Fun Fact!
The First Police Training Academy in the United States Opened in 1908 in Berkeley, California
* August Vollmer's Berkeley Police School
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Joanie Loves Chachi Premiered
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Headlines
(March 23rd)
1980 - 18-Year Old American Tracey Austin Upset Martina Navratilova 6–2, 2–6, 6–2 to Win the WTA Championship
Happy 80s Birthdays
1929 - Mark Rydell (Director) On Golden Pond
Birthplace: New York City
1951 - Ron Jaworski (Football)
Birthplace: Lackawanna, New York
1953 - Chaka Khan (Singer)
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
1954 - Kenneth Cole (Fashion Designer)
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
1957 - Amanda Plummer (Actress) The World According to Garp, Pulp Fiction
Birthplace: New York City
1959 - Catherine Keener (Actress) Ohara, 40-Year Old Virgin
Birthplace: Miami, Florida
1965 - Richard Grieco (Actor) 21 Jump Street
Birthplace: Watertown, New York
Fun Facts!
In High School Richard Grieco Was All-State in 3 Different Sports
* Football, Hockey and Lacrosse
Kenneth Cole Worked as a Peanut Vender at Shea Stadium in 1970
* Shea Stadium is the Home of the New York Mets
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Other Notable Birthdays
Joan Crawford (Actress)
March 23, 1908 - May 10, 1977
Birthplace: San Antonio, Texas
Passed Away at Age 69 From a Heart Attack
* Joan Crawford Was Portrayed in the 1981 Film Mommy Dearest
Won an Academy Award For Best Actress For Her Role as Mildred Pierce (1946)
Fun Fact!
Joan Crawford Was the Highest Ranking Box Office Draw of 1930
Tony Burton (Actor)
March 23, 1937 - February 25, 2016
Birthplace: Flint, Michigan
Passed Away at Age 78 From Pneumonia
* Played Apollo Creed’s Manager in Rocky
Fun Fact!
Tony Burton Was a Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion and a 2x All-State Football Player at Flint Northern High School
Ric Ocasek (Singer)
March 23, 1944 - September 15, 2019
Birthplace: Baltimore, MD
Passed Away at Age 75 From Natural Causes
* Suffered From Heart Disease
The Lead Singer For the Cars
Moses Malone (Basketball)
March 23, 1955 - September 13, 2015
Birthplace: Petersburg, VA
Passed Away on September 13, 2015 at Age 60 From Hypertensive and Atherosclerotic Heart Disease
All-Star: 12x
NBA MVP: 3 (1979, 1982, 1983)
Elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Elizabeth Taylor (Actress)
February 27, 1932 - March 23, 2011
Birthplace: London, England
Passed Away at Age 79 From Congestive Heart Failure
* Elizabeth Taylor Was the Highest Paid Movie Star From the 1960’s
Won 2 Academy Awards For Best Actress
Butterfield 8 (1961)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1967)
Fun Fact!
Elizabeth Taylor Was Married 7 Times
Joe Weider (Bodybuilder and Entrepreneur)
November 29, 1919 - March 23, 2013
Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Passed Away at Age 93 From Heart Failure
* Joe Weider Was a Nutrition Pioneer For Bodybuilders
Ken Howard (Actor)
March 28, 1944 - March 23, 2016
Birthplace: El Centro, California
Passed Away at Age 71
* Unknown Cause of Death
Played Coach Reeves on the TV Series, The White Shadow
Fun Fact!
