Boombox: 9 Wild Facts About the 80s Ghetto Blaster
The boombox ruled the 1980s — from the JVC RC-M90 to hip-hop park jams. 9 wild facts about the ghetto blaster and why it never really died.
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On This Day: July 7, 1985 — Boris Becker Wins Wimbledon
Quick Answer: On July 7, 1985, a 17-year-old, unseeded, red-haired German named Boris Becker beat Kevin Curren 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 to win Wimbledon. He became the youngest men’s champion in the tournament’s history, the first unseeded player to win it, and the first German to lift the trophy — all in the same afternoon….
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On This Day: July 3, 1985 — Back to the Future Hits Theaters
On July 3, 1985, Back to the Future opened and became the biggest film of the year. The firing that nearly killed it, the DeLorean, and the story behind the classic.
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On This Day: July 2, 1982 — Lawn Chair Larry’s Wild Flight
Quick Answer: On July 2, 1982, a 33-year-old truck driver named Larry Walters — soon nicknamed Lawn Chair Larry — tied 42 helium weather balloons to an aluminum patio chair and floated 16,000 feet over Los Angeles. He carried a pellet gun, a CB radio, sandwiches and a six-pack, drifted into the flight path of…
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On This Day: July 1, 1984 — The PG-13 Rating Is Born
On July 1, 1984, the MPAA created the PG-13 rating after Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom pushed the old PG too far.
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On This Day: June 30, 1986 — Madonna Drops True Blue
Quick Answer: Madonna True Blue arrived on June 30, 1986, her third studio album and the first record she co-wrote and co-produced top to bottom. It spawned five hit singles — “Live to Tell,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” “True Blue,” “Open Your Heart,” and “La Isla Bonita” — hit number one in a record 28 countries,…
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On This Day: June 27, 1986 — Labyrinth Hits Theaters
Quick Answer: Labyrinth (1986) premiered in U.S. theaters on June 27, 1986. Directed by Jim Henson, executive produced by George Lucas, and starring David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King opposite a teenage Jennifer Connelly, the $25 million fantasy bombed at the box office — grossing just $12.7 million domestically — before home video turned…
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On This Day: June 25, 1982 — Blade Runner and The Thing Open
Quick Answer: On June 25, 1982, two science-fiction movies opened on the same day and both bombed: Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and John Carpenter’s The Thing. Critics shrugged, audiences stayed away, and Steven Spielberg’s E.T. buried them at the box office. Four decades later, both are considered among the greatest sci-fi films ever made —…
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On This Day: June 24, 1982 — British Airways Flight 9
Quick Answer: On June 24, 1982, British Airways Flight 9 — a Boeing 747 named City of Edinburgh — flew into an invisible cloud of volcanic ash from Indonesia’s Mount Galunggung at 37,000 feet. All four engines flamed out, turning the 250-ton jumbo jet into the world’s largest glider for 16 minutes. Captain Eric Moody…
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On This Day: June 23, 1989 — Tim Burton’s Batman Premieres
On June 23, 1989, Tim Burton’s Batman opened with a record-shattering $40.49M weekend, redefining the blockbuster and birthing the modern superhero movie.
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On This Day: June 22, 1986 — Maradona’s Hand of God
On June 22, 1986, Diego Maradona scored the Hand of God goal — then the Goal of the Century — to knock England out of the World Cup.
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Trapper Keeper Mead: 7 Reasons This 80s Binder Ruled
The Trapper Keeper Mead sold 75 million units between 1978 and the late 90s. Here’s why this 80s binder ruled every locker, hallway, and lunch table.
