Historical Events in December 1984

  • Dec 1 50th Heisman Trophy Award: Doug Flutie, Boston College (QB)
  • Dec 1 France performs nuclear test
  • Dec 1 Greg Page KOs Gerrie Coetzee in 8 for WBA heavyweight boxing title

Film release premierFilm Premier

Dec 1 "Beverly Hills Cop" directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold premieres in Los Angeles

Actor Eddie Murphy
Actor
Eddie Murphy
  • Dec 1 49th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 17-15 in Birmingham
  • Dec 2 4th meeting of Giants-Jets, Giants even series at 2 with 20-10 win
  • Dec 2 Bob Holland takes 9-83 for NSW against South Australia, SCG
  • Dec 2 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
  • Dec 3 Bhopal disaster: Union Carbide pesticide plant leak 45 tons of methyl isocyanate and other toxic compounds in Bhopal, India, kills 2,259 (official figure) - other estimates as high as 16,000 (including later deaths) and over half a million injured

Music releaseMusic Single

Dec 3 "Do They Know It's Christmas" single written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and sung by Band Aid is released in the UK

Singer-Songwriter and Political Activist Bob Geldof
Singer-Songwriter and Political Activist
Bob Geldof
  • Dec 4 Hezbollah militants hijack a Kuwait Airlines plane, killing four passengers.

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 4 6th ACE Cable Awards: David Bowie: Serious Moonlight by Anthony Eaton and HBO

Singer-Songwriter David Bowie
Singer-Songwriter
David Bowie

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 5 A's trade Rickey Henderson to Yankees for Jay Howell & Jose Rijo

MLB Outfielder Rickey Henderson
MLB Outfielder
Rickey Henderson
  • Dec 5 French colonies killed 10 Kanaken in New Caledonia
  • Dec 5 Yankees trade catcher Rick Cerone to Braves for pitcher Brian Fisher
  • Dec 6 France performs nuclear test
  • Dec 6 Hijackers aboard Kuwaiti jetliner kill 2nd hostage
  • Dec 7 Allan Border's 1st Test Cricket match as captain (v WI Adelaide)
  • Dec 8 Europe & 64 developing countries sign Lome III treaty

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 8 Ringo Starr appears on "Saturday Night Live"

Beatles Drummer Ringo Starr
Beatles Drummer
Ringo Starr
Television Producer Lorne Michaels
Television Producer
Lorne Michaels
  • Dec 9 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Dec 9 Iranian commandos end day hijack of Kuwaiti plane
  • Dec 9 LA Ram Eric Dickerson rushes 215 yards for season record 2,105 yards
  • Dec 9 Vicki Alvarez/Mike McDonald wins LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic

Sport awardTennis Open

Dec 9 73rd Men's Australian Open: Mats Wilander beats Kevin Curren (6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2)

Tennis Player and Seven-Time Major Champion Mats Wilander
Tennis Player and Seven-Time Major Champion
Mats Wilander
  • Dec 9 73rd Women's Australian Open: Chris Evert-Lloyd beats Helena Sukova (6-7, 6-1, 6-3)
  • Dec 10 1st "planet" outside our solar system discovered

Nobel prizeNobel Prize

Dec 10 South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu is presented with his Nobel Peace Prize

Anglican Archbishop and Activist Desmond Tutu
Anglican Archbishop and Activist
Desmond Tutu
  • Dec 10 WNSY-AM in Newport News VA returns from WGH
  • Dec 11 "Doug Henning & His World..." opens at Lunt-Fontanne NYC for 60 performances
  • Dec 11 Mauretania military coup under Col Maawiya Ould Sid'ahmed Taya
  • Dec 13 Artificial heart recipient William Schroeder suffers 1st stroke
  • Dec 14 Sportscaster Howard Cosell retires from Monday Night Football
  • Dec 15 USSR launches Vega 1 for rendezvous with Halley's Comet
  • Dec 17 NJ Devils 1st penalty shot-Rocky Trottier scores against Edmonton
  • Dec 17 NJ Devils 1st shutout, Glenn Resch makes 42 saves beat Minn, 2-0
  • Dec 18 73rd Davis Cup: Sweden beats USA in Gothenburg (4-1)

AgreementTreaty of Interest

Dec 19 Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sign the Sino-British Joint Declaration to transfer Hong Kong back to China in 1997

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
  • Dec 19 China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
  • Dec 19 Fire at Wilberg Mine in central Utah killed 27 people
  • Dec 19 UK signs agreement with China to return Hong Kong to China in 1997

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 19 Wayne Gretzky, 23, is 18th & youngest NHL-er to score 1,000 points

Ice Hockey Great Wayne Gretzky
Ice Hockey Great
Wayne Gretzky

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 19 Scotty Bowman wins his 691st regular season game, the most wins by any coach in NHL history

NHL Coach Scotty Bowman
NHL Coach
Scotty Bowman
  • Dec 20 33 unknown Bach keyboard works found in Yale library
  • Dec 20 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Dec 21 Islander Kelly Hrudy's 1st shut-out win-Whalers 1-0
  • Dec 21 USSR launches Vega 2 for fly-by of Halley's Come
  • Dec 22 Bernhard Goetz shoots 4 black muggers on NYC subway train

Music release#1 in the Charts

Dec 22 Madonna's "Like a Virgin" single goes #1 for 6 weeks

Pop Star Madonna
Pop Star
Madonna
  • Dec 22 Test Cricket debut of Craig McDermott, v WI at the MCG
  • Dec 23 Viv Richards scores 208 in Test Cricket at MCG
  • Dec 24 Palace coup in Mauritania
  • Dec 25 NBA's Bernard King scores 60 points
  • Dec 27 Padres' free agent pitcher Ed Whitson signs with NY Yankees
  • Dec 28 Creosote bush determined to be 11,700 years old
  • Dec 28 Rajiv Gandhi's Congress party wins election in India
  • Dec 28 TV soap "Edge of Night" ends 28 year run
  • Dec 28 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh, Semipalitinsk USSR

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 28 Ted Hughes is appointed British Poet Laureate by Queen Elizabeth II

Poet Ted Hughes
Poet
Ted Hughes
Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II
Queen of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II
  • Dec 29 5th United Negro College Fund
  • Dec 29 Blues took 27 shots against Islanders in 1 period
  • Dec 29 Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi claims victory in parlimetary elections
  • Dec 31 Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen loses his arm in a car crash
  • Dec 31 NYC subway gunman Bernhard Goetz surrenders to police in NH
  • Dec 31 Rajiv Gandhi takes office as India's 7th Prime Minister succeeding his mother Indira Gandhi
  • Dec 31 Test Cricket debut of Mohammad Azharuddin, v England at Calcutta
  • Dec 31 US leaves UNESCO