1986: On This Year

• 1986 was a memorable year for many reasons, particularly for space exploration, and sadly for mixed reasons. While humankind did make some advances in space, notably with NASA’s Voyager 2 passing by the icy planet Uranus, and with the launch of the Soviet Union’s space station, Mir, there was a major disaster that occurred this year.
• 1986 will unfortunately be remembered in no small part due to the Challenger disaster. On January 28th, NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, less than two minutes after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with no crewmembers surviving the crash.
• In another disaster for the other major power in the Cold War, on April 26th, the Chernobyl disaster occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near Pripyat in what was at the time part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union. The explosion and fires caused unfathomable damage and killed thousands of people.
• 1986 was not all bad news, however. This was the year that Pixar Animation Studios opened in California, a company that would bring joy to millions with their films and animated creations. In television news, this was the year that The Oprah Winfrey Show premiered in syndication.
• This was also a significant year for gamers, as Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda in Japan. This game would become an international sensation and, as part of Nintendo’s foundation, it would become a great gaming franchise, spanning decades. 1986 was also the year that Nintendo released Dragon Quest in Japan. This game would be released as Dragon Warrior in North America a few years later, after the localization process had been completed. This game is significant because it laid the foundation for the Role Playing Game (RPG) genre for gaming consoles.
• 1986 was also a big year for theatre and film. This was the year that The Phantom of the Operaopened in London. It holds the distinction of being the longest-running show in Broadway history. In film, Top Gun, Crocodile Dundee, Platoon, Aliens, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off were all notable films this year.

According to the Chinese Zodiac and Astrology 1986 was the Year of the Tiger.

Discover Zodiac Sign Characteristics and Personality Traits of people born under the Tiger sign.

1986: Who won the Nobel Peace Prize ?

• Elie Wiesel

1986: Who won the Nobel Prize in Literature ?

• Wole Soyinka

1986: Who won the Nobel Prize in Physics ?

• Ernst Ruska
• Gerd Binnig
• Heinrich Rohrer

1986: Who won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences ?

• James M. Buchanan

1986: Who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry ?

• Dudley R. Herschbach
• Yuan T. Lee
• John Polanyi

1986: Who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ?

• Stanley Cohen
• Rita Levi-Montalcini

The 3 most popular baby names in 1986 were Michael, Christopher and Matthew for boys and Jessica, Ashley and Amanda for girls according to the US Census Bureau historical records.

1986: What were the Top #10 male names given to baby boys that year?

The Top # 10 male names given to baby boys in 1986 in the USA according to the US Census Bureau historical records were:

• Michael
• Christopher
• Matthew
• Joshua
• David
• Daniel
• James
• Andrew
• Robert
• John

1986: What were the Top #10 female names given to baby girls that year?

The Top # 10 female names given to baby girls in 1986 in the USA according to the US Census Bureau historical records were:

• Jessica
• Ashley
• Amanda
• Jennifer
• Sarah
• Stephanie
• Nicole
• Brittany
• Heather
• Elizabeth

1986: What was the number 1 song in the USA that year?

The number 1 song in the USA in 1986, i.e. the best selling and most popular song of tha year, was Dancing On The Ceiling by Lionel Richie

1986: What was the music chart in the USA that year?

The Music Chart in the USA in 1986 with the top 10 most popular songs, was:

1. Dancing On The Ceiling by Lionel Richie
2. That's What Friends Are For by Dionne & Friends
3. Papa Don't Preach by Madonna
4. Kiss by Prince
5. Kyrie by Mr. Mister
6. Stuck With You by Huey Lewis & The News
7. Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer
8. On My Own by Patti LaBelle
9. Greatest Love Of All by Whitney Houston
10. Human by The Human League

1986: What was the number 1 song in the UK that year?

The number 1 song in the UK in 1986, i.e. the best selling and most popular song of tha year, was I Want To Wake Up With You by Boris Gardiner

1986: What was the music chart in the UK that year?

