30 things turning 30 in 2019

A kid so smart he aced his way through college and medical school before he could drive? Get out of here!

But that was the premise of Doogie Howser, M.D., which made a star out of Neil Patrick Harris.

The series only aired for four seasons on ABC but its impact on pop culture left an indelible mark.

Whether you loved ’em or ‘hated ’em in the late ’80s and early ’90s, New Kids on the Block were the “it” boy band of a certain generation.

This year their sophomore album, which really put them on the pop music map, Hangin’ Tough celebrates 30 years.

NKOTB is commemorating its release with a special reissue for fans who continue to have “The Right Stuff.”

Some might argue that there’s no greater power ballad than “Wind Beneath My Wings,” the Bette Midler hit that appeared in the tear-inducing film Beaches.

But Midler was actually the third singer to record the song.

It was initially recorded by Lou Rawls in 1983, as well as country singer Gary Morris that same year.

However, Midler is the artist most associated with “Wind Beneath My Wings” and the only singer to send it straight to No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Believe it or not, it has been 30 years since Milli Vanilli appeared on the music scene, scoring hits like “Girl You Know It’s True,” the title track off of their debut album released on March 7, 1989.

Sadly the duo became less known for the infectious tracks as they did for the controversy that surrounded them.

As it turns out members Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan didn’t sing a lick on the songs, instead lip-syncing to another artist’s voice.

Before there was Live P.D. there was Cops, which premiered in 1989.

Showing the day-to-day of real-life law enforcement officers, Cops became an instant hit for FOX.

It’s theme song “Bad Boys” also became a hit for the reggae band Inner Circle, eventually hitting No. 7 on the Billboard Top 40. Cops is still airing today.

It was August 20, 1989, when Zack Morris and his pals at Bayside High hit the small screen on NBC in the iconic teen series Saved By the Bell.

Airing for five seasons, the show was followed by Saved By the Bell: The College Years and Saved By the Bell: The New Class (which interestingly ran for seven seasons, even longer than its predecessor).

Considered as the film that put the Walt Disney Company back on the animation map, The Little Mermaid grossed over $111M in the United States alone upon its release in November 1989.

After a series of lackluster animated releases, the Mouse House was thrilled with the film’s success.

According to Disney Wiki, Walt Disney had actually intended for The Little Mermaid to be one of his earliest releases, but it was put on hold after Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Blamed for dozens of murders across Washington, Colorado, Utah, and Oregon, it was the murder of a 12-year-old Florida girl that finally sent serial killer Ted Bundy to death row.

On January 24, 1989, he was executed via electric chair in the state of Florida.

This year Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has planned a display they say will “shed light on the private side of the notorious killer that haunted the country until his death.”

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture in 1990, Driving Miss Daisy hit movie theaters on December 13, 1989.

Starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, the dramedy tells the story of the unlikely friendship that emerges between a fiercely independent Jewish widow and her African-American chauffeur, paired together after Miss Daisy is involved in a car accident.

Bust out the tissues if you want to re-watch Steel Magnolias upon its 30th anniversary.

The family drama starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Daryl Hannah, and Shirley MacLaine still tugs at the heartstrings to this day.

The film earned Roberts a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.