1986: Top Songs, Movies, TV Shows, Sporting Events, World Events And More

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Well, we made it! Through the 60’s, the 70’s and now it’s time to party! The decade started out with the U.S. defeating the Russians in hockey for the first time ever for Gold at the Olympics in Lake Placid NY. It was the decade that this thing called a ‘computer’ would begin to find its way into homes, music television would show you the music, cable and satellite TV would begin to find their way into people’s homes. Video games would become more or a regular thing in our homes, cell phones as big as bricks entered our lives, wireless telephones would find their way into our lives and push-button phones began to replace the rotary phone. The space shuttle program implemented by former President Richard Nixon became a reality, the 1985 Super Bowl champs, the Chicago Bears were the most interesting sports characters of the decade and had their own video to prove it. It was a decade of celebs coming together for good causes with U.S.A For Africa’s “We Are The World”, Band-Aid’s “Do They Know Its Christmas”, Farm-Aid and more.

Check out everything that was from this decade, year by year – from the sporting events to world events, the top TV shows, songs, movies and more.

As you’re going back in time, think about some of the things in our lives today that you don’t see appearing here because…. they didn’t exist yet. Things like the top selling computers, tablets, laptops, microwaves, cable provider, wireless company and more.

Let us know some of the things that come to mind below.

For more great memories from any of the years The Beat’s music focuses on, click a year below and we’ll transport you back in time to see everything you may remember or have forgotten.

1970 |1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979

1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989

TOP SONGS
1. That’s What Friends Are For » Dionne & Friends
2. Say You, Say Me » Lionel Richie
3. I Miss You » Klymaxx
4. On My Own » Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald
5. Broken Wings » Mr. Mister
6. How Will I Know » Whitney Houston
7. Party All The Time » Eddie Murphy
8. Burning Heart » Survivor
9. Kyrie » Mr. Mister
10. Addicted To Love » Robert Palmer

GRAMMY WINNERS
Album of the Year: Graceland, Paul Simon
Best New Artist: Bruce Hornsby and the Range
Best Pop Duo or Group: “That’s What Friends Are For,” Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder
Best Pop Female Vocal: The Broadway Album, Barbra Streisand
Best Pop Male Vocal: “Higher Love,” Steve Winwood
Best Rock Duo or Group: “Missionary Man,” Eurythmics
Best Rock Female Vocal: “Back Where You Started,” Tina Turner
Best Rock Male Vocal: “Addicted to Love,” Robert Palmer
Record of the Year: “Higher Love,” Steve Winwood
Song of the Year: “That’s What Friends Are For”

ACADEMY AWARDS
Winners in CAPS
Best Picture:
“PLATOON”, “Children of a Lesser God”, “Hannah and Her Sisters”, “The Mission”, “A Room with a View”
Actor:
PAUL NEWMAN in “The Color of Money”, Dexter Gordon in “‘Round Midnight”, Bob Hoskins in “Mona Lisa”, William Hurt in “Children of a Lesser God”, James Woods in “Salvador”
Actress:
MARLEE MATLIN in “Children of a Lesser God”, Jane Fonda in “The Morning After”, Sissy Spacek in “Crimes of the Heart”, Kathleen Turner in “Peggy Sue Got Married”, Sigourney Weaver in “Aliens”
Supporting Actor:
MICHAEL CAINE in “Hannah and Her Sisters”, Tom Berenger in “Platoon”, Willem Dafoe in “Platoon”, Denholm Elliott in “A Room with a View”, Dennis Hopper in “Hoosiers”
Supporting Actress:
DIANNE WIEST in “Hannah and Her Sisters”, Tess Harper in “Crimes of the Heart”, Piper Laurie in “Children of a Lesser God”, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in “The Color of Money”, Maggie Smith in “A Room with a View”
Director:
OLIVER STONE for “Platoon”, Woody Allen for “Hannah and Her Sisters”, James Ivory for “A Room with a View”, Roland Joffe for “The Mission”, David Lynch for “Blue Velvet”

TOP MOVIES
1 Top Gun Par. $176,786,701
2 Crocodile Dundee Par. $174,803,506
3 Platoon Orion $138,530,565
4 The Karate Kid Part II Col. $115,103,979
5 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Par. $109,713,132
6 Back to School Orion $91,258,000
7 Aliens Fox $85,160,248
8 The Golden Child Par. $79,817,937
9 Ruthless People BV $71,624,879
10 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Par. $70,136,369

TOP TV SHOWS
The Cosby Show / Family Ties / Cheers / Murder She Wrote
The Golden Girls / 60 Minutes / Night Court / Growing Pains
Moonlighting / Who’s the Boss?

