What happened in 1985
219 entries recorded for 1985, listed by date. That was 41 years ago.
1985 at a glance
- Years ago
- 41 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1980s
- Generation born
- Millennials (Generation Y)
- Entries here
- 219
- Breakdown
- 114 historical events · 104 births · 1 deaths
January
- January 7
JAXA
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches Sakigake, Japan's first interplanetary spacecraft and the first deep space probe to be launched by any country other than the United States or the Soviet Union.
- January 10
Clive Sinclair
Sir Clive Sinclair launched the Sinclair C5 personal electric vehicle (pictured), "one of the great marketing bombs of postwar British industry", which later became a cult collectable despite its commercial failure.
- January 10
Sandinista National Liberation Front
Sandinista Daniel Ortega becomes president of Nicaragua and vows to continue the transformation to socialism and alliance with the Soviet Union and Cuba.
- January 13
Awash rail disaster
A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa.
- January 21
Galaxy Airlines Flight 203
Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people.
- January 23
San E
San E, South Korean rapper
- January 25
Hartley Sawyer
Hartley Sawyer, American actor
- January 25
Brent Celek
Brent Celek, American football player
- January 25
Acie Law
Acie Law, American basketball player
- January 25
Tina Karol
Tina Karol, Ukrainian singer and Eurovision Song Contest 2006 contestant
- January 25
Hwang Jung-eum
Hwang Jung-eum, South Korean actress
- January 27
Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim, Portuguese footballer and manager
- January 28
We Are the World
Supergroup USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) records the hit single We Are the World, to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.
February
- February 5
Carthage (municipality)
The mayors of Carthage and Rome signed a symbolic peace treaty to officially end the Third Punic War, 2,134 years after it began.
- February 5
Ugo Vetere
Ugo Vetere, then the mayor of Rome, and Chedli Klibi, then the mayor of Carthage, meet in Tunis to sign a treaty of friendship officially ending the Third Punic War which lasted 2,131 years.
- February 16
Shia Islam
The Lebanese Shia political and paramilitary organization Hezbollah released a manifesto describing its ideology and goals.
- February 16
Hezbollah
Hezbollah is founded.
- February 19
William J. Schroeder
William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital.
- February 19
China Airlines Flight 006
China Airlines Flight 006 experiences an aircraft upset over the Pacific Ocean, injuring 24.
- February 19
Boeing 727
A Boeing 727 operating as Iberia Flight 610 crashes Mount Oiz in Spain, killing 148; it is the deadliest accident to occur in Iberia's history and the deadliest to occur in Basque County.
- February 22
Zach Roerig
Zach Roerig, American actor
- February 22
Georgios Printezis
Georgios Printezis, Greek basketball player
- February 22
Hamer Bouazza
Hamer Bouazza, Algerian footballer
- February 26
Fernando Llorente
Fernando Llorente, Spanish footballer
- February 28
The Troubles
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army launched a mortar attack on a Royal Ulster Constabulary station in Newry, Northern Ireland, killing nine people.
- February 28
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station at Newry, killing nine officers.
March
- March 3
1985 Algarrobo earthquake
A magnitude 8.3 earthquake strikes the Valparaíso Region of Chile, killing 177 and leaving nearly a million people homeless.
- March 4
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for HIV infection, used since then for screening all blood donations in the United States.
- March 6
Christ's Commission Fellowship
Registration of the Filipino megachurch Christ's Commission Fellowship with the Philippine government, months after its first worship service in August 1984.
- March 7
Charity record
The charity single "We Are the World" by the supergroup USA for Africa was released, and went on to sell more than 20 million copies.
- March 7
Cameron Prosser
Cameron Prosser, Australian swimmer
- March 8
1985 Beirut car bombings
A supposed failed assassination attempt on Islamic cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon kills 80 and injures 200 others.
- March 11
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev is elected to the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, making Gorbachev the USSR's de facto, and last, head of state.
- March 13
Football hooliganism
One of England's worst incidents of football hooliganism occurred when supporters of Luton Town and Millwall rioted before a match at Kenilworth Road stadium.
- March 16
Associated Press
Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut; he is not released until December 1991.
- March 17
Richard Ramirez
Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.
- March 18
Soap opera
The first episode of the soap opera Neighbours was broadcast on the Seven Network, later becoming the longest-running drama in Australian television history.
- March 20
Libby Riddles
Libby Riddles becomes the first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
- March 21
Paraplegia
Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research.
- March 29
Fernando Amorebieta
Fernando Amorebieta, Venezuelan footballer
April
- April 6
Gaafar Nimeiry
Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Field Marshal Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab.
