Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
Feb
20
Mar
09
Mar
11
Capping his rapid rise through the Communist Party hierarchy, Mikhail Gorbachev is selected as the new general secretary of the Soviet Union, following the death of Konstantin Chernenko the day before. Gorbachev oversaw a radical transformation of Soviet society and foreign policy during the next six years.
Mikhaïl Gorbatchev au sommet du G7 à Londres (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)
Pascal J Le Segretain
May
11
Jun
27
Jul
13
On July 13, 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London, Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially open Live Aid, a worldwide rock concert organized to raise money for the relief of famine-stricken Africans. Continued at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia (where Joan Baez famously kicked it off by telling the crowd "this is your Woodstock, and it's long overdue") and at other arenas around the world, the 16-hour “superconcert” was globally linked by satellite to more than a billion viewers in 110 nations. In a triumph of technology and good will, the event raised more than $100 million in famine relief for Africa.
In a This Day in History video, learn that on July 13, 1985, the sixteen hour concert, Live Aid, was broadcasted around the world. Rock Musician Bob Geldof created the concert in attempt to raise money to relieve hunger in Africa. Live Aid was officially opened in London by Prince Charles and Princess Diana; the concert took place simultaneously in Philadelphia. Over a billion people watched some of rock’s biggest acts: Queen, Mick Jagger, David Bowe, Madonna, and Ozzy Osborne. Live Aid raised over $125 million and Geldof was knighted by the Queen for his part.
Aug
14
Aug
25
Sep
01
Sep
19
Oct
02
On October 2, 1985, actor Rock Hudson, 59, becomes the first major U.S. celebrity to die of complications from AIDS. Hudson’s death raised public awareness of the epidemic, which until that time had been ignored by many in the mainstream as a “gay plague.”
American actor Rock Hudson (1925 â 1985) (Photo by Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images)
Corbis via Getty Images
Oct
10
On October 10, 1985, the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro reaches a dramatic climax when U.S. Navy F-14 fighters intercept an Egyptian airliner attempting to fly the Palestinian hijackers to freedom and force the jet to land at a NATO base in Sigonella, Sicily. American and Italian troops surrounded the plane, and the terrorists were taken into Italian custody.
Released hostages of the Achille Lauro liner hijacking are being taken ashore after the four Palestinian hijackers surrendered. (Photo by Bernard Bisson/Sygma via Getty Images)
Sygma via Getty Images
Oct
26
Dec
29
Dec
31
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