Happy 80s Birthdays
1949 - Geezer Butler (Bassist) Black Sabbath
1949 - Charlie Steiner (Sportscaster)
1950 - P.J. Soles (Actress) Stripes
1952 - David Hasselhoff (Actor) Knight Rider
1956 - Bryan Trottier (Hockey)
1956 - Robert Romanus (Actor) Fast Times at Ridgemont High
1963 - Regina Belle (Singer)
1964 - Heather Langenkamp (Actress) A Nightmare on Elm Street
1965 - Alex Winter (Actor) Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Fun Fact!
David Hasselhoff is in the Guinness Book of World Records For the Most Watched Man in Television
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Other Notable Birthdays
James Cagney (Actor)
July 17, 1899 - March 30, 1986
Passed Away at Age 86 From a Heart Attack
Won an Academy Award For His Role as George M. Cohan in the 1943 Film, Yankee Doodle Dandy
Lou Boudreau (Baseball)
July 17, 1917 - August 10, 2001
Passed Away at Age 84 From Cardiac Arrest
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970
Phyllis Diller (Comedian)
July 17, 1917 - August 20, 2012
Passed Away at the Age of 95 From Various Ailments
Donald Sutherland (Actor)
July 17, 1935 - June 20, 2024
Passed Away at Age 88 From an Unknown Lengthy Illness
Best Known For the War Films The Dirty Dozen (1967) and M*A*S*H and Kelly's Hero in 1970
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Ty Cobb (Baseball)
December 18, 1886 - July 17, 1961
Passed Away at Age 74 After Falling into a Diabetic Coma
12x Batting Champion
4,189 Career Hits (2nd All-Time)
Elected to Baseball's First Class Hall of Fame in 1936
Fun Fact!
Ty Cobb is Considered the Dirtiest Player of All-Time
* Used to Sharpen His Spikes to Cut Other Players Shins When Sliding
Dizzy Dean (Baseball)
January 16, 1910 - July 17, 1974
Passed Away in Reno at Age 64 From a Heart Attack
1934 National League MVP
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953 (9th Ballot)
Bruiser Brody (Wrestler)
June 18, 1946 - July 17, 1988
Passed Away at Age 46 From Stab Wounds After Getting Attacked Before a Match in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1981 - Arthur
Director: Steve Gordon
Starring: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli and John Gielgud
Budget: $7 Million
Box Office: $95.5 Million
1981 - Endless Love
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Starring: Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt with Tom Cruise (debut) and James Spader
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $32.4 Million
Fun Fact!
The Theme Song For the Film, Endless Love Was Sang by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
* #1 Song in America in 1981 from August 15 - October 16
1981 - Zorro, The Gay Blade
Director: Peter Medack
Starring: George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, Ron Leibman and Brenda Vaccaro
Budget: $12.6 Million
Box Office: $5.1 Million
1987 - RoboCop
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith and Miguel Ferrer
Budget: $13 Million
Box Office: $53.4 Million
1987 - Jaws: The Revenge
Director: Joseph Sargent
Starring: Lorraine Gary, Lance Guest, Mario Van Peebles, Karen Young and Michael Caine
Budget: $23 Million
Box Office: $51.9 Million
1987 - Nowhere to Hide
Director: Mario Philip Azzopardi
Starring: Amy Madigan, Michael Ironside, John Colicos, Daniel Hugh Kelly and Robin MacEachern
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1988 - "Shark Week" Premiered on Discovery Channel
* Still Airing
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Escape
Journey (7th Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Featuring “Who’s Crying Now” and “Don’t Stop Believin”
Over 9 Million Copies Sold in the US
1982 - Screaming for Vengeance
Judas Priest (8th Album)
Billboard Charts: #17
Over 2 Million Copies Sold in the US
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - Tom Watson (-9) Won the British Open
Prize: $40,000
Runner Up: Hale Irwin and Andy Bean (-8)
Runner Up Prize: $23,000
* Tom Watson’s 8th and Final Major Win
1987 - Don Mattingly Hit a Home Run in His 7th Straight Game
* Mattingly Would Hit a Record 8 Straight Games With a Home Run
Fun Fact!
Ken Griffey Jr. (1993) and Dale Long (1956) Also Hit Home Runs in 8 Straight Games
Click Here For More Baseball Fun Facts and Awards
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1981 - The Walkway at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri Collapsed
* 114 People Killed and Over 200 Injured
1989 - The B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Made Its Maiden Flight
1989 - Splash Mountain Opened at Disneyland
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Other Notable Dates
(On July 17th)
1955 - Disneyland Opened in Anaheim, California
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Drinking Age
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1983 - Tom Watson (-9) Defeated Hale Irwin and Andy Bean by 1-Stroke to Win the 112th British Open
* Now Called The Open Championship
Headlines
(July 17th)
1981 - Tom Cruise Made His Movie Debut as Billy in the Film, Endless Love
* Also Starring Brooke Shields
#1 Songs in America
(July 17th)
1980 - "Coming Up"
Paul McCartney
6/28 - 7/18
1981 - "Bette Davis Eyes"
Kim Carnes
6/27 - 7/24
1982 - "Don't You Want Me"
The Human League
7/3 - 7/23
1983 - "Every Breath You Take"
The Police
7/9 - 9/2
1984 - "When Doves Cry"
Prince
7/7 - 8/10
1985 - "A View to Kill"
Duran Duran
7/13 - 7/26
1986 - "Holding Back the Years"
Simply Red
7/12 - 7/18
1987 - "Alone"
Heart
7/11 - 7/31
1988 - "The Flame"
Cheap Trick
7/9 - 7/22
1989 - "If You Don't Know Me By Now"
Simply Red
7/15 - 7/21
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
RoboCop Premiered in Theaters
1988 - Pro Wrestler, Bruiser Brody Died At Age 42 From Stab Wounds
* Attacked by a Fellow Wrestler Before a Match in San Juan, Puerto Rico
1987 - RoboCop Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Peter Weller
Considered One of the Greatest Science Fiction Movies of All-Time
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July 17th in 80s History
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On July 17, 1984 the US Drinking Age Was Changed from 18 to 21