The Live Aid concerts took place on July 13, 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London, England, and at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The concerts raised almost $140 million for the starving in Africa, the most money ever raised for charity by a single event. The combined concerts remain the biggest music event ever held.

The Live Aid concerts on July 13, 1985, raised over $140 million for the starving in Africa and remains the biggest music gathering ever. Photograph by Jacques M. Chenet. Corbis Corporation. Reproduced by permission.

Live Aid was the brainchild of rock singer Bob Geldof (1954–) of the Boomtown Rats. Moved by images of starving Ethiopian children on a television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) documentary, he decided something had to be done. Two charity records—Geldof's Do They Know It's Christmas? in Britain and We Are the World, organized by Michael Jackson (1958–) and Lionel...