The Music Chart in the UK in 1986 with the top 10 most popular songs, was:

1. I Want To Wake Up With You by Boris Gardiner
2. Take My Breath Away (Love Theme From 'Top Gun') by Berlin
3. Don't Leave Me This Way by The Communards
4. The Final Countdown by Europe
5. The Sun Always Shines On TV by A-ha
6. Living Doll by Cliff Richard & The Young Ones
7. Chain Reaction by Diana Ross
8. When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going) by Billy Ocean
9. The Edge Of Heaven by Wham!
10. Papa Don't Preach by Madonna

The world population in 1986 was 4,960,567,912 people according to data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. This figure includes both urban and rural populations. The urban population at that time accounted for 42.0% of the total population, which is roughly 2.1 billion individuals.The annual population change in 1986 was an increase of +89.6 million people, representing a percentage increase of +1.84% over the previous year.The average population density in 1986 was 21 persons per square mile (or 33 persons per square kilometer).

Here's what happened in 1986:

• Jan 1, 1986: Barbra Striesand and Jon Peters relationship breaks up
• Jan 2, 1986: 191.66 million shares traded in New York Stock Exchange
• Jan 6, 1986: STS 61-C scrubbed at T-31sec because of liquid oxygen valve problem
• Jan 7, 1986: Chicago Bears defeat New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX
• Jan 8, 1986: US President Ronald Reagan freezes Libyan assets in the US.
• Jan 9, 1986: After losing a patent battle with Polaroid, Kodak leaves the instant picture camera business.
• Jan 10, 1986: STS 61-C mission scrubbed T -9m because of bad weather at Kennedy
• Jan 11, 1986: 1st black lt gov since reconstruction sworn in
• Jan 12, 1986: 24th space shuttle mission STS 61-C Columbia 7 is launched with the first Hispanic-American astronaut, Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz.
• Jan 13, 1986: NCCA institutes eligibility requirements based on college exams.
• Jan 14, 1986: Vinicio Cerezo becomes the second freely elected President of Guatemala since the US Central Intelligence Agency-sponsored coup in 1954.
• Jan 15, 1986: Living Seas opens
• Jan 16, 1986: Police arrest three Irish Republican Army-terrorists in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Jan 17, 1986: Tim Witherspoon beats Tony Tubbs in 15 to regain WBA heavyweight title.
• Jan 18, 1986: 24th Space Shuttle (61-C) Mission - Columbia 7 - returns to Earth.
• Jan 19, 1986: Israeli premier Simon Peres visits Netherlands.
• Jan 20, 1986: 1st federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr
• Jan 21, 1986: Bomb attack in East-Beirut, 27 killed.
• Jan 22, 1986: Ghorbanifar 1st suggests diversion of cash to contras, says North
• Jan 23, 1986: Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood opens at Ritz Theater NYC for 13 performances
• Jan 24, 1986: Voyager 2 makes 1st fly-by of Uranus (81,593 km), finds new moons
• Jan 25, 1986: The National Resistance Movement topples the government of Tito Okello in Uganda.
• Jan 26, 1986: Super Bowl XX: Chicago Bears beat New England Patriots, 46-10 in New Orleans, Louisiana; Most Valuable Player: Richard Dent, Defensive End.
• Jan 27, 1986: 13th American Music Awards: Whitney Houston, Huey Lewis and Crystal Gayle.
• Jan 28, 1986: 25th Space Shuttle mission (51L) - Challenger 10 explodes 73 seconds after liftoff. Killed are: Christa McAuliffe (teacher), Dr Judith Arlene Resnik, US Air Force Major Ellison S Onizuka, US Air Force Francis R Scobee, payload specialist Gregory B. Jarvis, US Navy Commander Michael J Smith, Ronald E McNair.
• Jan 29, 1986: 193.8 million shares traded in New York Stock Exchange
• Jan 31, 1986: In Ohio, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake occurs.
• Feb 1, 1986: KHJ-AM in Los Angeles CA changes call letters to KRTH
• Feb 2, 1986: Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood closes at Ritz NYC after 13 performances
