In the summer of 1985, images of emaciated children in Ethiopia shocked the world and prompted one of the biggest charity concerts ever: Live Aid . Megastars like Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie, Madonna and Queen took to the stage in London and Philadelphia. Tina Turner and Mick Jagger wowed an audience that numbered over a billion people watching in person and on broadcast. Altogether, the event raised well over $100 million for famine relief in Africa.

Celebrities weren't the only ones responding to the famine — the U.S. government did as well.

Gavin Kent / Mirrorpix via Getty Images / via Getty Images

That same year, it created a system aimed at avoiding future famines. The U.S. launched FEWS NET, the world's first famine early warning system network. Combining data from a wide

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