The database currently contains 5402 historical events.
- The Cars' album “Heartbeat City” was at number five on the album chart.
- The Pointer Sisters reached the Top 10 of the album chart with “Break Out”.
- Tina Turner made a significant move up the album chart with “Private Dancer”.
- Egyptian poet Abdul Rahim Mansour died.
- During the Victory Tour, The Jacksons surpassed 1.1 million ticket sales in just two months, breaking the record for concert ticket sales. The tour consisted of 55 shows and featured all six Jackson brothers; according to the individual sources, it attracted approximately 2 to 2.5 million spectators at 22 venues and grossed approximately $75 million. By the end of the tour in December 1984, they had surpassed the previous overall attendance record held by The Rolling Stones’ 1981 tour. Paula Abdul created the tour choreography.
- Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It” was released in the United States and reached No. 1 on the US chart.
- Prince's 12-inch single "Let's Go Crazy/Erotic City" was released in the US.
- U2 began their Unforgettable Fire world tour with a concert at Christchurch Town Hall in New Zealand. It was the first of 19 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
- The Beatles fans paid $271,180 for memorabilia at an auction in London, England.
- The film "Purple Rain" starring Prince was released in cinemas across the United Kingdom, including special late-night previews. The film grossed more than $80 million worldwide and became a cult classic.
- Stevie Wonder released "I Just Called to Say I Love You" in the United Kingdom.
- Tina Turner reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart with the single “What's Love Got to Do with It,” her first solo single to reach No. 1 in the United States. Twenty-four years had passed since her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 with “A Fool in Love,” which she recorded with her future husband Ike Turner. The song was originally written for Cliff Richard, who rejected it, and was subsequently offered to Donna Summer, who never recorded it. The song later won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. The album “Private Dancer” also reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart.
- U2 played the second of two concerts at the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, during their Unforgettable Fire World Tour.
- Van Halen played their final concert with David Lee Roth before his return to the band in 2007. They performed at the Monsters of Rock festival in Nuremberg, Germany.
- American singer Robert Curry, a member of Day26 and a participant in the television show Making the Band 4, was born.
- INXS played the first of two concerts in Guam after a three-month tour of the United States. After the Guam shows, they continued to Japan.
- Eighteen-year-old Janet Jackson secretly married 21-year-old James DeBarge of the group DeBarge. Most of her family, including her parents, were on the Victory tour with The Jacksons at the time. The marriage ended eight months later. Janet Jackson subsequently enjoyed a highly successful career, placing 39 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1986 and 2008.
- Queensrÿche released their first full-length studio album The Warning.
- Stevie Wonder achieved his first UK No. 1 single with “I Just Called To Say I Love You”, which remained at the top for six weeks.
- David Bowie released his sixteenth studio album, Tonight. The album followed the success of Let's Dance and featured “Blue Jean”, “Loving the Alien” and the title track, a duet with Tina Turner. It also included three songs originally recorded by Iggy Pop, including “Tonight” and “Neighborhood Threat”. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.
- Holly Blake Arnstein, a member of the girl group Dream, was born in Tarzana, California.
- Madonna scored her first UK No. 1 hit with “Into the Groove.”
- “Freeway of Love” by Aretha Franklin was at No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart.
- Dire Straits were at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with “Brothers in Arms.”
- The Cars reissued “Drive” following its prominent use during the televised Live Aid broadcast.
- Bruce Springsteen began the fourth leg of his Born in the USA world tour with a performance at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C.
- Eighteen-year-old Sinéad O'Connor signed a contract with Ensign Records. Her debut album, “The Lion and the Cobra,” was released two years later.
- NBC premiered the variety television show “Motown Revue”, created in the wake of the success of the television special “Motown 25”. It was cancelled after five weeks.
- Bryan Adams reached No. 1 on the US Albums Chart with his album “Reckless.” The album sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, and all six singles reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.
- Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also became famous for its groundbreaking music video and the participation of Sting, who sings the opening falsetto and backing vocals and is credited as a co-writer alongside Mark Knopfler.
- Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran was trapped with five other crew members during a yacht race after their boat “Drum” capsized. Le Bon remained trapped beneath the hull for approximately twenty minutes before he and the other crew members were rescued. After the keel was repaired, the boat continued in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race 1985/86, finishing third.
- Jarell Damonte Houston, known as J-Boog and a member of B2K, was born in Compton, California.
- Simon Le Bon's boat capsized during a race off the English coast. The Royal Navy rescued him after he spent 40 minutes trapped in an underwater air pocket.
- Jimmy Stokley died at the age of 41 from complications related to hepatitis. He was the singer of Exile, whose 1978 hit “Kiss You All Over” reached No. 1.
- Sting began his first solo tour with a concert in San Diego. The tour supported the album The Dream of the Blue Turtles.
- Whitney Houston released the single “Saving All My Love for You” in the US.
- He outbid Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono at auction and acquired ATV Music Publishing for $47.5 million, a company controlling the rights to The Beatles' catalog. The catalog contained the rights to more than 4,000 songs, approximately 250 of which were Beatles compositions. Three years after their collaboration on “The Girl Is Mine”, Paul McCartney recommended that Jackson invest in music publishing rights. McCartney had previously negotiated with Yoko Ono, who withdrew from the deal for “astrological” reasons. The investment proved highly profitable but permanently damaged the friendship between Jackson and McCartney.
- They released the album Sacred Heart.
- American rapper Airmiess Joseph Asghedom, known as Nipsey Hussle, was born.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers released their second studio album, Freaky Styley, produced by George Clinton. Guitarist Hillel Slovak also returned to the band.
- On the US album chart, Bryan Adams' Reckless led Songs from the Big Chair by Tears for Fears and Phil Collins' No Jacket Required. Sting and Bruce Springsteen were also in the Top 5.
- American musician and songwriter Michael Shuman, also known as Mikey Shoes, was born in Los Angeles, California. He became known as the bassist of Queens of the Stone Age, joining the band in 2007. He also sings and plays guitar and other instruments in Mini Mansions and previously performed with Wires on Fire and Jubilee.
- Rick Nelson and Fats Domino filmed the PBS television special “Rockin' With Rick And Fats”, recorded live at Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Nelson first performed with his longtime backing group The Jordanaires and sang several of his hits, while in the second part Fats Domino performed several of his classic songs. The finale was their joint duet “I'm Walkin'”, which both singers had taken to No. 4 on the U.S. chart in 1957. For Nelson, it was his final television appearance before his death in a plane crash on December 31, 1985, at the age of 45.
- Aerosmith began their Done With Mirrors tour, announcing the return of the band's original lineup to the world.