Allan Dwan ( April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981 ) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.

* 1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American aviation industrialist ( d. 1981 )

* 1892 – Lowell Thomas, American writer ( d. 1981 )

* 1981 – Robert Earnshaw, Zambian-Welsh footballer

* 1981 – Jeff Faine, American football player and agent

* 1981 – Kari Jobe, American singer and songwriter ( Gateway Worship )

* 1981 – Alex Suarez, American bassist ( Cobra Starship and This Is Ivy League )

* 1981 – The first launch of a Space Shuttle ( Columbia ) takes place-the STS-1 mission.

* 1981 – Nicolás Burdisso, Argentine footballer

* 1981 – Grant Holt, English footballer

* 1981 – Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist

* 1981 – John O ' Shea, Irish footballer

* 1981 – Emma Pierson, English actress

* 1981 – Kunal Nayyar, Indian-English actor

* 1895 – Andreas Alföldi, Hungarian historian and archaeologist ( d. 1981 )

* 1933 – Joke Smit, Dutch activist and politician ( d. 1981 )

* 1981 – Maxwell Cabelino Andrade, Spanish footballer

* 1981 – Alessandro Gamberini, Italian footballer

* 1981 – Demetria McKinney, American actress

* 1981 – Vitantonio Liuzzi, Italian race car driver

* 1981 – Travie McCoy, American rapper and songwriter ( Gym Class Heroes )

* 1981 – Diána Póth, Hungarian figure skater

* 1981 – Jarvis Hayes, American basketball player

* 1981 – Li Jiawei, Singaporean table tennis player

* 1981 – Claire Dames, American porn actress

* 1914 – Joe Louis, American boxer ( d. 1981 )

From 1978 through 1983, the Chargers wore their white jerseys at home, coinciding with the hiring of coach Don Coryell – when Joe Gibbs, a Coryell assistant in 1979 – 80, became head coach of the Washington Redskins in 1981, he did the same, and white at home became a Redskins staple through 2007 – but Coryell switched the Chargers to their blue jerseys at home starting in 1984.

On January 13, 1981, owner Jack Kent Cooke signed the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers, Joe Gibbs, as their head coach.

A comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his roles as Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure ( 1972 ), Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ( 1971 ), Amos Slade in the 1981 animated film The Fox and the Hound ( 1981 ), and as Ed Brown in the 1974 – 1978 television sitcom Chico and the Man.

A few of the many Carolina League players who have gone on to star in the Major Leagues are: Johnny Bench ( Peninsula, 1966 ), Wade Boggs ( Winston-Salem, 1977 ), Barry Bonds ( Prince William, 1985 ), Rod Carew ( Wilson, 1966 ), Dock Ellis ( Kinston, 1965 ), Dwight Evans ( Winston-Salem, 1971 ), Dwight Gooden ( Lynchburg, 1983 ), Andruw Jones ( Durham, 1996 ), Chipper Jones ( Durham, 1992 ), Willie McCovey ( Danville, 1956 ), Joe Morgan ( Durham, 1963 ), Dave Parker ( Salem, 1972 ), Tony Pérez ( Rocky Mount, 1962 ), Andy Pettitte ( Prince William, 1993 ), Jorge Posada ( Prince William, 1993 ), Darryl Strawberry ( Lynchburg, 1981 ), Bernie Williams ( Prince William, 1988 ), and Carl Yastrzemski ( Raleigh, 1959 ).

* Joe Thatcher ( born 1981 ), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres

* Joe Dancer: The Big Trade, 1981

Delaware's Senator Joe Biden's remarks on the significance of the " Big Quarterly " were published in the Congressional Record for 30 July 1981 ( Vol.

He became friends with Joe Louis and assisted his former rival financially in his later years, eventually financing his military funeral in 1981.

Joseph Louis Barrow ( May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981 ), better known as Joe Louis, was an American professional boxer and the World Heavyweight Champion from 1937 to 1949.

( 1978 ) with a quartet that included pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Louis Bellson ; two Duke Ellington Songbook albums ( 1979 ); Send In The Clowns ( 1981 ) with the Count Basie orchestra playing arrangements primarily by Sammy Nestico ; and Crazy and Mixed Up ( 1982 ), another quartet album featuring Sir Roland Hanna, piano, Joe Pass, guitar, Andy Simpkins, bass, and Harold Jones, drums.

Other early examples of techno-thriller, written before the category had been well defined as a sub-genre, include Moonraker by Ian Fleming, Fail-Safe ( 1962 ) by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, The Penetrators ( 1965 ) by Hank Searls ( writing as Anthony Grey ); Tree Frog by Martin Woodhouse ( 1966 ), North Cape ( 1969 ) by Joe Poyer, and Firefox by Craig Thomas ( 1977 ), later made into a movie, and Shuttle Down, by G. Harry Stine ( writing as Lee Correy ) ( 1981 ).

* Code Red ( 1981 ) — Captain Joe Rorchek

* Code Red ( 12 episodes, 1981 – 1982 ) — Battalion Chief Joe Rorchek

* Joe Delaney, NFL running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and 1981 Rookie of the Year, who died in 1983 attempting to rescue three children from drowning.

* More Culture aka Innocent Blood ( 1981 ), Joe Gibbs Music

* CB — Joe Fourqurean — 1973 – 1981 — 122 games

* Tales of the Unexpected: Completely Foolproof ( 1981 ) as Joe Brisson

The Lindsay Award is considered to be the companion of the Hart Memorial Trophy — fourteen players have won both trophies for the same season: Guy Lafleur ( 1976 – 77 and 1977 – 78 ), Wayne Gretzky ( 1981 – 82, 1982 – 83, 1983 – 84, 1984 – 85 and 1986 – 87 ), Mario Lemieux ( 1987 – 88 and 1992 – 93 and 1995 – 96 ), Mark Messier ( 1989 – 90 and 1991 – 92 ), Brett Hull ( 1990 – 91 ), Sergei Fedorov ( 1993 – 94 ), Eric Lindros ( 1994 – 95 ), Dominik Hasek ( 1996 – 97 and 1997 – 98 ), Jaromir Jagr ( 1998 – 99 ), Joe Sakic ( 2000 – 01 ), Martin St. Louis ( 2003 – 04 ), Sidney Crosby ( 2006 – 07 ), Alexander Ovechkin ( 2007 – 08 and 2008 – 09 ) and Evgeni Malkin ( 2011 – 12 ).

Accompanied by a highly distinctive video, the single became Ultravox's biggest ever hit, peaking at No. 2 in early 1981 ( famously kept off the top spot by Joe Dolce's novelty song " Shaddap You Face ").

In 1981, she appeared as a feature player on the first Dick Ebersol-produced episode of Saturday Night Live following the firing of Jean Doumanian and her cast ( save for Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Denny Dillon, and Gail Matthius ).

Joe Edward Purcell ( July 29, 1923 – March 5, 1987 ) was the Acting Governor of Arkansas for six days in 1979 as well as Arkansas Attorney General from 1967 – 1971 and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas from 1975 – 1981.