1986

/ Rev. Patti

~ Welcome to 1986 ~

Now that 1985 has gone by in a flash it’s time to get out and take a quick look of the year that was 1986. But first, let’s take a look at the top music of the year.

Top 10 Billboard Hits of 1985

10.) Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer

9.) Kyrie by Mr. Mister

8.) Burning Heart by Survivor

7.) Party All the Time by Eddie Murphy

6.) How Will I Know by Whitney Houston

5.) Broken Wings by Mr. Mister

4.) On My Own by Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald

3.) I Miss You by Klymaxx

2.) Say You, Say Me by Lionel Richie

And drum roll the number one hit of 1986 was…..

That’s What Friends Are For by Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Elton John & Stevie Wonder

Top Headlines of 1986

  1. Spain and Portugal join European Economic Community.
  2. President Reagan freezes Libyan assets in US and US planes attack Libyan terrorist centers.
  3. Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees to France.
  4. President Ferdinand Marcos flees Philippines after ruling for 20 years; newly elected Corazon Aquino succeeds him.
  5. Union Carbide agrees to settlement with victims of Bhopal gas leak in India.
  6. Major unclear accident at Soviet Union’s Chernobyl power station alarms the world.
  7. Ex-Navy analyst, Jonathan Jay Pollard, 31, guilty as spy for Israel.
  8. World Court rules US broke international law in mining Nicaraguan waters.
  9. US Supreme Court bars racial bias in trial jury selection.
  10. Space shuttle Challenger explodes after launch at Cape Canaveral, killing all seven on aboard.
  11. US Supreme Court reaffirms abortion rights.
  12. Senate Judiciary Committee approves William H. Rehnquist as Chief Justice of US Supreme Court.
  13. House votes arms appropriations bill rejecting Reagan’s “star wars” policy.
  14. Secret initiative to send arms to Iran revealed; Regan denies exchanging arms for hostages and halts arms sales; diversion of funds from arms sales to Nicaraguan Contras revealed.
  15. Barry Diller, head of News Corp., creates Fox, the fourth television network. Fox offers 10 hours of prime time programming a week.
  16. The Television Bureau of Advertising announces that the average American household watches TV for more than seven hours a day.
  17. The Oprah Winfrey Show hits national TV.
  18. The Academic American Encyclopedia is available on CD. It is the first reference work published in this medium.
  19. Nintendo video games are introduced in the US.
  20. I. Alex Muller of Switzerland and J. Georg Bednorz of Germany discover super conductivity in a ceramic material at -397° F, a higher temperature than ever before.
  21. Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager make the first nonstop flight around the world without refueling. The Voyager flew around the world (24,986 miles from Edwards aFB, CA, returning in 216 hours, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds.
  22. The first genetically engineered vaccine, for hepatitis B, gains FDA approval.
  23. The Voyager 2 probe passes Uranus in January, returning images and data on its moon, rings, atmosphere, interior, and magnetic field.
  24. Halley’s comet yields information on return visit on April 10th.

Prices in 1986

  • Avg. Home Cost – $111,900
  • Avg. Car Cost – $5,595
  • Avg. Yearly Income – $30,759
  • Minimum Wage – $3.35
  • Postage Stamp – $.22
  • Gallon Gas – $.86
  • Movie Ticket – $3.71
  • Federal Debt – $2120.6 billion
  • McDonalds Value Meal – $285
  • Smoked Ham – $.89 lb
  • Turkey – $.35 lb
  • Canned Pumpkin – $.19
  • Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs – $.79
  • Fresh Yams – $.08 lb
  • Peaches – $.29 lb
  • Chicken – $.33 lb
  • Chuck Steak – $.59 lb
  • Pint Strawberries – $.29
  • 10 lbs Potatoes – $.79
  • Ivory Dish Liquid – $.79
  • Cake Mix – $.59
  • 1 lb Parkay Margarine – $.49
  • 1lb Coffee – $1.99
  • Pork Chops – $.88 lb
  • Rib Roast – $.89 lb
  • 2 lb Velveeta – $.68
  • Kool-Aid – $.05 PKG
  • 10 lbs Sugar – $1.48
  • Sirloin Steak – $1.29 lb
  • Head of Lettuce – $.39
  • 1 lb Bacon – $.99
  • T-Bone Steak – $1.69
  • 1 lb Ground Beef – $.79
  • 12 oz Bologna – $.99

Toys of 1986

  • Atari 2600 – Was still selling in 1986 probably because it was the cheapest home gaming system on the market for $49 and the games sold for $6.97 to $34.97.
  • Atari 5200 – This was a more advanced version of the 2600 which had better graphics and more games and sold for $79. The games sold from $24.97 to $36.97.
  • Coleco Vision – Claimed to be better quality than the Atari cousins and sold for $99.84 and it’s games sold from $19.97 to $36.97.
  • Teddy Ruxpin – This story telling bear was still going strong in 1986 and sold for $64.97.
  • Cabbage Patch Kids & Preemies – This craze was still hanging in there in 1986 and little girls were still begging for them. They sold for around $30 each.
  • Puffalumps – Another cuddly stuffed animal that were plush, cuddly and stood 15 inches tall and sold for $19.97.
  • Nintendo Action Set – This was the gaming console that stole the show when it came to the other gaming systems. It came with the Zapper light gun, to controllers and Duck Hunt and Super Mario Brothers games. It sold for $99.99.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Super popular with the boys. They went crazy over the Turtle action figures. They sold for $3.49 each.
  • Nintendo Game Boy – This immediately became the top handheld game in 1986. Came with a Tetris Game Pack, headphones for digital stereo sound. Video link cable for multiple players, recharger battery pack and batteries. It sold for $89.99.
  • Voltron Defender of the Universe Sets – These were yellow and green sets or blue and red sets all had moveable parts and became lions and could be combined to build a Deluxe Lion Robot. They sold for $15.99 each.
  • Transformers Construction Assortment – They sold a told of 6 in this set and were all construction vehicles that turned into robots. They sold for $4.49 each.
  • Sega Genesis – This was the more powerful game system at 16-Bits and featured high definition arcade quality graphics, real world voices, sounds and music in stereo. This sold for $189.99.

Top TV Shows of 1986

  1. The Cosby Show
  2. Family Ties
  3. Cheers
  4. Murder, She Wrote
  5. The Golden Girls
  6. 60 Minutes
  7. Night Court
  8. Growing Pains
  9. Moonlighting
  10. Who’s the Boss?
  11. Dallas
  12. Newhart
  13. Amen
  14. 227
  15. Matlock
  16. CBS Sunday Night Movie
  17. NBC Monday Night Movie
  18. Monday Night Football
  19. Kate & Allie
  20. NBC Sunday Night Movie

Top Movies of 1986

  1. Aliens
  2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
  3. Stand by Me
  4. Top Gun
  5. Platoon
  6. Big Trouble in Little China
  7. Crocodile Dundee
  8. Highlander
  9. Hoosiers
  10. The Fly
  11. Little Shop of Horrors
  12. Manhunter
  13. Ruthless People
  14. Pretty in Pink
  15. Three Amigos
  16. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
  17. Labyrinth
  18. Heartbreak Ridge
  19. The Color of Money
  20. The Hitcher

Well there you have it that was the year of 1986. Tomorrow we’ll take a quick trip through 1987.

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