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January 1, 1986 New Year's Day

January 1, 1986, was a Wednesday. It was 38 years, 10 months, and 24 days ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Capricorn.

Song charts

Music charts

Songs that were on top of the charts in the USA and the United Kingdom on January 1, 1986:

  • United States: "Say You Say Me" by Lionel Richie
  • United Kingdom: "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin' Stevens

The Billboard Hot 100 on January 1, 1986

These were the top five songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart:

  • Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
  • Party All The Time - Eddie Murphy
  • Alive & Kicking - Simple Minds
  • That's What Friends Are For - Dionne & Friends
  • I Miss You - Klymaxx
Play the top singles from 1986
A Spotify playlist of songs from the year 1986. Take a trip back to the days of Lionel Richie, Genesis, Bon Jovi, Berlin and Madonna.
Rocky IV

Top movie at the box office

The movie "Rocky IV" was at the top of the box office on January 1, 1986.

Facts

New Year's Day 1986 occurred 14,208 days ago. Approximately 474 months have passed. It was the 1st day of 1986, in week 01. The decade was the eighties. People who were born on January 1, 1986, are now 38 years old and belong to the Millennial generation. The Earth has experienced 158 seasons of weather since then.

Take me back to January 1, 1986

Let's take a stroll down memory lane.

The date is January 1, 1986, and it's a Wednesday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Capricorn. It's New Year's Day, the official start of the year 1986. A lot of people are relaxing at home. Some are nursing hangovers from the night before.

In America, the song "Say You Say Me" by Lionel Richie is at the top of the singles charts, while "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin' Stevens is the number-one song in the UK. Ronald Reagan is the President of the United States, and the movie Rocky IV is at the top of the box office. Margaret Thatcher is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

On television, people are watching popular shows such as "Knots Landing", "Family Ties", "The A-Team", and "Miami Vice". In fashion, women are wearing sweater dresses, short skirts, small shoulder pads, animal print, long full wool coats, and bulky sweaters. Meanwhile, men are wearing tracksuits, sweatshirts, Nike Air Jordan shoes, and denim. Because it's 1986, the radio stations are being dominated by the likes of Falco, Madonna, the Pet Shop Boys, Berlin, Whitney Houston, Dionne and Huey Lewis and the News.

If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as Phil Lynott, Christa McAuliffe, Len Bias, and Cliff Burton would all still be alive. People are playing video games such as "Pac-Man", "Boulder Dash", "Super Mario Bros.", and "Gauntlet". Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "Postman Pat", "Heathcliff", "The Wuzzles", and "Growing Pains".

Children are playing with toys such as Cabbage Patch Kids, Space Lego, Sylvanian Families, and Teddy Ruxpin.

Zodiac info

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

  • Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on January 1, 1986, will have the star sign Capricorn.
  • Zodiac Element: Earth.
  • Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1986 was the year of the Tiger (Yang Fire).
  • The Life Path Number for this date is 8.
  • Native American Zodiac: January 1, 1986 falls under the Goose.
  • Birthstone: A person during the month of January will have the birthstone Garnet.
  • Birth flower (January): The Carnation and the Snowdrop.
News

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on January 1, 1986.

  • People are buying waterbeds.

    People are buying waterbeds

    Waterbeds became a huge fad during the late 1980s. Although they were invented in the 1970s, they didn't reach their heyday until the 1980s. In 1986 and 1987, nearly a quarter of all beds sold were filled with water.
  • 1986 in music.

    1986 in music

    Popular music artists in 1986 included Dionne Warwick, Lionel Richie, Klymaxx, Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston, Survivor, Mr. Mister, Robert Palmer and Atlantic Starr.
  • VCRs have become a common household item.

    VCRs have become a common household item

    VCRs became a common household item in the mid-1980s. By that stage, prices had started to drop. This device gave people the ability to play VCR tapes and record TV programs and movies.
  • Who were the best NBA players in 1986?

    Who were the best NBA players in 1986?

    The best NBA players in 1986 were Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Isiah Thomas.
  • 1986 in movies.

    1986 in movies

    Movies released in 1986 included Top Gun, Crocodile Dundee, Stand by Me, The Karate Kid Part II, Platoon, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, The Fly, Back to School, Aliens, The Golden Child, An American Tail, Ruthless People and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
  • Best soccer players in the world.

    Best soccer players in the world

    In 1986, the best soccer players were Igor Belanov, Diego Maradona, Gary Lineker, Emilio Butragueño, Manuel Amoros, Preben Elkjær Larsen, Ian Rush, Oleksandr Zavarov, Helmuth Duckadam, Marco van Basten and Alessandro Altobelli.
  • Platoon.

    Platoon

    The war film "Platoon" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1986.
  • Corazon Aquino.

    Corazon Aquino

    Corazon Aquino was named Time Person of the Year in 1986 for her role in the People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
  • Dionne Warwick - "That's What Friends Are For"

    Dionne Warwick - "That's What Friends Are For"

    "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick would go on to win a Grammy for 1986's Song of the Year.
  • The Nintendo Entertainment System.

    The Nintendo Entertainment System

    During the second half of the 1980s, the Nintendo Entertainment System became one of the most popular video game consoles in the world. Releases for the NES included Duck Hunt, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Bros.
  • Mid 1980s fashion.

    Mid 1980s fashion

    Strappy sandals, Keds, kitten-heeled sandals, and pumps were popular footwear in the mid-80s. Fashion became more colorful during this period. Popular clothing included long wool coats, long and bulky sweaters, jumpsuits, large scarves, beanies, leather gloves, long flared skirts, slim miniskirts, slightly tapered pants, and stirrup pants.
  • The Commodore 64.

    The Commodore 64

    The Commodore 64 was dominating the home computer market.
  • Iran-Iraq War.

