FOR us the highspot of
1984 was the debut of
glorious glamour girl
Gaynor Goodman.
In sport Tessa Sanderson, Daley Thompson and
Seb Coe were among the
golds at the LA Olympics, while
Torvill and Dean triumphed in
the winter Olympics.
But it wasn’t all good news.
The country was shaken by
miners’ strikes over pay and
pit closures, and we saw
shocking scenes of famine in
Ethiopia that led to the Band
Aid appeal. The Royals,
meanwhile, were having a
pretty good time of as the
Princess of Wales gave birth
to her second son Prince
Harry.
So check out the news,
sport and music stories from
25 years ago.
NEWS: A MASSIVE fire devastated large parts of York
Minster causing an estimated £1 million worth
of damage. Firefighters from across north
Yorkshire spent two hours bringing the blaze
under control. Staff braved heavy smoke and
flames to salvage the Minster’s priceless artefacts while the
building was still ablaze.
WPC Yvonne Fletcher was killed and 10 people
injured after shots were fired from the
Libyan People’s Bureau in central London.
WPC Fletcher, 25, had been helping control a
small demonstration outside the embassy
when automatic gunfire came from outside.
She received a fatal stomach wound and some of the
demonstrators were also severely injured.
THE Tory government became the target of the
IRA when a massive bomb exploded at the
Brighton Grand Hote. Members of the Cabinet,
including PM Margaret Thatcher, were staying at
the hotel for the Conservative Party conference.
Five people were killed and 34 injured by the
100lb bomb.
SPORT: JAYNE Torvill and Christopher
Dean were crowned Olympic ice
skating champions after scooping
gold in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. More
than 24 million people watched the
couple score maximum points at the Zetra Stadium for
their dance to Ravel’s Bolero. The pair, from
Nottingham, received a standing ovation from
the 8,500 spectators in the arena and flowers rained on
to theice after they completed their stirring four-minute
performance.
LIVERPOOL celebrated their third successive league championship under new manager Ronnie Fagan and Chelsea were promoted to the top flight as champions of the Second Division. At Wembley, Liverpool also clinched the League Cup and Merseyside neighbours Everton made Elton John cry when they defeated Watford to win the FA Cup. Liverpool made it a hat-trick of trophies by winning the European Cup. In Scotland, Aberdeen led by a young and ambitious manager by the name of Alex Ferguson, broke the Rangers and Celtic monopoly by winning the league and cup double. France won the European Championships in their own back yard with Michel Platini among the stars.
THE 130th Boat Race was postponed
less than an hour before it was due to
start after the Cambridge boat was in
collision with a barge and sank. It was
the first incident of its kind in the history
of the world famous race. Oxford won
the race staged the following day.
MUSIC: DO They Know It’s Christmas? by
Band Aid topped the Christmas
chart. The super group line-up
featured Boy George, George
Michael, Paul Young and Bob
Geldof. Cash raised from the charity single was used to help
ease the famine in Ethiopia.
MADONNA, the Queen of Pop, burst into the UK charts
with her hit song Holiday. And she caused a stir later in the
year with another offering, Like a Virgin.
MICHAEL Jackson received hospital treatment
for serious burns after his hair caught
light during a freak filming accident. The then
25-year-old entertainer was singing his hit
Billie Jean for a Pepsi Cola commercial in Los
Angeles when the special effects went wrong.
Three thousand fans saw a firework display
erupt behind the superstar, showering him in
sparks and setting light to his hair. |
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