May 1985

Saturday 11:

56 spectators die when a flash fire strikes a football ground during a match in Bradford, England.

Monday 13:

The mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, orders police to storm the radical group's MOVE headquarters to end a stand-off. The police drop an explosive device into the headquarters, killing 11 MOVE members and destroying the homes of 250 city residents in the resulting fire.

Tuesday 14:

Popular Hong Kong actress Barbara Yung Mei-ling was found unconscious from gas inhalation in her apartment at Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. She was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.

Monday 20:

Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba.

Thursday 23:

U.S. engineer Thomas Patrick Cavanagh is sentenced to life in prison for attempting to sell stealth bomber secrets to the Soviet Union.

Saturday 25:

Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which kills approximately 10,000 people.

Wednesday 29:

Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia after 14 months.

Friday 31:

The US-Canadian Outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.