December 1986 · day by day

What happened in December 1986?

The top front-page story of each day in December 1986, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.

Dec 1🌋 Hawaiian Lava Flow – Thousands flocked to Hawaii's Big Island to witness lava flowing from Kilauea Volcano into the ocean, creating stunning natural displays.
Dec 2📈 Manet Painting Sold – Edouard Manet's 'Rue Mosniers With Street Pavers' sold for a record price at Christie's, marking a significant moment in art history.
Dec 3🎨 Braque Painting Sold – Georges Braque's ''Woman Reading'' sold for $9.5 million at Sotheby's, the highest price for a 20th-century painting at auction.
Dec 4🌌 Halley's Comet Explosion – An Earth-orbiting observatory recorded an explosion on Halley's comet, ejecting 100 cubic feet of ice from its nucleus.
Dec 5🔬 Gene Transplant Fertility – Scientists produced fertility in genetically infertile mice by transplanting a gene from normal animals, marking a significant breakthrough.
Dec 6🎼 Mehta Conducts Bruckner – Zubin Mehta's performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 showcases his deep connection to the composer's music.
Dec 7🌍 M.I.T. Honors Astronaut – M.I.T. dedicated its space studies building to Ronald E. McNair, one of the astronauts killed in the Challenger disaster.
Dec 8🏛️ Holocaust Museum Groundbreaking – A groundbreaking ceremony for a Holocaust museum took place, attended by 200 survivors who honored victims with earth from concentration camps.
Dec 9🌋 Kilauea Eruption Destroys Homes – Molten rock from Kilauea volcano destroyed an 11th home and threatened three others in the evacuated area.
Dec 10🌍 Earth's Core Map Revealed – New maps show Earth's molten core has mountains taller than Everest and valleys deeper than the Grand Canyon, revealing its complex structure.
Dec 11🖼️ Wiesel Accepts Nobel – Elie Wiesel accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, urging the living to remember the dead and the horrors of the Holocaust.
Dec 12🔬 AIDS Inhibitor Identified – Scientists found a type of human white blood cell that inhibits the AIDS virus in a test tube, suggesting a new treatment approach.
Dec 13✈️ Soviet Jetliner Crash – A Soviet jetliner crashed in heavy fog near East Berlin, killing most of the 81 people aboard, according to East German reports.
Dec 14🌋 Hawaiian Volcano Clogs – Kilauea Volcano's lava tube system is clogged, reducing output significantly and destroying 11 homes, according to scientists.
Dec 15✈️ Voyager Record Attempt – The experimental Voyager airplane began its record attempt to fly around the world without stopping or refueling despite a wing mishap during takeoff.
Dec 16🔬 Mapping the Stars – Astronomers at Palomar Observatory begin a detailed map of the heavens, aiming to chart unseen galaxies, stars, and asteroids.
Dec 17🔬 AIDS Immunization Tested – Scientists from Zaire and France begin human trials for a potential immunization against the AIDS virus for infected individuals.
Dec 18🔬 New AIDS Virus Discovered – Scientists at the Pasteur Institute cloned a new virus causing AIDS, distinct from the main virus and similar to one affecting monkeys.
Dec 19🔬 Cosmic Strings Explored – Astrophysicists discussed how galaxies may have formed from cosmic strings during a conference, shedding light on the universe's origins.
Dec 20✈️ Experimental Plane Soars – The experimental plane Voyager flew over the Atlantic with more fuel than expected, marking a significant achievement in aviation.
Dec 21🎭 Opera 'Don Pasquale' – Gaetano Donizetti's comic masterpiece 'Don Pasquale' premiered in 1842, showcasing enduring melodies and vivid characters.
Dec 22🛰️ Satellite Station Inaugurated – U.S. and China inaugurated a $10 million satellite ground station, marking a significant technological collaboration between the two nations.
Dec 23🚀 India's Space Milestone – India's space program has matured, becoming vital for communications, weather forecasting, and resource management after decades of development.
Dec 24✈️ Voyager Completes Flight – The experimental airplane Voyager successfully completed the first nonstop flight around the world on a single load of fuel.
Dec 25🌌 Exploding Star Discovered – Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory announced the discovery of a giant exploding star 250 million light-years from Earth.
Dec 26🔥 Fire Kills Six Elderly – A fire at a Tennessee home for the elderly resulted in six fatalities and four injuries early Wednesday morning.
Dec 27☀️ Soviet Solar Power Station – The Soviet Union's first solar power station began commercial service in Ukraine, marking a significant step in renewable energy.
Dec 28🚀 NASA Shuttle Revamp – NASA is overhauling the space shuttle system to enhance safety following last year's tragic disintegration of the Challenger.
Dec 29🚂 Train Plunge Tragedy – A train in Japan plunged 135 feet due to gale-force winds, killing six and injuring six others after dropping passengers off.
Dec 30🌍 Britain, Guatemala Diplomacy – Britain and Guatemala have resumed diplomatic relations, severed since 1963 over a dispute concerning Belize.
Dec 31🌍 Florida Becomes 5th Largest – Florida surpassed Illinois to become the fifth most populous state in the U.S., marking a significant demographic shift.

Happy Birthday! 1986 – The Year in Headlines

The whole of 1986 in real headlines. See the 1986 book →

Born in December? Pick the day

Every birthday in December has its own On This Day in Headlines book:

Dec 1
Dec 2
Dec 3
Dec 4
Dec 5
Dec 6
Dec 7
Dec 8
Dec 9
Dec 10
Dec 11
Dec 12
Dec 13
Dec 14
Dec 15
Dec 16
Dec 17
Dec 18
Dec 19
Dec 20
Dec 21
Dec 22
Dec 23
Dec 24
Dec 25
Dec 26
Dec 27
Dec 28
Dec 29
Dec 30
Dec 31