Today in 80s History: July 2nd in the 80s

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Artist: Foreigner

Released: July 2, 1981

• Foreigner's fourth album became their biggest record, tightening the band down to four members and delivering the kind of arena-ready rock that helped define early-80s radio.
• Featured Tracks: "Urgent," "Waiting for a Girl Like You" and "Juke Box Hero"
• Chart Notes: Hit #1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified 6x Platinum in the United States.

Imperial Bedroom

Artist: Elvis Costello and the Attractions

Released: July 2, 1982

Elvis Costello and the Attractions went bigger, richer and more ambitious on this critically acclaimed album, trading raw punch for ornate pop arrangements and sharper studio detail.

Featured Tracks: "You Little Fool" and "Man Out of Time"

Chart Notes: Reached #30 on the Billboard 200 and #6 in the UK.

The Last in Line

Artist: Dio

Released: July 2, 1984

Dio followed Holy Diver with another heavy metal classic, bringing bigger production, soaring vocals and one of Ronnie James Dio's signature anthems.

Featured Tracks: "We Rock" and "The Last in Line"

Chart Notes: Reached #23 on the Billboard 200 and #4 in the UK.

Victory

Artist: The Jacksons

Released: July 2, 1984

The Jacksons released their only album to feature all six brothers as official members, arriving during the height of Michael Jackson's Thriller era.

Featured Tracks: "State of Shock" and "Torture"

Chart Notes: Reached #4 on the Billboard 200.

In Other 80s Music News

1988 - Michael Jackson Hits #1 with "Dirty Diana"

Event: Billboard Hot 100 #1

Details: "Dirty Diana" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart dated July 2, 1988, making Michael Jackson the first artist to score five #1 singles from the same album.

Airplane! (1980)

Release Date: July 2, 1980

Directed by: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker

Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Lorna Patterson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

After opening in limited release in late June, Airplane! expanded wide on July 2 and became one of the most quoted comedies of the decade. Made for about $3.5 million, it earned more than $80 million domestically.

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Release Date: July 2, 1982

Directed by: Don Bluth

Starring: Elizabeth Hartman, Derek Jacobi, Dom DeLuise, John Carradine and Hermione Baddeley

Don Bluth's animated adventure brought darker, more dramatic storytelling to family animation and became one of the decade's most beloved cult favorites. Made for about $7 million, it earned about $14.7 million at the box office.

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Release Date: July 2, 1986

Directed by: John Carpenter

Starring: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun and James Hong

John Carpenter mixed martial arts, fantasy, comedy and monster-movie weirdness into one of the decade's greatest cult classics. Made for about $19 million, it earned about $11.1 million domestically.

The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

Release Date: July 2, 1986

Directed by: Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, Dave Michener and John Musker

Starring: Vincent Price and Barrie Ingham

Disney's mouse-sized Sherlock Holmes adventure helped rebuild confidence in the studio's animation department after The Black Cauldron. Made for about $14 million, it earned about $38.7 million domestically.

Psycho III (1986)

Release Date: July 2, 1986

Directed by: Anthony Perkins

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey and Roberta Maxwell

Anthony Perkins stepped behind the camera for this third trip to the Bates Motel, giving Norman Bates another twisted chapter in the long-running horror series. Made for about $8.4 million, it earned about $14.4 million domestically.

Under the Cherry Moon (1986)

Release Date: July 2, 1986

Directed by: Prince

Starring: Prince, Jerome Benton, Kristin Scott Thomas and Steven Berkoff

Prince followed Purple Rain with a black-and-white romantic musical drama set on the French Riviera. The film struggled at the box office, but its soundtrack, Parade, gave fans classics like "Kiss."

Scrabble

Event: Series Premiere

Network: NBC

First Episode Date: July 2, 1984

Seasons: 7

Episodes: 1,230

Note: Chuck Woolery hosted the daytime game show based on the classic word game. The original NBC run lasted until 1990 before a brief revival in 1993.

The Jeffersons

Event: Series Finale

Network: CBS

Final Episode Date: July 2, 1985

Seasons: 11

Episodes: 253

Note: One of television's most successful sitcom spinoffs aired its final episode, "Red Robins," ending George and Louise Jefferson's original run after 11 seasons.

1983 - Martina Navratilova Wins Wimbledon

Event: Wimbledon Women's Singles Final

Team: Martina Navratilova

Opponent: Andrea Jaeger

Result: Navratilova won 6-0, 6-3

Details: Navratilova dominated the final to win her fourth Wimbledon singles title and did not drop a set during the entire tournament.

1982 - "Lawnchair Larry" Takes Flight

Event: Aviation Stunt

Location: San Pedro, California

Details: Larry Walters attached helium-filled weather balloons to a lawn chair and rose thousands of feet into the air, drifting into controlled airspace near Los Angeles before landing safely.