machine in the Back to the Future Films
1984 - “Owner of a Lonely Heart” by Yes Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from January 21 - February 3
Other Notable Dates
(January 21st)
1908 - New York City Passed a Law Making it Illegal For Women to Smoke in Public
* The Sullivan Ordinance
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1989 - “Two Hearts” by Phil Collins Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 song in America from January 21 - February 3
Also Hit #1 in Canada, Denmark and Japan
Happy 80s Birthdays
1940 - Jack Nicklaus (Golf)
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio
1941 - Ivan Putski (Wrestler)
Birthplace: Krakow, Poland
1942 - Michael G. Wilson (Producer) James Bond Movies
Birthplace: New York City
1947 - Jill Eikenberry (Actress) L.A. Law
Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut
1950 - Billy Ocean (Singer)
Birthplace: Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago
1955 - Jeff Franklin (Producer) Full House
Birthplace: Inglewood, California
1956 - Robby Benson (Actor)
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
1956 - Geena Davis (Actress) The Fly
Birthplace: Wareham, Massachusetts
1958 - Michael Wincott (Actor) Radio Days
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1963 - Hakeem Olajuwon (Basketball)
Birthplace: Lagos, Nigeria
1968 - Charlotte Ross (Actress) Days of Our Lives
Birthplace: Winnetka, Illinois
Fun Fact!
Hakeem Olajuwon Was the #1 Overall Pick in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets
2. Sam Bowie
3. Michael Jordan