80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Final Episode of Behind the Screen
Seasons: 1
Network: CBS
1987 - Final Episode of I married Dora
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
Network: ABC
Starring Juliette Lewis and Elizabeth Peña
1987 - Shell Game Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1989 - When All the Pieces Fit
Peter Frampton (10th Album)
Billboard Charts: #152
In Other 80s Music News
1981 - "Pirates of Penzance" Opened at Uris Theater in New York
1989 - "42nd Street" Closed at Winter Garden Theater in New York
* Ran 3,486 Performances
1989 - "Starlight Express" Closed at Gershwin Theater in New York
* Ran 761 Performances
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1981 - Larry Bittner Became the Last Baseball Free Agent to Sign Under the System That Was Established in 1976
* Signed with the Cincinnati Reds
1983 - The “Super Bowl Tournament” Began (NFL Playoffs)
*The NFL Playoffs Were Re-Formatted That Season Because of the Players Strike (Only 9 Regular Seasons Games Played)
1983 - The Washington Redskins Beat the Detroit Lions 31 - 7 in the First Round of the NFL Playoffs
Location: RFK Stadium in Washington
* Alvin Garrett (Redskins) 6 Catches 110 Yards 3 TD’s
Spread
Redskins -6
O/U 37.0
1983 - The Green Bay Packers Beat the St. Louis Cardinals 41 - 16 in the First Round of the NFL Playoffs
Location: Lambeau Field
* John Jefferson (Packers) 6 Catches 148 Yards 2 TD’s
Spread
Packers 4.5
O/U 37.0
1983 - The Miami Dolphins Dolphins Beat the New England Patriots 28 - 13 in the First Round of the NFL Playoffs
Location: Orange Bowl in Miami
* Andra Franklin (Dolphins) 112 Yards Rushing 1 TD
Spread
Dolphins -7.5
O/U 36.0
1983 - The Los Angeles Raiders Raiders Beat the Cleveland Browns 27 - 10 in the First Round of the NFL Playoffs
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
* Cliff Branch (Raiders) 5 Catches 121 Yards
Spread
Raiders -8.5
O/U 44.5
1984 - The Los Angeles Raiders Beat the Seattle Seahawks 30 - 14 in the AFC Championship Game to Advance to the Super Bowl
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Spread
Raiders -7
O/U 47
Marcus Allen (Raiders) 154 Yards Rushing 62 Receiving
The Raiders Beat the Washington Redskins 38 - 9 in Super Bowl XVIII
1984 - The Washington Redskins Beat the San Francisco 49ers 24 - 21 in the NFC Championship Game to Advance to the Super Bowl
Location: RFK Stadium in Washington D.C
Spread
Redskins -10
O/U 51.0
John Riggins (Redskins) 123 Yards Rushing 2 TD’s
The Redksins Lost to the Los Angeles Raiders 38 - 9 in Super Bowl XVIII
1984 - Don Kernodle and Bob Orton Jr. Beat Jimmy Valiant and Dory Funk, Jr For the NWA Tag Team Championship
Location: Charlotte, NC
1986 - Willie McCovey Was Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
1989 - The Cincinnati Bengals Beat the Buffalo Bills 21 - 10 in the AFC Championship Game to Advance to the Super Bowl
Location: Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati
Spread
Bengals -4
O/U 41.0
Icky Woods (Bengals) 102 Yards Rushing 2 TD’s
The Bengals Lost to the San Francisco 49ers 20 - 16 in Super Bowl XXIII
1989 - The San Francisco 49ers Beat the Chicago Bears 28 - 3 in the NFC Championship Game to Advance to the Super Bowl
Location: Soldier Field in Chicago
Spread
49ers -2
O/U 35.0
Jerry Rice (49ers) 5 Catches 133 Yards 2 TD’s
The 49ers Beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20 - 16 in Super Bowl XXIII
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Headlines
(January 8th)
1980 - The Mattel Intellisvision Video Game System Was Released in the United States
* The First Game System to Compete With the Atari 2600
Voted #14 Video Game Consoles of All-Time by IGN
Pink Floyd Released "Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2" as a Single
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1981 - A Farmer Reported a UFO Sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France
* The Most Carefully Documented Sighting of All-Time
On January 8, 1980 Pink Floyd Released the Single "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2"
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1989 - "42nd Street" Closed Its Doors at The Winter Garden Theater in New York After 3,486 Performances
Fun Fact!
