A Brief History of Charity Records

"Do They Know It's Christmas?," 1984
The first charity megahit was by the British supergroup Band Aid, whose 1984 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" raised some $18 million for famine relief in Africa. The group brought together the talents of an impressively broad slate of artists, including Sting, Bono, George Michael, Phil Collins and Duran Duran.

• A Brief History of the Opening Ceremonies.