• Feb 3, 1986: US President Ronald Reagan announces formation of Committee on Challenger Accident.
• Feb 4, 1986: Israeli fighters intercept Libyan airliner (passenger plane).
• Feb 5, 1986: Corazon Aquino and Ferdinand Marcos appear on Nightline
• Feb 6, 1986: New Jersey Devils' Peter McNab becomes the 42nd NHL player to score 350 goals.
• Feb 7, 1986: Philippine Corazon Aquino defeats incumbent dictator Ferdinand Marcos but fraudulent returns give the election to Marcos.
• Feb 8, 1986: US male Figure Skating championship won by Brian Boitano.
• Feb 9, 1986: Marvin Johnson wins record third time, light heavyweight boxing title.
• Feb 10, 1986: John Lennon: Live in NYC album is released
• Feb 11, 1986: Activist Anatoly Scharansky released by USSR, leaves country
• Feb 15, 1986: Philippines National Assembly authorizes 6 more years for Ferdinand Marcos
• Feb 16, 1986: French air force bombs Ouadi Doum airport in Chad
• Feb 17, 1986: Howard Stern radio show returns to NYC morning radio
• Feb 19, 1986: USSR launches Mir space station into Earth orbit
• Feb 20, 1986: Mike Tyson sexually harasses a woman in Albany, New York
• Feb 21, 1986: AIDS patient Ryan White returns to classes at Western Middle School
• Feb 22, 1986: Start of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
• Feb 23, 1986: Mary Beth Zimmerman wins LPGA Standard Register / Samaritan Golf Classic
• Feb 24, 1986: Texas Air buys Eastern Airlines for US$676 million.
• Feb 25, 1986: 28th Grammy Awards: "We Are the World", Sade, Phil Collins win.
• Feb 26, 1986: Evert van Benthem wins 14th Frisian 11-Cities skating race (6:55:16).
• Feb 27, 1986: The United States Senate allows its debates to be televised on a trial basis.
• Feb 28, 1986: European Economic Community signs "Special Act" for Europe free trade.
• Mar 2, 1986: Protesters try to stop Land Rover motor company being sold to US.
• Mar 4, 1986: The Soviet Vega 1 begins returning images of Halley's Comet and the first images of its nucleus.
• Mar 6, 1986: Georgia O'Keeffe, American painter (Flowers), dies at age 98 (born 1887).
• Mar 7, 1986: Wayne Gretzky breaks own NHL season record with 136th assist.
• Mar 8, 1986: Martina Navratilova is first tennis player to earn US$10 million.
• Mar 9, 1986: NASA announces searchers found remains of Challenger Astronauts
• Mar 10, 1986: Ernie Lombardi, National League Most Valuable Player in 1938, and Bobby Doerr, elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Mar 11, 1986: 1 million days since traditional foundation of Rome, 4 / 21 / 753 BC
• Mar 12, 1986: 210.25 million shares traded in New York Stock Exchange
• Mar 13, 1986: Soyuz T-15 carries 2 Cosmonauts to Soviet space station Mir
• Mar 15, 1986: Funeral services held for Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme.
• Mar 16, 1986: Chris Johnson wins LPGA GNA / Glendale Federal Golf Classic
• Mar 17, 1986: Haemers gang robs gold transport in Belgium of 35 million Belgian francs.
• Mar 18, 1986: US Treasury Department announces plans to alter paper money.
• Mar 21, 1986: 199.22 million shares traded in New York Stock Exchange
• Mar 22, 1986: Ice Pairs Championship at Geneva won by Gordeeva and Grinkov
• Mar 23, 1986: 6th Golden Raspberry Awards: Rambo; First Blood Part II wins.
• Mar 24, 1986: 58th Academy Awards - Out of Africa, William Hurt and G Page win
• Mar 25, 1986: Kurt Browning (Canada) becomes 1st skater to land a quadruple jump
• Mar 26, 1986: Geffen records signs Guns and Roses
• Mar 27, 1986: Disney-MGM Studio Tour ground breaking
• Mar 28, 1986: John N McMahon, ends term as Deputy Director of CIA
• Mar 30, 1986: Tango Argentino closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 198 performances
• Mar 31, 1986: English Hampton Court palace destroyed by fire, 1 dead
• Apr 1, 1986: World oil prices dip below US$10 a barrel.
• Apr 2, 1986: NCAA adopts 3-point basketball rule (19 feet 9 inch distance).
