#1 Songs in America
(October 29th)
1980 - "Woman in Love"
Barbra Streisand
10/24 - 11/14
1981 - "Arthur's Theme"
Christopher Cross
10/17 - 11/6
1982 - "Jack & Diane
John Cougar Mellencamp
10/2 - 10/29
1983 - "Islands in the Stream"
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
10/29 - 11/11
1984 - "I Just Called to Say I Love You"
Stevie Wonder
10/13 - 11/2
1985 - "Saving All My Love For You"
Whitney Houston
10/26 - 11/1
1986 - "True Colors"
Cyndi Lauper
10/25 - 11/7
1987 - "Bad"
Michael Jackson
10/24 - 11/6
1988 - "A Groovy Kind of Love"
Phil Collins
10/22 - 11/4
1989 - "Miss You Much"
Janet Jackson
10/7 - 11/3
1984 - Frankie Goes to Hollywood Released His Debut Solo Album Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Billboard Charts: 33
* Hit #1 in the UK and New Zealand
Featuring “Relax”
Did You Know?
The BBC Banned “Relax” For Suggestive Lyrics But Still Hit #1 on the UK Charts
Still Hit #1 in the UK and #10 in the US
1983 - “Islands in the Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton Became the #1 Song in America
* #1 Song in America from October 29 - November 11
Also Hit #1 in Canada, Austria and Australia
1988 - Moonwalker Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Michael Jackson
NBA Fun Facts
(#1 Overall Picks)
1980 - Joe Barry Carroll (Center)
Team: Golden State Warriors
College: Purdue
1981 - Mark Aquirre (Forward)
Team: Dallas Mavericks
College: DePaul
1982 - James Worthy (Forward)
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
College: North Carolina
1983 - Ralph Sampson (Center)
Team: Houston Rockets
College: Virginia
1984 - Hakeem Olajuwon (Center)
Team: Houston Rockets
College: Houston
1985 - Patrick Ewing (Center)
Team: New York Knicks
College: Georgetown
1986 - Brad Daugherty (Center)
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
College: North Carolina
1987 - David Robinson (Center)
Team: San Antonio Spurs
College: Navy
1988 - Danny Manning (Forward)
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
College: Kansas
1989 - Pervis Ellison (Center)
Team: Sacramento Kings
College: Louisville
Headlines
(October 29th)
1981 - Gimme a Break Premiered on NBC
* Ran 6 Seasons with 137
Did You Know?
The Star of the Show, Nell Carter Sang the Theme Song for “Gimme a Break”
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Happy 80s Birthdays
1947 - Richard Dreyfuss (Actor) Jaws, Stakeout
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
1948 - Kate Jackson (Actress) Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Birthplace: Birmingham, AL
1953 - Denis Potvin (Hockey)
Birthplace: Vanier, Ontario, Canada
1957 - Dan Castellaneta (Voice Actor) Homer Simpson
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
1959 - Mike Gartner (Hockey)
Birthplace: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
1961 - Randy Jackson (Singer) The Jackson 5
Birthplace: Gary, IA
1961 - Joel Otto (Hockey)
Birthplace: Elk River, MN
1966 - Tyler Collins (Singer)
Birthplace: Harlem, NY
1971 - Winona Ryder (Actress) Lucas, Beetlejuice
Birthplace: Winona County, MN
Fun Fact!
Winona Ryder Made Her Film Debut in the 1986 Film Lucas
* Also Courtney Thorne Smith and Jeremy Piven's Film Debut
Did You Know?
The Opposing Cheerleaders in the Final Football Game Were Real Chicago Bears Cheerleaders
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Other Notable Birthdays
Bob Ross (Painter)
October 29, 1942 - July 4, 1995
Birthplace: Daytona Beach, FL
Passed Away at Age 52 From Lymphoma
Host of the TV Show, The Joy of Painting
Peter Green (Guitarist)
October 29, 1946 - July 25, 2020
Birthplace: Bethnal Green, London, England
Passed Away at Age 73 (Unknown Causes)
Founded Fleetwood Mac
Paul Orndorff (Wrestler)
October 29, 1949 - July 12, 2021
Birthplace: Winchester, VA
Passed Away at Age 71 From Dementia
Elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005
Kevin DuBrow (Singer)
October 29, 1955 - November 19, 2007
Birthplace: Hollywood , CA
Passed Away at Age 52 From an Overdose of Cocaine, Painkillers and Alcohol
The Lead Singer For Quiet Riot From 1975 to 1987
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
John Witherspoon (Actor)
January 27, 1942 - October 29, 2019
Birthplace: Detroit, MI
Passed Away at Age 77 From a Heart Attack
Best Known For the Film, Hollywood Shuffle, House Party and the Friday Series
* Also Wrote and Produced Jimmy Ruffin's 1966 Hit Song, "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted"
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80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1982 - Class Reunion
Director: Michael Miller
Starring: Gerrit Graham, Fred McCarren, Miriam Flynn, Stephen Furst, Shelley Smith, Michael Lerner and Chuck Berry
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $10.1 Million
Written by John Hughes
1982 - Q
Director: Larry Cohen
Starring: Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark. David Carradine and Richard Roundtree
Budget: $1.1 Million
Box Office: N/A
1988 - Moonwalker
Director: Jerry Kramer
Starring: Michael Jackson
Budget: $22 Million
Box Office: $64 Million
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1981 - Gimme a Break Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 6
Episodes: 137
1981 - Lewis & Clark Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
1982 - The New Odd Couple Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 18
1983 - Final Episode of The Dukes (Animation)
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 20
Network: CBS
1986 - Final Episode of Better Days
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 17
Network: CBS
1988 - Dirty Dancing Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 11
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Hawks & Doves
Neil Young (10th Album)
Billboard Charts: #30
1981 - Exit...Stage Left (Live Album)
Rush
Billboard Charts: #10
* #6 in the UK
1982 - Choose Your Masques
Hawkwind (13th Album)
* Reached #29 in the UK
1984 - Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Debut Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #33
* Hit #1 in the UK and New Zealand
Featuring “Relax”
1987 - Got Any Gum?
Joe Walsh (8th Solo Album)
Billboard Charts: #113
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80s Sports
(On This Day)
1982 - The Cleveland Cavaliers Lost Their 20th Straight Game Dating Back to the Previous Season
* The Celtics Beat the Cavs 104 - 93 in Cleveland
Attendance: 8,633
Robert Parish (Celtics) 22 points 12 rebounds
James Edwards (Cavs) 25 points 16 rebounds
The Cavs Went on to lose 24 Straight Games
1986 - San Diego Padres Pitcher LaMarr Hoyt Was Arrested For Drug Possession
1987 - Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns KO’d Juan Roldán in the 4th Round to Win the WBC Middleweight Title
* Hearns Won 4 Titles in 4 Different Division
1989 - Ozzie Newsome Streak of 150 Consecutive Games With a Catch Was Snapped
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In Other 80s News
(On This Day)
1986 - British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Opened the Last Stretch of the M25 Motorway
* The Most Important and Busiest Roads in Great Britain
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Other Notable Dates
(On October 29th)
1390 - The First Witchcraft Trials in Paris Took Place
* 3 People Died
1921 - Centre College Ended Harvard Football's 25 - Game Winning Streak
* Considered One of the Biggest Upsets in College Football History
1960 - Cal Poly’s Football Team's Airplane, Crashed After Takeoff in Ohio
* 22 of the 48 Passengers Died Including the 2 Pilots
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<- October 28th October 30th ->
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Gimme A Break Premiered on NBC
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October 29th in 80s History