Historical Events
Sports History
American Joan Benoit wins first Olympic marathon for women (2:24:52) ahead of Grete Waitz of Norway at the Los Angeles Games
- American super-hurdler Edwin Moses wins the 400m hurdles gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, his 105th consecutive race victory
- Evelyn Ashford runs an Olympic 100m record time of 10.97 to beat American teammate Alice Brown in the LA Games final
- The rowing competition at the LA Olympics concludes with Romania dominant in the women's section winning 5 of 6 gold medals; US wins the eights from Romania
- Toronto designated hitter Cliff Johnson hits MLB record 19th career pinch-hit HR in Blue Jays 4-3 win over Baltimore Orioles
Famous Deaths
Richard Burton (1925-1984)
Welsh Tony and BAFTA Award-winning stage and screen actor (Cleopatra: Camelot; Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), and fifth and sixth husband of Elizabeth Taylor (1964-74, 1975-76), dies of cerebral hemorrhage at 58
- Rudolf Hagelstange, German writer, dies at 72
Died in 1984 1984 Highlights
About August 5, 1984
Day of the Week: Sunday
How Long Ago? 39 years, 8 months and 22 days
Leap Year: Yes
Generation: Millennial
Chinese Zodiac: Rat
Star Sign: Leo
Music Charts
#1 Song: Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
#1 Song: Two Tribes - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
