What happened in 1984

152 entries recorded for 1984, listed by date. That was 42 years ago.

1984 at a glance

Years ago
42 (as of 2026)
Century
20th century
Decade
1980s
Generation born
Millennials (Generation Y)
Entries here
152
Breakdown
91 historical events · 59 births · 2 deaths

January

  • January 7

    Brunei

    Historical event

    Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

  • January 10

    Holy See–United States relations

    Historical event

    Holy See–United States relations: The United States and Holy See (Vatican City) re-establish full diplomatic relations after almost 117 years, overturning the United States Congress's 1867 ban on public funding for such a diplomatic envoy.

  • January 16

    Particle detector

    Historical event

    A radiation detector at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, United States, detects radioactivity after a truck carrying rebar accidentally passed through the laboratory's area, revealing a contamination incident that occurred in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, the previous month

  • January 22

    Super Bowl XVIII

    Historical event

    During Super Bowl XVIII, Apple Computer introduced the Macintosh, the first successful personal computer to use a graphical user interface, with the television commercial "1984".

  • January 28

    Tropical Storm Domoina

    Historical event

    Tropical Storm Domoina made landfall in southern Mozambique, causing some of the most severe flooding recorded in the region.

February

March

  • March 11

    Anime

    Historical event

    The anime film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki was released.

  • March 14

    Gerry Adams

    Historical event

    Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Féin, was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt by Ulster Freedom Fighters in central Belfast, Northern Ireland.

  • March 16

    William Francis Buckley

    Historical event

    William Buckley, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Beirut, Lebanon, was kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists.

  • March 22

    Manhattan Beach, California

    Historical event

    Teachers at a preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, were falsely charged with the sexual abuse of schoolchildren, leading to the longest and costliest criminal trial in United States history.

  • March 29

    Indianapolis Colts

    Historical event

    The Baltimore Colts load their possessions onto fifteen Mayflower moving trucks in the early morning hours and transfer their operations to Indianapolis.

April

  • April 1

    Marvin Gaye

    Historical event

    Singer Marvin Gaye is shot to death by his father in his home in Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, California.

  • April 3

    Soyuz T-11

    Historical event

    Aboard Soyuz T-11, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to be launched into space.

  • April 4

    Ronald Reagan

    Historical event

    President Ronald Reagan calls for an international ban on chemical weapons.

  • April 6

    Cameroon

    Historical event

    Members of Cameroon's Republican Guard unsuccessfully attempt to overthrow the government headed by Paul Biya.

  • April 13

    Anders Lindegaard

    Birth

    Anders Lindegaard, Danish footballer

  • April 14

    Tyler Thigpen

    Birth

    Tyler Thigpen, American football player

  • April 14

    Charles Hamelin

    Birth

    Charles Hamelin, Canadian speed skater

  • April 14

    Harumafuji Kōhei

    Birth

    Harumafuji Kōhei, Mongolian sumo wrestler, the 70th Yokozuna

  • April 14

    Blake Costanzo

    Birth

    Blake Costanzo, American football player

  • April 17

    Metropolitan Police

    Historical event

    Metropolitan Police officer Yvonne Fletcher was shot and killed while on duty during a protest outside the Libyan embassy in London, resulting in an 11-day police siege of the building and a breakdown of Libya–United Kingdom relations.

  • April 18

    America Ferrera

    Birth

    America Ferrera, American actress

  • April 19

    Advance Australia Fair

    Historical event

    "Advance Australia Fair", written by Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick, officially replaced "God Save the Queen" as Australia's national anthem.

  • April 20

    Harris Wittels

    Birth

    Harris Wittels, American comedian (died 2015)

May

  • May 4

    Brad Maddox

    Birth

    Brad Maddox, American wrestler and referee

  • May 6

    Korean Martyrs

    Historical event

    One hundred and three Korean Martyrs are canonized by Pope John Paul II in Seoul.

  • May 8

    Denis Lortie

    Historical event

    Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.

  • May 8

    Thames Barrier

    Historical event

    The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.

  • May 8

    Soviet Union

    Historical event

    The Soviet Union announces a boycott upon the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles, later joined by 14 other countries.

  • May 8

    1984 Summer Olympics boycott

    Historical event

    The Soviet Union announced the boycott of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, citing security concerns.

  • May 9

    Prince Fielder

    Birth

    Prince Fielder, American baseball player

  • May 10

    Edward Mujica

    Birth

    Edward Mujica, Venezuelan baseball player

  • May 14

    Gary Ablett Jr.

    Birth

    Gary Ablett, Jr., Australian footballer

  • May 17

    Charles III

    Historical event

    Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.

  • May 18

    Simon Pagenaud

    Birth

    Simon Pagenaud, French race car driver

  • May 18

    Ivet Lalova-Collio

    Birth

    Ivet Lalova, Bulgarian sprinter

  • May 27

    Danube–Black Sea Canal

    Historical event

    The Danube–Black Sea Canal is opened, in a ceremony attended by the Ceaușescus. It had been under construction since the 1950s.

