Born in 1985
Turns 41 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1985
1985 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $50.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $50.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $50.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $50.50
Front Page: Australia edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1985 · Australia
A little history to go with their gift.
Live Aid linked concerts in London and Philadelphia by satellite, while Back to the Future sent its young hero across decades. Scientists also reported a major loss of ozone over Antarctica. Music, film and atmospheric research all left a clear mark on 1985.
What happened in 1985?
Parliament passes the Australia Act
The Australian Parliament passed the Australia Act in December 1985, preparing to end Britain?s remaining constitutional powers the following year.
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader
The Soviet Politburo elected Mikhail Gorbachev General Secretary on March 11, 1985.
National Security Archive, George Washington University · The Washington Post
Reagan and Gorbachev meet for the first time
Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev held their first summit meeting in Geneva from November 19 to 21, 1985.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
Live Aid joins two concert stages by satellite
Live Aid’s benefit concerts took place in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985.
Firsts and new ideas
Windows 1.0 reaches computer users
Microsoft released Windows 1.0 in the United States on November 20, 1985, introducing a graphical operating environment for personal computers.
The first .com address is registered
Symbolics.com became the first .com domain name registered on March 15, 1985.
Number ones and music in 1985
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Band Aid tops Australian singles chart
Band Aid's ‘Do They Know It's Christmas?’ was number one on the Australian singles chart dated 20 January 1985.
We Are the World leads Australia’s 1985 year-end singles chart
Kent Music Report National Top 100 Singles (retrospective year-end chart) ranked We Are the World by USA for Africa No. 1 in Australia for 1985; the entry peaked at No. 1 for 9 weeks.
Wikipedia (citing the Kent Music Report / Australian Recording Industry Association)
Prices and everyday money in 1985
Australia figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Bread, sliced milk loaf (about 1½ lb loaf) | about 93 cents | per about 1½ lb loaf Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| Tea (½ lb equivalent) | about 140 cents | per ½ lb equivalent Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| Sugar (2 lb equivalent) | about 63 cents | per 2 lb equivalent Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| Potatoes (per lb equivalent) | about 23 cents | per lb equivalent Australian Bureau of Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1985 turns 41 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
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