1983 - George Brett’s “Pine Tar Incident”
* George Brett Was Called Out After Hitting a Home Run When Yankees Manager Billy Martin Showed the Umpire That Brett's Pine Tar Was Too High On the Bat
Other Notable Birthdays
Amelia Earhart (Pilot)
July 24, 1897 - July 2, 1937
* Disappeared Above Pacific Ocean
Declared Dead On January 5, 1939
The First Female Pilot to Fly Solo Across the Atlantic Ocean
Walt Bellamy (Basketball)
July 24, 1939 - November 2, 2013
Passed Away at Age 74 (Unknown Causes)
The #1 Overall Pick in the 1961 NBA Draft by the Chicago Packers
Gallagher (Comedian)
July 24, 1946 - November 11, 2022
Passed Away at Age 76 From Organ Failure Caused by Many Years of Heart Attacks
One of the Most Recognizable Comedians of the 1980s For His Observational Routine That Included the Signature Act of Smashing Watermelon on Stage With a Wooden Sledgehammer, Known as "Sledge-O-Matic"
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Sherman Hemsley (Actor)
February 1, 1938 - July 24, 2012
Passed Away at Age 74 From a Lung Tumor
Best Known For Playing George Jefferson on the TV Show The Jeffersons (1975 - 1985)
* Also Played Deacon Ernest Frye on Amen (1986 - 1991)
Regis Philbin (Talk Show Host)
August 25, 1931 - July 25, 2020
Passed Away at Age 88 From a Heart Attack
At One Point Held the Guinness Book of World Records For the Most Hours Spent on U.S. Television
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - The Earthling
Director: Peter Collinson
Starring: William Holden and Rick Schroder
Budget: $4.5 Million
Box Office: N/A
1981 - Blow Out
Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Dennis Ranz and John Lithgow
Budget: $18 Million
Box Office: $13.8 Million
1981 - Wolfen
Director: Michael Wadleigh
Starring: Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines and Tom Noonan
Budget: $17 Million
Box Office: $10.6 Million
1985 - The Black Cauldron
Directors: Ted Berman and Richard Rich
Starring: Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, Nigel Hawthorne and John Hurt
Budget: $33 Million
Box Office: $21.3 Million
1987 - La Bamba
Director: Luis Valdez
Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Danielle von Zerneck, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña and Joe Pantoliano
Budget: $6.5 Million
Box Office: $54.2 Million
1987 - Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Director: Sidney J. Furie
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Jon Cryer, Sam Wanamaker, Mark Pillow, Mariel Hemingway and Margot Kidder
Budget: $17 Million
Box Office: $36.7 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1988 - Final Episode of Tales from the Darkside
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 49
Network: Syndication
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
No 80s Albums Released On This Day
Singles Released
1982 - “Jack & Diane"
John Cougar Mellencamp
#1 Song in America from October 2 - 29
* Also Hit #1 in Canada
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - George Brett’s “Pine Tar Incident" Against the New York Yankees
* George Brett (Kansas City Royals) Was Called Out After Hitting a Home Run After Yankees Manager Billy Martin Showed the Umpire the Pine Tar Was Too High On the Bat
1983 - Laurent Fignon (France) Won the Tour de France
1988 - Pedro Delgado (Spain) Won the Tour de France
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1987 - 91-Year Old Mountaineer Hulda Crooks Became the Oldest Person to Climb the Highest Peak of Mt. Fuji in Japan
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Other Notable Dates
(July 24th)
1937 - The Rape Charges Against the "Scottsboro Boys" Were Dropped After Spending 6 Years on Death Row
* 9 African-Americans Were Falsely Charged With Raping 2 White Women
This Was a Landmark Case That Dealt With Racism and the Right to a Fair Trial
1974 - The United States Supreme Court Unanimously Ruled That President Richard Nixon Did Not Have the Authority to Withhold White House Tapes and Ordered Him to Surrender the Tapes to the Watergate Prosecutor
* Part of the Watergate Scandal
1998 - Russell Eugene Weston Jr. Entered the Capitol and Fatally Shot U.S. Capitol Police Officers Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson
* The Judge Ruled That Weston Was Incompetent to Stand Trial
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1988 - The Final Episode of Tales From the Darkside Aired
* Ran 4 Seasons with 49 Episodes
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1987 - La Bamba Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Esai Morales
Lou Diamond Phillips' Film Debut
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"Eye of the Tiger" Became the #1 Song in America
#1 Songs in America
(July 24th)
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 - "Eye of the Tiger"
Survivor
7/24 - 9/3
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 - "Hold On To The Nights"
Richard Marx
7/23 - 7/29
1989 - "Toy Soldiers"
Maltika
7/22 - 8/4
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
Happy 80s Birthdays
1936 - Ruth Buzzi (Actress) Pound Puppies
1940 - Dan Hedaya (Actor) Commando
1942 - Chris Sarandon (Actor) Child’s Play
1947 - Robert Hays (Actor) Airplane
1949 - Michael Richards (Actor) Seinfeld
1951 - Lynda Carter (Actress) Wonder Woman
1952 - Gus Van Sant (Director) Drugstore Cowboy
1957 - Robbie Grey (Singer) Modern English
1963 - Karl Malone (Basketball)
1964 - Barry Bonds (Baseball)
1965 - Kadeem Hardison (Actor) I’m Gonna Git You Sucka
Fun Fact!
In 1968 Michael Richards Was on an Episode of the Dating Game
* He Did Not Get Picked For the Date
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July 24th in 80s History
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Headlines
(July 24th)
1982 - The Theme Song For Rocky III, "Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor Hit #1 on the US Billboard Charts
* #1 Song in America from July 24 - September 3
Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Australia, South Africa and Japan
Did You Know?
“Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen, Was Supposed to be the Theme Song For Rocky III, But Queen Denied Them Permission
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