1987 - Guns N’ Roses Released Their Debut Album (Appetite for Destruction)
The Highest Selling Debut Album of All Time

* Over 30 Million Copies Sold (Worldwide)

1985 - Sandy Lyle (+2) Defeated Payne Stewart by 1-Stroke to Win the 114th British Open

​Prize:  $65,000
Runner Up Prize:  $43,000
Location:  Sandwich, England
Course:  Royal St George's Golf Club

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Other Notable Birthdays


Ernest Hemingway (American Novelist)

July 21, 1899 - July 2, 1961

Passed Away at Age 61 From a Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound to the Head

Won the Nobel Peace Prize For Literature in 1954


Don Knotts (Actor)
July 21, 1924 - February 24, 2006
Passed Away at Age 81 From Pneumonia Related to Lung Cancer

Played Mr. Furley on the TV Show Three’s Company

* Also Won 5 Emmy Awards For His Role as Barney Fife in the 1960's Comedy The Andy Griffith Show

Robin Williams (Actor and Comedian)
July 21, 1951 - August 11, 2014​
Passed Away at Age 63 From Suicide by Hanging

Won an Academy Award in 1998 For His Role as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting

* Gained Popularity From the TV Series Mork & Mindy (1978 - 1982)

Dave Henderson “Hendu” (Baseball)
July 21, 1958 - December 27, 2015
Passed Away at Age 57 From a Heart Attack

All-Star (1991) Oakland A's

* World Series Champion (1989) Oakland A's


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Passed Away
(On This Day)


Lord Alfred Hayes (Wrestling)

August 8, 1928 - July 21, 2005
Passed Away at Age 76 From a Series of Strokes

Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018

* Recognized as One of the Greatest Wrestling Announcers of All-Time 

Dennis Green (Football Coach)

February 17, 1949 - July 21, 2016
Passed Away at Age 67 From Cardiac Arrest

Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings For 10 Seasons Making the Playoffs in 8 of Them

John Heard (Actor)

March 7, 1946 - July 21, 2017
Passed Away at Age 71 From a Heart Attack

Played Peter McCallister in the 1990 Film Home Alone


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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)​


1989 - UHF
Director:  Jay Levey
Starring:  "Weird Al" Yankovic, Victoria Jackson, Michael Richards, Kevin McCarthy, David Bowe, Anthony Geary, Fran Drescher, Stanley Brock, Gedde Watanabe, Billy Barty, John Paragon and Trinidad Silva
Budget:  $5 Million

Box Office:  $6.1 Million

1989 - When Harry Met Sally…
Director:  Rob Reiner
Starring:  Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby
Budget:  $16 Million

Box Office:  $92.8 Million

1989 - Do the Right Things
Director:  Spike Lee
Starring:  Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro and Samuel L. Jackson
Budget:  $6 Million

Box Office:  $37.3 Million


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80s Television
(On This Day)​​​


1981 - Final Episode of Flo​
Seasons:  2
Episodes:  29

Network:  CBS

Spinoff From the TV Show, Alice


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​​80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)


1980 - Chicago XIV
Chicago (12 Album)
Billboard Charts:  #71


1980 - Live Seventy Nine (Live Album)
Hawkwind


1981 - You Want It You Got It
Bryan Adams (2nd Album)
Billboard Charts:  #118


1983 - Burning Farm
Shonen Knife (3rd Album)

1984 - The Yellow and Black Attack (EP)
Stryper

1987 - Appetite for Destruction
Guns N' Roses (Debut Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts

* Also #1 in New Zealand
Over 30 Million Copies Sold Worldwide

1987 - Who's That Girl (Soundtrack)
Madonna
Billboard Charts:  #7

Hit #1 in Germany and Netherlands
Over 6 Million Copies Sold Worldwide


1987 - Dangerous Attraction
Lion (Debut Album)

1987 - Dream Evil
Dio​ (4th Album)
Billboard Charts:  #43

Reached #43 on the US Billboard 200 Charts


Singles Released


1986 - “Stuck With You"

Huey Lewis and the News
#1 Song in America from September 20 - October 10
* Also Hit #1 in Canada


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80s Sports
(On This Day)​


​1981 - Tony Garea and Rick Martel Beat The Moondogs to Win the WWF Tag Team Championship
Location:  Allentown, Pennsylvania

1985 - Sandy Lyle (+2) Won The British Open
Prize:  $65,000
Runner Up:  Payne Stewart (+3)
Runner Up Prize:  $43,000
Location:  Sandwich, England
Course:  Royal St George's Golf Club


1985 - Bernard Hinault (France) Won the Tour de France

1989 - Mike Tyson TKO’d Carl Williams 1:33 into the 1st Round to Retain the Heavyweight Championship
Location:  Atlantic City, New Jersey
* Mike Tyson’s Last Fight From the 80s

Did You Know?
Mike Tyson Lost His Next Fight to Buster Douglas on February 11, 1990


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Other Notable Dates

(On July 21st)


1861 - The Confederate Army Won the First Major Battle of the Civil War
* Bull Run in Manassas Junction, Virginia

1865 - Wild Bill Hickok Shot and Killed Davis Tutt in the First Western Showdown
* In Springfield, Missouri

1873 - Jesse James and His Gang Successfully Pulled Off the First Train Robbery in the Old West
* In Adair, Iowa

1904 - Louis Rigolly (France) Became the First Man to Drive a Car 100 MPH
* Drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brillié in Ostend, Belgium

1925 - John T. Scopes (Biology Teacher) was Found Guilty for Teaching Human Evolution to His High School Students and Fined $100
* Known as the Scopes Trial In Dayton, Tennessee

1952 - A 7.3 Earthquake Hit Kern County in California
* 12 Killed and Hundreds Injured


1959 - Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green Became the First African-American to Play For the Boston Red Sox

* The Red Sox Were the Last Team to Integrate

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In Other News

(On July 21st )


2005 - Four Attempted Bomb Attacks by Islamist Extremists Disrupt Part of London's Public Transport System


2011 - NASA's Space Shuttle Program Ended With the Landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

* Mission STS-135


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<- July 20th            July 22nd ->


Back To The 80s Home Page


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Guns N' Roses Released Appetite For Destruction

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​​July 21st in 80s History

1989 - When Harry Met Sally … Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan

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Headlines

(July 21st)


1983 - The Coldest Temperature Ever Was Recorded in Vostok Station, Antarctica (-89.2 C -128.6 F)

​​​​​​​​Happy 80s Birthdays

1946 - Timothy Harris (Screenwriter) 
Trading Places
1948 - Art Hindle (Actor) 
Porky’s (Ted)
1953 - Eric Bazilian (Singer) 
The Hooters
1953 - Jeff Fatt (Keyboardist) 
The Cockroaches
1955 - Taco (Singer)
1957 - Jon Lovitz (Actor) 
SNL
1960 - Lance Guest (Actor) 
The Last Starfighter (Alex)
1961 - Jim Martin (Guitarist) 
Faith No More
1965 - Mike Bordick (Baseball)


Fun Fact!

Eric Bazilian Received His Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics From the University of Pennsylvania

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#1 Songs in America

​(July 21st)


1980 - "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"
Billy Joel
7/19 - 8/1

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 - "Invisible Touch"

Genesis

​7/19 - 7/25

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


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