- April 12
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-51D to deploy two communications satellites.
- April 16
Brendon Leonard
Brendon Leonard, New Zealand rugby player
- April 16
Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz, American mixed martial artist
- April 16
Luol Deng
Luol Deng, Sudanese-English basketball player
- April 17
Luke Mitchell
Luke Mitchell, Australian actor and model
- April 17
Rooney Mara
Rooney Mara, American actress
- April 18
Łukasz Fabiański
Łukasz Fabiański, Polish footballer
- April 19
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Two hundred ATF and FBI agents lay siege to the compound of the white supremacist survivalist group The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord in Arkansas; the CSA surrenders two days later.
- April 20
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front raided a laboratory at the University of California, Riverside, rescuing 467 animals and causing $700,000 in damage.
- April 20
University of California, Riverside 1985 laboratory raid
University of California, Riverside 1985 laboratory raid: Animal Liberation Front rescues 467 animals being tested in a lab at University of California, Riverside in Riverside, California, causing $700,000 in damages to the laboratory, in advocacy for animal rights.
- April 21
The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord
The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in Arkansas after a two-day government siege.
- April 23
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.
- April 27
1985 World Snooker Championship final
The black-ball final, one of the most famous snooker matches in history, began between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor.
- April 29
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger is launched on STS-51-B.
May
- May 4
Jme
Jamie Adenuga, English MC and rapper
- May 4
Fernandinho (footballer, born May 1985)
Fernandinho, Brazilian footballer
- May 4
Ravi Bopara
Ravi Bopara, English cricketer
- May 5
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech.
- May 8
Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa, American wrestler
- May 10
Ryan Getzlaf
Ryan Getzlaf, Canadian ice hockey player
- May 10
Farah Jacquet
Farah Jacquet, Belgian politician
- May 10
Jon Schofield (canoeist)
Jon Schofield, English canoe racer
- May 11
Bradford City stadium fire
Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in the Bradford City stadium fire.
- May 13
1985 MOVE bombing
Police bomb MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
- May 13
Philadelphia Police Department
Eleven people, including five children, were killed after the Philadelphia Police Department dropped bombs from a helicopter during a raid on a house occupied by the Black liberation group MOVE.
- May 14
Sam Perrett
Sam Perrett, New Zealand rugby league player
- May 14
Dustin Lynch
Dustin Lynch, American singer-songwriter
- May 14
Matt Cardona
Zack Ryder, American wrestler
- May 17
Derek Hough
Derek Hough, American actor, singer, and dancer
- May 17
Teófilo Gutiérrez
Teófilo Gutiérrez, Colombian footballer
- May 18
Henrique Sereno
Henrique Sereno, Portuguese footballer
- May 18
Oliver Sin
Oliver Sin, Hungarian painter
- May 20
Radio y Televisión Martí
Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba.
- May 25
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which kills approximately 10,000 people.
- May 26
Monika Christodoulou
Monika Christodoulou, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
- May 26
Ashley Vincent
Ashley Vincent, English footballer
- May 29
Heysel Stadium disaster
Heysel Stadium disaster: Thirty-nine association football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses.
- May 29
Amputation
Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.
- May 31
1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak
United States–Canada tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
- May 31
Jordy Nelson
Jordy Nelson, American football player
June
- June 1
Nick Young
Nick Young, American basketball player
- June 1
Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik, Indian cricketer
- June 6
Embu das Artes
The grave of "Wolfgang Gerhard" is opened in Embu, Brazil; the exhumed remains are later proven to be those of Josef Mengele, Auschwitz's "Angel of Death"; Mengele is thought to have drowned while swimming in February 1979.
- June 6
Josef Mengele
The remains of Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician notorious for performing human experiments on Auschwitz inmates, were exhumed in Embu das Artes, Brazil.
- June 6
Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre, Scottish professional wrestler
- June 6
Sebastian Larsson
Sebastian Larsson, Swedish footballer
- June 6
Becky Sauerbrunn
Becky Sauerbrunn, American footballer; twice a winner of the FIFA Women's World Cup, also an Olympic gold medallist
- June 7
Klaudia Taev
Klaudia Taev, Estonian opera singer and educator (born 1906)
- June 8
Alexandre Despatie
Alexandre Despatie, Canadian diver, twice Olympic silver 3m springboard silver medallist
- June 10
Celina Jade
Celina Jade, Hong Kong-American actress
- June 10
Richard Chambers (rower)
Richard Chambers, Irish rower
- June 10
Kaia Kanepi
Kaia Kanepi, Estonian tennis player
- June 12
Kendra Wilkinson
Kendra Wilkinson, American model, actress, and author
- June 12
Blake Ross
Blake Ross, American computer programmer, co-created Mozilla Firefox
- June 12
Dave Franco
Dave Franco, American actor
- June 12
Sam Thaiday
Sam Thaiday, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
- June 14
European Economic Community
Five member nations of the European Economic Community sign the Schengen Agreement establishing a free travel zone with no border controls.
