1985

Events in 1985 72

• 1887 – 1985 Marc Chagall Surrealism · Belarus / France Marc Chagall (July 7, 1887 – March 28, 1985) was a Russian-French artist whose dreamlike, colourful paintings drew on Jewish folklore and his Belarusian childhood. He lived to 97 and worked across painting, stained glass and tapestry.
• 1895 – 1985 Robert Graves (1895-1985) Died 7 December 1985, aged 90 Graves was an English poet and novelist best known for his memoir Good-Bye to All That and the historical novel I, Claudius. He spent much of his later life in Deia, Majorca, where he died on 7 December 1985.
• 1896 – 1985 Ruth Gordon (1896-1985) American actress and writer, co-author of Adam's Rib, Oscar winner for Rosemary's Baby and Maude in Harold and Maude.
• 1899 – 1985 Gale Sondergaard (1899-1985) American actress, the first winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, later blacklisted.
• 1899 – 1985 E.B. White (1899-1985) Died 1 October 1985, aged 86 White was an American writer and longtime New Yorker contributor best known for the children's books Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. He also co-wrote The Elements of Style, a widely used guide to English usage. He died in Maine on 1 October 1985.
• 1902 – 1985 Margaret Hamilton (1902-1985) American actress and former kindergarten teacher, forever the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.
• 1906 – 1985 Louise Brooks (1906-1985) American dancer and actress, icon of the bob haircut, whose German films with Pabst made her a cult figure.
• 1911 – 1985 Konstantin Chernenko (1911-1985) Died 10 March 1985, aged 73 Chernenko led the Soviet Union as General Secretary of the Communist Party from February 1984 until his death. His brief, ailing tenure was followed immediately by the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev. He died in Moscow on 10 March 1985.
• 1915 – 1985 Orson Welles (1915-1985) Died 10 October 1985, aged 70 Welles was an American director and actor best known for Citizen Kane, widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. He also directed The Magnificent Ambersons and Touch of Evil. He died in Los Angeles on 10 October 1985.
• 1915 – 1985 Edmond O'Brien (1915-1985) American actor of film noir, Oscar winner for The Barefoot Contessa.
• 1917 – 1985 Heinrich Boll (1917-1985) Died 16 July 1985, aged 67 Boll was a German novelist awarded the 1972 Nobel Prize in Literature for work exploring German guilt and recovery after the Second World War. His novels include The Clown and Group Portrait with Lady. He died near Bonn, West Germany, on 16 July 1985.
• 1920 – 1985 Yul Brynner (1920-1985) Died 10 October 1985, aged 65 Brynner was an actor best known for his Tony and Academy Award-winning role as the King of Siam in The King and I. He died of lung cancer in New York on 10 October 1985, and a posthumous anti-smoking advertisement he recorded became widely seen.
• 1921 – 1985 Simone Signoret (1921-1985) Died 30 September 1985, aged 64 Signoret was a French actress who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Room at the Top in 1959. She was also known for her memoirs and her long marriage to singer Yves Montand. She died in Autheuil-Authouillet, France, on 30 September 1985.
• 1922 – 1985 Philip Larkin (1922-1985) Died 2 December 1985, aged 63 Larkin was an English poet whose collections, including The Whitsun Weddings and High Windows, made him one of the most admired British poets of the postwar era. He died in Hull, England, on 2 December 1985.
• 1923 – 1985 Anne Baxter (1923-1985) American actress, granddaughter of Frank Lloyd Wright, Oscar winner for The Razor's Edge and Eve in All About Eve.
• 1923 – 1985 Italo Calvino (1923-1985) Died 19 September 1985, aged 61 Calvino was an Italian writer known for inventive works including Invisible Cities and If on a winter's night a traveler. He died in Siena, Italy, on 19 September 1985 after a stroke.
