#1 Songs in America
(March 31st)
1980 - "Another Brick in the Wall Part II"
Pink Floyd
3/22 - 4/18
1981 - "Rapture"
Blondie
3/28 - 4/10
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 - "Footloose"
Kenny Loggins
3/31 - 4/20
1985 - "One More Night"
Phil Collins
3/30 - 4/12
1986 - "Rock Me Amadeus"
Falco
3/29 - 4/18
1987 - "Lean on Me"
Club Nouveau
3/21 - 4/3
1988 - "Man in the Mirror"
Michael Jackson
3/26 - 4/8
1989 - "The Living Years"
Mike + The Mechanics
3/25 - 3/31
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
_______________________
_______________________________
Other Notable Dates
(On March 31st)
1899 - The Eiffel Tower Officially Opened in Paris, France
On March 31, 1989 Heathers Starring Christian Slater and Winona Ryder Premiered in Theaters
Headlines
(March 31st)
1981 - Ordinary People Won Best Picture at the 53rd Annual Academy Awards
Venue: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
City: Los Angeles, California
Host: Johnny Carson
Network: ABC
Most Awards: 4 (Ordinary People)
Most Nominations: 8 (The Elephant Man and Raging Bull)
Awards
Best Picture: Ordinary People
Best Director: Robert Redford (Ordinary People)
Best Actor: Robert De Niro (Raging Bull)
Best Actress: Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner's Daughter)
Fun Fact!
Donald Sutherland Didn't Get an Oscar Nomination For Ordinary People and Entertainment Weekly Said it Was One of the Worst Acting Snubs in the History of the Academy Awards
_______________________________
1984 - "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from March 31 - April 20
Also Hit #1 in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
Fun Fact!
Kenny Loggins is Known as the “King of the Movie Soundtrack”
Heathers
_______________________________
_______________________________
1918 - Daylight Savings and Time Zones Went Into Effect For the First Time in the United States
Other Notable Birthdays
Gordie Howe (Hockey)
March 31, 1928 - June 10, 2016
Birthplace: Floral, Saskatchewan, Canada
Passed Away at Age 88 From Dementia
Seasons: 26 (NHL Record)
All Star: 23 (NHL Record)
Elected to the Pro Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972
Fun Fact!
Gordie Howe is Considered the Most Complete Player of All-Time
_______________________________
Passed Away
(On This Day)
Selena (Singer)
April 16, 1971 - March 31, 1995
Birthplace: Freeport, Texas
Passed Away at Age 23 From a Gunshot Wound
* Shot and Killed by Her Manager Loretta
Selena is Known as the "Queen of Tejano Music"
Bill Keightley (Equipment Manager)
December 17, 1926 - March 31, 2008
Birthplace: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Passed Away on March 31, 2008 at Age 81 From Internal Bleeding
* Keightley Fell Off a Bus On His Way to the Cincinnati Reds Season Opener
Fun Fact!
