All times in UTC ·
Dashed edge = started before, or continues beyond, this day
Events on Tuesday 1 January 1985 13
19851985: Alain ProstMcLarenFrenchman Prost, known as The Professor for his cerebral approach, won the first of his four titles with McLaren.
1985AfterburnerReleased Afterburner, continuing the synth-rock sound of Eliminator with hits including Sleeping Bag and Stages. The album sold over five million copies.
1985 – 1991Director of the MIT Center for Cancer ResearchServed as director of the MIT Center for Cancer Research, succeeding Nobel laureate Salvador Luria. Under his leadership, the centre expanded its research into the molecular mechanisms of cancer.
1985 – 1987Early Modelling CareerBuilt her early career in Paris and Milan, working with photographers who would help define the supermodel era including Peter Lindbergh and Herb Ritts.
1985First Published CollectionPublished his first collection of poems, Pen Rhythm, establishing himself on the literary scene.
1985Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the WorldPublished Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, an ambitious novel alternating between a cyberpunk thriller and a surreal, walled town where residents have no shadows. It won the Tanizaki Prize and is widely regarded as a masterpiece.
1985Legend and ClueAppeared in two cult films in the same year. In Ridley Scott's fantasy Legend, he played Darkness, the embodiment of evil, under hours of transformative makeup. In Jonathan Lynn's Clue, he delivered a brilliantly manic physical comedy performance as the butler Wadsworth, racing through multiple murder explanations in the film's famous triple ending.
1985Mad Max Beyond ThunderdomeStarred as Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, adding a memorable film role to her music career.
1985Mother's DeathHer mother was killed in a car accident. The complicated relationship with her abusive mother would become a central theme in O'Connor's music and public life.
1985Olivier Award for A Chorus of DisapprovalWon his first Olivier Award for A Chorus of Disapproval by Alan Ayckbourn, beginning a run of three Olivier wins in five years.
1985 – 1996Personal TragediesEndured devastating personal losses: his 14-year-old daughter Iska died of a seizure in 1985, and his second wife Ana Maria was killed in the TWA Flight 800 crash in 1996.
1985The Good FatherAppeared in Mike Newell's The Good Father alongside Anthony Hopkins, in one of his more prominent dramatic roles.
1985Wolf Prize in ChemistryReceived the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, often considered a precursor to the Nobel Prize.