The Year 1986 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1986. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports trivia, grocery prices, and much more.

1. In 1986, Ronald Reagan was the 40th U.S. president, and George H. W. Bush was the nation’s vice president.
2. The U.S. unemployment rate averaged 7.00%. Employment gains for the year took place primarily in the service-producing sector, with particularly large gains occurring in finance, insurance, and real estate.
3. Inflation was 1.86%, the prime rate hovered around 10.00%, and the retail price for a gallon of gas averaged 93 cents.
4. About 62% of Americans were homeowners, and 60% of them carried a mortgage. Homeowners who carried a mortgage paid an average of $3,889 on mortgage interest and charges.
5. The violent crime rate in America was 54.8 per 100,000 residents. On the other hand, about 49 of every 100,000 Americans were victims of property crime.
6. At the grocery store, a gallon of milk cost $2.22, bacon was $1.69 a pound, and eggs were 87 cents a dozen. An 18-ounce jar of Skippy peanut butter cost $1.49, potatoes were $1.00 for a five-pound bag, and Fleischmann’s margarine was 99 cents for a one-pound package.
7. Light bulbs were 25 cents each, and garbage bags cost 99 cents for a 20-count box. A four-pack of AA batteries cost $3.38, and Tylenol was $5.29 for a 100-count bottle.
8. The sticker price on a 1986 Ford Mustang was $8,479, and a new Dodge D-50 pickup truck cost $5,595.
9. Security guards earned $5.56 an hour, and newspaper delivery drivers made about $100.00 a week.
10. On January 9, Kodak left the instant camera business after Polaroid defeated them in a patent battle. Camerapedia.Fandom.com explains that “The Polaroid Corporation was founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most renowned for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948 and continued to be the company's flagship product line.”
11. On January 20, President Reagan signed a bill making Martin Luther King Day a national holiday.
12. On January 21, the United Kingdom and France announced plans to build the Channel Tunnel. Wikipedia teaches us that the Channel Tunnel is a 31.35-mile rail tunnel beneath the English Channel that links Folkestone, Kent, in England, with Coquelles, in northern France. It is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland.
13. On January 23, the pop music pioneers Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and the Everly Brothers were all inducted into the first class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The historic jam session occurred at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, nine years before the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum opened in Cleveland, Ohio.
14. On January 26, the Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl by defeating the New England Patriots, 46-10, and winning their first championship since 1963.
15. On January 28, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members aboard.
16. On February 3, Philip Elmer-DeWitt first used the term “vaporware” in a Time magazine article. ComputerHope.com tells us that vaporware is “used to describe software that is announced by a company but not yet released.”
17. On February 9, Halley’s Comet appeared in the night sky, as it also did back in 1682, 1758, 1835, and 1910. Halley’s Comet orbits the sun every 75 to 76 years and will not be seen again until 2062.
18. On February 17, Johnson & Johnson announced that they would no longer produce over-the-counter medication in capsules. The announcement came nine days after cyanide-contaminated Tylenol capsules killed a woman in suburban New York City and more than three years after tainted capsules killed seven people in Illinois.
19. On March 13, Microsoft went public. Biography.com tells us that Bill Gates “took Microsoft public with an initial public offering (IPO) of $21 per share, making him an instant millionaire at age 31. Gates held 45 percent of the company's 24.7 million shares, making his stake at that time $234 million of Microsoft's $520 million.”
20. On March 19, the domain name IBM.com came online. Wired.com reminds us that “In those early days, even before AOL, the internet was a noncommercial medium that only eggheads and propellerheads used. It was more of a military and academic tool than today's vast playground.”
21. At the 58th Academy Awards on March 24, Out of Africa won an Oscar for Best Picture, and Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa) won an Oscar for Best Director. William Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman) won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Geraldine Page (The Trip to Bountiful) won an Oscar for Best Actress. Finally, Don Ameche (Cocoon) won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and Anjelica Huston (Prizzi’s Honor) won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
22. On April 1, crude oil prices hit $9.75 a barrel, which was a 25-year low.
23. On April 11, Kellogg’s stopped giving tours of their breakfast cereal plant in Battle Creek, Michigan, because they feared that “industrial spies would obtain company secrets.”
24. On April 17, the Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Years' War, which began in 1651, came to an end. The longest war in history was “a bloodless conflict” between the Netherlands and the tiny Isles of Scilly, which are located off the southwest coast of England.
25. On April 26, the worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred at the Chornobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union. History.com reveals that “Thirty-two people died and dozens more suffered radiation burns in the opening days of the crisis, but only after Swedish authorities reported the fallout did Soviet authorities reluctantly admit that an accident had occurred.”
