Timeline July 1985

Events in July 1985 16

• 1917 – 1985 Heinrich Boll (1917-1985) Died 16 July 1985, aged 67 Boll was a German novelist awarded the 1972 Nobel Prize in Literature for work exploring German guilt and recovery after the Second World War. His novels include The Clown and Group Portrait with Lady. He died near Bonn, West Germany, on 16 July 1985.
• 1925 – 1985 Rock Hudson (1925-1985) Died 25 July 1985, aged 59 Hudson was a leading Hollywood actor known for films including Giant and Pillow Talk. His death from AIDS-related illness in Los Angeles on 25 July 1985 made him the first major celebrity to publicly reveal an AIDS diagnosis, transforming public awareness of the disease. His death is widely credited with increasing funding for AIDS research.
• 1985 New Coke launched and withdrawn Biggest marketing blunder in history On April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola replaced its original formula with "New Coke" — a sweeter recipe designed to beat Pepsi in blind tests. The public backlash was immediate and furious. On July 10, 1985, the company restored the original formula as "Coca-Cola Classic" in what became one of the most famous marketing disasters ever.
• 1985 Wimbledon 1985 Men: Boris Becker · Women: Martina Navratilova Boris Becker, 17, became the youngest Wimbledon men's champion ever.
• 1985 Back to the Future released Time-travel comedy becomes the year's top box office hit Robert Zemeckis's science-fiction comedy Back to the Future opened in US theaters on 3 July 1985, starring Michael J. Fox as a teenager who travels back in time in a modified DeLorean. It became the highest-grossing film of 1985 and spawned two sequels. The film remains one of the most enduringly popular movies of its decade.
• 1985 Youngest Wimbledon champion in history Aged 17 years and 227 days, Becker becomes the youngest man ever to win the Wimbledon singles title, the first unseeded player and the first German to do so, defeating Kevin Curren 6-3 6-7 7-6 6-4. The victory makes him an overnight sensation worldwide.
• 1985 Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior French agents bomb a Greenpeace ship in Auckland French intelligence agents attached mines to the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour on 10 July 1985 to stop it protesting French nuclear testing in the Pacific. The explosions sank the ship and killed photographer Fernando Pereira. The bombing caused a diplomatic scandal after two French agents were arrested by New Zealand police.
• 1985 Black Sabbath reunite at Live Aid Philadelphia The original four play together for the first time in years.
• 1985 Dire Straits play Live Aid Wembley Stadium — July 13, 1985 Dire Straits delivered one of the most celebrated performances at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium on July 13, 1985, with an extended "Money for Nothing" that included guest vocals by Sting. The concert was broadcast to 1.9 billion viewers in 150 nations.
• 1985 First to clear six metres -- Paris, 13 July 1985 On 13 July 1985 in Paris, Bubka becomes the first pole vaulter in history to clear 6.00 metres. The barrier is the equivalent of the four-minute mile in athletics -- a psychological and physical threshold that many believed would never be reached. He clears it at 21. The performance is one of the defining moments in the history of field athletics and makes him a global figure beyond the specialist athletics audience. He will go on to become the first to clear 6.10m as well.
• 1985 Led Zeppelin reunite at Live Aid Philadelphia A shaky reunion with Phil Collins and Tony Thompson on drums.
• 1985 Live Aid performance 13 July 1985, Wembley Stadium Performed at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium on 13 July 1985 — one of the defining global concerts of the decade, placing Tears for Fears alongside the biggest names in music at the height of their fame.
• 1985 Performs at both Live Aid stages 13 July 1985, London & Philadelphia On 13 July 1985, performed at both Live Aid concerts — at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia — flying across the Atlantic by Concorde between the two shows, the only artist of more than seventy acts to perform at both venues that day.
• 1985 The Who reunite at Live Aid Wembley Stadium A one-off reunion with Kenney Jones on drums.
• 1985 U2 play Live Aid Wembley Bono's leap into the crowd makes them global stars.
• 1985 South Africa declares state of emergency Apartheid government cracks down amid unrest The South African government declared a state of emergency across large parts of the country on 20 July 1985 in response to escalating anti-apartheid unrest. The declaration granted police and security forces sweeping powers of detention without trial. It marked a sharp escalation in international condemnation and sanctions against the apartheid regime.