• Apr 3, 1986: US national debt hits $2,000,000,000,000
• Apr 4, 1986: Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 213th point of season.
• Apr 5, 1986: Two US soldiers and a Turkish woman killed, 230 injured, in West Berlin discotheque bombing.
• Apr 6, 1986: 15th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Pat Bradley.
• Apr 7, 1986: Wrestlemania II at three locations, Hulk Hogan beats King Kong Bundy.
• Apr 8, 1986: Clint Eastwood elected Mayor of Carmel California, Make his day
• Apr 9, 1986: Dallas announces it will revive killed Bobby Ewing character
• Apr 10, 1986: Big Deal opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 70 performances
• Apr 11, 1986: A Canadain 1921 50 cent piece auctioned in NYC for $22,000
• Apr 12, 1986: 20,000 mine workers protest closing of Hasselt Belgium mines.
• Apr 13, 1986: Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Kyocera Inamori Golf Classic.
• Apr 14, 1986: US aircraft attacks 5 terrorist locations in Libya
• Apr 15, 1986: US air raids Libya, responding to La Belle disco, Berlin bombing
• Apr 16, 1986: West Indies complete 5-0 demolition of England.
• Apr 17, 1986: Pulitzer prize awarded to Larry McMurtry for Lonesome Dove
• Apr 18, 1986: Titan rocket explodes seconds after liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
• Apr 19, 1986: Michael Spinks beats Larry Holmes in 15 rounds for heavyweight boxing title.
• Apr 20, 1986: Vladimir Horowitz performs in his Russian homeland
• Apr 21, 1986: Bob Hering sets Formula One power boat record (165.338 mph, Arizona).
• Apr 22, 1986: Consumer Price Index drops .04% for 2nd month in a row
• Apr 23, 1986: Grand Floridian Beach Resort groundbreaking
• Apr 25, 1986: ETA bomb attacks Madrid killing 5
• Apr 26, 1986: Actor / body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger weds newscaster Maria Shriver
• Apr 27, 1986: Sweet Charity opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 368 performances
• Apr 28, 1986: The United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise becomes the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal, navigating from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to relieve the USS Coral Sea.
• Apr 29, 1986: Boston Red Sox Roger Clemens strikes out 20 Seattle Mariners
• Apr 30, 1986: Ashrita Furman peforms 8,341 somersaults over 12 miles.
• May 1, 1986: Bill Elliott sets stock car speed record of 212.229 mph.
• May 2, 1986: Dynamo Kiev wins 26th Europe Cup II.
• May 3, 1986: New York Yankees' Don Mattingly is sixth to hit three sacrifice flies in a game.
• May 4, 1986: President Babrak Karmal resigns as party leader of Afghanistan.
• May 6, 1986: Donald E Pelotte becomes first native American bishop.
• May 7, 1986: In Andreanof Islands, Alaska, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurs. Tsunami generated with observed wave heights up to 175 cm.
• May 8, 1986: Óscar Arias is inaugurated into his first term as President of Costa Rica.
• May 11, 1986: Muffin Spencer-Devlin wins LPGA United Virginia Bank Golf Classic.
• May 12, 1986: Bicycle is pedaled 65 mph
• May 14, 1986: Institute for War documents publishes Anne Frank's complete diary.
• May 15, 1986: Argentine ex-President Galtieri sentenced to 12 years.
• May 16, 1986: Top Gun, premieres
• May 17, 1986: Chicken Song by Spitting Image hit #1 on the UK pop chart
• May 18, 1986: David Goch finishes swimming 55,682 miles in a 25-yard pool.
• May 20, 1986: Flintstones 25th Anniversary Celebration airs on CBS-tv
• May 21, 1986: US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
• May 22, 1986: Cher called David Letterman an asshole on Late Night on NBC
• May 23, 1986: US and West Europeans veto heavier sanctions against South Africa.
• May 24, 1986: Reginald Huffstetler treds water for 985 hours.
• May 25, 1986: 30,000,000 watch Live Aid, a massive benefit concert
