Happy 80s Birthdays
1945 - Phil Jackson (Basketball)
Birthplace: Deer Lodge, MO
1950 - Fee Waybill (Singer) The Tubes
Birthplace: Omaha, NE
1951 - Cassandra Peterson (Actress) Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Birthplace: Manhattan, KA
1953 - Rita Rudner (Comedian)
Birthplace: Miami, FL
1955 - Scott Simpson (Golf)
Birthplace: San Diego, CA
1956 - Thad Bosley (Baseball)
Birthplace: Oceanside, CA
1957 - Susan Ursitti (Actress) Teen Wolf “Boof”
Birthplace: Unknown
1960 - Kevin Clash (Voice Actor) Elmo
Birthplace: Baltimore, CA
1960 - John Franco (Baseball)
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
1961 - Jim Cornette (Wrestling Manager)
Birthplace: Louisville, KY
1962 - Dustin Nguyen (Actor) 21 Jump Street (Harry Truman Ioki)
Birthplace: Saigon, South Vietnam
1966 - Doug E. Fresh (Rapper)
Birthplace: Bridgetown, Barbados
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Other Notable Birthdays
Roddy McDowall (Actor)
September 17, 1928 - October 3, 1998
Birthplace: Herne Hill, London, England
Passed Away at Age 70 From Lung Cancer
Played Cornelius In the Original Planet of the Apes (1968)
Paul Benedict (Actor)
September 17, 1938 - December 1, 2008
Birthplace: Martha's Vineyard
Passed Away at Age 70 From Natural Causes
Played Mr. Bentley on the TV Show, The Jeffersons
John Ritter (Actor)
September 17, 1948 - September 11, 2003
Birthplace: Burbank, CA
Passed Away at Age 54 From an Aortic Dissection
Won an Emmy Award in 1984 for Most Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series For His Role as Jack Tripper on the TV Show, Three’s Company
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Passed Away
(On This Day)
Bobby “The Brain” Heenan (Wrestling Manager)
November 1, 1944 - September 17, 2017
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Passed Away at Age 72 From Organ Failure Due to Throat Cancer
* 4x Wrestling Manager of the Year
Considered the Greatest Manager in Wrestling History
Elected to WWE Hall of Fame in 2004
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80s Movies
(On This Day)
No 80s Movies Released On This Day
Fun Fact!
Red Dawn (1984) Was the First PG-13 Movie
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80s Television
(On This Day)
1982 - The Powers of Matthew Star Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 22
1983 - Alvin and the Chipmunks (Animation) Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 8
Episodes: 102 (168 segments)
1983 - Mister T (Animation) Premiered on NBC
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 33
1983 - Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
1983 - Biskitts (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13 (26 segments)
1983 - The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 18
1983 - Dungeons & Dragons (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 27
1983 - Saturday Supercade (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 26 (98 segments)
1984 - The Transformers (Animation) Premiered in Syndication
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 98
1986 - Head of the Class Premiered on ABC
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 114
1987 - Out of This World Premiered in Syndication
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 96
1988 - Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop Premiered on The Family Channel
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 106
* The Show was Called Katts and Dog in the UK and Canada
1988 - Garfield and Friends (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 7
Episodes: 121 (363 Segments)
1988 - Hey Vern, It's Ernest! Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
Starring Jim Varney
1988 - Superman (Animation) Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 13
1988 - Fantastic Max (Animation) Premiered in Syndication
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 26
1989 - Major Dad Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 96
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80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
1980 - Oingo Boingo (EP)
Oingo Boingo
* The EP Was the Band’s First Official Release