Ken Howard Was the Last President of the Screen Actors Guild and the First President of the Combined SAG-AFTRA Union
* The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) Merged in 2012
George Segal (Actor)
February 13, 1934 - March 23, 2021
Birthplace: New York City
Passed Away at Age 87 of Complication From Bypass Surgery
* Best Known For Playing Albert in the 1989 Film Look Who’s Talking
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1983 - Eddie Macon’s Run
Director: Jeff Kanew
Starring: Kirk Douglas, John Schneider, Lee Purcell and John Goodman
* Goodman's Film Debut
Budget: N/A
Box Office: N/A
1984 - Police Academy
Director: Hugh Wilson
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, G.W. Bailey and George Gaynes
Budget: $4.5 Million
Box Office: $149.8 Million ($81 Million Domestic)
1984 - Racing With the Moon
Director: Richard Benjamin
Starring: Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern and Nicolas Cage
Budget: $6.5 Million
Box Office: $6.6 Million
1984 - Racing With the Moon
Director: Richard Benjamin
Starring: Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern and Nicolas Cage
Budget: $6.5 Million
Box Office: $6.6 Million
In Other 80s Movie News
1986 - The 6th Golden Raspberry Awards
Worst Movie: "Rambo: First Blood Part II"
Worst Actor: Sylvester Stallone - "Rambo: First Blood Part II"
Worst Actress: Linda Blair - Night Patrol
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - Joanie Loves Chachi Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 17
1987 - The First Soul Train Music Awards Aired on WGN
Hosts: Dionne Warwick and Luther Vandross
Location: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California
Album of the Year
Male: Luther Vandross (Give Me the Reason)
Female: Janet Jackson (Control)
Group: Cameo (Word Up)
1987 - The Bold and the Beautiful Premiered on CBS
* Still on the Air
1987 - The Popcorn Kid Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
Featuring Penelope Ann Miller
1988 - Heartbeat Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 18
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1982 - Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet
Rick Springfield (5th Album)
Billboard Charts: #2
* Featuring “Don’t Talk to Strangers”
1983 - Eliminator
ZZ Top (8th Album)
Billboard Charts: #9
1987 - Now That’s What I Call Music 9 (UK Edition)
Various Artists
* Reached #1 in the UK
1988 - Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm
Joni Mitchell (13th Album)
Billboard Charts: #45
1989 - Brain Drain
Ramones (11th Album)
Billboard Charts: #122
In Other 80s Music News
1985 - Julian Lennon Performed His First Concert (San Antonio Texas)
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - 18-Year Old American Tracey Austin Upset Martina Navratilova 6–2, 2–6, 6–2 in to Win the WTA Championship
1980 - Lee Trevino Won the Tournament Player Championship by 1 Stroke Over Ben Crenshaw
1981 - Raymond Floyd Won the Tournament Player Championship in a Sudden Death Playoff Over Batty Jaeckel and Curtis Strange
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1981 - US Supreme Court Upheld the Law Making Statutory Rape a Crime Only a Man Could Commit
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Rick Springfield
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Fun Fact!
The First Handheld Electronic Video Game Was Mattel's Auto Race in 1976
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#1 Songs in America
(March 23rd)
1980 - "Another Brick in the Wall Part II"
Pink Floyd
3/22 - 4/18
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 - "These Dreams"
Heart
3/22 - 3/28
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 - 3/24
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
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1983 - President Reagan Introduced "Star Wars" Missile Defense System to the American People
* Called The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to Protect Americans From Nuclear War
2003 - The Production of the Nintendo's Game Boy Came to an End
* First Released in 1989
Became a Cultural Icon in the 90s With Over 120 Million Units Sold
1868 - The University of California System Was Founded in Oakland, California
* UC Berkeley Was the First Campus
Did You Know?
UC Berkeley Has 4x More Nobel Prize Winners (110) Than Any Other UC School
1982 - Joanie Loves Chachi Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 17
Spinoff From Happy Days
March 23rd in 80s History
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1984 - Police Academy Premiered in Theaters
Director: Hugh Wilson
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, G.W. Bailey and George Gaynes
With Only a $4.5 Million Budget the Film Grossed Over $150 Million Worldwide
Other Notable Dates
(On March 23rd)
1775 - Patrick Henry Said the Famous Words "Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!" During a Speech at the St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia
*The Voice of the Revolutionary War
On March 23, 1982 Rick Springfield Released His 5th Album, Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet Featuring "Don't Talk To Strangers"