• May 26, 1986: The European Community adopts the European flag.
• May 27, 1986: Norway Showcase groundbreaking
• May 28, 1986: Democratic Labor Party wins parliamentary election in Barbados.
• May 29, 1986: 59th National Spelling Bee: Jon Pennington wins spelling "odontalgia".
• May 30, 1986: Bobby Rahal is first to average over 170 mph in the Indianapolis 500.
• Jun 1, 1986: 32nd LPGA Championship won by Pat Bradley
• Jun 2, 1986: Regular TV coverage of US Senate sessions begins.
• Jun 3, 1986: Battles in Beirut; 53 killed
• Jun 4, 1986: Jonathan Pollard, spy for Israel, pleads guilty in US court to espionage for selling top secret United States military intelligence.
• Jun 5, 1986: SD Padre Steve Garvey ejected for 1st time
• Jun 6, 1986: Kathy Ormsby, a 21-year-old member of the North Carolina State track team jumps off a bridge permanently paralyzing herself.
• Jun 7, 1986: 118th Belmont: Chris McCarron aboard Danzig Connect wins in 2:29.8
• Jun 8, 1986: Big Deal closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 70 performances
• Jun 9, 1986: 20th Music City News Country Awards: Statler Brothers and Loretta Lynn
• Jun 11, 1986: Amnesty International megaconcert
• Jun 12, 1986: P W Botha declares South African national emergency.
• Jun 13, 1986: US President Ronald Reagan criticizes South African state of emergency.
• Jun 15, 1986: 86th US Golf Open: Ray Floyd shoots a 279 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club - New York
• Jun 16, 1986: 1 day general strike in South Africa
• Jun 17, 1986: US Chief Justice Warren Earl Burger resigns; Antonin Scalia nominated.
• Jun 18, 1986: 52 die in plane / helicopter collision over Grand Canyon
• Jun 19, 1986: Len Bias, American basketball player (Boston Celtics), suffers fatal cocaine-induced seizure (born 1963).
• Jun 20, 1986: Jim Fregosi replaces Tony LaRussa as White Sox manager
• Jun 21, 1986: Living on Video by Trans-X peaks at #61
• Jun 22, 1986: Judy Dickinson wins LPGA Rochester Golf International
• Jun 23, 1986: Pedro Morales swims world record 100m butterfly
• Jun 24, 1986: US Senate approves tax reform
• Jun 25, 1986: Former Belgium Premier Vanden Boeynants sentenced for fraud
• Jun 27, 1986: World Court rules US aid to Nicaraguan contras illegal.
• Jun 28, 1986: Irish population condemns divorce
• Jun 29, 1986: Argentina becomes world champion soccer team
• Jun 30, 1986: Georgia sodomy law upheld by Supreme Court
• Jul 1, 1986: CSX Transportation is established.
• Jul 2, 1986: After 14 wins, Roger Clemens suffer his 1st loss of year
• Jul 3, 1986: U.S. President Ronald Reagan presides over the relighting of the renovated Statue of Liberty.
• Jul 5, 1986: 93rd Wimbledon Womens Tennis: M Navratilova beats H Mandlikova
• Jul 6, 1986: 100th Wimbledon Mens Tennis: Boris Becker beats Ivan Lendl
• Jul 7, 1986: IBM-PC DOS Version 3.2 (updated) released
• Jul 8, 1986: Zimbabwe beats Netherlands by 25 runs to win ICC Trophy
• Jul 9, 1986: Padres trade pitcher Tim Stoddard to Yankees for pitcher Ed Whitson
• Jul 11, 1986: Mary Beth Whitehead christens surrogate Baby M, Sara
• Jul 13, 1986: In the California - Mexico border region, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurs.
• Jul 14, 1986: 10 killed and 60 injured at ETA-bomb attack in Madrid
• Jul 15, 1986: 57th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 3-2 at Astrodome, Houston
• Jul 17, 1986: Emmy 13th Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci loses for 7th time
• Jul 18, 1986: 115th British Golf Open: Greg Norman shoots a 280 at Turnberry Scotld
• Jul 19, 1986: Indian pitcher Phil Niekro wins his 307th game tying him with
• Jul 20, 1986: Jane Geddes wins LPGA Boston Five Golf Classic
• Jul 21, 1986: Barbara Palacios Teyde, 22, of Venezuela, crowned 35th Miss Universe
• Jul 22, 1986: House of Representatives impeaches Judge Harry E Claiborne on tax evasion.
• Jul 23, 1986: King Hassan II meets with Israeli Premier Simon Peres