    Iran-Iraq War

    Between September 1980 and August 1988, an armed conflict was being fought between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iraqi Republic.
  • Computers are replacing typewriters.

    Computers are replacing typewriters

    Desktop computers were beginning to replace typewriters in offices.
  • TV remotes.

    TV remotes

    Although TV remotes existed, many homes didn't have one. Infrared technology was still relatively new.
  • Wallpaper.

    Wallpaper

    Wallpaper was extremely common in people's homes throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It wasn't until the mid-late 1980s that "modernism" started to creep in.

Personality traits

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on January 1, 1986.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

Events

What happened around this time?

News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around January 1, 1986.

  • December 12, 1985:
    • 256 people die after Arrow Air Flight 1285 stalls and crashes in Newfoundland, Canada.
    • The Rolling Stones co-founder Ian Stewart dies from a heart attack at the age of 47.
  • December 15, 1985: Sylvester Stallone and actress Brigitte Nielsen are married.
  • December 16, 1985: American Mafia boss Paul Castellano is shot to death outside of Sparks Steak House in Manhattan.
  • December 27, 1985:
    • American primatologist Dian Fossey is found murdered in Rwanda.
    • 19 people are killed in the Rome and Vienna airport attacks.
  • This date: January 1, 1986
  • January 4, 1986: Thin Lizzy singer Phil Lynott dies.
  • January 11, 1986: The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia, is opened.
  • January 20, 1986: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated as a US federal holiday for the first time.
  • January 26, 1986: Super Bowl XX: The Chicago Bears defeat the New England Patriots by 46-10 at the Louisiana Superdome.
  • January 28, 1986: The space shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after launch, killing all crew members onboard.
  • January 29, 1986: Soccer: Terry Gibson joins Manchester United.

Mid-1980s fashion

Photographs of mid-1980s fashion and hairstyles.

Mid-1980s fashion

Television shows

Television shows in January 1986

Television shows that people were watching in January 1986:

TV shows from January 1986.

MacGyver
MacGyver
The Equalizer
The Equalizer
The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls
Moonlighting
Moonlighting
Charles in Charge
Charles in Charge
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Who's the Boss?
Who's the Boss?
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Transformers
The Transformers
Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes

Cars in 1986

1986 saw the introduction of cars such as the Acura Legend, the Ford Taurus, the Nissan Pintara, the Mercury Sable, the Dodge Shadow, the Cadillac Allanté, and the Ford Festiva.

Cars in 1986.

Children TV shows

Cartoons and children's TV shows in January 1986

Children and teenagers were watching the following cartoons and TV series:

Jem and the Holograms
Jem and the Holograms
Growing Pains
Growing Pains
The Care Bears
The Care Bears

Adventures of the Gummi Bears
Adventures of the Gummi Bears
The Wuzzles
The Wuzzles
She-Ra: Princess of Power
She-Ra: Princess of Power
ThunderCats
ThunderCats
Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats
Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Transformers
The Transformers
Toys

Toys in 1986

Children were playing with the following toys and games:

Laser Tag
Laser Tag
The Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System
Teddy Ruxpin
Teddy Ruxpin
Sylvanian Families
Sylvanian Families
Mr Frosty
Mr Frosty
Garbage Pail Kids (trading cards)
Garbage Pail Kids (trading cards)
Pogo ball / Lolo ball
Pogo ball / Lolo ball
Transformers
Transformers
Pound Puppies
Pound Puppies
Turnin' Turbo Dashboard
Turnin' Turbo Dashboard
My Little Pony (figures)
My Little Pony (figures)
The Commodore 64
The Commodore 64
Video games

Video games

Popular video games that people were playing in January 1986.

Gauntlet 1985
Gauntlet
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar 1985
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
Super Mario Bros. 1985
Super Mario Bros.
Back to the Future 1985
Back to the Future
The Way of the Exploding Fist 1985
The Way of the Exploding Fist
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 1985
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Boulder Dash 1985
Boulder Dash
Tetris 1984
Tetris
Duck Hunt 1984
Duck Hunt
Mario Bros. 1983
Mario Bros.
Donkey Kong 1981
Donkey Kong
Missile Command 1980
Missile Command

Were you born on January 1, 1986?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1986.

This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories of their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out January 1, 1992, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on January 1.

J. Edgar Hoover

J. Edgar Hoover

The first Director of the FBI Deceased
Born on January 1, 1895
He was not alive on this date.

Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash

Hip Hop DJ
Born on January 1, 1958
He turned 28 on this day in 1986.

Verne Troyer

Verne Troyer

Actor Deceased
Born on January 1, 1969
He turned 17 on this day in 1986.

Ice Spice

Ice Spice

Rapper
Born on January 1, 2000
She was born exactly 14 years after this date.

Holidays

Holidays

National holidays and famous events that fall on January 1:

USA

US President

Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States on January 1, 1986.

UK

UK Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Ireland

Irish Taoiseach

Garret FitzGerald was the Taoiseach of Ireland.

Conception

Conception dates

Conception estimates for this date.

  • A baby that was born on January 1, 1986 was most likely conceived around April 10, 1985.
  • The due date for a baby that was conceived on January 1, 1986 is close to September 24, 1986.

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Stats for January 1, 1986

Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about January 1, 1986:

  • 14,208 days have passed since this date.
  • 2,029 weeks have passed.
  • 1,227,571,200 seconds have passed since January 1, 1986.
  • If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 1,432,166,400 times.
  • Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 633,426,739,200 miles through space.
  • If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 204,595,200 times.
  • You have taken approximately 105,571,123 steps. That's roughly 46,920 miles.
  • 14,730,854 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
  • How many years ago was 1986?

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