1985
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades: 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s - 1980s - 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 - 1985 - 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Events
- February 11 - Wasim Akram takes 10 wickets in his 2nd Test Cricket match, but New Zealand still wins.
- First syndication of Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
- GNU Manifesto first written by Richard Stallman
- October 7 - The passenger ship Achille Lauro is hijacked by Palestinians.
- Ethiopian famine continues -- Live Aid attempts to raise funds for famine relief
- December 27 - Palestinian guerrillas kill twenty people inside Rome and Vienna airports.
- December 27 - American naturalist Dian Fossey is found murdered in Rwanda.
Art, Culture & Fashion
- 1985 in film
- 1985 in literature
- 1985 in music
- 1985 in sports
- January 20 - Super Bowl XIX San Francisco 49ers (38) def. Miami Dolphins (16)
- 1985 in television
- August 19 - David Letterman interupts the Today Show with a megaphone while both shows are on the air. Letterman leaned out the window of his building and announced "My name is Larry Grossman (then president of NBC
News) and I'm not wearing any pants!". The Today Show was taping an interview several stories below.
- NBC becomes the first commercial television network to use satellite interconnection for its stations.
Births
Deaths
- February 11 - Heinz Eric Roemheld, composer.
- February 11 - Henry Hathaway actor/director.
- February 11 - Ulysses Simpson Kay, composer.
- August 12 - Manfred Winkelhock, auto racing driver
- October 11 - Orson Welles, movie director