• Jul 24, 1986: San Francisco Federal jury convicts navy radioman Jerry Whitworth of espionage.
• Jul 25, 1986: Sikhs extremist kill 16 hindus in Muhktsar India
• Jul 26, 1986: Lebanese kidnappers released Reverend Lawrence Martin Jenco.
• Jul 27, 1986: 14th du Maurier Golf Classic: Pat Bradley
• Jul 28, 1986: Bomb attack in East Beirut, 25 killed
• Jul 29, 1986: Bomb attack in West-Beirut, 30 killed
• Aug 1, 1986: Bert Blyleven becomes 10th pitcher to strike out 3,000
• Aug 2, 1986: TODAY / PC born today
• Aug 3, 1986: Amy Alcott wins LPGA National Golf Pro-Am
• Aug 4, 1986: OPEC lowers oil production 20%
• Aug 5, 1986: Steve Carlton is 2nd to pitch 4,000 strikeout
• Aug 6, 1986: Phil Katz releases PKARC version 1.0, for IBM
• Aug 7, 1986: Honky Tonk Nights opens at Biltmore Theater NYC for 4 performances
• Aug 8, 1986: Record 3 grandslams in a game-
• Aug 9, 1986: Honky Tonk Nights closes at Biltmore Theater NYC after 4 performances
• Aug 10, 1986: Me & My Girl opens at Marquis Theater NYC for 1420 performances
• Aug 11, 1986: 68th PGA Championship: Bob Tway shoots a 276 at Inverness Club Toledo
• Aug 12, 1986: Don Baylor gets hits by a pitch for a record 25th time in a season.
• Aug 13, 1986: KRE-AM in Berkeley CA changes call letters to KBLX
• Aug 14, 1986: Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto arrested
• Aug 15, 1986: US President Ronald Reagan decides to support a replacement for the space shuttle Challenger.
• Aug 17, 1986: Cindy Mackey wins LPGA MasterCard International Golf Pro-Am
• Aug 18, 1986: Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Philadelphia PA on WYSP 94.1 FM
• Aug 19, 1986: Car bomb kills 20 in Tehran Iran
• Aug 20, 1986: Mail carrier Patrick Sherrill, Edmond Ok, shot 14 fellow workers dead
• Aug 21, 1986: Rags opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 4 performances
• Aug 22, 1986: Gas from Volcano Chamberoen kills 1,734
• Aug 23, 1986: Rags closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 4 performances
• Aug 24, 1986: Juli Inkster wins Atlantic City LPGA Golf Classic
• Aug 26, 1986: Rosa Mota wins Stuttgart female marathon
• Aug 27, 1986: Emmy News and Documentaries Award presentation
• Aug 28, 1986: Bolivia President Victor Paz Estensoro calls state of siege
• Aug 29, 1986: Morocco King Hassan II signs unity treaty with Libya
• Aug 30, 1986: Gelindo Bordin wins Stuttgart marathon
• Aug 31, 1986: Russian cargo ship crashes into cruise ship Admiral Nakhimov; 398 die
• Sep 1, 1986: Betsy King wins LPGA Rail Charity Golf Classic
• Sep 2, 1986: Cathy Evelyn Smith sentenced to three years for death of John Belushi.
• Sep 3, 1986: Astros and Cubs use a record 53 players in an 18 inning game
• Sep 4, 1986: 189.42 million shares traded in New York Stock Exchange
• Sep 5, 1986: 3rd MTV Awards: Whitney Houston wins
• Sep 6, 1986: Attack on synagogue in Istanbul, 23 killed
• Sep 7, 1986: 100th US Womens Tennis: M Navratilova beats Helena Sukova
• Sep 8, 1986: Westinghouse sells Muzak
• Sep 9, 1986: At the Palladium in Manhattan, New York, Compaq Computer introduces the Compaq Deskpro 386, the first 80386-based personal computer offered by a major computer manufacturer. The Model 40 features a 16 MHz Intel 80386 and 40 MB hard drive, for US$6449. The Model 130 has a 130 MB hard drive, for US$8799.
• Sep 10, 1986: Bryan O'Connor named chairman of US Space Flight Safety Panel.
• Sep 11, 1986: President Mubarak receives Israeli Premier Peres
• Sep 12, 1986: 240.49 million shares traded in New York Stock Exchange
• Sep 13, 1986: Kellye Cash (Tenn), 21, crowned 60th Miss America 1987
• Sep 14, 1986: Bomb attack in Paris, 2 killed
• Sep 15, 1986: 1st broadcast of LA Law on NBC-TV
• Sep 16, 1986: Fire in Kinross gold mine, Transvaal South Africa, 177 killed
• Sep 17, 1986: Bomb attack in Paris, 6 killed
• Sep 18, 1986: Motorola announces the Motorola 68030 microprocessor. It incorporates about 300,000 transistors.
