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Quick Facts from 1986: World Changing Event: Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Explosion killed more than 7,000 people in the USSR. The Top Song was That’s What Friends Are For by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder.
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The First Studio Ghibli Film Was Released
Studio Ghibli, now famous for its beautiful and intriguing animation, released its very first animated work this year. This was ‘Luputa: Castle in the Sky’. The release was in August 1986, and the film was both directed and written by HayaoMiyakazi. Miyakazi is an iconic filmmaker as well as the co-founder of Studio Ghibli. For a brand-new animation studio, ‘Castle in the Sky’ was an especially impressive offering. It won many awards and still ranks on many lists of the best-ever animation fi...
Pretty in Pink
This was another one of the legendary teen queen movies from the 80s that starred Molly Ringwald. However, it was one of the last ‘Brat Pack’ movies she would do, as the talented actress would soon move on to more mature projects.
Top Gun
Tony Scott paid an ode to pilots everywhere with this movie. In retrospect, it can be seen as a work about masculinity and how men balance their theatrics with some very deep emotions. Many also hail the film as being one of Tom Cruise’s best roles to date.
The Debut of Phantom of the Opera
The classic stage musical named ‘Phantom of the Opera’ debuted at London’s West End this year. This was Andrew Lloyd Weber’s adaptation and proved amazingly popular. It won the Musical of the Year Award as well as the Best Actor in a Musical award for Michael Crawford (the lead of the show). Eventually, the musical will go to Broadway and win a range of Tony awards as well. Since its release, ‘Phantom of the Opera’ has the longest-running stint on Broadway and the second-longest in the West E...
The Disintegration of the Space Shuttle Challenger
The year began with the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrating just 73 seconds after its launch. Seven astronauts were on board; one was a teacher who was selected and trained especially for this mission. All the astronauts were killed when the Space Shuttle exploded. This disaster resulted in the suspension of the Space Shuttle program for two years, during which the matter was investigated and the safety features improved. A special government commission was engaged to inves...
The Rutan Voyager’s Non-Stop Flight
Rutan Voyager, an experimental aircraft, was able to make a continuous nonstop flight around the globe without needing to stop for fuel. This occurred in December 196. The aircraft was made of lightweight graphite and its construction took around six years to complete. The pilots were Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan. All in all, the record-breaking flight took about nine days with 25,012 miles traveled. They landed at the Edwards Air Force Base just in time, though; there were just five gallons l...
Launch of the Polar BEAR Satellite
The Polar Beacon and Research Satellite was a satellite that launched from an airbase in California. This was in November 1986, and the mission’s objective was to study the communication interface of solar flares as well as the activity from aurora borealis. The Polar BEAR satellite weighed around 250 pounds, but it wasn’t made from scratch. Its body was that of an old Navy satellite, which had been on display in the National Air and Space Museum for the past eight years. The launch was succe...
The First Goodwill Games
The first Goodwill Games were held in Moscow in 1986. This event started out as a way to overcome the political issues that surrounded the Olympic events in the 1980s. Since the Society had invaded Afghanistan in 1979, several Western countries, including the United States, had boycotted the Olympics held in Moscow that year. The Soviet Union then boycotted the Summer Olympics held in 1984 in Los Angele. The Goodwill Games started as a way to get around these troubles. They were intended to o...
Soccer World Cup
The Soccer World Cup was held this year. Argentina won the final against West Germany. The score was 3-2. The star of the show was Diego Maradona, with his well-remembered ‘Hand of God’ goal.
Tennis Defaulting
A tennis superstar defaulted for the first time. Jim Conners argued a line call and wouldn’t come back to play against Ivan Lendi. He eventually lost a point, then the game, and the whole match. His actions were heavily criticized. It was even said that he simply quit the match instead of trying to win.
Long, Full Coat
A long and full wool coat was the perfect way to finish off your outfit in the fall of 1985. It acted as a unifier between the fragmented kinds of fashion that defined the 80s decade. The ‘anything goes’ sentiment was perfectly complemented by the long coat, which would cover up long skirts, skinny jeans, huge sweaters, blouses, jackets, and so on.
The Search for Fresh Looks
In London, a fresh new designer named Alistair Duncan Blair had his first collection acclaimed for that tailored, elegant look. In Milan, Romeo Gigli put his architect training to use by bringing an old-fashioned, relatively simple charm to everyday skirts and sweaters. Italy also had Zack Carr, who once worked at Calvin Klein. Carr created minimalistic designs for the likes of Valentino and Giorgio Armani. One very promising designer then was Marc Jacobs; at the young age of 23, he offered s...
Sportswear
Sportswear designers in New York were sought after for their contemporary fashions. They would upgrade their designs by utilizing luxury, expensive fabrics like alpaca and cashmere instead of putting on more frills. The top names in the sportswear category were Donna Karen, Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis, and Ralph Lauren.
