Other Notable Birthdays
Curt Gowdy (Sportscaster)
July 31, 1919 - February 20, 2006
Passed Away at Age 86 From Leukemia
Coined the Nickname "The Granddaddy of Them All" For the Rose Bowl Game
Hank Bauer (Baseball)
July 31, 1922 - February 9, 2007
Passed Away at Age 84 From Lung Cancer
* Won 7 World Series Titles as a Player For the New York Yankees
Managed the Baltimore Orioles to a World Series Championship in 1968
Kevin Greene (Football)
July 31, 1962 - December 21, 2020
Passed Away at Age 50 From a Heart Attack
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Andrew Johnson (Former U.S. President)
December 29, 1808 - July 31, 1875
Passed Away at Age 66 From a Stroke
Thee 17th President of the United States
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper (Wrestler)
April 17, 1954 - July 31, 2015
Passed Away at Age 61 From Cardiac Arrest
Considered One of the Most Popular Wrestlers of All-Time
Harold Prince (Theatre Director)
January 30, 1928 - July 31, 2019
Passed Away at Age 91 After a Brief Illness
Won the Most Tony Awards in History
Bill Russell (Basketball)
February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022
Passed Away in His Mercer Island, Washington Home at Age 88 (Unknown Cause)
Considered the Greatest Champion of All-Time Winning 11 NBA Championships in 13-Years With the Boston Celtics From 1956 to 1969
* 5x MVP
Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975
Fun Fact!
Bill Russell Won the NBA Championship in 1968 and 1969 as Player Coach
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1981 - Under the Rainbow
Director: Steve Rash
Starring: Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher
Budget: $18 Million
Box Office: $18.8 Million
1987 - The Lost Boys
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Jason Patrick, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Jamison Newlander, Barnard Hughes and Alex Winter
Budget: $8.5 Million
Box Office: $32.2 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
No 80s TV Premieres or Finales On This Day
Fun Fact!
Michael J. Fox Won an Emmy Award 3 Years in a Row (1986, 1987, 1988) For His Role as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Step by Step
Eddie Rabbitt (7th Album)
Billboard Charts: #23
* #1 on the Country Charts
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - Baltimore Orioles Pitcher, Steve Stone Had His 14-Game Winning Streak Snapped by the Texas Rangers
* The Rangers Beat the Orioles 7 - 4 at Arlington Stadium on a Thursday Night
Attendance: 14,969
1981 - The MLB Strike Came to an End
* The Strike Began on June 12
1987 - Baltimore Orioles Slugger, Eddie Murray Hit His 299th and 300th Home Run in an 8 - 4 Victory over the Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium on a Friday Night
Attendance: 28,228
1988 - Willie Stargell Was Inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame
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Other Notable Dates
(July 31st)
1790 - The Very First United States Patent Was Granted to Samuel Hopkins For His Potash Process
Headlines
(July 31st)
1981 - The Major League Baseball Strike Came to an End
* Began On June 12th
The First Work Stoppage Since 1972
Fun Fact!
The Players and Fans Blamed the Strike On the Greedy Owners
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July 31st in 80s History
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1989 - Nintendo's Game Boy Was Released in the United States and Went on to Sell 1 Million Units in the First 2 Weeks
* Production Ended on March 23, 2003
The Game Boy Was a Cultural Icon in the 90s
1987 - The Lost Boys Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Jason Patrick, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman and Kiefer Sutherland
Did You Know?
The Lost Boys Was Corey Haim and Corey Feldman's First Film Together
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2012 - Michael Phelps (Swimmer) Broke the Olympic Record For Most Gold Medals With 10
* Currently Has 23
2006 - Fidel Castro Turned Over the Cuban Power to His Brother Raúl
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Happy 80s Birthdays
1939 - Susan Flannery (Actress) Dallas
1956 - Michael Biehn (Actor) Terminator
1958 - Bill Berry (Drummer) R.E.M.
1959 - Stanley Jordan (Guitarist)
1962 - Wesley Snipes (Actor) Major League
1963 - Fatboy Slim (Musician)
1969 - Loren Dean (Actor) Say Anything…
Fun Fact!
Wesley Snipes Made His Movie Debut in the 1985 Film, Wildcats
#1 Songs in America
(July 31st)
1980 - "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"
Billy Joel
7/19 - 8/1
1981 - "The One That You Love"
Air Supply
7/25 - 7/31
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 - "Everytime You Go Away"
Paul Young
7/27 - 8/2
1986 - "Sledgehammer"
Peter Gabriel
7/26 - 8/1
1987 - "Alone"
Heart
7/11 - 7/31
1988 - "Roll With It"
Steve Winwood
7/30 - 8/26
1989 - "Toy Soldiers"
Maltika
7/22 - 8/4
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
The Lost Boys Premiered in Theaters
1988 - Willie Stargell Was the Only Player Inducted Into the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1988
* 7x All-Star
1979 National League MVP
Attended Encinal High School in Alameda
Fun Fact!
Former MLB Players Tommy Harper and Curt Motton Played With Willie Stargell at Encinal High School