• Sep 19, 1986: Captain EO with Michael Jackson premieres
• Sep 20, 1986: Wichita State Shockers blow a 35-3 lead; lose 36-35 to Morehead State.
• Sep 21, 1986: 38th Emmy Awards: Golden Girls, Cagney and Lacey and Michael J Fox win
• Sep 22, 1986: 35 countries signs disarmament accord in Stockholm
• Sep 23, 1986: Astro Jim Deshaies strikes out 1st 8 Dodger of game
• Sep 25, 1986: Antonin Scalia appointed to Supreme Court
• Sep 26, 1986: William Hubbs Rehnquist, sworn in as Chief Justice of Supreme Court
• Sep 27, 1986: US Senate joins House of Representatives voting for sweeping tax reforms.
• Sep 28, 1986: Tight end Brian Foster of RI catches NCAA record 18 passes for 327 yards
• Sep 29, 1986: Airwolf, TV Adventure
• Sep 30, 1986: US releases Soviet spy Gennadiy Zakharov.
• Oct 1, 1986: U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs the Goldwater-Nichols Act into law, making official the largest reorganization of the United States Department of Defense since the Air Force was made a separate branch of service in 1947.
• Oct 2, 1986: Failed assassination attempt on India Premier Rajiv Gandhi
• Oct 3, 1986: Baltimore loses assuring Orioles of their 1st last-place finish
• Oct 4, 1986: New York Yank Dave Righetti saves doubleheader for then record 46 saves
• Oct 5, 1986: London Sunday Times reports Israel is stocking nuclear arms.
• Oct 6, 1986: Russian nuclear sub sinks in Atlantic Ocean
• Oct 7, 1986: 1st edition British newspaper Independent begins publishing
• Oct 8, 1986: RUN DMC calls for a day of peace among LA street gangs
• Oct 9, 1986: Phantom of the Opera premeires in London
• Oct 10, 1986: 7.5 Earthquake strikes San Salvador, El Salvador
• Oct 11, 1986: Reagan and Gorbachev open talks at a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland
• Oct 12, 1986: California Angels, within one pitch of pennant victory lose to Boston Red Sox.
• Oct 13, 1986: 20th Country Music Association Award
• Oct 14, 1986: IOC decides to stagger Winter and Summer Olympic schedule
• Oct 15, 1986: Longest post-season game, New York Mets beat Houston Astros 7-6 in 16 innings and win National League pennant.
• Oct 16, 1986: Raggedy Ann opens at Nederlander Theater NYC for 5 performances
• Oct 17, 1986: Yitzak Rabin forms Israeli government
• Oct 19, 1986: Flamenco Puro opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 40 performances
• Oct 20, 1986: Tupolev-134 crashes in Southern Africa
• Oct 21, 1986: IBM re-forms in South Africa
• Oct 22, 1986: Into the Light opens at Neil Simon Theater NYC for 6 performances
• Oct 24, 1986: Great Britain drops diplomatic relations with Syria
• Oct 25, 1986: Trailing 5-3 with 2 out and no one on in bottom of 10th, New York rallies to win Game 6 of the World Series, 6-5, Bill Buckner misplays a ball
• Oct 26, 1986: Into the Light closes at Neil Simon Theater NYC after 6 performances
• Oct 27, 1986: New York Mets beat Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3 in 83rd World Series
• Oct 28, 1986: KOB-AM in Albuquerque NM changes call letters to KKOB
• Oct 29, 1986: Kirk Muller scores New Jersey Devil record 6 point, beat Penguins, 8-6
• Oct 30, 1986: Discovery moves to OPF where more than 200 modification are made
• Nov 1, 1986: Fire in Sandoz-factory Basel, 30 tons of chemicals in the Rhine
• Nov 2, 1986: 17th NYC Marathon won by Gianni Poli in 2:11:06
• Nov 3, 1986: Federated States of Micronesia signs Compact of Free Association with US
• Nov 4, 1986: Democrats regain control of the United States Senate for the first time in six years.
• Nov 5, 1986: USS Rentz, USS Reeves and USS Oldendorf visit Qingdao (Tsing Tao) China -- the first US Naval visit to China since 1949.
• Nov 6, 1986: Rev Donald Wildmon begins a campaign against Howard Stern
• Nov 8, 1986: Song & Dance closes at Royale Theater NYC after 474 performances
• Nov 9, 1986: Ai-Yu Tu wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
• Nov 10, 1986: Bangladesh Constitution restored