• 1925 – 1985 Laura Ashley (1925-1985) Died 17 September 1985, aged 60 Ashley was a Welsh fashion and textile designer who built a global brand known for floral, romantic prints. She died in Wales on 17 September 1985 from injuries sustained in a fall.
• 1925 – 1985 Rock Hudson (1925-1985) Died 25 July 1985, aged 59 Hudson was a leading Hollywood actor known for films including Giant and Pillow Talk. His death from AIDS-related illness in Los Angeles on 25 July 1985 made him the first major celebrity to publicly reveal an AIDS diagnosis, transforming public awareness of the disease. His death is widely credited with increasing funding for AIDS research.
• 1954 – 1985 Karen Ann Quinlan (1954-1985) Died 11 June 1985, aged 31 Quinlan became the center of a landmark American right-to-die case after she entered a persistent vegetative state in 1975 and her parents fought in court to remove her ventilator. The 1976 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in their favor shaped later end-of-life law. She remained on a feeding tube until her death from pneumonia on 11 June 1985.
• 1984 – 1985 Bernard King's injury-shortened MVP-caliber season King is in the midst of a historic scoring season when a severe knee injury derails his career and the Knicks' playoff hopes.
• 1984 – 1985 Karpov vs Kasparov 1984 match abandoned 48 games — no result The 1984 World Championship match between Karpov and Kasparov lasted 48 games over five months before FIDE president Campomanes controversially abandoned it with Karpov leading. It remains the longest World Championship match in history.
• 1985 – 2015 Bernard-Henri Lévy, for the first of eight times In Liège - and again, on and off, until 2015 The philosopher fought back while Godin lay on the ground going gloup gloup. Coluche mocked him for it.
• 1985 Coke blinks — New Coke launched and withdrawn Pepsi's greatest victory — 1985 In April 1985, Coca-Cola reformulated its recipe as "New Coke" in direct response to losing Pepsi Challenge blind tests. The backlash was catastrophic and Coke brought back its original formula as "Coca-Cola Classic" within 79 days. Pepsi celebrated with ads declaring it had "won the Cola Wars" — though Coke's return ultimately strengthened the rival brand.
• 1985 – 1986 Ewing wins Rookie of the Year Patrick Ewing is named NBA Rookie of the Year in his debut season.
• 1985 Knicks win first NBA Draft Lottery A favorable bounce in the league's inaugural draft lottery gives New York the first overall pick.
• 1985 Live Aid concerts Live Aid concerts Live Aid was staged simultaneously at Wembley and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia on 13 July 1985, organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure for famine relief in Ethiopia. It was broadcast to an estimated 1.5 billion viewers and raised over $100 million. Queen's twenty-minute set is routinely called the best live performance in rock.
• 1985 Patrick Ewing drafted first overall The Knicks select Georgetown center Patrick Ewing with the No. 1 pick, hailed as the franchise's savior.
• 1985 – present Public Enemy American hip hop group Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Terminator X and Professor Griff — It Takes a Nation of Millions and Fight the Power.
• 1985 – present Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Seven-time World Champion; holds the record for the most career wins and pole positions in F1 history.
• 1985 First Rock in Rio festival Brazil hosts one of the largest music festivals ever staged The inaugural Rock in Rio festival opened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 11 January 1985, drawing over a million attendees across ten days. The lineup included Queen, AC/DC, and Iron Maiden alongside major Brazilian acts. It established a festival brand that would later expand to other countries.
• 1985 "We Are the World" recorded American musicians unite for African famine relief More than three dozen American recording artists gathered in Los Angeles on 28 January 1985 to record the charity single "We Are the World" in support of famine relief in Africa. Organized by Harry Belafonte and produced by Quincy Jones, the song raised tens of millions of dollars. It became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
• 1985 Nelson Mandela rejects conditional release Imprisoned ANC leader refuses to renounce armed struggle South African President P. W. Botha offered to release imprisoned anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela on 31 January 1985 if he renounced violence as a political tool. Mandela refused the condition, and his daughter Zindzi read his defiant response to a rally in Soweto. The episode strengthened his standing as a symbol of resistance to apartheid.
