Michael Jackson released Thriller. It went on to sell more than 25 million copies and is the best selling album of all time. Its 14-minute video broke new ground due to its length and the ambition of its special effects.
Sony developed the world's first CD. The system represented an exciting change for the declining audio equipment industry. News reports touted it as "the arrival of the digital age".
The year also marks the 25th anniversary of one of America's most important civil rights events. Back in 1957, following the de-segregation of schools in Arkansas State, nine black pupils had to be escorted into Little Rock Central High School by more than 1,000 armed guards to protect them from white separatists.
Alice Walker's groundbreaking book The Colour Purple was released about a poor black girl named Celie. It was a remarkable novel because it was written entirely in the form of her letters. These tell how she suffers at the hand of her father and then husband. The novel went on to win the prestigious Pulitzer prize in 1983.
Channel 4 aired for the first time with a radically different structure from the three existing channels. It had a remit to cater for youth and minority groups. The government also gave the go ahead for satellite television.
Eddie Murphy made his film debut with 48 Hours alongside Nick Nolte.
Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force, together with producer Arthur Baker, paid tribute to Kraftwerk with their tune Planet Rock on Tommy Boy Records. It used the melody from the German pioneers' Trans-Europe Express over the rhythm from Numbers. In the process Bambaataa and Baker created electro and moved rap out of the Sugarhill age.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released The Message, the first successful hip hop track to push rap from novelty songs into social commentary.
It was a big year for reggae, with the release of Gregory Isaac's classic Night Nurse. The British reggae scene reached new heights with Birmingham's new teenage group Musical Youth. They released their debut single Pass the Dutchie which hit No 1 in the UK charts, selling more than four million copies.
UK veteran artist and producer Eddy Grant released his most popular album Killer on the Rampage which became a hit on both sides off the Atlantic. His release I Don't Wanna Dance also hit No 1 in the UK charts.
Teddy Pendergrass is severely injured in a car accident in Philadelphia. His injuries resulted in him being paralyzed from the waist down.
Marvin Gaye made a massive comeback with the hit single Sexual Healing, which went on to earn him his first Grammy. The track became his longest running No 1 single, lasting ten consecutive weeks on the US RnB charts.
The Roland 808 drum machine is invented, which went on to be a classic instrument in early hip hop and electro.
Janet Jackson released her first album self-titled at the age of 16. It flopped.