  • May 31

    Andrew Bailey (baseball)

    Birth

    Andrew Bailey, American baseball player

June

  • June 3

    Operation Blue Star

    Historical event

    Operation Blue Star, a military offensive, is launched by the Indian government at Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, in Amritsar. The operation continues until June 6, with casualties, most of them civilians, in excess of 5,000.

  • June 8

    Homosexuality

    Historical event

    Homosexuality is decriminalized in the Australian state of New South Wales.

  • June 8

    Javier Mascherano

    Birth

    Javier Mascherano, Argentine footballer and manager

  • June 15

    Luke Hodge

    Birth

    Luke Hodge, Australian footballer

  • June 18

    Battle of Orgreave

    Historical event

    A major clash between about 5,000 police and a similar number of striking miners takes place at Orgreave, South Yorkshire, during the 1984–85 UK miners' strike.

  • June 22

    Virgin Atlantic

    Historical event

    Virgin Atlantic launches with its first flight from London to Newark.

July

August

  • August 1

    Peat

    Historical event

    Commercial peat cutters discovered a preserved bog body, now known as Lindow Man, at Lindow Moss in Cheshire, England.

  • August 4

    Ariane 3

    Historical event

    The Ariane 3 rocket is launched for the first time, carrying the Eutelsat I F-2 and Télécom 1A satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit.

  • August 4

    Republic of Upper Volta

    Historical event

    The Republic of Upper Volta changes its name to Burkina Faso.

  • August 5

    Biman Bangladesh Airlines

    Historical event

    A Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft crashed while attempting to land in Dhaka, killing 49 people in the deadliest aviation accident in Bangladeshi history.

  • August 6

    Maja Ognjenović

    Birth

    Maja Ognjenović, Serbian volleyball player

  • August 6

    Jesse Ryder

    Birth

    Jesse Ryder, New Zealand cricketer

  • August 6

    Vedad Ibišević

    Birth

    Vedad Ibišević, Bosnian footballer

  • August 11

    We begin bombing in five minutes

    Historical event

    "We begin bombing in five minutes": United States President Ronald Reagan, while running for re-election, jokes while preparing to make his weekly Saturday address on National Public Radio.

  • August 12

    1984 Braves–Padres bean brawl

    Historical event

    An infamous brawl takes place at the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.

  • August 14

    Clay Buchholz

    Birth

    Clay Buchholz, American baseball player

  • August 14

    Giorgio Chiellini

    Birth

    Giorgio Chiellini, Italian footballer

  • August 14

    Eva Birnerová

    Birth

    Eva Birnerová, Czech tennis player

  • August 15

    Kurdistan Workers' Party

    Historical event

    The Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey starts a campaign of armed attacks upon the Turkish Armed Forces with an attack on police and gendarmerie bases in Şemdinli and Eruh.

  • August 22

    Constitution of Singapore

    Historical event

    The constitution of Singapore was amended to apportion seats to defeated opposition candidates in Parliament, which had hitherto entirely comprised members of the People's Action Party.

  • August 29

    Osho

    Historical event

    Followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (pictured) began deliberately infecting people in The Dalles, Oregon, with Salmonella in the first and largest bioterrorist attack in United States history.

  • August 30

    STS-41-D

    Historical event

    STS-41-D: The Space Shuttle Discovery takes off on its maiden voyage.

  • August 30

    Space Shuttle Discovery

    Historical event

    Discovery, the third orbiter of NASA's Space Shuttle program, lifted off on its maiden voyage from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

September

October

  • October 5

    Marc Garneau

    Historical event

    Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space.

  • October 9

    Thomas & Friends

    Historical event

    The popular children's television show Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends, based on The Railway Series by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, premieres on ITV.

  • October 11

    Space Shuttle Challenger

    Historical event

    Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan (pictured) became the first American woman to perform a space walk.

  • October 11

    Aeroflot Flight 3352

    Historical event

    Aeroflot Flight 3352 crashes into maintenance vehicles upon landing in Omsk, Russia, killing 178.

  • October 11

    Kathryn D. Sullivan

    Historical event

    Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk.

  • October 12

    Provisional Irish Republican Army

    Historical event

    The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, in a failed attempt to assassinate British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet.

  • October 16

    Desmond Tutu

    Historical event

    Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

  • October 20

    Sinking of the Spanish trawler Sonia

    Historical event

    The Spanish trawler Sonia sank in British waters after a five-hour chase by the Irish Naval Service patrol vessel Aisling, during which almost 600 shots were fired.

  • October 21

    Niki Lauda

    Historical event

    Niki Lauda claims his third and final Formula One Drivers' Championship Title by half a point ahead of McLaren team-mate Alain Prost at the Portuguese Grand Prix.

  • October 31

    Indira Gandhi

    Historical event

    Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her own Sikh bodyguards, sparking riots that killed thousands of Sikhs.

November

December

Questions about 1984

What happened in 1984?

This site records 152 entries for 1984, including Brunei on January 7. They are listed below by date.

How long ago was 1984?

42 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1984 turns 42 this year.

Which century is 1984 in?

1984 falls in the 20th century, in the 1980s.

Which generation was born in 1984?

Millennials (Generation Y) (1981–1996). Came of age around the year 2000 and the rise of the internet.

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