random retro-spective
Inside the chamber
Proceedings in the House of Commons were televised for the first time, 1988
the retro hour: 1986
We've been through the archive and compiled everything we think you need to know about the year. To make it easier for you to find what you're looking for, everything is organised into categories.
the top stories
The American space shuttle Challenger exploded seconds after lift-off,
killing its crew of seven
Michael Heseltine resigned from the cabinet over the row within the Government
over Westland Helicopters
Britain and France both gave the go-ahead to the Channel Tunnel
Two thousand print workers were on strike at Rupert Murdoch's plant at
Wapping
Corazon Aquino was sworn in as the new President of the Philippines
Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince Andrew and Sarah
Ferguson
30 million people ran the Race Against Time organised by Bob Geldolf
Myra Hindley broke her silence leaving the police to search Saddleworth
Moor for two more children
The Government began its safe-sex campaign in the wake of AIDS publicity
45 died when a helicopter crashed into the North Sea two miles off the
Shetlands
Halley's Comet made its 75-yearly visit
on the chart
After a Dire Straits concert was shown on TV, all the group's previous
five albums joined Brothers In Arms in the chart.
The Brit Awards for Best Male and Best Album went to Phil Collins. Annie
Lennox was voted Best Female
Janet Jackson divorced James Debarge
Big band leader Benny Goodman died
Belgium won the Eurovision Song Contest. Their winning song, J'aime La
Vie, was performed by Sandra Kim.
on the tv and at the cinema
Bread, Casualty and The Singing Detective made their debut
Coronation Street actress Pat Phoenix died
The top five TV shows of the year were: EastEnders, Just Good Friends,
Only Fools And Horses, Coronation Street and the Prince and Princess of
Wales
Clint Eastwood became the Mayor of Carmel
in California but James Cagney died at the age
of 86
In Hollywood, Out of Africa won the Oscar for Best Picture
Box office hits were Back to the Future, Rocky IV, Top Gun, The Jewel
of the Nile and
Police Academy III
sports achievements and milestones
Liverpool beat Everton 3-1 in the FA Cup final
Argentina won the World Cup helped by Maradona's "hand of God"
incident
150 to 1 outsider, Joe Johnson from Bradford, won the World Professional
Snooker Championship at The Crucible in Sheffield
Mike Tyson became the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion for the first
time at the age of 20.
30 million people took part in the Race Against Time organised by Bob
Geldof
The Grand National was won by West Tip
The Wimbledon champions were Boris Becker and Martina Navratilova
and finally
Prince Charles admitted on television that he talked to plants
Chess and Phantom of the Opera opened in London
Edwina Currie blamed poor health in the north of England on ignorance.
New words for 1986 included cardboard city: an area where homeless people
lived in
cardboard homes
Laptop computers were sold for the first time in America
Four million people applied for British Gas Shares. The television advertising
campaign concentrated on finding "Sid".