3/28 - What Old School Game Shows Deserve a Reboot?
Plus everything that happened this week in the '80s and '90s
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you loved, forgot, or never knew existed
March 28th, 2025 • Issue 249
Be Kind, Rewind
What happened on this day in the ‘80s and ‘90s — plus lots of bonus trivia
Sorry, once again no new trivia this week.
March 28th
1981 - Blondie’s single Rapture hit number one.
1984 - The Baltimore Colts bolted in the middle of the night for Indianapolis.
1992 - Christian Laettner hit a turnaround buzzer beater to defeat Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.
1994 - Des’ree’s single You Gotta Be was released.
1995 - Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett separated.
1996 - Phil Collins left Genesis to focus on his solo career.
1998 - Lord Tariq’s one hit, Deja Vu, peaked at number nine.
1999 - Futurama premiered on FOX.
1999 - Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock at WrestleMania XV.
2001 - Puff Daddy announced he would now go by P. Diddy.
March 29th
1979 - The WWWF rebranded as the WWF.
1982 - Michael Jordan led North Carolina to the NCAA title.
1982 - Chariots of Fire won Best Picture at the 54th Oscars.
1985 - Police Academy 2 hit theaters.
1987 - Hulk Hogan bodyslammed and pinned Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III.
1989 - Rain Man won Best Picture at the 61st Oscars.
1989 - The pyramid at the Louvre opened.
1991 - Career Opportunities hit theaters.
1993 - Unforgiven won Best Picture at the 65th Oscars.
1994 - Ellen premiered (under the title These Friends of Mine).
1996 - The Baltimore Ravens chose their team name.
1996 - DJ Kool’s one hit, Let Me Clear My Throat, peaked at number 30.
1997 - Luscious Jackson’s one hit, Naked Eye, peaked at number 36.
1998 - Stone Cold Steve Austin won his first WWF title by defeating Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV.
1998 - BBC America debuted on cable.
March 30th
1981 - President Reagan was shot just a few hours after my wife was born.
1984 - Romancing the Stone hit theaters.
1985 - Phil Collins’s single One More Night hit number one.
1987 - Fraggle Rock aired its series finale.
1987 - Platoon won Best Picture at the 59th Oscars.
1988 - Beetlejuice hit theaters.
1990 - The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie hit theaters.
1991 - Gloria Estefan’s single Coming Out of the Dark hit number one.
1992 - Snap’s single Rhythm Is a Dancer was released.
1992 - The Silence of the Lambs dominated the 64th Oscars.
1993 - Charlie Brown hit his first home run in Peanuts.
1998 - Rolls-Royce was purchased by BMW.
1999 - Craig Kilborn took over as host of the Late Late Show on CBS.
1999 - Fabio was hit in the face by a goose while on a roller coaster.
2001 - Someone Like You, SPY Kids, and Tomcats hit theaters.
2001 - The Fairly Odd Parents and Invader Zim premiered on Nickelodeon.
March 31st
1981 - Ordinary People won Best Picture at the 53rd Oscars.
1982 - The Doobie Brothers broke up.
1983 - Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life hit theaters in the U.S..
1984 - Kenny Loggins’ single Footloose hit number one.
1985 - WrestleMania I took place in New York.
1987 - Max Headroom premiered on NBC.
1987 - Prince’s album Sign O’ the Times was released.
1989 - Heathers hit theaters.
1989 - The Guns N’ Roses single Patience was released.
1992 - Def Leppard’s album Adrenalize and Kris Kross’s album Totally Krossed Out were released, as was Sophie B. Hawkins’s single Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover.
1993 - Brandon Lee was shot and killed on the set of The Crow.
1994 - Madonna had a highly censored appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.
1995 - Microsoft Bob debuted.
1995 - Tommy Boy hit theaters.
1995 - Selena was murdered.
1996 - Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart in a 60-minute Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII.
1998 - The video game Starcraft was released.
1998 - The Backstreet Boys single Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) was released.
1999 - The Matrix hit theaters.
1999 - 10 Things I Hate About You hit theaters.
1999 - The Cranberries announced tickets to their upcoming tour would only be sold via their own website.
2000 - Boys Don’t Cry, The Skulls, and High Fidelity hit theaters.
2001 - Shaggy’s single Angel hit number one.
April 1st
1984 - Marvin Gaye was murdered by his father.
1985 - David Lee Roth left Van Halen.
1990 - The Ha! network, which would become Comedy Central, premiered.
1990 - The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI.
1991 - Duke won its first NCAA men’s basketball title.
1991 - The Sega Game Gear was released to take on the Nintendo Game Boy.
1994 - Major League 2 hit theaters.
1994 - Sister, Sister premiered.
1997 - Alex Trebek and Pat Sajak switched hosting jobs as an April Fools joke.
1998 - South Park angered fans with a bait and switch episode instead of paying off a cliffhanger.
2001 - Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock at the highly-regarded WrestleMania XVII.
April 2nd
1984 - Georgetown defeated Houston to win the NCAA Tournament.
1987 - Some U.S. interstates began testing a 65 mph speed limit.
1989 - Hulk Hogan defeated Randy Savage at WrestleMania V.
1989 - The New York Times declared the Cold War was over.
1990 - UNLV defeated Duke to win the NCAA Tournament.
1992 - John Gotti was found guilty of murder along with several other charges.
1993 - The Crush and Cop and a Half both hit theaters.
1995 - WrestleMania XI featured NFL player Lawrence Taylor in the main event.
1996 - MLB star Cecil Fielder stole his first base after 11 years.
1998 - Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli died in Germany.
2000 - A four-way match headlined WrestleMania 2000.
2001 - Ichiro made his MLB debut.
April 3rd
1981 - The first portable computer, the Osborne 1, was unveiled.
1987 - Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol hit theaters.
1989 - Michigan defeated Seton Hall to win the NCAA Tournament.
1989 - Pepsi dropped Madonna as a spokesperson after the Vatican called her video for Like a Prayer “blasphemous”.
1990 - En Vogue’s album Born to Sing was released.
1992 - Beethoven hit theaters.
1993 - Mortal Kombat II was released.
1995 - Jon B’s single Someone to Love was released.
1995 - UCLA defeated Arkansas to win the NCAA Tournament.
1996 - The Unabomber was arrested.
1996 - Primal Fear hit theaters.
1996 - MC Hammer filed for bankruptcy.
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news
Michael Mann says he’s turned in his screenplay for Heat 2 to Warner Bros.
Ralph Macchio says there have been “conversations” about a My Cousin Vinny reboot.
Someone just bought Napster for $207 million.
Sublime are working on their first new album since 1996.
Nathan Lane says he lost a role in Space Jam in 1996 because he was told he was “too gay” for the part.
In a new interview, Ben Affleck addressed his infamous Armageddon DVD commentary (where he gave his unfiltered thoughts on everything wrong with the movie).
Patrick Warburton, who played Puddy on Seinfeld, addressed the trend of “raw-dogging” flights — that’s where you go a whole flight with no form of entertainment. Puddy did that in a Seinfeld episode once.
Get Your Book-It Stickers Here
Recommended articles about ‘80s and ‘90s pop culture you loved, forgot, and never knew existed
Here are 10 old school game shows that deserve a reboot. Some good ‘80s and ‘90s representation in here.
Are all the best ‘90s rom-coms detective stories in disguise?
This is the inside story of how Wild Wild West spun out of control.
Have a great week!
-Sam