What happened in July 1984?
The top front-page story of each day in July 1984, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Jul 1🎨 Trudeau Era Ends – John N. Turner was sworn in as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada, marking the end of Pierre Elliott Trudeau's 16-year political dominance.
- Jul 2🔬 New Era in Space – The search for intelligent life in the universe enters a new era, marking a significant advancement in scientific exploration.
- Jul 3🔬 Galileo Trial Notes Released – The Vatican announced it will publish secret records of Galileo's 17th-century trial for heresy, shedding light on historical scientific debates.
- Jul 4🐅 White Tigers Born – Two white tiger cubs were born at the Henry Doorly Zoo, increasing their population there to six, according to zoo officials.
- Jul 5🔥 Massachusetts Fire Tragedy – A rooming house fire in Massachusetts killed 14 people and injured 13, with two individuals still missing.
- Jul 6🗽 Statue of Liberty Renovation – The Statue of Liberty, gifted by France, undergoes a $39 million renovation to restore its original vision after a century.
- Jul 7👶 Frozen Embryo Birth – A Dutch doctor announced the birth of a child from a frozen embryo, marking the world's second such birth, reported in excellent condition.
- Jul 8🎭 Wimbledon Title Won – Martina Navratilova secures her third consecutive Wimbledon title, defeating Chris Evert Lloyd in a notable match.
- Jul 9🏆 Louganis, Kimball Qualify – Greg Louganis and Bruce Kimball secured spots on the U.S. Olympic diving team during the trials for the 10-meter platform.
- Jul 10🔬 Physicists Produce Element – Researchers in West Germany have produced element 108 for the first time, marking a significant achievement in particle physics.
- Jul 11🚀 Japan Trade Surplus Record – Japan reported a record $13.53 billion trade surplus in the first half of the year, driven by increased exports to the United States.
- Jul 12🔬 Antibodies Diagnose Cancers – New research shows specially made antibodies can reveal cancers too small for surgeons to see, marking a breakthrough in cancer diagnosis.
- Jul 13🏀 U.S. Team Wins – Michael Jordan led the U.S. Olympic basketball team to a 96-85 victory over NBA all-stars in North Carolina.
- Jul 14🏅 Bubka Sets Record – Sergei Bubka broke the pole vault world record with a jump of 19 feet, 4 1/4 inches during an international meet.
- Jul 15🏛️ Moscow Gets U.S. Proposal – The U.S. proposed renewing cultural, scientific, and educational exchanges with the Soviet Union, following the expiration of the previous agreement in 1980.
- Jul 16🏆 U.S.F.L. Title Won – The Philadelphia Stars defeated the Arizona Wranglers 23-3 to win the United States Football League championship.
- Jul 17🎉 Mondale's Historic Nomination – Walter Mondale's selection of Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate transformed the mood at the Democratic National Convention.
- Jul 18🏛️ New French Prime Minister – Laurent Fabius appointed as the youngest Prime Minister in modern French history, signaling a new political direction.
- Jul 19🏛️ New Zealand Devaluation – Prime Minister-elect David Lange devalued the New Zealand dollar by 20% and froze prices for three months to bolster the economy.
- Jul 20🌍 Powerful Earthquake Hits – The most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Britain shook buildings and rattled teacups in western Britain and along the east coast of Ireland.
- Jul 21🏅 World Records Broken – Uwe Hohn set a javelin record with 343 feet 10 inches, while Ludmila Andonova achieved a high jump record of 6 feet 9.5 inches in East Berlin.
- Jul 22🏅 Olympic Games Begin – The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles kick off, featuring over 8,000 athletes from 141 nations competing in 27 sports.
- Jul 23🏆 Ballesteros Wins Open – Seve Ballesteros won the British Open for the second time, defeating Tom Watson in a thrilling finish at St. Andrews.
- Jul 24🏅 Olympic Games Opening – The Olympic flag will be carried into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games.
- Jul 25🏗️ Top of Reactor Lifted – Technicians lifted the top of the Three Mile Island reactor vessel, starting major cleanup after five years of preparation.
- Jul 26👩🚀 First Woman in Space – Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to walk in space, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.
- Jul 27🔬 Exercise Prolongs Life – Researchers found that even mild exercise can significantly extend life expectancy, based on a study of 17,000 older men.
- Jul 28🏅 Olympics Open Today – The XXIII Olympiad begins in Los Angeles with grand opening ceremonies, marking a significant moment in sports history.
- Jul 29🏅 Olympics Open in LA – The XXIII Olympiad began today in Los Angeles with lavish opening ceremonies, marking a historic moment in sports.
- Jul 30🏅 U.S. Wins Six Medals – The United States quickly captured six gold medals in swimming and cycling as the Summer Olympics began in Los Angeles.
- Jul 31🏅 U.S. Swimmers Win Golds – The United States continued its Olympic success with two more gold medals in swimming and one in shooting at the XXIII Olympiad.
Happy Birthday! 1984 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1984 in real headlines. See the 1984 book →
Born in July? Pick the day
Every birthday in July has its own On This Day in Headlines book: