Other Notable Birthdays
Vera Williams (Children's Writer)
January 28, 1927 - October 16, 2015
Passed Away at Age 88 (Unknown Cause)
Featured as a Regular on Reading Rainbow
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Billy Powell (Keyboardist)
Passed Away on January 28, 2009 at Age 56 from a Heart Attack
Keyboardist For Lynyrd Skynyrd
Paul Kantner (Guitarist)
Passed Away on January 28, 2009 at Age 56 from Organ Failure and Septic Shock
Co-Founder of Jefferson Airplane
Signe Toly Anderson (Singer)
Passed Away on January 28, 2016 at Age 74 from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Co-Founder of Jefferson Airplane
Geoff Nicholls (Keyboardist)
Passed Away on January 28, 2017 at Age 72 from Lung Cancer
Keyboardist For Black Sabbath
Cicely Tyson (Actress)
Passed Away on January 28, 2021 at Age 96
Nominated For an Academy Award For Her Role as Rebecca Morgan in Sounder (1972)
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1983 - Sacred Ground
Director: Charles B. Pierce
Starring: Tim McIntire, L. Q. Jones and Jack Elam
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1984 - Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 51
Starring Stacy Keach
1986 - Melba Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
1989 - Tony Danza Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: John Hiatt
1989 - A Man Called Hawk Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
1989 - Long Ago and Far Away Premiered on PBS
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 35
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Love Stinks
J. Geils Band (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #18
1981 - Healing
Todd Rundgren (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #48
1981 - Welcome to the Wrecking Ball album
Grace Slick (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #48
1983 - Never Surrender
Triumph (6th Album)
* Reached #29 in Canada
1985 - Crazy From the Heart (EP)
David Lee Roth (Debut Solo Recording)
Billboard Charts: #15
* Featuring “California Girls”
Singles Released
1984 - “Footloose”
Kenny Loggins
#1 Song in America from March 31 - April 20
* Also Hit #1 in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
Fun Fact
Rob Lowe Was Set to Play the Lead in Footloose But Injured His Knee While Dancing
In Other 80s Music News
1985 - USA for Africa Recorded “We Are the World” to Help Raise Money for the Famine in Ethiopia
#1 Song in America from April 13 - March 10
Also Hit #1 in Canada, UK, France Italy, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1987 - Jim the Anvil Neidhart Was Indicted For Assaulting a Flight Attendant
* 2 Days After Winning the WWF Tag Team Championship
1989 - Steffi Graf (Germany) Won the Australian Open
Runner Up: Helena Sukova (Czechoslovakia)
Match: 6-4, 6-4
In Other 80s News
1980 - The USCGC Blackthorn Capsized When it Collided With the Capricorn (Tanker)
* Killed 23 Coast Guard Crewmembers
1981 - President Ronald Reagan Helped Put an End to the 1979 Energy Crisis
* He Lifted the Domestic Petroleum Price and Allocation Controls in the United States
1988 - The Supreme Court of Canada Struck Down all Anti-Abortion Laws
* In the Case of R v Morgentaler
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<- January 27th January 29th ->
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January 28th in 80s History
Happy 80s Birthdays
1936 - Alan Alda (Actor) M*A*S*H
1949 - Gregg Popovich (Basketball Coach)
1950 - Barbi Benton (Model)
1956 - Peter Schilling (Singer) “Major Tom”
1959 - Frank Darabont (Director) The Blob
1968 - Sarah McLachlan (Singer)
1968 - Rakim (Rapper)
Fun Fact!
Alan Alda Won 3 Primetime Emmy Awards (1972, 1973, 1982) for MostOutstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
* For His Role as Hawkeye on M*A*S*H
On January 28, 1985 David Lee Roth Released His Debut Solo Recording "Crazy From the Heart" (EP) Featuring "California Girls"
Other Notable Dates
(On January 28th)
1851 - Northwestern University Was Founded in Evanston, Illinois
* First Charter University in Illinois
1878 - The Yale Daily News Was Formed
* The First Daily College Newspaper
1915 - The US Coast Guard Was Formed
1935 - Iceland Became the First Western Country to Legalize Abortion
1956 - Elvis Presley Made His First Television Appearance
* The Stage Show (TV Show)
1965 - The Flag of Canada Was Chosen by Parliament
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1986 - Space Shuttle Challenger Exploded After Takeoff Killing All 7 Astronauts
Crew
Gregory Jarvis
Christa McAuliffe (Teacher)
Ronald McNair
Ellison Onizuka
Judith Resnik
Dick Scobee
Michael J. Smith
The Space Challenger Disaster
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1984 - Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Premiered on CBS
* Starring Stacy Keach
Headlines
(January 28th)
1982 - U.S. Army General James L. Dozier Was Rescued by an Italian Anti-Terrorism Force After Being Held Captivity by the Red Brigades
* The Red Brigades Were a Marxist–Leninist Armed Group Operating as a Far-Left Terrorist Group Based in Italy
1985 - “We Are the World” Was Recorded to Help Raise Money For the Famine in Ethiopia
* #1 Song in America from April 13 - March 10
Also Hit #1 in Canada, UK, France Italy, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
Raised Over $64 Million Dollars
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#1 Songs in America
(January 28th)
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 - "At This Moment"
Bill Vera and the Beaters
1/24 - 2/6
1988 - "The Way You Make Me Feel"
Michael Jackson
1/23 - 1/29
1989 - "Two Hearts"
Phil Collins
1/21 - 2/3
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
David Lee Roth