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The Top 10 Stories of 1985

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From the Associated Press

The top 10 stories of the year, as voted by Associated Press member editors and broadcasters:

1. Middle East terrorism, from air hijackings to the Italian liner Achille Lauro.

2. The Geneva summit meeting and change in leadership of the Soviet Union.

3. The Colombian volcano eruption that left 25,000 dead.

4. The Mexico City earthquake that killed 7,000.

5. The AIDS epidemic.

6. The Air disasters that took 2,000 lives, from the mountain crash of a Japan airliner that killed 520 to the loss of 248 American GIs homeward bound for Christmas from Sinai peacekeeping.

7. The campaign against African famine.

8. America’s farm crisis.

9. The violence around South Africa’s racial policies.

10. The uncovering of American spies and the redefection of a high-ranking KGB official.

This is the 50th year AP members have voted on the year’s top 10 stories. The rankings in the first poll, in 1936:

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1. The British Empire crisis--the Edward VIII-Mrs. Simpson romance.

2. The U.S. political campaign--FDR’s second term.

3. The Spanish Civil War.

4. Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia.

5. Civil war in labor’s ranks--the AFL split by John L. Lewis’ aggressive tactics.

6. The U.S. business recovering from the Depression.

7. Remilitarization of the Rhineland.

8. U.S. drought and floods.

9. Hauptmann’s execution and the Lindbergh baby kidnaping case.

10. Development of Dr. Charles Greeley Abbot’s steam engine, which operates on solar power.

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