Explore 5094 historical events from 1980–1989.
James Gilmore Backus was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, the father of James Dean's character in Rebe…
Jim Backus, American actor and voice artist (born 1913)
János József Kádár was a Hungarian Communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, a position he held for 32 years. Declining health led to hi…
János Kádár, Hungarian mechanic and politician, Hungarian Minister of the Interior (born 1912)
Melvin Jerome Blanc was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over sixty years. Referred to as "The Man of a Thousand Voices", he is widely regarded as…
Mel Blanc, American voice actor (born 1908)
Laurence Paul Cunningham was an English professional footballer who played as a winger. He notably played in England, France, and Spain, where he became the first-ever English play…
Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (born 1956)
The Reverend Alfred Itubwa Amram was a Nauruan pastor and political figure.
Itubwa Amram, Nauruan pastor and politician (born 1922)
Kazimierz Aleksander Sabbat, was President of Poland-in-exile from 8 April 1986 until his death, 19 July 1989, after serving as Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile.
Kazimierz Sabbat, Polish businessman and politician, President of the Republic of Poland (born 1913)
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave and Ralph Richardson made up a quartet of male acto…
Laurence Olivier, English actor, director, and producer (born 1907)
Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, with th…
Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor and manager (born 1908)
Donnie Ray Moore was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals (1980), Milwaukee Brewers (1981), Atlanta Braves…
Donnie Moore, American baseball player (born 1954)
Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer was an American actress and model. She began her career as a teen model before moving on to acting. In 1986, she landed the role of Patricia "Patti" Russel…
Rebecca Schaeffer, American model and actress (born 1967)
Forrest Howard Anderson was an American politician, attorney, and judge who served as the 17th Governor of Montana from 1969 to 1973. Prior to this, he served as the Attorney Gener…
Forrest H. Anderson, American judge and politician, 17th Governor of Montana (born 1913)
Donald Barthelme Jr. was an American short story writer and novelist known for his playful, postmodernist style of short fiction. Barthelme also worked as a newspaper reporter for …
Donald Barthelme, American short story writer and novelist (born 1931)
Steve Rubell was an American entrepreneur and co-owner of the New York City disco Studio 54.
Steve Rubell, American businessman, co-owner of Studio 54 (born 1943)
Lane Clyde Frost was an American professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He was the 1987 PRCA W…
Lane Frost, American professional bull rider (born 1963)
John Andrew Howard Ogdon was an English pianist and composer.
John Ogdon, English pianist and composer (born 1937)
George Thomas "Mickey" Leland III was an American politician and anti-poverty activist. He served as a congressman from the Texas 18th District and chair of the Congressional Black…
Mickey Leland, American lawyer and politician (born 1944)
John Meillon was an Australian character actor known for dramatic as well as comedy roles. He portrayed Walter Reilly in the films Crocodile Dundee and Crocodile Dundee II. He also…
John Meillon, Australian actor (born 1934)
Aimo Allan Koivunen was a Finnish soldier in the Continuation War and the first documented case of a soldier overdosing on methamphetamine during combat. The case gained more notor…
Aimo Koivunen, Finnish soldier and corporal (born 1917)
William Bradford Shockley was an American physicist. He was the manager of a research group at Bell Labs that included John Bardeen and Walter Brattain. The three scientists were j…
William Shockley, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1910)
Timothy Lee Richmond was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. Richmond was one of the f…
Tim Richmond, American race car driver (born 1955)
Larkin Irvin Smith was an American congressman from Mississippi serving for seven months until he was killed in a plane crash in Perry County, Mississippi in 1989.
Larkin I. Smith, American police officer and politician (born 1944)
General Minoru Genda was an Imperial Japanese Navy flight officer, JASDF general and politician. He is best known for helping to plan the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war he …
Minoru Genda, Japanese general, pilot, and politician (born 1904)
Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos was a distinguished Hellenic Army Lieutenant General who served in World War I, the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, World War II and the Greek Civil War, ri…
Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek general and diplomat (born 1897)
Amanda Blake was an American actress best known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress "Miss Kitty Russell" on the Western television series Gunsmoke. Along with her fo…
Amanda Blake, American actress (born 1929)