Born in 1985
Turns 41 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1985
1985 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $51.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $51.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $51.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $51.50
Front Page: New Zealand 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 · New Zealand
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?
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.
Boris Becker wins Wimbledon at seventeen
Seventeen-year-old Boris Becker defeated Kevin Curren to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title in 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.
“We Are The World” tops New Zealand's 1985 singles chart
New Zealand's 1985 End of Year Top 50 Singles placed “We Are The World” by USA for Africa at No. 1.
We Are the World turns pop stars into a relief chorus
USA for Africa released the charity single on March 7, 1985, bringing prominent American singers together for famine relief.
Prices and everyday money in 1985
New Zealand figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol (annual avg.) | $0.91 | litre MBIE via Figure.NZ |
| Average ordinary time hourly earnings, males | $9.58 | NZ dollars per hour New Zealand Royal Commission on Social Policy; archived by National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past |
| Standard domestic letter postage | $0.25 | one standard domestic letter The Kiwi, New Zealand Society of Great Britain |
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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