The Longest Running Broadway Show of All-Time is The Phantom of the Opera
Opening Date: January 26, 1988
Closing Date: April 26, 2023
Performances: 13,981
#2 Chicago
#3 Lion King
Other Notable Birthdays
John Carroll (Archbishop of Baltimore)
January 8, 1735 - December 3, 1815
Birthplace: Marlborough Town, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 80 (Unknown Cause)
* Founded Georgetown University
Larry Storch (Actor and Comedian)
January 8, 1923 – July 8, 2022
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 99 From Natural Causes
* Played Corporal Randolph Agarn On the TV Series F Troop
Bill Graham (Concert Promoter)
January 8, 1931 - October 25, 1991
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Passed Away at Age 60 in a Helicopter Crash Near Vallejo, California
* Made the San Francisco Venues the Fillmore and Hinterland Ballroom Popular
The Fillmore and the Hinterland Ballroom Were the Breeding Grounds For the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin
Stephen Hawking (Physicist)
January 8, 1942 - March 14, 2018
Birthplace: Oxford, England
Passed Away Peacefully in His Home at Age 76
* The Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge From 1979 to 2009
Becoming a Lucian Professor is Viewed as One of the Most Prestigious Academic Posts in the World
David Bowie (Singer)
January 8, 1947 - January 10, 2016
Birthplace: London, England
Passed Away at Age 69 From Liver Cancer
* Played Jereth, the Goblin King in the 1986 Film, Labyrinth
One of the Best Selling Artists of All- Time With Over 100 Million Copies Sold
Bruce Sutter (Baseball)
January 8, 1953 – October 13, 2022
Birthplace: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Passed Away at Age 69 From Cancer (Unknown)
All Star: 6
Cy Youngs Awards: 1 (1979)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 (13th Ballot)
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Eli Whitney (American Inventor)
December 8, 1765 - January 8, 1825
Birthplace: Westborough, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
Passed Away on January 8, 1825 at Age 59 From Prostate Cancer
* Invented the Cotton Gin in 1793
The Cotton Gin Helped Strengthen the Economic Foundation of American Slavery
Steve Clark (Guitarist)
April 23, 1960 - January 8, 1991
Birthplace: Wisewood, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Passed Away on January 8, 1991 at Age 30 From Alcohol Poisoning
* The Lead Guitarist For Def Leppard
Dave Thomas (American Businessman)
July 2, 1932 - January 8, 2002
Birthplace: Atlantic City, New Jersey
Passed Away on January 8, 2002 at Age 69 From a Carcinoid Neuroendocrine Tumor
* The Founder of Wendy’s
Fun Fact!
Wendy’s Was Founded on November 16, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio
* Named After His Fourth Child Melinda Lou “Wendy” Thomas
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1988 - Cop
Director: James B. Harris
Starring: James Woods, Lesley Ann Warren and Charles Durning
Budget: $2.5 million
Box Office: $1.8 million
Happy 80s Birthdays
1938 - Bob Eubanks (Game Show Host) The Newlywed Game
Birthplace: Flint, Michigan
1946 - Robby Krieger (Guitarist) The Doors
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
1949 - Anne Schedeen Actress) Alf (Kate)
Birthplace: Portland, Oregon
1951 - John McTiernan (Director) Die Hard
Birthplace: Albany, New York
1955 - Mike Reno (Singer) Loverboy "Working For The Weekend"
Birthplace: New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
1964 - Ron Sexsmith (Singer)
Birthplace: St. Catharines, Canada
1976 - Jenny Lewis (Actress) Troop Beverly Hills
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada
1979 - Sarah Polley (Actress) The Big Town
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1982 - Gaby Hoffmann (Actress) Uncle Buck (Maizy)
Birthplace: New York City
Fun Fact!
Gaby Hofmann Won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Supporting Actress For Her Role as Karin Kinsella (Daughter) in Field of Dreams (1989)
* Field of Dreams Was Her Film Debut
#1 Songs in America
(January 8th)
1980 - "Please Don't Go"
KC and the Sunshine Band
1/5 - 1/11
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
January 8th in 80s History
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1982 - The Breakup of the Bell Systems in the United States
* AT&T Agreed to Split Itself Into 22 Subdivisions
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"Another Brick In the Wall, Part 2"
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Other Notable Dates
(January 8th)
1790 - George Washington Delivered the Very First State of the Union Address in U.S. History
* Delivered in New York City
1828 - The Democratic Party Was Organized For the First Time
* Founded in Baltimore Maryland in Support of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buran
1835 - US President Andrew Jackson Announced the United States National Debt Was Zero
* First and Only Time in History
1867 - Congress Passed a Bill That Gave African-American Men the Right to Vote
1964 - President Lyndon B. Johnson Declared a "War on Poverty" in the United States
2002 - President George W. Bush Signed the “No Child Left Behind” Act