At A Glance

31 January 1985 at a glance

Day of the week
31 January 1985 was a Thursday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Like a Virgin” by Madonna.
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 31 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 January 1985 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 January 1985 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 31 January

  • 1968 Vietnam War: Viet Cong guerrillas attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive.
  • 1971 Apollo program: Apollo 14: Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.
  • 1978 The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) goes on public display after being returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
  • 1988 Doug Williams becomes the first African American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl and leads the Washington Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XXII.
  • 2003 The Waterfall rail accident occurs near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia.

Famous people born on January 31

  • Julián Alvarez, Argentine footballer (born 2000)
  • Justin Timberlake, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor (born 1981)
  • Minnie Driver, English singer-songwriter and actress (born 1970)
  • Jackie Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster (1919–1972)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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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

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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)

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