Military Aid
The US Congress votes to stop Reagan from supplying arms to the Contras
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1985 in United States of America — Page 2
Explore 80 historical events and records for United States of America in 1985.
Historical records for United States of America in 1985
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 80 unique records.
80Unique records
2 of 2Page
39Named events on this page
33Named people on this page
8Places on this page
July
Health of Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson is hospitalized with AIDS
September
PMRC Senate Testimony
Testifies before a United States Senate committee against proposed record-labelling and rating measures promoted by the PMRC.
October
Death of Rock Hudson
Death of Rock Hudson
Death of George Orson Welles
Death of George Orson Welles
November
Uranus Observation Campaign Begins
Voyager 2 begins long-range scientific observations of Uranus before the January 1986 flyby.
Other events (month unknown)
A View to a Kill
Walken plays a James Bond villain, Max Zorin, in A View to a Kill
Academy Award
Winner of the Acadremy Award for Best Director, "Out of Africa"
Academy Honorary Award
Presented an Academy Honorary Award, "for his fifty years of memorable performances, for his high ideals both on and off the screen, with respect and affection of his colleagues"
After Hours
Directs, New York, After Hours
Badge Man
Enhances the immediate photograph area of the "Badge Man" in contrast and brightness, then he enhanced further with what White has described as "clear photographic colored oils" to illustrate the "Badge Man"
BAFTA
Wins best best screenplay for "Broadway Danny Rose"
Big Jane
Cimino publishes his first novel, "Big Jane"
Born in the USA Tour
Completes a major world tour that confirms his stadium-level popularity.
Charon
Harrington's orbital calculations predict a series of mutual Pluto-Charon eclipses and occultations beginning in 1985.
COBE
Mather leads instrument and mission planning for COBE to test the spectrum of the microwave background
Contact
Publication of "Contact"
Drama
Stars in "Golden Girls" (1985-1992)
Emmy Award Benson Actor
Robert Guillaume won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for portraying the title character on Benson.
Empire Burlesque
Records and releases the album Empire Burlesque.
Fences Yale Premiere
August Wilson's Fences premiered at Yale Repertory Theatre, using a family conflict to examine opportunity and responsibility in midcentury America.
first novel, "Big Jane
Cimino publishes his first novel, "Big Jane"
Fool for Love Film
Robert Altman directed Fool for Love in 1985, a film based on Sam Shepards play about strained relationships and desire.
Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention
Releases Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention, incorporating material connected with his anti-censorship campaign.
Gas Centrifuge Programme
The Oak Ridge centrifuge uranium-separation programme is terminated after a decade of development work.
his
Cimino publishes his first novel, "Big Jane"
Im on Fire
Releases, "Im on Fire"
Legend
Appears in the fantasy film Legend directed by Ridley Scott
Libel-Hunt
Mark Lane, author of the best-selling "Rush to Judgment," successfully defends Liberty Lobby in a second trial in 1985, overturning the original libel award of 1981
Libel-Hunt
Mark Lane, author of the best-selling "Rush to Judgment," successfully defends Liberty Lobby in a second trial in 1985, overturning the original libel award of 1981
Marriage
De Lorean & his model wife Christina Ferrare are divorced
No More Vietnams
Publication of "No More Vietnams"
Normal Heart New York Premiere
Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart premiered off Broadway, confronting institutional inaction and activism during the early AIDS crisis.
Pale Rider
Directs and stars in Pale Rider, reviving the western at the mid-1980s box office.
Puck Discovery
Identifies Puck in Voyager 2 images during the spacecraft's approach to Uranus.
Reasonable Doubt
Hurt published Reasonable Doubt, rejecting certainty in the Warren Commission's lone-assassin conclusion and examining alternative suspects and possible conspiratorial explanations for Kennedy's murder.
Robots and Empire
Asimov published Robots and Empire, connecting themes and chronology from his Robot and Foundation universes.
The Blood of Abraham
Publication of "The Blood of Abraham"
The Purple Rose of Cairo Film
In 1985, Woody Allen made The Purple Rose of Cairo, a fantasy about a film character who steps out of the screen.
The Yellow Jersey
Cimino wrote an adaptation of the French bicycle marathon novel The Yellow Jersey with Dustin Hoffman committed and slated to go into production at Lorimar in 1985 but is dropped
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.