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1981 - "Keep on Loving You" by REO Speedwagon Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from March 21 - 27
Fun Fact!
REO Speedwagon Was Formed in Champaign, Illinois in 1967
Happy 80s Birthdays
1937 - Tom Flores (Football Coach)
Birthplace: Sanger, California
1945 - Rose Stone (Singer) Sly and the Family Stone
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
1946 - Timothy Dalton (Actor) License to Kill
Birthplace: Colwyn Bay, Denbighshire, Wales
1950 - Roger Hodgson (English Singer) Supertramp
Birthplace: Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
1951 - Conrad Lozano (Guitarist) Los Lobos
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
1951 - Russell Thompkins (Singer) The Stylistics
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1958 - Gary Oldman (Actor)
Birthplace: London, England
1958 - Sabrina Le Beauf (Actress) The Cosby Show (Sondra)
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
1961 - Slim Jim Phantom (Drummer) Stray Cats
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
1962 - Matthew Broderick (Actor) Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Birthplace: New York City
1962 - Rosie O’Donnell (Comedian)
Birthplace: Commack, New York
1963 - Shawon Dunston (Baseball)
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
Fun Fact!
Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker Have Been Married Since 1997
* They Have 3 Children
Did You Know?
The First Social Media Platform Was Six Degrees
* Created by Andrew Weinreich in 1997
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Just Between Friends
Did You Know?
"Lean On Me" Was Originally Performed by Bill Withers in 1972
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#1 Songs in America
(March 21st)
1980 - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
Queen
2/23 - 3/21
1981 - "Keep on Loving You"
REO Speedwagon
3/21 - 3/27
1982 - "I Love Rock 'n' Roll
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
3/20 - 5/7
1983 - "Billie Jean"
Michael Jackson
3/5 - 4/22
1984 - "Jump"
Van Halen
2/25 - 3/30
1985 - 'Can't Fight This Feeling"
REO Speedwagon
3/9 - 3/29
1986 - "Sara"
Starship
3/15 - 3/21
1987 - "Lean on Me"
Club Nouveau
3/21 - 4/3
1988 - "Never Gonna Give You Up"
Rick Astley
3/12 - 3/25
1989 - "Lost in Your Eyes"
Debbie Gibson
3/4 - 3/2
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
J.R. Ewing Was Shot
Fun Fact!
The Global Phenomenon of Who shot J.R. Was Revealed On November 21, 1980
* The Highest-Rated Television Episode in U.S. History at the Time With Over 83 Million Viewers
The Sister of Sue Ellen Ewing, Kristin Shepard Was the Shooter
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On March 21, 1986 Just Between Friends Starring Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Dansen Premiered in Theaters
1980 - J.R. Ewing Was Shot in the Season Finale of Dallas, Spawning the “Who Shot J.R.?” Phenomenon
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1987 - "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from March 21 - April 3
Also Hit #1 in Canada and New Zealand
Fun Fact!
Club Nouveau Was Formed in Sacramento, California in 1986
Headlines
(March 21st)
1980 - President Jimmy Carter Announced the United States Would Boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to Protest the Soviet Union's Invasion of Afghanistan
* The Soviet Union Responded by Boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
Other Notable Birthdays
Forrest Mars Sr. (American Candy Maker)
March 21, 1904 - July 1, 1999
Birthplace: Wadena, Minnesota
Passed Away at Age 95
* Unknown Cause of Death
Invented M&M’s and Mars Bars
Fun Fact!