- June 15
Ashley Nicole Black
Ashley Nicole Black, American comedian, actress, and writer
- June 17
Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist.
- June 19
Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers
Members of the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, dressed as Salvadoran soldiers, attack the Zona Rosa area of San Salvador.
- June 19
José Sosa
José Ernesto Sosa, Argentinian footballer
- June 19
Ai Miyazato
Ai Miyazato, Japanese golfer
- June 21
Braathens SAFE Flight 139
Braathens SAFE Flight 139 is hijacked on approach to Oslo Airport, Fornebu. Special forces arrest the hijacker and there are no fatalities.
- June 23
1985 Narita International Airport bombing
A terrorist bomb explodes at Narita International Airport near Tokyo, killing two and injuring four. An hour later, the same group detonates a second bomb aboard Air India Flight 182, bringing the Boeing 747 down off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 aboard.
- June 25
Karim Matmour
Karim Matmour, Algerian footballer
- June 30
TWA Flight 847
Thirty-nine American hostages from the hijacked TWA Flight 847 are freed in Beirut after being held for 17 days.
- June 30
Ryan White
Ryan White, an HIV/AIDS patient in the US, was denied re-admission to his school after he had contracted the disease from hemophilia treatments.
- June 30
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps, American swimmer
- June 30
Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes, American wrestler
- June 30
Trevor Ariza
Trevor Ariza, American basketball player
July
- July 6
Ranveer Singh
Ranveer Singh, Indian film actor
- July 7
Boris Becker
Boris Becker becomes the youngest male player ever to win Wimbledon at age 17.
- July 9
Ashley Young
Ashley Young, English footballer
- July 9
Paweł Korzeniowski
Paweł Korzeniowski, Polish swimmer
- July 10
Park Chu-young
Park Chu-young, South Korean footballer
- July 10
Funda Oru
Funda Oru, Belgian politician
- July 10
B. J. Crombeen
B. J. Crombeen, American ice hockey player
- July 10
Mario Gómez
Mario Gómez, German footballer
- July 13
Vice President of the United States
Vice President George H. W. Bush becomes the Acting President for the day when President Ronald Reagan undergoes surgery to remove polyps from his colon.
- July 13
Live Aid
The Live Aid benefit concert takes place in London and Philadelphia, as well as other venues such as Moscow and Sydney.
- July 14
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, English actress and screenwriter
- July 14
Darrelle Revis
Darrelle Revis, American football player
- July 17
Tom Cullen
Tom Cullen, Welsh actor and director
- July 17
Neil McGregor
Neil McGregor, Scottish footballer
- July 17
Loui Eriksson
Loui Eriksson, Swedish ice hockey player
- July 19
Val di Stava dam collapse
The Val di Stava dam collapses, killing 268 people in Val di Stava, Italy.
- July 20
Aruba
The government of Aruba passes legislation to secede from the Netherlands Antilles.
- July 29
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger launches on STS-51-F. The shuttle ends up in a lower orbit than planned due to an engine failure during ascent.
August
- August 2
Delta Air Lines Flight 191
Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137.
- August 4
Robbie Findley
Robbie Findley, American soccer player
- August 4
Ha Seung-jin
Ha Seung-jin, South Korean basketball player
- August 4
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan, Australian footballer
- August 4
Crystal Bowersox
Crystal Bowersox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- August 6
Mickaël Delage
Mickaël Delage, French cyclist
- August 6
Garrett Weber-Gale
Garrett Weber-Gale, American swimmer
- August 6
Bafétimbi Gomis
Bafétimbi Gomis, French footballer
- August 7
Takao Doi
Takao Doi, Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai are chosen to be Japan's first astronauts.
- August 7
White House Farm murders
Five members of the Bamber family were found murdered at a farmhouse in Tolleshunt D'Arcy, England.
- August 12
Japan Air Lines Flight 123
Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (aircraft involved pictured) crashed into Mount Takamagahara in Japan, killing 520 of 524 people on board, including singer Kyu Sakamoto, in the world's deadliest single-aircraft aviation disaster.
