Explore 6636 historical events from 1980–1989.
Japan Air Lines Flight 123 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Tokyo to Osaka, Japan. On the evening of Monday, August 12, 1985, the Boeing 747 flying the route suffered…
Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (aircraft involved pictured) crashed into Mount Takamagahara in Gunma Prefecture, killing…
The 1985 Manchester Airport disaster occurred when British Airtours Flight 28M, an international passenger flight, was en route from Manchester Airport to Corfu International Airpo…
A fire broke out on British Airtours Flight 28M at Manchester Airport, causing 55 deaths mostly due to smoke…
Hurricane Elena was a strong, destructive and erratic tropical cyclone that affected eastern and central portions of the Gulf Coast of the United States in late August and early Se…
Hurricane Elena, an unpredictable and damaging tropical cyclone that affected eastern and central portions of the…
Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Directed and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, it is the succ…
Super Mario Bros., one of the most influential and best-selling video games in history, was first released in Japan…
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficienc…
Four years after AIDS was first identified in the United States, Ronald Reagan publicly acknowledged AIDS (video…
The 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck in the early morning of 19 September at 07:17:50 (CST) with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximal Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The e…
An earthquake registering Mw 8.0 struck Mexico City, killing at least 9,000 people and leaving up to 100,000 homeless.
Keith Henry Blakelock QGM was a British police officer who served as a London Metropolitan Police constable. He was murdered on 6 October 1985 during the Broadwater Farm riot in To…
Police constable Keith Blakelock was killed during rioting in the Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham, London.
The 1985 Puerto Rico floods produced showers and thunderstorms across the island and the deadliest single landslide on record in North America, that killed at least 130 people in t…
During severe floods in Puerto Rico, about 130 people died as a result of the deadliest single landslide on record in…
The Korean Martyrs were the victims of religious persecution against Catholics during the 19th century in Korea. Among them are 103 Saints and 124 Blesseds officially recognized by…
One hundred and three Korean Martyrs are canonized by Pope John Paul II in Seoul
Charles III is King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-l
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. It also denotes identity based on attraction, related behavior…
Homosexuality is decriminalized in the Australian state of New South Wales
Joseph William Kittinger II was an American military pilot who was an officer in the United States Air Force. He served from 1950 to 1978 and earned Command Pilot status before ret…
Joe Kittinger becomes the first person to fly a gas balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean.
Joseph William Kittinger II was an American military pilot who was an officer in the United States Air Force. He served from 1950 to 1978 and earned Command Pilot status before ret…
Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic.
On September 20, 1984, the Shi'a Islamic militant group Hezbollah, with support and direction from the Islamic Republic of Iran, carried out a suicide car bombing targeting the US …
A suicide bomber in a car attacks the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing twenty-two people.
The handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the People's Republic of China occurred at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 …
The United Kingdom and China agree to a transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, to take place in 1997.
Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan is an American geologist, oceanographer, and former NASA astronaut and US Navy officer. She was a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions.
Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space…
Desmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to…
Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Teddy Blass is an American film composer and record producer.
Teddy Blass, American composer and producer
Claire Elizabeth Foy is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix drama series The Crown, for which she received various accolades…
Claire Foy, English actress
Tucker Daniel Fredricks is an American speed skater and the former US record holder in the 500 meter event. He competed at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Tucker Fredricks, American speed skater
Paweł Kieszek is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for I liga club Pogoń Grodzisk Mazowiecki.
Paweł Kieszek, Polish footballer
"Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born Australian composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed as a patriotic song i…
Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia's national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours
Denis Lortie is a former Canadian Forces corporal. In 1984, he stormed into the Parliament Building in Quebec City and opened fire with several firearms, killing three government e…
Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13
The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It…
The Soviet Union announces a boycott upon the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles, later joined by 14 other countries