Forrest Mars Sr. Was Ranked the 30th Richest Person in the United States ($4 Billion) When He Died
Eddie Money (Singer)
March 21, 1949 - September 13, 2019
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away on September 13, 2019 at Age 70 From Esophageal Cancer
* Best Known For “Two Tickets to Paradise” and "Take Me Home Tonight"
New York Times Called Eddie Money a Working-Class Rocker
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Joe Medwick (Baseball)
November 24, 1911 - March 21, 1975
Birthplace: Carteret, New Jersey
Passed Away at Age 63 From a Heart Attack
Position: Outfielder
All-Star: 10
World Series Champion: 1934 (St. Louis Cardinals)
Triple Crown (1937)
NL MVP (1937)
Elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968 (9th Ballot)
Willie Reed (Basketball)
June 25, 1942 - March 21, 2023
Birthplace: Haco, Texas
Passed Away at Age 80 From Heart Failure
* Played All 10-Seasons With the New York Knicks
NBA Champion: 2 (1970, 1973)
All-Star: 7
NBA MVP: 1970
50th Anniversary Team
75th Anniversary Team
Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - Forbidden Zone
Director: Richard Elfman
Starring: Hervé Villechaize, Susan Tyrrell, Marie-Pascale Elfman and Danny Elfman
Budget: $100,000
Box Office: N/A
1980 - Little Miss Marker
Director: Walter Bernstein
Starring: Walter Matthau, Julie Andrews, Tony Curtis, Bob Newhart, Lee Grant and Sara Stimson
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $6.3 Million
1986 - Police Academy 3: Back in Training
Director: Jerry Paris
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Marion Ramsey, Leslie Easterbrook, Art Metrano, Tim Kazurinsky, Bobcat Goldthwait and George Gaynes
Budget: $12 Million
Box Office: $107.6 Million
1986 - Just Between Friends
Director: Allan Burns
Starring: Mary Tyler Moore, Christine Lahti, Sam Waterston and Ted Dansen
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $6.4 Million
1986 - Rad
Director: Hal Needham
Starring: Bill Allen, Lori Loughlin, Ray Walston and Talia Shire
Budget: $3 Million
Box Office: $2 Million
1986 - Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (Animation)
Director: Dale Schott
Starring: Alyson Court, Cree Summer, Maxine Miller and Hadley Kay
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $12 Million
1986 - GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords
Director: Ray Patterson
Starring: Margot Kidder, Roddy McDowall, Michael Nouri and Telly Savalas
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $1.3 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1980 - J.R. Ewing was Shot in the Season Finale of Dallas Spawning the “Who Shot J.R.?” Phenomenon
Episode: “A House Divided”
1983 - Final Episode of Little House on the Prairie
Seasons: 9
Episodes: 204
Network: NBC
1985 - Eye to Eye Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 7
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Grand Slam
Isley Brothers (19th Album)
Billboard Charts: #28
1983 - The Final Cut
Pink Floyd (12th Album)
Billboard Charts: #6
* Hit #1 in the UK, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and New Zealand
1983 - Power & the Glory
Saxon (5th Album)
Billboard Charts: #155
1988 - Now That’s What I Call Music 11 (UK Edition)
Various Artists
* Hit #1 in the UK
1988 - Surfer Rosa
Pixies (Debut Album)
Rolling Stone Magazine Ranked the Album #317 of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
1989 - Like a Prayer
Madonna (4th Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Also Hit #1 in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Iceland and Japan
Over $15 Million Copies Sold (Worldwide)
1989 - Nick of Time
Bonnie Raitt (10th Album)
Hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts
* Over 5 Million Copies Sold in the US
Won a Grammy for “Album of the Year”
In Other 80s Music News
1984 - Part of Central Park Was Named Strawberry Fields in Honor of John Lennon
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1984 - NFL Owners Passed the Anti-Celebrating Rule
1985 - Arthur Ashe Was Nominated For the Tennis Hall of Fame
1986 - Debi Thomas Became the First African American to Win the World Figure Skating Championships
1986 - The Pittsburgh Pirates Were Purchased by Pittsburgh Associates For $218 Million Dollars
1988 - Mike Tyson Knocked Out Tony Tubbs in the 2nd Round to Retain the WBA, WBC and IBF Heavyweight Championships
Location: Tokyo Dome
Improved His Professional Record to 34 - 0
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Like a Prayer
Other Notable Dates
(On March 21st)
1925 - The Butler Act Passed in Tennessee
* To Prevent the Teaching of Human Evolution in School
1946 - The Los Angeles Rams Signed Kenny Washington
* The First Black Player Since 1933
1963 - Alcatraz Prison Closed in San Francisco
* Opened in 1934
1965 - Martin Luther King Jr. Led 3,200 People on a Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama
2006 - Twitter Was Founded
* Created by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams
Rad
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March 21st in 80s History
On March 21, 1986 Rad Starring Bill Allen, Lori Loughlin, Ray Walston and Talia Shire Premiered in Theaters
On March 21, 1989 Madonna Released Her 4th Album Like a Prayer