Writer of Pop Culture

Film actress Jane Fonda took a break from acting in the early 1980s to focus on fitness. She began to muscle in on Richard Simons’ territory with three pieces of fitness media of her own.

Controversial actress and activist Jane Fonda has warmed the hearts of some while angering others throughout her lifetime, but during the early 1980s, she started a whole new trend. Jane Fonda’s Workout Book was released in November 1981. The book stayed as the #1 bestseller for more than six months.

On this day in 1982, Fonda released her first exercise home video. She also released Jane Fonda’s Workout Record at the same time (it was certified double Platinum in December 1984). The book, video and record made the perfect trifecta that not only brought exercise back into peoples’ consciousness, but also tights, legwarmers and Spandex.

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What Else Happened on April 24?

• 1885: Annie Oakley is hired to be a part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.
• 1913: New York City’s Woolworth Building skyscraper is opened.
• 1990: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery.
• 2011: WikiLeaks starts publishing the Guantanamo Bay files leak.

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