1986

Events

Dated Events

• Real World: January 20. The U.K. and France announce plans for the Channel Tunnel.

• Real World: January 28. The space shuttle Challenger explodes during takeoff, killing all aboard.

• Real World: February 7. Jean-Claude Duvalier flees Haiti.

• Real World: February 19. The Mir space station is launched by the Soviet Union.

• Real World: April 3. The first laptop computer, the PC Convertible, is released by IBM.

• Real World: April 26. One of the reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine explodes, killing 31 instantly and exposing thousands to radiation; vast areas in Belarus and Ukraine near Chernobyl are rendered uninhabitable.

• Real World: October 11. U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Iceland in abortive talks to scale back their respective missile arsenals in Europe.

• Real World: November 3. The Iran-Contra affair is revealed by a Lebanese magazine.

Undated Events

• DC (Generations): Superman continues to hunt for Lex Luthor; Wonder Woman (Stephanie Trevor) and the Guardian take over for him as defenders of Metropolis. Mei-Lei and Bruce Wayne Jr. are married by this time, and Bruce has raised Clark as his own son. Driven to the brink of madness by Kara's death, Batman III's methods have grown brutal and dangerous enough that the Justice League of America decides to track him down and stop him. Confronting him after he defeats the Hyena, he battles the JLA, only to realize how far he is falling when he nearly beats Alan Scott to death. Returning home, he asks for Mei-Lai's help. (Superman & Batman: Generations II)
• Masters of the Universe: Lorraine and William Winston die in a plane crash and are buried in Laurelwood Cemetary. This is undone after Gwildor uses the Cosmic Key to send their daughter, Julie, back in time and stop them from taking the plane. (Masters of the Universe: The Motion Picture)

• Real World: "Old school" rap is considered to hit its heyday in this year.

New Fictional Works

Notable Books

Ghost by Piers Anthony, Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy, Redwall by Brian Jacques, It by Stephen King, The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum, The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett.

Notable Films

Aliens, GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords, The Golden Child, The Great Mouse Detective, The Karate Kid Part II, Labyrinth, Legend, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Transformers: The Movie.

Notable Comic Books

Crisis on Infinite Earths ends; Batman: The Dark Knight Returns; The Man of Steel; Watchmen begins; The Punisher (mini-series); Ninja High School #1.

Notable Television Series

• Beginning: The Adventures of Jonny Quest, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin (mini-series), The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, Chuck Norris' Karate Kommandos, Defenders of the Earth, Dragon Ball (Japan), Galaxy High School, Inhumanoids, Lazer Tag Academy, Rambo, The Real Ghostbusters, The Seven Mysterious Cities of Gold, Silverhawks, Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea, Starman, Thunderbirds 2086, Ulysses 31 (U.S.), Wildfire.

• Continuing: The A-Team (Season 4), Adventures of the Gummi Bears (Season 2), Amazing Stories (Season 2), Doctor Who (Season 23), Ewoks becomes The All-New Ewoks, MacGyver (Season 2), Thundercats (Season 2), Transformers (Season 3) (Transformers 2010 (Japan)), The Twilight Zone (Season 2).

• Ending: Captain Harlock and the Queen of 1000 Years (U.S.), Centurions, Droids, Galtar and the Golden Lance, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, Kidd Video, Knight Rider, Macron 1, MASK ends, Robotix, She-Ra: Princess of Power, Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, Terrahawks, Tranzor Z (U.S.).

<< Back to 1985

^Up to 1980s^

Forward to 1987 >>