EMMY AWARD WINNERS
Best Drama – L.A. Law
Best Actor – Bruce Willis, Moonlighting
Best Actress – Sharon Gless, Cagney and Lacey
Supporting Actor – John Hillerman, Magnum, P.I.
Supporting Actress – Bonnie Bartlett, St. Elsewhere

Best Comedy – The Golden Girls
Best Actor – Michael J. Fox, Family Ties
Best Actress – Rue McClanahan, The Golden Girls
Supporting Actor – John Larroquette, Night Court
Supporting Actress – Jackee Harry, 227
Best Variety – The 1987 Tony Awards

SPORTS
Kentucky Derby Winner: Ferdinand – Trainer: C. Whittingham – Jockey: W. Shoemaker

Football Super Bowl XXI: New York Giants 39 – Denver Broncos 21
Pro MVP: Lawrence Taylor, NY Giants, LB

College Football: #1 Penn St.
Heisman Trophy: Vinny Testaverde, Miami-Fl (QB)
Rose Bowl: Arizona St. 22, Michigan 15
Orange Bowl: Oklahoma 42, Arkansas 8
Cotton Bowl: Ohio St. 28, Texas A&M 12
Sugar Bowl: Nebraska 30, LSU 15

Baskteball:
NBA Championship: Boston Celtics Vs. Houston Rockets
Winner: Boston. in 6
Boston Coach: K.C. Jones
Houston Coach: Bill Fitch
MVP: Larry Bird, Boston, F Average Points Per Game, 25.8
NCAA Champions: Louisville 32W -7L, Coach: Denny Crum

World Series
New York Mets Vs. Boston Red Sox
Winner: New York in 7
New York Coach: Davey Johnson
Boston Coach: John McNamara

National League
MVP: Mike Schmidt, Phi (3B)
Rookie of the Year: Todd Worrell, St. Louis. (OF)

American League
MVP: Roger Clemens, Bos (P)
Rookie of the Year: Jose’ Canseco, Oakland (OF)

TOP NEWS STORIES:
Challenger Explodes 30 Seconds After Lift Off, Seven Crew Die

Gorbachev Asks “Radical Reform”, Condemns Former Leadership

Dow Tops 1,800

The first Martin Luther King day is observed as a federal holiday in the U.S.

Austrian Presidential Candidate Kurt Waldheim Accused Of Nazi Past By “New York Times”

Nuclear Accident At Chernobyl Endangers USSR And Europe

Chief Justice Warren Burger Resigns, William Rehnquest Is Nominated

$70 Million In Aid To Contras Is Approved By Congress

Panamanian Army Chief manual NoriegaIs Accused Of Drug Dealing

1,000% Increase In Aids cases Is Predicted By 1991

First meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force

Reagan halts trade to Libya, calls Qaddafi “Barbarian”

Haitian dictator “Baby Doc Duvalier” is overthrown

Oil falls to $11 a barrel

Inside trader Ivan Boesky pays $100 million fine

$30 million secret weapons sale to Iran is revealed, money went to Contras

Col.Oliver North and National Security Chief John Poindexter are implicated, in Contra operation

Deaths; Desi Arnaz, James Cagney, Benny Godman, Cary Grant.

After losing a patent battle with Polaroid, Kodak must give up its instant camera business

Roger Clemens (Boston, AL) strikes out a record 20 in a row.

Mike Tyson, 20, KO’s Trevor Berbick, to become the youngest heavyweight champion

$1.1 million is paid for a one minute TV ad on the Super Bowl

People buy up telescopes to see the return of Halley’s Comet

Quote from Vanna White: “It’s not the most intellectual job in the world, but I do have to know the letters”

Aerobics and My Pet Monsters are in

Willie McCovey is 16th elected to Hall of Fame in his 1st year

Stars at the box-office include: Tom Cruise, Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, Rodney Dagerfield, Sylvester Stallone and Clint Eastwood.

Roger Clemens (Boston, Al) strikes out a record 20 in a single game.

Ad: Improve your husband’s sex life. (Nike Sneakers)

One-stick Popsicle and microwave pizza make a first Appearance

Investigation reveals an O-ring seal on the fuel booster rocket caused the Challenger explosion.

Nissan Maxima is $13,295 and the Sentra is $4,959

Spain & Portugal are 11th & 12th to join European Economic Community

The NFL’s top draft choice, Bo Jackson, chooses baseball and signs with Kansas City.

President: Ronald W. Reagan
Vice President: George Bush

Population: 240,132,887
Life expectancy: 74.7 years

Dow-Jones
High: 1,955
Low: 1,502

Federal spending: $990.34 billion
Federal debt: $2120.6 billion
Inflation: 1.9%
Consumer Price Index: 109.6
Unemployment: 7.2%

Cost of a new home: $111,900.00
Cost of a new car: $
Median Household Income: $24,897.00
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.22
Cost of a gallon of regular gas: $0.93
Cost of a dozen eggs: $0.87
Cost of a gallon of Milk: $2.22