• 1985 – present Cristiano Ronaldo CR7 The most famous Portuguese athlete in history and a record-breaking global football icon.
• 1985 13th Elfstedentocht Winner: Evert van Benthem — 6h 47m (record) After 22 years without sufficient ice, the Elfstedentocht returned on 21 February 1985 to national celebration. Evert van Benthem won in a record time of 6 hours and 47 minutes. It was the first edition broadcast live on television. Lenie van der Hoorn was the first woman to finish.
• 1985 Iditarod 1985 — first woman wins Winner: Libby Riddles — 18 days 0h Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod, famously mushing into a blizzard while rivals sheltered. Her victory made international headlines and transformed the race's profile worldwide.
• 1985 First HIV antibody test licensed Blood banks gain a tool to screen for the AIDS virus The US Food and Drug Administration licensed the first commercial blood test for antibodies to the AIDS virus on 2 March 1985. The ELISA test allowed blood banks to begin screening donations, sharply reducing transmission through transfusions. It was a major milestone in the response to the emerging global AIDS epidemic.
• 1985 – 1991 Gorbachev in power Glasnost, Perestroika and the collapse of the USSR — 1985 to 1991 Gorbachev became Soviet leader on March 11, 1985 and resigned on December 25, 1991, the day the Soviet Union was dissolved. His reforms of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) inadvertently unleashed forces that ended the Cold War and dissolved the USSR.
• 1985 – present Stan Wawrinka Stan the Man Three-time Grand Slam winner known for his devastating one-handed backhand.
• 1985 1985 World Snooker Championship The Black Ball Final The most famous final in history, decided on the final black. Winner: Dennis Taylor; Runner-up: Steve Davis. Score: 18–17.
• 1985 Trial of the Juntas Argentina prosecutes former military rulers for atrocities Argentina put the leaders of its former military juntas on trial for human rights abuses committed during the 1976-1983 Dirty War, with proceedings running from 22 April to 9 December 1985. Five of the nine former commanders, including junta leader Jorge Videla, were convicted. It was one of the first times a Latin American government tried its own former rulers for state terrorism.
• 1985 New Coke launched and withdrawn Biggest marketing blunder in history On April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola replaced its original formula with "New Coke" — a sweeter recipe designed to beat Pepsi in blind tests. The public backlash was immediate and furious. On July 10, 1985, the company restored the original formula as "Coca-Cola Classic" in what became one of the most famous marketing disasters ever.
• 1985 – present Chris Paul CP3 One of the premier traditional point guards of his generation.
• 1985 Bradford City stadium fire Wooden stand engulfed in flames during a football match A fire swept through a wooden stand at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium on 11 May 1985, likely ignited by a discarded cigarette beneath the seating. Fifty-six spectators died and hundreds more were injured. The disaster led to sweeping new safety regulations for British football grounds.
• 1985 Antarctic ozone hole discovered British scientists reveal a seasonal collapse in stratospheric ozone Scientists with the British Antarctic Survey published findings on 16 May 1985 documenting a dramatic seasonal thinning of ozone over Antarctica. The discovery galvanized international action on ozone-depleting chemicals and fed directly into the 1987 Montreal Protocol. It remains a landmark case of environmental science driving global policy.
• 1985 Brothers in Arms Fifth album — May 17, 1985 Brothers in Arms was released on May 17, 1985, becoming one of the best-selling albums of the 20th century with over 30 million copies sold. The first album to sell a million copies on CD, it reached number 1 worldwide and included "Money for Nothing" and "Walk of Life".
• 1985 – present Chris Froome The Sky Leader The most successful Grand Tour rider of the 2010s. Winner: 4x Tour de France.
• 1985 – present Mark Cavendish The Manx Missile Greatest sprinter in history; broke the all-time record for Tour de France stage wins (35).
