Space Shuttle “Challenger” explodes. The orbiter broke apart 73 seconds after lift-off, killing all 7 astronauts on board.

USA for Africa record “We Are the World”. Over 20 million copies of the charity single were sold.

The Lego brick is patented. The Lego company has since produced 500 billion Lego elements, amounting to 10 lego towers from Earth to the Moon.

Fabian von Bellinghausen discovers the Antarctic. The Baltic German explorer is believed to be the first person to sight the Earth's southernmost continent.

Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, is published. It is one of the best-known works of English literature and it was sold about 20 million times.