The 1980s

1986 40 years ago

The Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly declared peace, having hypothetically been at war for 335 years without a single

The Isles of Scilly are a small archipelago off the southwestern tip of mainland Cornwall. One of the islands, St Agnes, is over four miles further south than the most southerly po…

The Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly declared peace, having hypothetically been at war for 335 years without a single

1986 40 years ago

Mswati III (pictured) was crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II

Mswati III is the Ngwenyama (King) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He heads an absolute monarchy, as he has unrestricted political authority and veto power over all…

Mswati III (pictured) was crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II

1986 40 years ago

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (pictured) near Chernobyl, Ukrainian SSR, suffered a steam explosion, resulting in a f

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine, 16.5 kilomet…

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (pictured) near Chernobyl, Ukrainian SSR, suffered a steam explosion, resulting in a f

1986 40 years ago

A stationary front began over the central Caribbean Sea, leading to severe floods that over two weeks killed dozens of p

A stationary front is a weather front or transition zone between two air masses when each air mass is advancing into the other at speeds less than 5 knots at the ground surface. Th…

A stationary front began over the central Caribbean Sea, leading to severe floods that over two weeks killed dozens of p

1986 40 years ago

The animated film Castle in the Sky, the first from Studio Ghibli, is released.

Castle in the Sky, also known as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was produced by Isao Takah…

The animated film Castle in the Sky, the first from Studio Ghibli, is released.

1986 40 years ago

Typhoon Wayne formed over the South China Sea, going on to become one of the longest-lived tropical cyclones in the…

Typhoon Wayne, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Miding, is one of the longest-lived tropical cyclones on record in the north-western Pacific Ocean. The system meandered for 21 d…

Typhoon Wayne formed over the South China Sea, going on to become one of the longest-lived tropical cyclones in the…

1986 40 years ago

A limnic eruption of Lake Nyos in Cameroon released a cloud of carbon dioxide, suffocating 1,746 people and 3,500…

A limnic eruption, also known as a lake overturn, is an extremely rare type of natural hazard in which dissolved carbon dioxide suddenly erupts from deep lake waters, forming a gas…

A limnic eruption of Lake Nyos in Cameroon released a cloud of carbon dioxide, suffocating 1,746 people and 3,500…

1985

Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba

Radio y Televisión Martí is an international broadcaster based in Miami, Florida, financed by the federal government of the United States through the U.S. Agency for Global Media. …

Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba

1985

Members of the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, dressed as Salvadoran soldiers, attack the Zona Rosa are

The Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers was a political party in Central America.

Members of the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, dressed as Salvadoran soldiers, attack the Zona Rosa are

1985

The Val di Stava dam collapses killing 268 people in Val di Stava, Italy.

The Val di Stava Dam collapse occurred on 19 July 1985, when two tailings dams above the village of Stava, near Tesero, Italy, collapsed. It resulted in one of Italy's worst disast…

The Val di Stava dam collapses killing 268 people in Val di Stava, Italy.

1985

Takao Doi, Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai are chosen to be Japan's first astronauts.

Takao Doi is a Japanese astronaut, engineer and veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.

Takao Doi, Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai are chosen to be Japan's first astronauts.

1985

The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota.

The 1985–1986 Hormel strike was a labor strike that involved approximately 1,500 workers of the Hormel meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota, United States. The strike, beginning …

The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota.

1985

Hans Tiedge, top counter-spy of West Germany, defects to East Germany.

Hans-Joachim Tiedge was a head of West Germany's counter-intelligence in the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) in Cologne. His defection to the East on 19 August …

Hans Tiedge, top counter-spy of West Germany, defects to East Germany.

1985

Two hundred ATF and FBI agents lay siege to the compound of the white supremacist survivalist group The Covenant, the Sw

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly abbreviated as the ATF, is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice.…

Two hundred ATF and FBI agents lay siege to the compound of the white supremacist survivalist group The Covenant, the Sw

1985

University of California, Riverside 1985 laboratory raid: Animal Liberation Front rescues 467 animals being tested in a

In 1985, a raid took place at a laboratory belonging to the University of California, Riverside (UCR) that resulted in the removal of a monkey by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF).…

University of California, Riverside 1985 laboratory raid: Animal Liberation Front rescues 467 animals being tested in a

1985

The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in

The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) was a far-right survivalist anti-government militia which advocated Christian Identity and was active in the United States du…

The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in

1985

Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke

Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers dri…

Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke

1985

Space Shuttle Challenger is launched on STS-51-B

Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA. Named after the commanding ship of a nineteenth-century s…

Space Shuttle Challenger is launched on STS-51-B

1985

Major General Muhammadu Buhari, Chairman of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria, is ousted from power in a coup…

Muhammadu Buhari was a Nigerian general and politician who ruled as military dictator of Nigeria from 1983 to 1985, and later served as the democratically elected civilian presiden…

Major General Muhammadu Buhari, Chairman of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria, is ousted from power in a coup…

1985

Luol Deng, Sudanese-English basketball player

Luol Ajou Deng is a South Sudanese-born British former professional basketball player. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2012. Bo…

Luol Deng, Sudanese-English basketball player

1985

Nate Diaz, American mixed martial artist

Nathan Donald Diaz is an American mixed martial artist and professional boxer who is currently a free agent. Diaz is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting…

Nate Diaz, American mixed martial artist

1985

Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he mak

Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party, he became an im…

Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he mak

1985

Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in the Bradford City stadium fire

The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, kil…

Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in the Bradford City stadium fire

1985

Police bombed MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 c

The 1985 MOVE bombing, locally known by its date, May 13, 1985, was the aerial bombing of a house, and the destruction of 61 more houses by the subsequent fire, in the Cobbs Creek …

Police bombed MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 c