Oingo Boingo’s First Studio Album Was "Only the Lad" (1981)
1980 - One Step Closer
The Doobie Brothers (9th Album)
Billboard Charts: #3
1982 - The Philip Lynott Album
Philip Lynott (2nd Album)
* Reached #18 in Sweden
1985 - Ready for the World
Ready for the World (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #17
* #3 in R&B
Featuring “Oh Sheila”
1985 - Here's to Future Days
Thompson Twins (5th Album)
Billboard Charts: #20
* #5 in the UK
1985 - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam (Debut Album)
Billboard Charts: #52
1988 - Tougher Than Leather
Run-D.M.C. (4th Album)
Billboard Charts: #9
* #2 in R&B
Featuring “Mary, Mary”
1989 - Soldier of Fortune
Loudness (8th Album)
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80s Sports
1981 - Ric Flair Beat Dusty Rhodes to WIn the NWA Heavyweight Championship
1983 - The Chicago White Sox Clinched the American League West For the First Time
* The White Sox Beat the Mariners 4 - 3 at Comiskey Park on a Saturday Night
Attendance: 45,646
1984 - Reggie Jackson Hit His 500th Career Home Run
Pitcher: Bud Black
* The Royals Beat the Angels 10 - 1 at Anaheim Stadium on a Monday Night
Attendance: 28,862
1984 - Chicago White Sox Outfielder ,Harold Baines Hit 3 Home Runs Against the Minnesota Twins
* The White Sox Beat the Twins 7 - 3 at the Metrodome on a Monday Night
Attendance: 17,052
1988 - The Summer Olympics Opened in Seoul, Korea
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Other Notable Dates
(On September 17th)
1776 - The San Francisco Presidio Was Founded by New Spain
* The Presidio Served 219 Years of Military Service
Became a National Park in 1994
1789 - The Constitution of the United States Was Created and Signed
1920 - The National Football League Was Founded as The American Football League
Original Teams
Akron Pros
Canton Bulldogs
Cleveland Tigers
Columbus Panhandlers
Dayton Triangles
Chicago Tigers
Decatur Staleys
Racine Cardinals Chicago
Rock Island Independents
Hammond Pros
Muncie Flyers
Buffalo All-Americans
Rochester Jeffersons
Detroit Heralds
Fun Fact!
The Green Bay Packers Were Formed in 1919,B ut Didn't Join the League Until 1921
1972 - M*A*S*H Premiered on CBS
Seasons: 11
Episodes: 256
Top 10 in Ratings 9 Out of 11 Seasons
Fun Fact!
On February 28, 1983 the Final Episode of M*A*S*H Aired, Becoming, the Most Watched Non Sporting Event TV Episode of All-Time With Over 105 Million Viewers
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<- September 16th September 18th ->
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1984 - Reggie Jackson Hit His 500th Career Home Run
Career Home Runs: 562
Fun Fact!
Reggie Jackson is Only Player in Major League History to Lead the League in Home Runs With 3 Different Teams
Oakland A's (1973, 1975)
New York Yankees (1980)
California Angels (1982)
Headlines
(September 17th)
1984 - Vanessa Williams Became the First African-American to be Crowned Miss America
* Had to Give Up Her Crown After Pictures of Her Posing in Penthouse Surfaced
Did You Know?
Vanessa Williams Had the #1 Song in America in 1991 “Save the Best For Last”
1988 - The XXIV Summer Olympics Opened in Seoul, Korea
Gold Medals
#1 Soviet Union (55)
#2 East Germany (37)
#3 United States (36)
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1986 - Head of the Class Premiered on ABC
* Ran 5 Seasons with 114 Episodes
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#1 Songs in America
(September 17th)
1980 - "Upside Down"
Diana Ross
9/6 - 10/3
1981 - "Endless Love"
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
8/15 - 10/16
1982 - "Hard To Say I'm Sorry"
Chicago
9/11 - 9/24
1983 - "Maniac"
Michael Sembello
9/10 - 9/23
1984 - "What's Love Got To Do With It"
Tina Turner
9/1 - 9/21
1985 - "St. Elmos Fire"
John Parr
9/7 - 9/20
1986 - "Take my Breath Away"
Berlin
9/13 - 9/19
1987 - "La Bamba"
Los Lobos
8/29 - 9/18
1988 - “Sweet Child o’ Mine"
Guns N’ Roses
9/10 - 9/23
1989 - "Don't Want to Lose You"
Gloria Estefan
9/16 - 9/22
Click Here For More 80s Music Fun Facts and Awards
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September 17th in 80s History
The 1988 Summer Olympics Opened in Seoul, Korea