The Debut of The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey show debuted in September 1986. It had seen success with the local audiences in Chicago, so up-and-coming host Oprah Winfrey signed a syndication deal. She was soon hosting the talk show with the highest ratings in the United States. Her show lasted for no less than 25 seasons and won more than 45 Daytime Emmy Awards. She remains a highly influential figure within American pop culture and is now among the richest African-American women in the world.
The First Airing of the Original My Little Pony TV Show
It was also in 1986 when the original My Little Pony TV show first aired. The show was produced by Sunbow Productions (known for creating the animated G.I. Joe commercials) and Marvel Productions, in partnership with Japanese animated studio Toei Animation and Korean animation studio AKOM. The show originally aired on September 15, 1986, and ended on September 25, 1987. This particular show is based on the popular toy line of the same name that was introduced in 1981 by Hasbro. To learn more...
Nuclear Explosion in Chernobyl
On April 26th, 1986, a Soviet Nuclear reactor exploded in Chernobyl, Ukraine. At that time, Ukraine was still within the Soviet Union. The explosion released a lot of radioactive material, scattering it over a major part of Europe. This debris adversely affected the safety and health of thousands, including both the workers at the plant as well as the general population. Thousands were evacuated, though the radioactive dust and debris are said to have gone as far off as Finland and Sweden. Th...
Rise of the Mad Cow Disease
The Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, which is more commonly known as Mad Cow Disease, started in November 1986. This disease was first identified in an agricultural lab located in England. It was said that the outbreak would affect about 150,000 British cows alone. However, it was also believed that the disease originated back in 1984. The symptoms of these diseases include a rapid decline in cognitive functions and behavioral patterns. Cows showed an increase in aggression and their gait wo...
Halley’s Comet Comes Close to Earth
In March 1986, Halley’s comet visited the solar system for the second time within the 20th century. Many space probes fly by it, and the comet came closer to Earth than it had ever done before. This gave space agencies all over the world a chance to send out their space probes and observe the comet as best as they could. The probes included Sakigake and Suisei from Japan, Vega 1 and Vega 1 from Russia, Giotto from Europe, and the International Cometary Explorer from NASA.
The Launch of the American Girl Dolls
On May 5, 1986, the American Girl dolls were first released. American Girl is a line of high-quality dolls that were produced by a toy company called Pleasant Company. Each American Girl doll is portrayed as a young girl aged eight to fourteen belonging to a specific ethnicity or social class. The dolls also belong to different time periods in history, and each of these dolls comes with books that tell their story. For more information on American Girl dolls, read our article titled “The Most...
The Release of Popples
It was also in 1986 when Popples, a line of transforming marsupial stuffed toys, was released by American Greetings (a popular greeting card producer) and Mattel (one of the biggest toy companies in the world). In addition to the release of the toy line, American Greetings also partnered with two production companies, namely DIC Enterprises and LBS Communications, to air the Popples animated TV show in syndication. If you want to know more about this toy line, you can read The Nostalgic Histo...
- Grocery Prices in the Year 1986. These 1986 grocery prices have been made available courtesy of the Morris County Public Library in Whippany, NJ. Apples (Red Delicious): 69 cents a pound.
- The U.S. Economy and Consumer Spending in 1986. U.S. Economy: In 1986, the housing boom of the early 1980s was slowing down. The consumer price index (CPI) was 109.6.
- History Facts and Events From the USA and World. In 1986, Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, and George H. W. Bush was Vice President. The violent crime rate in America was 54.8 per 100,000 residents.
- Sports Facts and Trivia. Generally suitable for all age groups, sports questions are a welcome addition to any trivia night quiz. On January 1, Oklahoma defeated Penn State in the Orange Bowl.
What Happened in 1986 Major Events, Born This Year, Popular Culture, Prices. What happened in 1986 Major News Stories include, Sweeping tax reform legislation USA, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) commonly known as mad cow disease hits UK Cattle and causes major reform in farming practices.
Sep 8, 2022 · 1985. If we had to sum up the year 1986, the underlying theme of it was about setbacks in the midst of progress. In this episode, we’ll look at some of the major pop culture moments, including the movies, TV shows, technology, sports, music, and other significant cultural moments.
Aug 24, 2007 · Ferris Bueller took a day off while the Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX. 1986 saw the birth of Lindsay Lohan and the Olsen twins and the deaths of Donna Reed and Cary Grant. Learn all about the year that celebrated the first MLK Day and take Mr. Ocean’s advice, “When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going.”
Apr 19, 2016 · Afghan girls wave to a convoy of Red Army armored personnel vehicles in Kabul, Afghanistan, on October 17, 1986, as Red Army units returned to the Soviet Union.
