When This Dropped

June 21, 1986

President
Reagan
Dow (EOY)
1,896
Gas/gal
$0.86
Big Mac
$1.60
Min Wage
$3.35

A Big Mac cost $1.60 that summer of 1986, and the Dow Jones sat at 1,896 — the Soviet Union was in the midst of announcing ambitious new space plans even as American confidence in its own space program was still shaken from the Challenger disaster earlier that year. On movie screens, "The Karate Kid Part II" was pulling in crowds at the multiplex, while on television, "The Golden Girls" had just won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. That July, Moscow hosted the inaugural Goodwill Games, the first major international athletic competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in roughly a decade, drawing competitors from 79 countries across two weeks of events.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — June 21, 1986

New York Times
Time
Rolling Stone
TV Guide
Nat. Geographic

NY Times Headlines — Week of June 21, 1986

Less Drastic Theory Emerges On Freezing After A Nuclear War

World Events — June 1986

Time Person of the Year — 1986

Deng Xiaoping
Person of the Year
Deng Xiaoping

On the radio

Billboard Charts — June 21, 1986

On My Own
Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
Hot 100 #1
"On My Own"
Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
Miami Vice
Soundtrack
Billboard 200 #1
"Miami Vice"
Soundtrack

Grammy Awards

Graceland
Paul Simon
Grammy Album of the Year
"Graceland"
Paul Simon
That's What Friends Are For
Dionne Warwick & Friends
Grammy Song of the Year
"That's What Friends Are For"
Dionne Warwick & Friends
Higher Love
Steve Winwood
Grammy Record of the Year
"Higher Love"
Steve Winwood
Bruce Hornsby & The Range
Grammy Best New Artist
Bruce Hornsby & The Range

On the bookshelf

It
Stephen King
NYT Fiction #1
"It"
Stephen King
Fatherhood
Bill Cosby
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"Fatherhood"
Bill Cosby
Lonesome Dove
Larry McMurtry
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"Lonesome Dove"
Larry McMurtry
World's Fair
E.L. Doctorow
National Book Award Fiction
"World's Fair"
E.L. Doctorow
Arctic Dreams
Barry Lopez
National Book Award Nonfiction
"Arctic Dreams"
Barry Lopez

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1985–86 Season

The Cosby Show
Nielsen #1 TV Show
The Cosby Show
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1985–86 Season

Emmy Winners — 1986

L.A. Law
Emmy Drama Series
L.A. Law
The Golden Girls
Emmy Comedy Series
The Golden Girls
Bruce Willis
Moonlighting
Emmy Lead Actor
Bruce Willis
Moonlighting
Sharon Gless
Cagney & Lacey
Emmy Lead Actress
Sharon Gless
Cagney & Lacey

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — June 21, 1986

Back to School
Box Office #1
Back to School
Out of Africa
Oscar Best Picture
Out of Africa
Oliver Stone
Platoon
Oscar Best Director
Oliver Stone
Platoon
Paul Newman
The Color of Money
Oscar Best Actor
Paul Newman
The Color of Money
Marlee Matlin
Children of a Lesser God
Oscar Best Actress
Marlee Matlin
Children of a Lesser God

Ebert 4-Star Films — June 21, 1986

28 Up
4-Star Review
28 Up
About Last Night…
4-Star Review
About Last Night…
A Room with a View
4-Star Review
A Room with a View
A Year Of The Quiet Sun
4-Star Review
A Year Of The Quiet Sun
Down and Out in Beverly Hills
4-Star Review
Down and Out in Beverly Hills

On the field

Sports Champions — June 21, 1986

Super Bowl
Chicago Bears
def. New England Patriots
World Series
New York Mets
def. Boston Red Sox
NBA Champion
Boston Celtics
def. Houston Rockets
Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens
def. Calgary Flames

Interested in postcards, posters or t-shirts? Leave your email and we’ll let you know.