Look Back To 1985: What Happened That Year

Live Aid, the first EastEnders and a very bad year in football.

Here's 1985 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 1985

• 'The Power of Love' by Jennifer Rush was the year's best-selling single.
• Live Aid, on 13 July, put almost every major act of the era on one stage.
• Shakin' Stevens had the Christmas number one with 'Merry Christmas Everyone'.

In the news in 1985

• The miners' strike ended in March.
• The Bradford City stadium fire on 11 May killed 56 people; the Heysel disaster followed on 29 May.
• The first British mobile phone call on a commercial network was made on 1 January.

On screen in 1985

• EastEnders began on 19 February; the Christmas Day episode drew an enormous audience.
• Back to the Future was the film of the year.
• Live Aid was broadcast for sixteen hours and almost nobody switched off.

In sport in 1985

• English clubs were banned from European competition after Heysel.
• Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis on the final black in the World Snooker final, watched by 18.5 million people after midnight.
• Barry McGuigan won the world featherweight title in June.

Everyday life in 1985

• Coca-Cola changed its recipe and changed it back within months.
• Home taping, shell suits and Filofaxes were all peaking at once.
• Sinclair's C5 electric vehicle was launched and quickly became a national joke.

If you were born in 1985

• Anyone born in 1985 is the same age as EastEnders.
• They arrived the year of Live Aid and the black-ball snooker final.
• Anyone born in 1985 turns 30 in 2015, 40 in 2025, 50 in 2035, 60 in 2045 and 70 in 2055.
• 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.

Shop birthday cards

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 1988
• Look back to 1987
• Look back to 1986
• Look back to 1984
• Look back to 1983
• Look back to 1982
• 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
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• How to make a balloon arch
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• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

When did EastEnders start?

19 February 1985 on BBC One.

Why is the 1985 snooker final famous?

Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis 18-17 on the final black at around twenty past midnight, watched by 18.5 million people - a record for BBC Two.

How old is someone born in 1985?

Subtract 1985 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2025, 50 in 2035, 60 in 2045 and 70 in 2055.

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.