Look Back To 1984: What Happened That Year

The miners' strike, the Brighton bombing and Band Aid at Christmas.

Here's 1984 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

In the charts in 1984

• Frankie Goes to Hollywood had 'Relax' and 'Two Tribes' at number one in the same year.
• Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' was recorded in November and became the Christmas number one.
• Wham! and Duran Duran were the two biggest teenage acts of the year.

In the news in 1984

• The miners' strike began in March and ran for a year.
• The IRA bombed the Grand Hotel in Brighton during the Conservative Party conference on 12 October.
• British Telecom shares were sold to the public in November.

On screen in 1984

• Ghostbusters and Gremlins filled the cinemas.
• Threads, a drama about nuclear war set in Sheffield, was broadcast in September and frightened the country.
• Michael Buerk's report from Ethiopia in October led directly to Band Aid.

In sport in 1984

• Torvill and Dean scored a perfect set of sixes for Bolero at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics in February.
• Sebastian Coe won the 1500 metres again at the Los Angeles Olympics.
• Liverpool won the European Cup on penalties in Rome.

Everyday life in 1984

• The Apple Macintosh was launched, though almost nobody in Britain had one.
• Filofaxes, shoulder pads and yuppie jokes all arrived in the same couple of years.
• Cassette singles and taping the chart off the radio on Sunday were standard.

If you were born in 1984

• Anyone born in 1984 arrived the year of Torvill and Dean's Bolero and Band Aid.
• They turned one the summer of Live Aid.
• Anyone born in 1984 turns 30 in 2014, 40 in 2024, 50 in 2034, 60 in 2044 and 70 in 2054.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

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How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1987
• Look back to 1986
• Look back to 1985
• Look back to 1983
• Look back to 1982
• Look back to 1981
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• 1980s party playlist
• 80s kids' TV shows
• 80s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Computers and consoles we grew up with
• Saturday morning TV
• Cassette tapes and taping the charts
• The 2020s so far
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was the Christmas number one in 1984?

'Do They Know It's Christmas?' by Band Aid, which went on to be the best-selling UK single of the 1980s.

When did Torvill and Dean skate Bolero?

14 February 1984, at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, where they received nine perfect sixes for artistic impression.

How old is someone born in 1984?

Subtract 1984 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2024, 50 in 2034, 60 in 2044 and 70 in 2054.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page itself is free to read and free to copy.