At A Glance
16 October 1985 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 16 October 1985 was a Wednesday.
- Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
- The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Oh Sheila” by Ready for the World.
- Top Film of 1985
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1985 was Back to the Future.
- Bestselling Novel of 1985
- “The Mammoth Hunters” by Jean M. Auel was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1985.
- Top-Rated TV Show
- “The Cosby Show” (NBC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1985–86 season.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 16 October is Libra.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 16 October 1985 fell in the Year of the Ox.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for October is Opal.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 16 October 1985 was Waxing Crescent.
On this day: 16 October
- 1975 Three-year-old Rahima Banu, from Bangladesh, is the last known case of naturally occurring smallpox.
- 1978 Cardinal Karol Wojtyła is elected to the papacy as Pope John Paul II, he becomes the first non-Italian pontiff since 1523.
- 1984 Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1995 The Million Man March takes place in Washington, D.C. About 837,000 attend.
- 1995 The Skye Bridge in Scotland is opened.
Famous people born on October 16
- Tim Robbins, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1958)
- Naomi Osaka, Japanese tennis player (born 1997)
- Angela Lansbury, English-American actress, singer, and producer (1925–2022)
- Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright, novelist, and poet (1854–1900)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
Events of 1985 in the United States
A selection from Wikipedia's '1985 in the United States'. Not a complete list.
- January 28 – In Hollywood, California, the charity single "We Are the World" is recorded by USA for Africa.
- February 15 – John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club is released in theaters
- June 17 – John Hendricks launches the Discovery Channel in the United States.
Life in the US in 1985
President
Ronald Reagan
Gas (per gallon)
$1.12
Loaf of Bread
$0.65
Average House
$84,300
Weekly Wage
$334
Or
Browse by Year
Famous Faces Born in the 1980s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
About The Day You Were Born
Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.
About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →
