9 February 1986

Halley’s Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System. Halley’s Comet is one of the most famous comets known to humanity. It’s named after the…

26 April 1986

The Chernobyl disaster occurs in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at…

14 April 1986

The heaviest hailstones ever recorded, each weighing 1 kilogram (2.2 lb), fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92. Hail stones are formed when…

7 March 1986

Challenger Disaster: Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor. The Challenger shuttle disaster was caused by the…

25 February 1986

People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines’ first woman president

23 January 1986

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly…

9 October 1986

The Phantom of the Opera, eventually the second longest running musical in London, opens at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

5 September 1986

Pan Am Flight 73 from Mumbai, India with 358 people on board is hijacked at Karachi International Airport.