• Nov 11, 1986: Suriname government proclaims gold purification
• Nov 12, 1986: Roger Clemens wins AL Cy Young Award unanimously
• Nov 13, 1986: Giselle Jeanne-Marie LaRonde of Trinidad, 23, crowned 36th Miss World
• Nov 14, 1986: Doubleday Publishing sells New York Mets to Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon
• Nov 15, 1986: 2nd time Saturday Night Live uses a time delay
• Nov 17, 1986: Oh Coward! opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 56 performances
• Nov 18, 1986: Roger Clemens wins AL MVP
• Nov 19, 1986: Phillies 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt wins NL MVP
• Nov 20, 1986: Afghanistan President Babrak Karmal flees
• Nov 21, 1986: Central African Republic adopts constitution
• Nov 22, 1986: Wayne Gretzky, of Edmonton Oilers, became 13th NHL player to score 500 goals.
• Nov 24, 1986: Smile opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 48 performances
• Nov 25, 1986: Iran-Contra affair erupts, President Reagan reveals secret arm deal
• Nov 26, 1986: U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces that former Senator John Tower, former Secretary of State Edmund Muskie, and former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft will serve as members of the Special Review Board looking into the Iran-Contra arms scandal (they became known as the Tower Commission). Reagan denies involvement in the scandal.
• Nov 28, 1986: Hilbert van der Duim skates 1 hour world record 39.4928 km
• Nov 30, 1986: Flamenco Puro closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 40 performances
• Dec 1, 1986: Paul McCartney releases Only Love Remains
• Dec 2, 1986: Dow-Jones index hits record 1955.57
• Dec 3, 1986: Sri Lanka all out 55 versus West Indies in one-dayer Walsh 5-1 in four 3 overs.
• Dec 4, 1986: NASA launches Fltsatcom-7.
• Dec 6, 1986: 52nd Heisman Trophy Award: Vinny Testaverde, Miami Florida (quarterback).
• Dec 7, 1986: Juli Inkster / Tom Purtzer wins LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic
• Dec 8, 1986: US House Democrats select majority leader Jim Wright as 48th speaker.
• Dec 10, 1986: Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel accepts 1986 Nobel Peace Prize.
• Dec 11, 1986: South Africa censors press.
• Dec 12, 1986: Russian Tupolev-134 crashes in East Berlin, 70 killed.
• Dec 14, 1986: Voyager experimental aircraft, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, California on first non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world.
• Dec 15, 1986: CIA director William Casey suffers a cerebral seizure
• Dec 16, 1986: Revolt in Kazakhstan against Communist Party of Kazakhstan, known as Zheltoksan, which becomes the first sign of ethnic strife during Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's tenure
• Dec 17, 1986: US Congress forms "Irangate" committee.
• Dec 18, 1986: Mr Gates, serves as acting Director of CIA
• Dec 19, 1986: USSR frees dissident Andrei Sakharov from internal exile
• Dec 20, 1986: White teenagers beat blacks in Howard Beach, New York
• Dec 21, 1986: Amy Alcott / Bob Charles wins LPGA Mazda Golf Championship
• Dec 23, 1986: Rutan andYeager make 1st around-the-world flight without refueling
• Dec 24, 1986: French hostage Aurel Cornea, held in Lebanon for 9 months, released.
• Dec 26, 1986: Captured Iraqi Airways Boeing-737 in Saudi Arabia, about 60 killed
• Dec 27, 1986: Les Miserables opens at Kennedy Center, Washington DC
• Dec 28, 1986: Pat Davis, ranked 412th among world tennis competitors, wins Davis Cup.
• Dec 30, 1986: US begins military exercises in Honduras.
• Dec 31, 1986: Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 97

The year 1986 refers to a specific year in the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly used internationally. It is the 87th year of the 20th century and the 6th year of the 1980s decade. In the Gregorian calendar, it follows 1985 and precedes 1987.