- August 14
Shea Weber
Shea Weber, Canadian ice hockey player
- August 14
Christian Gentner
Christian Gentner, German footballer
- August 15
Assam Accord
Signing of the Assam Accord, an agreement between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement to end the movement.
- August 17
1985–1986 Hormel strike
The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota.
- August 22
1985 Manchester Airport disaster
A fire broke out on British Airtours Flight 28M at Manchester Airport, causing 55 deaths mostly due to smoke inhalation, and leading to changes to make aircraft evacuation more effective.
- August 23
Hans Tiedge
Hans Tiedge, top counter-spy of West Germany, defects to East Germany.
- August 25
Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808
Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808 crashes near Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport in Auburn, Maine, killing all eight people on board including peace activist and child actress Samantha Smith.
- August 27
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-51-I to deploy three communication satellites and repair a fourth malfunctioning one.
- August 27
Muhammadu Buhari
Major General Muhammadu Buhari, Chairman of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Major General Ibrahim Babangida.
September
- September 1
Titanic
The wreck of the Titanic is discovered by an American-French expedition led by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel.
- September 2
Hurricane Elena
Hurricane Elena, an unpredictable and damaging tropical cyclone that affected eastern and central portions of the United States Gulf Coast, made landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi, as a Category 3 major hurricane.
- September 2
Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil politicians and former MPs M. Alalasundaram and V. Dharmalingam are shot dead.
- September 4
Buckminsterfullerene
The discovery of Buckminsterfullerene, the first fullerene molecule of carbon.
- September 6
Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105
Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 crashes near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, killing all 31 people on board.
- September 11
Moimenta-Alcafache train crash
Moimenta-Alcafache train crash, the worst railway accident to occur in Portugal.
- September 13
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros., one of the most influential and best-selling video games in history, was first released in Japan for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
- September 14
Penang Bridge
Penang Bridge, the longest bridge in Malaysia, connecting the island of Penang to the mainland, opens to traffic.
- September 17
HIV/AIDS
Four years after AIDS was first identified in the United States, Ronald Reagan publicly acknowledged AIDS (video featured) for the first time.
- September 18
Mirza Teletović
Mirza Teletović, Bosnian basketball player
- September 19
1985 Mexico City earthquake
An earthquake registering Mw 8.0 struck Mexico City, killing at least 9,000 people and leaving up to 100,000 homeless.
- September 19
Tipper Gore
Tipper Gore and other political wives form the Parents Music Resource Center as Frank Zappa, John Denver, and other musicians testify at U.S. Congressional hearings on obscenity in rock music.
- September 23
Joba Chamberlain
Joba Chamberlain, American baseball player
- September 25
Palestine Liberation Organization
3 civilians killed by alleged supporters of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Larnaca yacht killings.
- September 26
Talulah Riley
Talulah Riley, English actress
- September 29
Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson, American football player
- September 29
Michelle Payne
Michelle Payne, Australian jockey
October
- October 3
Space Shuttle Atlantis
The Space Shuttle Atlantis makes its maiden flight, carrying two DSCS-III Satellites on STS-51-J.
- October 4
Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation is founded.
- October 4
Shontelle
Shontelle, Barbadian singer-songwriter
- October 5
Ras Burqa massacre
Seven Israeli vacationers, including four children, are killed in a mass shooting at Ras Burqa in the Sinai Peninsula by an Egyptian soldier.
- October 6
Murder of Keith Blakelock
Police constable Keith Blakelock was killed during rioting in the Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham, London.
- October 7
1985 Puerto Rico floods
During severe floods in Puerto Rico, about 130 people died as a result of the deadliest single landslide on record in North America.
- October 7
Achille Lauro hijacking
Four men from the Palestine Liberation Front hijack the MS Achille Lauro off the coast of Egypt.
- October 10
Achille Lauro hijacking
US Navy aircraft intercept an Egyptian airliner carrying the perpetrators of the Achille Lauro hijacking, and force it to land in Italy.
- October 14
Ivan Pernar (politician, born 1985)
Ivan Pernar, Croatian Member of Parliament
- October 14
Alexandre Sarnes Negrão
Alexandre Sarnes Negrão, Brazilian racing driver
- October 14
Alanna Nihell
Alanna Nihell, Irish boxer
- October 26
Uluru
The Australian government returns ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara Aboriginals.
- October 30
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off for mission STS-61-A, its final successful mission.
November
- November 2
Danny Amendola
Danny Amendola, American football player
- November 6
Colombian conflict
Colombian conflict: leftist guerrillas of the 19th of April Movement seize control of the Palace of Justice in Bogotá.
