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10

1985 Trivia

Celebrating the big events of 1985—because when the birthday girl was born, the world was also busy dropping legendary moments.

  • January 28: USA for Africa recorded “We Are the World” at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood. The all-star charity single featured Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner, and dozens of other major artists.

  • February: Minolta launches the Maxxum 7000, the world’s first autofocus SLR camera with an integrated motor drive — a groundbreaking innovation in photography.

  • March 15: The very first .com domain, symbolics.com, is registered, marking the dawn of the internet era.

  • March 31: The inaugural WrestleMania takes place in New York City, kicking off what would become a global entertainment phenomenon.

  • May: In the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev banned alcohol sales before 2 PM and raised vodka prices by 25% as part of his anti-alcoholism campaign. This led to massive sugar shortages as people started making moonshine, and Russians began drinking perfume, aftershave, and even brake fluid to get drunk.

  • June 15: Legendary Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli is officially founded by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, revolutionizing the world of anime.

  • July 3: The iconic movie Back to the Future premieres, introducing audiences to Marty McFly and the adventures of time travel.

  • September 1: Oceanographer Robert Ballard discovers the wreck of the Titanic, resting nearly 13,000 feet below the North Atlantic’s surface.

  • October 18: The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) launches in North America, forever changing home gaming.

  • November 20: Microsoft releases Windows 1.0, its first graphical operating system, paving the way for modern computing interfaces.

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