#1 Songs in America
(January 4th)
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 To See More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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1984 - Night Court Premiered on NBC
* Ran 9 Seasons with 135 Episodes
Fun Fact!
John Larroquette Won a Grammy For Best Supporting Actor 4 Years in a Row (1985 - 1988) For His Role as Dan Fielding on Night Court
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Headlines
(January 4th)
1980 - The Romantics Released Their Debut Album
* Featuring “What I Like About You”
January 4th in 80s History
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Happy 80s Birthdays
1937 - Dyan Cannon (Actress) Caddyshack II
Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington
1955 - Mark Hollis (English Musician) Talk Talk
Birthplace: Tottenham, London
1956 - Bernard Sumner (Musician) New Order
Birthplace: Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, England
1956 - Ann Magnuson (Actress) Tequila Sunrise
Birthplace: Charleston, West Virginia
1958 - Matt Frewer (Actor) Max Headroom
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
1960 - Adrienne King (Actress) Friday the 13th (Alice)
Birthplace: Oyster Bay, New York
1960 - Michael Stipe (Singer) R.E.M.
Birthplace: Decatur, Georgia
1961 - Lee Curreri (Actor) Fame (Bruno Martelli)
Birthplace: New York City
1963 - Dave Foley (Comedian) Kids in the Hall
Birthplace: Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Fun Fact!
Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) Grew Up an Army Brat Leaving His Family to Constantly Re-Locate
* Stipe Once Told Donald Trump to Shut Up
Other Notable Birthdays
Don Shula (Football Coach)
January 4, 1930 - May 4, 2020
Birthplace: Grand River, Ohio
Passed Away at Age 90 From Heart Disease
* Head Coach of the Baltimore Colts (1963 - 1969) Miami Dolphins (1970 - 1995)
Won Back to Back Super Bowls in 1971 and 1972 (Perfect Season)
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997
Fun Fact!
Don Shula Has the Most Wins in NFL History With 347
#2 George Halas (318)
#3 Bill Belichick (302)
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Tanya Roberts (Actress)
October 15, 1949 - January 4, 2021
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away on January 4, 2021 at Age 65 From Sepsis
Notable Roles
Beastmaster (1982)
Sheena (1984)
That 70's Show (1998 - 2004)
David Soul (Actor and Singer)
August 28, 1943 - January 4, 2024
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Passed Away at Age 80 From Lung Disease
* Smoked 3 Packs of Cigarettes a Day
Best Known For Playing "Hutch" in the 1970's TV Show Starsky & Hutch
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1985 - The Mutilator (New York)
Director: Buddy Cooper and John S. Douglass
Starring: Matt Mitler, Bill Hitchcock and Ruth Martinez
Budget: $1 Million
Box Office: N/A
1988 - The Boost
Director: Harold Becker
Starring: James Woods, Sean Young, John Kapelos, Steven Hill, June Chandler and Amanda Blake
Budget: $8 Million
Box Office: $784,000
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - The Elephant Man (Made-For-TV Movie) Aired on ABC
* Philip Anglim and Kevin Conway Reprised Their Broadway Roles
1984 - Night Court Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 9
Episodes: 135
1985 - Street Hawk Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
1988 - Blackout (Game Show) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 65
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - The Romantics
The Romantics (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #61
* Featuring “What I Like About You”
1983 - Sweet Dreams
Eurythmics (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts: #15
* #3 in the UK
1984 - Defenders of the Faith
Judas Priest (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #18
* #2 in Sweden
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - The Dallas Cowboys Beat the Atlanta Falcons 30 - 27 in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Spread
Falcons -2.5
O/U 45
Danny White (Cowboys) 322 Yards Passing 3 TD’s
The Dallas Cowboys Lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 20 - 7 in the NFC Championship Game
1981 - The Oakland Raiders Beat the Cleveland Browns 14 - 12 in the AFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Spread
Browns -3.5
O/U 38
Mark van Eeghen (Raiders) 2 TD’s
The Oakland Raiders Beat the San Diego Chargers 34 - 27 in the AFC Championship Game
* Beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27 - 10 in Super Bowl XV
1986 - The Miami Dolphins Beat the Cleveland Browns 24 - 21 in the AFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Orange Bowl in Miami
Spread
Dolphins -10.5
O/U N/A
Tony Nathan (Dolphins) 10 Catches 101 Yards
The Miami Dolphins Lost to the New England Patriots 31 - 14 in the AFC Championship Game
1986 - The Los Angeles Rams Shutout the Dallas Cowboys 20 - 0 in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Anaheim Stadium
* Eric Dickerson (Rams) Set an NFL Playoff Record with 248 Yards Rushing
Spread
Rams -2
O/U N/A
The Los Angeles Rams Lost to the Chicago Bears 24 - 0 in the NFC Championship Game
1987 - The Denver Broncos Beat the New England Patriots 22 - 17 in the AFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Mile High Stadium in Denver
* Sammy Winder (Broncos) 102 Yards Rushing
Spread
Broncos -4
O/U 43.0
The Denver Broncos Beat the Cleveland Browns 23 - 20 (OT) in the AFC Championship Game
* Lost to the New York Giants 39 - 20 in Super Bowl XXI
1987 - The New York Giants Beat the San Francisco 49ers 49 - 3 in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs
Location: Giants Stadium
Spread
Giants -3
O/U 39.0
Joe Morris (Giants) 159 Yards Rushing 2 TD’s
The New York Giants Shutout the Washington Redskins 17 - 0 in the NFC Championship Game
* Beat the Denver Broncos 39 - 20 in Super Bowl XXI
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1982 - Bryant Gumbel Made His Debut as Co-Anchor of The Today Show on NBC
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Night Court Premiered on NBC
1987 - An Amtrak Train Crashed en Route to Boston From Washington, D.C.
* 16 People Died
Known as The Maryland Train Collision
Did You Know?
Amtrak Began Operations on May 1, 1971
Other Notable Dates
(January 4th)
1853 - Solomon Northup Regained His Freedom After Being Kidnapped and Sold into Slavery in the South
* The Book Twelve Years a Slave Became a National Bestseller
1896 - Utah Became the 45th US State
* The Population Was 270,000
Now 3.2 Million
Fun Fact!
60% of People in Utah are Mormons
* Church of the Latter Day Saints
1999 -Former Professional Wrestler Jesse “The Body” Ventura Was Sworn in as Governor of Minnesota
* Served in the Navy from 1969 - 1975