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1985 History

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1985 As the spread of aids increases Governments round the world start screening Blood donations for AIDS. On the technology front the first .com is registered and the first version of Windows is released Ver 1.0 . Terrorists continue to perform acts of terrorism including the hijack of TWA Flight 847 and the Italian Cruise Liner "Achille Lauro ". Famine in Ethiopia is shown more on TV News and Live Aid concerts around the world raise many millions to help the starving in Africa and the pop industry in US joins together to sing "We Are The World".

Cost of Living 1985

How Much things cost in 1985
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 3.55%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 1546
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 10.75%
Average Cost of new house $89,330.00
Average Income per year $22,100.00
Average Monthly Rent $375.00
Average Price for new car $9,005.00
1 gallon of gas $1.09
Movie Ticket $2.75
US Postage Stamp 22 cents
Bacon per pound $1.65



What Events Happened in 1985

  • Volcanic Eruption in Columbia kills 25,000
  • TWA Flight 847 is hijacked by Hezbollah.
  • The Italian Cruise Liner "Achille Lauro" is hijacked by Palestinian Terrorists
  • Terrorist gunman shoot passengers at Rome and Vienna airports .
  • The British Coal Miners Strike ends and coal mines continue to be closed
  • Mikhail Gorbachev replaces Konstantin Chernenko as Soviet leader
  • President Reagan and Soviet Leader Gorbachev meet for the first time in Switzerland
  • The Greenpeace vessel, the Rainbow Warrior, is bombed and sunk in Auckland harbour by French DGSE agents.
  • Live Aid pop concerts in Philadelphia and London raise over 50 million for famine relief in Ethiopia.
  • 8.1 Richter scale earthquake strikes Mexico City. More than 9,000 people are killed,
  • Rioting breaks out at housing estates in London and Liverpool
  • Terry Anderson kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon
  • Boris Becker becomes youngest winner at 17 to win the mens Wimbledon championships
  • A joint American-French expedition locates the wreck of the RMS Titanic.
  • Clive Sinclair launches the Sinclair C5 electric tricycle with a maximum speed of 15mph
  • Mafia Boss Paul Castellano is shot on orders of John J. Gotti
  • Crowd Violence Erupts during the European Cup Final at Heysel Stadium in Brussels causing a wall to collapse killing 39 football fans.
  • Following Heysel Stadium Disaster English Soccer Clubs banned From European Competition
  • A massive car bomb in Beirut, Lebanon leaves 175 injured and 45 people dead

Popular Culture 1985

  • Various artists, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder, record the song "We Are The World" as USA for Africa. to raise money for famine relief
  • Michael Jackson Buys ATV Music and every Beatles Song for $47 million dollars
  • Coca-Cola Company introduces New Coke (6 months later they returned to the original formula)

Popular Films

  • Back to the Future
  • Rambo: First Blood Part II
  • Rocky IV
  • The Color Purple
  • Out of Africa
  • Cocoon
  • Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
  • A View to a Kill
  • Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Popular Musicians

  • Duran Duran
  • Simple Minds
  • Madonna with "Crazy for You"
  • Bruce Springsteen
  • Dire Straits with "Money for Nothing"
  • The Cure
  • David Bowie
  • Phil Collins
  • "We Are The World" By USA For Africa featuring many artists for Aid For Africa

Technology 1985

  • The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for AIDS.
  • The first .Com domain name, symbolics.com, is registered by the Symbolics corporation. However, .edu domains, for educational institutions, still predominate over the commercial .com ones
  • Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.
  • Switzerland is the first country to bring into law catalytic converters must be fitted to private cars
  • Compact Discs are introduced to American Consumers
  • UK Starts screening Blood donations for AIDS
  • British Scientists discover a whole in the earths Ozone Layer



Research for this year is provided by The People History.
See History By Year and Decade for more prices and information.
Find out more about the 80s at ThePeopleHistory.com.