- November 9
Garry Kasparov
At age 22, Garry Kasparov became the then-youngest World Chess Champion by defeating then-champion Anatoly Karpov.
- November 9
Bakary Soumaré
Bakary Soumaré, Malian footballer
- November 10
Dassault Falcon 50
A Dassault Falcon 50 and a Piper PA-28 Cherokee collide in mid-air over Fairview, New Jersey, killing six people and injuring eight.
- November 13
Xavier Suarez
Xavier Suárez is sworn in as Miami's first Cuban-born mayor.
- November 13
Nevado del Ruiz
The volcano Nevado del Ruiz (pictured) erupted, causing a volcanic mudslide that buried the town of Armero, Colombia, killing approximately 23,000 people.
- November 13
Asdrúbal Cabrera
Asdrúbal Cabrera, Venezuelan baseball player
- November 18
Calvin and Hobbes
The first comic of Calvin and Hobbes is published in ten newspapers.
- November 19
Baling District
Police in Baling, Malaysia, lay siege to houses occupied by an Islamic sect of about 400 people led by Ibrahim Mahmud.
- November 19
Pennzoil
Pennzoil wins a US$10.53 billion judgment against Texaco, in the largest civil verdict in the history of the United States, stemming from Texaco executing a contract to buy Getty Oil after Pennzoil had entered into an unsigned, yet still binding, buyout contract with Getty.
- November 19
Geneva Summit (1985)
The first of five summits (pictured) between Soviet general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. president Ronald Reagan began in Geneva.
- November 19
Cold War
Cold War: In Geneva, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time.
- November 20
Windows 1.0
Windows 1.0, the first version of Microsoft Windows available to the public, was released.
- November 20
Microsoft
Microsoft Windows 1.0, the first graphical personal computer operating environment developed by Microsoft, is released.
- November 23
Aircraft hijacking
Gunmen hijack EgyptAir Flight 648 en route from Athens to Cairo. When the plane lands in Malta, Egyptian commandos storm the aircraft, but 60 people die in the raid.
- November 23
Viktor An
Viktor An, South Korean speed skater
- November 24
Julia Alexandratou
Julia Alexandratou, Greek model, actress, and singer
- November 25
Soviet Air Forces
A Soviet Air Force Antonov An-12 is shot down near Menongue in Angola's Cuando Cubango Province, killing 21.
- November 25
Remona Fransen
Remona Fransen, Dutch pentathlete
- November 27
Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle program: Atlantis launches on STS-61-B, with Rodolfo Neri Vela becoming the first Mexican astronaut.
- November 27
Alison Pill
Alison Pill, Canadian actress
- November 27
Thilo Versick
Thilo Versick, German footballer
- November 27
Park Soo-jin
Park Soo-jin, South Korean singer
December
- December 8
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia, is established.
- December 11
Karla Souza
Karla Souza, Mexican actress
- December 12
Arrow Air Flight 1285R
Arrow Air Flight 1285R, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing all 256 people on board, including 236 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.
- December 12
Pat Calathes
Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player
- December 12
Andrew Ladd
Andrew Ladd, Canadian ice hockey player
- December 14
Wilma Mankiller
Wilma Mankiller takes office as the first woman elected to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
- December 15
Diogo Fernandes (Brazilian footballer)
Diogo Fernandes, Brazilian footballer
- December 19
Aeroflot Flight 101/435
Aeroflot Flight 101/435 was hijacked by its co-pilot; it landed in a cow pasture in China, where he was apprehended.
- December 20
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II announces the creation of World Youth Day.
- December 21
Tom Sturridge
Tom Sturridge, English actor
- December 25
Rusev (wrestler)
Rusev, Bulgarian-American professional wrestler
- December 25
Yulia Svyrydenko
Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukrainian politician, 19th Prime Minister of Ukraine
- December 25
Martin Mathathi
Martin Mathathi, Kenyan runner
- December 27
Primatology
The body of murdered American primatologist Dian Fossey was discovered inside her cabin in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
- December 27
Palestinians
Palestinian guerrillas kill eighteen people inside the airports of Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria.
- December 30
Lars Boom
Lars Boom, Dutch cyclist
Questions about 1985
What happened in 1985?
This site records 219 entries for 1985, including JAXA on January 7. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1985?
41 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1985 turns 41 this year.
Which century is 1985 in?
1985 falls in the 20th century, in the 1980s.
Which generation was born in 1985?
Millennials (Generation Y) (1981–1996). Came of age around the year 2000 and the rise of the internet.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.