26. On April 29, a fire at the Los Angeles Public Library destroyed 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. It was the largest library fire ever in the United States.
27. On May 14, the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation (NIOD) published the complete works of Anne Frank's diaries.
28. On May 24, the Montreal Canadiens clinched their 23rd Stanley Cup by defeating the Calgary Flames.
29. On May 25, Hands Across America took place from New York City to Long Beach, California. During the charity event, five million people formed a human chain across America to raise money to fight hunger and homelessness.
30. On July 5, the Statue of Liberty reopened to visitors after an extensive refurbishing.
31. On September 8, The Oprah Winfrey Show premiered on national television, making Oprah “the first Black woman to host a nationally syndicated talk show." Ebony.com tells us that “The Oprah Winfrey Show covered a vast array of topics, from people’s love lives to struggles with weight loss and dieting. After 47 Daytime Emmy Awards and 25 years on the air, Winfrey ended the show in 2011. It’s still the highest-rated talk show in history, and while others have tried to duplicate her success, very few have come close.”
32. At the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 21, The Golden Girls (NBC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and Cagney & Lacey (CBS) won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. Michael J. Fox (Family Ties) won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Betty White (The Golden Girls) won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Finally, Peter the Great (NBC) won an Emmy for Best Miniseries, and Love Is Never Silent (NBC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special.
33. On October 9, media magnate Rupert Murdoch founded the Fox Broadcasting Company. Britannica.com explains that “the network began with 79 affiliate stations that reached 80 percent of homes in the United States. Its first broadcast, a late-night talk show hosted by comedian Joan Rivers, aired on October 9, 1986. The following March, the network expanded into prime-time programming on Saturday and Sunday nights.”
34. On October 27, the New York Mets won their first World Series since 1969 by defeating the Boston Red Sox in seven games.
35. In November, a dozen jurors in Florida got stuck in the courthouse elevator for 20 minutes while on their way to hear a lawsuit against the Otis Elevator Company.
36. On November 5, the Democrats gained control of the U.S. Senate for the first time in six years. The victory dealt a major blow to President Reagan, who had “criss-crossed the country pleading for a Republican victory.”
37. In 1986, there were over 30 million computers in use in the United States.
38. Apple introduced the Mac Plus. The computer had one megabyte of RAM and a keyboard that had cursors and a numeric keypad. It sold for $2,600, which is equivalent in purchasing power to about $7,500 today.
39. General Mills launched Pop Secret microwave popcorn.
40. SPAM with 25% less sodium also appeared on grocery store shelves for the first time.
41. In 1967, Doritos were first sold as basic corn tortilla chips. The nacho cheese variety was introduced in 1972, and the cool ranch flavor didn’t appear until 1986.
42. Best-selling books: A Perfect Spy by John le Carre, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson, and The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum
43. Most popular TV shows: The Cosby Show (NBC), Family Ties (NBC), Cheers (NBC), Murder, She Wrote (NBC), and The Golden Girls (NBC)
44. Highest-grossing films: Top Gun, Crocodile Dundee, Platoon, The Karate Kid Part II, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
45. America’s favorite horror movies: Aliens, April Fool’s Day, Chopping Mall, Critters, Dark Age, Deadly Friend, Deadtime Stories, Demons 2, Escapes, Monster Dog, Mountaintop Motel Massacre, and Psycho III
46. Popular music artists and groups: Anita Baker, Atlantic Starr, Billy Ocean, Bob Seger, Boston, Freddie Jackson, Genesis, Huey Lewis & the News, Janet Jackson, The Jets, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Madonna, Patti LaBelle, Prince, Robert Palmer, Starship, Stephanie Mills, Tina Turner, Van Halen, and Whitney Houston
47. Top-rated songs: That's What Friends Are For (Dionne Warwick & Friends), Walk Like An Egyptian (The Bangles), and On My Own (Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald)
48. Actress Donna Reed and actor Cary Grant both passed away.
49. Raymond Loewy, who designed the Coca-Cola bottle, also died.
50. In 1986 as well, the words "chat room," "codependence," "deep dive," "dress-down day," "FYI," "Internet," "jump scare," "McJob," "megaplex," "microtarget," "pain point," "planogram," "portobello," "stud muffin," and "SUV" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://popculturemadness.com/1986-trivia-fun-facts-and-history/
2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1986
3. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1986
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_in_the_United_States
5. https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/1986
6. https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-1/a-comparison-of-25-years-of-consumer-expenditures-by-homeowners-and-renters.htm
7. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1986.html
8. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices
9. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/1986/
10. https://tinybeans.com/80s-food-you-will-recognize/slide/22/

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor