On this day

May 21, 1985

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from May 21, 1985

NATION'S 'TWO-TIER' ECONOMY

By Nicholas D. Kristof

America's economy has developed a split personality - languid in manufacturing but dynamic in the services sector - that complicates efforts to stimulate production, economists say. ''The two-tier economy is very clear-cut,'' said Walter K. Joelson, chief economist of the General Electric Company. ''We're in recovery, yet industrial production is as flat as an ironing board. So you have to ask yourself what the dickens is going on. If industrial production is not expanding in a recovery, it sure isn't going to expand in a recession.''

Financial Desk1124 words

CORRECTION

By Unknown Author

Because of an editing error, an article on Saturday about arguments over control of United Press International left unclear the affiliation of an executive who said Reuters had expressed interest in acquiring only the photo and radio news networks of U.P.I. The executive was at U.P.I.

Metropolitan Desk46 words

Quotation of the Day

By Unknown Author

''The operation is over and was successful. We don't like trading lives like this, but at least 1,153 people who were prisoners yesterday are free today.''

Metropolitan Desk36 words

& WOUNDED BY GUNFIRE IN CHAINATOWN

By Robert D. McFadden

Seven people, including a 4-year-old boy and four teen-agers, were wounded in bursts of gunfire on a busy Chinatown street last night, and the police later said the shootings were an apparent outbreak of gang warfare. Five of the victims - the child, who was shot in the head; three of the teen-agers, and a 37-year-old man who was shot in the chest as he dined in a restaurant - were listed in critical condition last night. In Chinatown, where youth gangs have been responsible for extortion, murders, kidnappings and other crimes, the shootings were the worst outbreak of violence in more than two years, according to law-enforcement authorities. The number of gunmen was not immediately known, but witnesses told the police they saw at least one assailant running from the shootings, which erupted shortly after 6 P.M. on East Broadway between Catherine and Market Streets, just south of the Manhattan Bridge on Chinatown's southeastern edge.

Metropolitan Desk854 words

HIGH COURT SUSTAINS FORD MEMOIR COPYRIGHT

By Linda Greenhouse, Special To the New York Times

The Supreme Court ruled today that The Nation magazine infringed the copyright on the memoirs of former President Gerald R. Ford by printing unauthorized quotations from the book several weeks before the 1979 publication date. The 6-to-3 decision overturned a ruling in the magazine's favor by the Federal appeals court in New York. That court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, ruled in 1983 that The Nation's verbatim use of 300 words from the memoirs, within an article of 2,250 words, was acceptable under Federal copyright law as news reporting on a subject of public interest. Writing for the Supreme Court today, Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said that ''no author may copyright facts or ideas.'' The Nation had ''every right to seek to be the first to publish information,'' she said.

National Desk1312 words

Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of May 15, 1985, covering May 21, 1985.

1
No Jacket Required
Phil Collins
Last week
2
Peak
1
Weeks
11
2
We Are The World
USA for Africa
Last week
1
Peak
1
Weeks
5
3
Beverly Hills Cop
Soundtrack
Last week
4
Peak
3
Weeks
19
4
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
Last week
3
Peak
1
Weeks
48
5
Around The World In A Day
Prince And The Revolution
Last week
14
Peak
5
Weeks
2

Notable Births

1985Mark Cavendish, Manx cyclist^[†]

Sir Mark Simon Cavendish is a Manx retired professional cyclist. As a track cyclist he specialised in the madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines; as a road racer he was a sprinter. He is widely considered one of the greatest road sprinters of all time, and in 2021 was called "the greatest sprinter in the history of the Tour and of cycling" by Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France.

1985Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (died 2012)^[†]

Alexander Dale Oen was a Norwegian competitive swimmer. He was an Olympic silver medallist, World Championships gold medallist, World Championships (25m) bronze medallist, two-time European Championships gold medallist and European Short Course Championships gold medallist in the 100 metre breaststroke.

1985Isa Guha, English cricketer and sportscaster^[†]

Isa Tara Guha is an English sports television commentator and radio cricket broadcaster, and former England cricketer who played in the 2005 South Africa World Cup and the 2009 Australia World Cup.

1985Lucie Hradecká, Czech tennis player^[†]

Lucie Hradecká is a Czech former professional tennis player. A three-time Grand Slam doubles champion and 26-time WTA Tour doubles titlist, she reached her career-high doubles ranking of world No. 4 in October 2012. She was also an integral member of the Czech Republic's national team and helped her country to win five titles at the Fed Cup between 2011 and 2016, in addition to winning two Olympic medals in both women's doubles with Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková in 2012 and in mixed doubles with Radek Štěpánek in 2016. Hradecká also reached the top 45 in singles and was a finalist in seven tour-level singles tournaments. She announced her retirement from the sport at the end of the 2022 season.

1985Kano, English rapper, producer, and actor^[†]

Kane Brett Robinson, known by the stage name Kano, is a British rapper, songwriter and actor from East Ham, London. His fifth album, Made in the Manor was shortlisted for the 2016 Mercury Prize and won Best Album at the 2016 MOBO Awards. On screen, he played the role of Sully in Top Boy.

1985Dušan Kuciak, Slovak footballer^[†]

Dušan Kuciak is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Polish club Raków Częstochowa. He is the younger brother of Martin Kuciak, who plays as a goalkeeper for Považská Bystrica.

1985Heath L'Estrange, Australian rugby league player^[†]

Heath L'Estrange, also known by the nickname of "Stranger", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He played for the Sydney Roosters, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League, and the Bradford Bulls in the Super League. In his rugby league career, he won the 2008 NRL Grand Final with the Sea Eagles. He played as hooker.

1985Andrew Miller, American baseball player^[†]

Andrew Mark Miller is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a starting pitcher who struggled early in his MLB career, Miller found sustained success as a reliever utilizing a multi-faceted fastball and slider approach that proved deceptive for batters to hit. A left-handed batter and thrower, Miller stands 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall and weighs 205 pounds (93 kg). Internationally, Miller represented the United States. In the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC), he helped win Team USA's first gold medal in a WBC tournament.

Historical Context for May 21, 1985

In 1985, the world population was approximately 4,868,943,465 people^[†]

Headlines from May 21, 1985

NATION'S 'TWO-TIER' ECONOMY

CORRECTION

Quotation of the Day

& WOUNDED BY GUNFIRE IN CHAINATOWN

HIGH COURT SUSTAINS FORD MEMOIR COPYRIGHT

No Jacket Required

We Are The World

Beverly Hills Cop

Born In The U.S.A.

Around The World In A Day

Notable Births

Historical Context for May 21, 1985