Bill Keightley Was the Equipment Manager For the Kentucky Wildcats For 48 Years
* Known as "Mr. Wildcat"
_______________________________
80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1989 - Heathers
Director: Michale Lehman
Starring: Christian Slater and Winona Ryder
Budget: $3 Million
Box Office: $1.1 Million
In Other 80s Movie News
1981 - 1st Golden Raspberry Awards
Location: John Wilson’s living room
Worst Picture: “Can’t Stop the Music”
Worst Actor: Neil Diamond - The Jazz Singer
Worst Actress: Brooke Shields - The Blue Lagoon
_______________________________
80s Television
(On This Day)
1981 - 53rd Academy Awards Aired on ABC
1983 - Sam and Diane Finally Kissed on the Season 1 Finale of Cheers
1984 - Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Premiered in Syndication
Seasons: 12
1987 - Max Headroom Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 14
_______________________________
80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1981 - Animal Magnetism
The Scorpions (7th Album)
Billboard Charts: #52
1986 - Parade
Prince and The Revolution (8th Album)
Billboard Charts: #3
* 4th and Final Wlbum with The Revolution
1987 - Sign o’ Times
Prince (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #6
* Hit #1 in Switzerland
_______________________________
80s Sports
(On This Day)
1980 - Larry Holmes TKO’d Leroy Jones in the 12th Round to Retain the WBC Heavyweight Championship
* Improved HIs Record to 34 - 0
1980 - Mike Weaver Defeated John Tate With a 15th Round KO to Win the WBA Heavyweight Championship
1982 - NBA and Players Association Reached a 4-Year Agreement With a 53% Revenue Sharing Plan in Return For Minimum & Maximum Payrolls
* First of Its Kind in Any Sports
1984 - The Final 4 Began at the Kingdome in Seattle
#2 Seed Houston Beat #7 Seed Virginia 49 - 47 (OT)
#1 Seed Georgetown Beat #1 Seed Kentucky 53 - 40
1984 - Mike Bossy Became the First Player in NHL History to Record 7 Straight 50 Goal Seasons
1985 - Old Dominion Beat the Georgia 70 - 65 to Win the Women’s NCAA Basketball Championship
1985 - WrestleMania I Aired Live on Pay-Per- View
Location: Madison Square Garden in New York
The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff Bear Barry Wyndham and Mike Rotundo (The U.S. Express to Win the WWF Tag Championship
1985 - Calvin Peete Won the Tournament Players Championship
* Beat D.A. Weibring by 3 Strokes
1986 - Louisville Beat Duke 72 - 69 to Win the Men’s NCAA National Championship
_______________________________
In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1980 - President Carter Deregulated the Banking Industry
Sam & Diane Kiss
WrestleMania I
On March 31, 1983 Sam and Diane Finally Kissed on the Season 1 Finale of Cheers
1985 - The First Wrestlemania Was Held at at Madison Square Garden in New York
Notable Matches
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T Beat "Rowdy Roddy Piper" and "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff in the Main Event
Wendi Richter Beat Leilani Kai For the WWF Women’s Heavyweight Championship
The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff Beat Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo (The U.S. Express) For the WWF Tag Team Championship
Andre the Giant Body Slammed Big John Studd to Win the $15,000 Body Slam Challenge
Click Here To See Everything You Need To Know About WrestleMania I
_______________________________
Fun Fact!
The First Bank in America Opened on December 12, 1791 in Philadelphia
*.Called The Bank of the United States
The First Bank in the World Was The Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena in Italy Formed in 1472
_______________________________
_______________________________
Happy 80s Birthdays
1927 - William Daniels (Actor) Her Alibi
Birthplace: New York City
1934 - Richard Chamberlain (Actor) King Solomon’s Mines
Birthplace: Beverly Hills, California
1934 - Shirley Jones (Actress) The Partridge Family
Birthplace: Charleroi, Pennsylvania
1943 - Christopher Walken (Actor)
Birthplace: New York City
1948 - Rhea Perlman (Actress) Cheers (Carla)
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
1965 - William McNamara (Actor) Dream a Little Dream
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
1976 - Josh Saviano (Actor) Wonder Years
Birthplace: White Plains, New York
Fun Facts!
Josh Saviano Was a Political Science Major at Yale University and the President of the Sigma Nu Fraternity
Rhea Perlman Was Married to Danny DeVito From 1982 to 2017
* 3 Children
_______________________
The Doobie Brothers
March 31st in 80s History
1986 - Louisville Beat Duke 72 - 69 to Win the NCAA National Championship
Venue: Reunion Arena
City: Dallas, Texas
Head Coach: Denny Crum
Most Outstanding Player: Pervis Ellison (Louisville)
Top Scorer: Johnny Dawkins 153 (Duke)
Fun Fact!
Pervis Ellison Was the #1 Overall Pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings
Position: Center
On March 31, 1982 The Doobie Brothers Split Up