• 1985 A View to a Kill — Roger Moore Moore's final film as Bond. Silicon Valley tech mogul Max Zorin, a product of KGB genetic experiments, plans to trigger an earthquake that will destroy Silicon Valley and give him control of the world's microchip market. Duran Duran contribute the title song, the only Bond theme to reach number one in the United States. Budget: $30 million. Box office: $152.4 million.
• 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster Crowd crush kills 39 before a European Cup final Rioting broke out between Liverpool and Juventus fans before the 1985 European Cup final in Brussels on 29 May 1985, causing a stadium wall to collapse. Thirty-nine spectators, mostly Italian, were crushed to death. The tragedy led to a five-year ban on English clubs from European competition.
• 1985 Hijacking of TWA Flight 847 Hezbollah militants seize a US airliner over the Mediterranean Two Hezbollah-linked hijackers seized TWA Flight 847 shortly after takeoff from Athens on 14 June 1985, forcing it to fly repeatedly between Beirut and Algiers. US Navy diver Robert Stethem was murdered aboard the plane, and the remaining hostages were held in Beirut before being released on 30 June. The crisis drew heavy international media coverage and strained US-Lebanese relations.
• 1985 Bombing of Air India Flight 182 Sikh separatist bomb destroys jetliner over the Atlantic A bomb planted by Sikh separatists exploded aboard Air India Flight 182 on 23 June 1985, destroying the Boeing 747 over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland. All 329 people aboard, most of them Canadian citizens, were killed. It remains the deadliest aviation terrorist attack originating in North America.
• 1985 Wimbledon 1985 Men: Boris Becker · Women: Martina Navratilova Boris Becker, 17, became the youngest Wimbledon men's champion ever.
• 1985 Back to the Future released Time-travel comedy becomes the year's top box office hit Robert Zemeckis's science-fiction comedy Back to the Future opened in US theaters on 3 July 1985, starring Michael J. Fox as a teenager who travels back in time in a modified DeLorean. It became the highest-grossing film of 1985 and spawned two sequels. The film remains one of the most enduringly popular movies of its decade.
• 1985 Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior French agents bomb a Greenpeace ship in Auckland French intelligence agents attached mines to the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour on 10 July 1985 to stop it protesting French nuclear testing in the Pacific. The explosions sank the ship and killed photographer Fernando Pereira. The bombing caused a diplomatic scandal after two French agents were arrested by New Zealand police.
• 1985 Dire Straits play Live Aid Wembley Stadium — July 13, 1985 Dire Straits delivered one of the most celebrated performances at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium on July 13, 1985, with an extended "Money for Nothing" that included guest vocals by Sting. The concert was broadcast to 1.9 billion viewers in 150 nations.
• 1985 First to clear six metres -- Paris, 13 July 1985 On 13 July 1985 in Paris, Bubka becomes the first pole vaulter in history to clear 6.00 metres. The barrier is the equivalent of the four-minute mile in athletics -- a psychological and physical threshold that many believed would never be reached. He clears it at 21. The performance is one of the defining moments in the history of field athletics and makes him a global figure beyond the specialist athletics audience. He will go on to become the first to clear 6.10m as well.
• 1985 South Africa declares state of emergency Apartheid government cracks down amid unrest The South African government declared a state of emergency across large parts of the country on 20 July 1985 in response to escalating anti-apartheid unrest. The declaration granted police and security forces sweeping powers of detention without trial. It marked a sharp escalation in international condemnation and sanctions against the apartheid regime.
• 1985 John Mellencamp releases Scarecrow Small Town An album about the American farm crisis.
• 1985 Money for Nothing launches MTV Europe First video on MTV Europe — August 1, 1985 "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits was the first video played when MTV Europe launched on August 1, 1987. Its groundbreaking computer-animated video, one of the most expensive ever made at the time, became the defining image of 1980s MTV. The song featuring Sting's "I want my MTV" reached number 1 in the US.
