With the World Series kicking off tonight, the Kansas City Royals have quickly become the Cinderella story of the postseason. The last time the Royals were in the World Series, it was 1985 and things were quite different. Here are a few highlights from 1985:

“Back to the Future” was the No. 1 film that year

If you popped a cassette into your Walkman, you would have heard “Like a Virgin” by Madonna

In 1985, the first Nintendo home video game console was released with a new game–the Super Mario Brothers.

The wreck of the Titanic was located 73 years after its watery fate.

America delighted in a new comic strip called “Calvin & Hobbes.”

Steve Jobs leaves Apple after $2 billion in yearly sales.

Ronald Reagan starts talks with Mikhail Gorbachev to end the Cold War.

DNA evidence was first introduced in a criminal case.

These are just a few examples of how the world has changed, but 2014 has one thing in common with 1985–The Royals are the gem of the American League.