1986

A look back at the year. Enjoy reading while you listen to the music. (clicking on any link will open a new page, and will not interrupt your song.)

The top grossing movies of 1986 were:

1. Top Gun *** winner Best Original Song ("Take My Breath Away"), Academy Awards

2. Crocodile Dundee

3. Platoon *** winner, Best Picture, Best Director (Oliver Stone) , Academy Awards
4. The Karate Kid, Part II

5. Back to School

6. The Golden Child

7. Aliens *** winner Best Effects, Sound Effect editing, Academy Awards
8. Ruthless People

9. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

10. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

OnTV: The Fox Broadcasting Network launches on Oct. 9. It's first show was a late night talk show-The Late Show with Joan Rivers. The Oprah Winfrey Show also hits national television. ABC premiers Perfect Strangers and Head of the Class. CBS has Designing Women. NBC shows L.A. Law, ALF and Matlock.

On Jan. 28, 1986 the Challenger Space Shuttle explodes 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all 7 crew members. Among the crew was schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. A booster leak ignited the fuel, causing the explosion. Also in space news: The Soviet Union launches the Mir space station on Feb. 19.

Other happenings:

Geraldo Rivera opens Al Capone's secret vault on live TV and finds... a bottle of moonshine.
Hands Across America forms a human chain from New York City to Long Beach, CA. to raise funds to fight hunger and homelessness.
Argentina defeats West Germany to win the FIFA World Cup.
Greg LeMond becomes the first American to win the Tour De France.
The nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in the Soviet Union explode.
Football: Chicago beats New England 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.
Baseball: New York Mets defeat Boston 4 games to 2 in the World Series.

As for the music, here is the list of songs that were on the top of the charts in 1986.

Dionne & Friends - That's What Friends Are For
Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald - On My Own
Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All
Huey Lewis & The News - Stuck With You
Mr. Mister - Kyrie
Prince & The Revolution - Kiss
Madonna - Papa Don't Preach
Whitney Houston - How Will I Know
Peter Cetera - Glory Of Love
Janet Jackson - When I Think Of You
Cyndi Lauper - True Colors
Boston - Amanda
Bruce Hornsby - The Way It Is
Human League - Human
Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love
Billy Ocean - There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)
Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
Berlin - Take My Breath Away
Starship - Sara
Bananarama - Venus
Peter Cetera & Amy Grant - The Next Time I Fall
Bon Jovi - You Give Love A Bad Name
Simply Red - Holding Back The Years
Steve Winwood - Higher Love
Heart - These Dreams
Madonna - Live To Tell
Genesis - Invisible Touch
Tina Turner - Typical Male
Lionel Richie - Dancing On The Ceiling
Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight
Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson - Friends And Lovers
Survivor - Burning Heart
Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
Glass Tiger - Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)
Billy Ocean - When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going
Bangles - Manic Monday
Robert Palmer - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On
John Cougar Mellencamp - R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.
Atlantic Starr - Secret Lovers
Belinda Carlisle - Mad About You
Jets - Crush On You
Huey Lewis & The News - Hip To Be Square
Wham! - I'm Your Man
Janet Jackson - Nasty
Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
El DeBarge - Who's Johnny
Van Halen - Why Can't This Be Love
Stacey Q - Two Of Hearts

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