• 1985 – 2019 Nipsey Hussle (1985-2019) Died 31 March 2019, aged 33 Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was an American rapper and community activist from Los Angeles known for his Grammy-nominated album Victory Lap and his investment in his South Central neighborhood. He was shot and killed outside the clothing store he owned. His death prompted an outpouring of tribute across the music industry.
• 1985 Wreck of the Titanic discovered An expedition led by Robert Ballard locates the ship on the seabed A joint American-French expedition led by oceanographer Robert Ballard located the wreck of RMS Titanic on the North Atlantic seabed on 1 September 1985. The ship had lain undiscovered for 73 years at a depth of about 3,800 metres. The find used newly developed deep-sea sonar and camera technology.
• 1985 – present Luka Modrić The Maestro 2018 Ballon d'Or winner; led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final and 5 Champions League titles.
• 1985 Mexico City earthquake Magnitude 8.0 quake devastates Mexico's capital A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck off Mexico's Pacific coast early on 19 September 1985, causing catastrophic damage in Mexico City hundreds of kilometers away. Thousands of buildings collapsed and an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 people died. The disaster exposed poor construction standards and prompted major changes to the city's building codes.
• 1985 Plaza Accord signed Major economies agree to devalue the US dollar Finance officials from the United States, Japan, West Germany, France and the United Kingdom met at New York's Plaza Hotel on 22 September 1985 and agreed to coordinate action to weaken the US dollar against the yen and Deutsche mark. The accord reshaped global trade balances and is widely linked to Japan's subsequent asset price bubble. It remains a landmark example of coordinated international currency intervention.
• 1985 Hijacking of the Achille Lauro Palestinian militants seize an Italian cruise ship Four militants from the Palestine Liberation Front hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro off the coast of Egypt on 7 October 1985. They murdered disabled American passenger Leon Klinghoffer before surrendering two days later. The incident triggered a major diplomatic dispute after US fighter jets intercepted the hijackers' escape plane.
• 1985 Intel 386 processor released A new microprocessor brings 32-bit computing to PCs Intel launched the 80386 microprocessor on 17 October 1985, the first 32-bit processor in its x86 line used in personal computers. It offered a major leap in speed and multitasking capability over earlier chips. The 386 became the foundation for a new generation of IBM-compatible PCs.
• 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System launched in the US Nintendo's console revives the American video game market Nintendo launched the Nintendo Entertainment System in the United States on 18 October 1985, initially in a limited test rollout in New York City. Bundled with games including Super Mario Bros., the console helped revive a US video game industry that had collapsed two years earlier. It went on to become one of the best-selling consoles of its era.
• 1985 – present Wayne Rooney Wazza Manchester United legend and former record scorer for both club and country.
• 1985 Armero tragedy Volcanic mudslides bury a Colombian town The eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano on 13 November 1985 melted glacial ice and sent lahars sweeping down onto the town of Armero, Colombia. More than 20,000 people were killed, one of the deadliest volcanic disasters of the 20th century. Rescue efforts were hampered by poor roads and delayed warnings.
• 1985 – present Sanna Marin Youngest PM at Appointment Became the worlds youngest serving Prime Minister in 2019 and led Finland through the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 1985 Reagan-Gorbachev Geneva Summit First meeting between the two Cold War leaders US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev held their first summit in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19 to 21 November 1985. Although no arms agreements were signed, the two leaders established a personal rapport that helped thaw Cold War tensions. It was the first US-Soviet summit in six years.
• 1985 Microsoft Windows 1.0 released Microsoft's first graphical operating environment ships Microsoft released Windows 1.0 on 20 November 1985, its first graphical extension for MS-DOS featuring overlapping windows, menus and a mouse-driven interface. Early sales were modest and the software required substantial hardware for its time. It laid the groundwork for the Windows line that would come to dominate personal computing.