On This Day July 4th in 80s History

Happy 80s Birthdays

1943 - Geraldo Rivera (Talk Show Host)
1951 - Ralph Johnson (Drummer) Earth, Wind & Fire
1952 - John Waite (Singer)
1954 - Morganna (Entertainer)
1956 - Deon Estus (Bassist) George Michael
1958 - Kirk Pengilly (Saxophonist) INXS
1960 - Barry Windham (Wrestler)
1962 - Pam Shriver (Tennis)
1963 - Jose Oquendo (Baseball)

Fun Fact!
Pam Shriver Won 21 Grand Slam Doubles Titles

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Other Notable Birthdays

Al Davis (Football Executive)
July 4, 1929 - October 8, 2011
Passed Away at Age 82 From Congestive Heart Failure

Owner and Founder of the Oakland Raiders

George Steinbrenner (American Businessman)
July 4, 1930 - July 13, 2010
Passed Away at Age 80 From a Heart Attack

Owner of the New York Yankees

Bill Withers (Singer)
July 4, 1938 - March 30, 2020
Passed Away at Age 81 From Heart Complications

Best Known the Hit Songs "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971) and "Lean on Me" (1972)

* 3x Grammy Award Winner

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Passed Away
(On This Day)

John Adams (Former U.S. President)

October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826
Passed Away Peacefully in Bed at Age 83
2nd President of the United States

Thomas Jefferson (Former U.S. President)

October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826
Passed Away at Age 83 From Deteriorating Health and Rheumatism
3rd President of the United States

James Monroe (Former U.S. President)

April 28, 1758 - July 4, 1831
Passed Away at Age 73 From Heart Failure and Tuberculosis
5th President of the United States

Adrian Adonis (Wrestler)

September 15, 1953 - July 4, 1988
Passed Away at Age 34 From a Car Accident in Lewisporte, Newfoundland

Won the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1984 With Partner Dick Murdock, Known as the North-South Connection

* Defeated the Soul Patrol, Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson

Did You Know?

Rocky Johnson is the Rock's Dad

Barry White (Singer)

September 12, 1944 - July 4, 2003
Passed Away at Age 58 From a Stroke

Best Known For the Hit Songs "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" (1974) and "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" (1974)

* 2x Grammy Award Winner

Hank Stram (Football Coach)

January 3, 1923 - July 4, 2005
Passed Away at Age 82 From Diabetes Complications

Won Super Bowl IV as the Head Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs

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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)

1986 - About Last Night
Director: Edward Zick
Starring: Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jim Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins
Budget: $8.5 Million

Box Office: $38.7 Million

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80s Television
(On This Day)

1981 - Showtime Ended its Part-Time Schedule and Became a 24/7 Cable Station

1984 - Final Episode of Real People
Seasons: 5
Network: NBC

1985 - The Raccoons Premiered on CBC (Animation)
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 60

Canadian Animation Show

1988 - Family Feud Came Back After a 3-Year Hiatus

* Switched from ABC to CBS

Hosted Ray Combs

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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)

1981 - Signals, Calls, and Marches (EP)
Mission of Burma

1983 - You and Me Both
Yazoo (2nd and Final Album)
Billboard Charts: #69

Hit #1 in the UK and New Zealand

1988 - Kylie
Kylie Minogue (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #53

Hit #1 in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Zimbabwe
* Featuring “Loco Motion”
Over 5 Million Copies Sold Worldwide

1989 - Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop
Boogie Down Productions (3rd Album)
Billboard Charts: #36

Singles Released

1986 -"Walk This Way”
Run D.M.C.
Billboard Charts: #4

Hit #1 in New Zealand

1988 - “Monkey”

George Michael
Billboard Charts: #1

* #1 Song in America from August 27 - September 9

Also Hit #1 in Canada

In Other 80s Music News

1987 - The First Joint Rock Concert Between the United States and the Soviet Union Was Held in Moscow to Promote Peace
* The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Santana and Bonnie Raitt Performed with Autograph (Soviet Rock Band)

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80s Sports
(On This Day)

1980 - Evonne Goolagong Cawley (Australia) Won Wimbledon
Runner Up: Chris Evert
Match: 6-1, 7-6

1981 - John McEnroe Won Wimbledon
Runner Up: Björn Borg
Match: 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4

1982 - Jimmy Connors Won Wimbledon
Runner Up: John McEnroe
Match: 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4

1983 - New York Yankees Pitcher Dave Righetti Pitched a No-Hitter Against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium
Attendance: 41,077

1984 - Phil Niekro Recorded His 3,000th Career Strikeout
Career Strikeouts: 3,342

1987 - Martina Navratilova Won Wimbledon
Runner-Up: Steffi Graf
Match: 7-5, 6-3

1988 - Stefan Edberg (Sweden) Won Wimbledon
Runner Up: Boris Becker (Germany)
Match: 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2

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Other Notable Dates

(On July 4th)

1802 - The United States Military Academy Opened in West Point, New York

1827 - Slavery Was Abolished in New York
* Slavery Officially Ended in 1865

1939 - Lou Gehrig Gave Delivered "The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" Speech After Being Diagnosed With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

* Later Renamed Lou Gehrig Disease

1960 - The 50-Star Flag Made Its Debut in Philadelphia
* Hawaii Became the 50th State in 1959

1976 - The United States Celebrated Its Bicentennial (200 Years)

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