What Happened in May 1986

Historical Events

  • May 1 Will Stegers expedition reaches North Pole
  • May 2 Transportation Expo 86 opens in Vancouver, BC

Kentucky Derby

May 3 112th Kentucky Derby: Bill Shoemaker aboard Ferdinand wins in 2:02.8

  • May 3 31st Eurovision Song Contest: Sandra Kim for Belgium wins singing "J'aime la vie" in Bergen
  • May 3 Air Lanka crashes, killing 22
  • May 3 Cubs 3rd baseman Ron Cey hits his 300th & 301st HR
  • May 3 NASA launches Goes-G, it fails to achieve orbit

Sports History

May 3 New York Yankees Don Mattingly is 6th to hit 3 sacrifice flies in a game

  • May 4 President Babrak Karmal resigns as party leader of Afghanistan
  • May 5 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announces Cleveland, Ohio chosen as the site of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum
  • May 6 Donald E Pelotte becomes 1st native American bishop
  • May 6 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
  • May 7 30th European Cup: Steaua Bucuresti beats Barcelona (0-0, 2-0 on penalties) at Seville
  • May 7 Iraq bombs a Tehran oil refiner
  • May 7 Phillies outfielder Garry Maddox, retires
  • May 9 NHL Prince of Wales Conference Final: Montreal Canadians beat New York Rangers, 4 games to 1
  • May 10 "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco hits #1 on UK pop chart
  • May 12 Fred Markham (US), unpaced & unaided by wind, is 1st to pedal 65 mph on a level course, Big Sand Flat, California

Appointment of Interest

May 12 President Reagan appoints Dr James C. Fletcher NASA Administrator

Historic Publication

May 14 Netherlands Institute for War Documentation publishes Anne Frank's complete diary

  • May 14 NHL Clarence Campbell Conference Final: Calgary Flames beat St. Louis Blues, 4 games to 3
  • May 14 Pride of Baltimore lost at sea.

Event of Interest

May 15 Former President of Argentina Leopoldo Galtieri is sentenced to 12 years in prison for mishandling the Falkland Islands War [1]

Film & TV History

May 16 "Top Gun", directed by Tony Scott and starring Tom Cruise premieres

  • May 16 Action film "Top Gun" starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, directed by Tony Scott, is released across the US

Film & TV History

May 16 Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) comes back from the dead on TV show "Dallas"

  • May 16 Joaquín Balaguers PRSC wins Dominican Rep parliamentary election

Event of Interest

May 16 South African President P. W. Botha sends Coetsee to visit Mandela

  • May 16 The Seville Statement on Violence is adopted by an international meeting of scientists, convened by the Spanish National Commission for UNESCO, in Seville, Spain.
  • May 17 "Chicken Song" by Spitting Image hits #1 on the UK pop chart
  • May 17 111th Preakness: Alex Solis aboard Snow Chief wins in 1:54.8
  • May 18 "Singin' in the Rain" closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 367 performances
  • May 18 Chung Kwung Ying does 2,750 "atomic" hand-stand push-ups
  • May 18 David Goch finishes swimming 55,682 miles in a 25-yd pool
  • May 18 South African army occupies Botswana, Zimbabwe & Zambia
  • May 19 39th Cannes Film Festival: "The Mission" directed by Roland Joffe wins the Palme d'Or
  • May 19 Anti-apartheid activist Hélène Pastoors sentenced to 10 yrs in South Africa
  • May 20 Christy Fichtner, 23, (Texas), crowned 35th Miss USA
  • May 20 Flintstones 25th Anniversary Celebration airs on CBS-tv
  • May 21 Atlanta Brave Rafael Ramirez hits 4 doubles in a game
  • May 21 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

Music History

May 22 American singer and actress Cher calls David Letterman an "a**hole" while a guest on his "Late Night" TV program (NBC)

  • May 23 US & Western Europe veto heavier sanctions against South Africa

Event of Interest

May 24 Margaret Thatcher becomes 1st British Prime Minister to visit Israel

  • May 24 Reginald Huffstetler trod water for 985 hrs
  • May 24 Stanley Cup Final, Saddledome, Calgary, AL: Montreal Canadiens beat Calgary Flames, 4-3 for 4-1 series victory
  • May 25 95-year-old woman scores a hole-in-one in Florida
  • May 25 Ferry boat Shamia sinks on Maghna River Bangladesh, 600 killed
  • May 25 Hands Across America - 6.5 million people hold hands from California to NY

Baseball Record

May 25 KC Royal George Brett gets his 2,000th hit

  • May 25 Virgilio Barco elected president of Colombia
  • May 27 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
  • May 27 Norway Showcase groundbreaking
  • May 27 President Reagan orders 2 Poseidon-class submarines be dismantled
  • May 28 Democratic Labor Party wins parliamentary election in Barbados
  • May 28 White Sox Joe Cowley sets record striking out 1st 7 Rangers he faces
  • May 29 59th National Spelling Bee: Jon Pennington wins spelling odontalgia
  • May 30 Ariane-2 (ESA) launched

Barry Bonds Debut

May 30 Barry Bonds makes his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates

  • May 30 France performs nuclear test
  • May 30 Indianapolis 500: Bobby Rahal becomes first driver in race history to complete the 500 miles (800 km) in less than 3 hours; average speed 170.722 mph (274.750 km/h)
1986 History

Famous Birthdays

  • May 1 Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian soccer striker (58 caps; El Nacional, Santos Laguna, América), born in Quito, Ecuador (d. 2013)
  • May 2 James Kirk, Canadian actor (She's the Man), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
  • May 3 Pom Klementiff, French actress (Oldboy; Marvel Universe films), born in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
  • May 3 Poppy Delevingne, British model and actress (Kingsman: The Golden Circle), born in London, England
  • May 5 Théo Ceccaldi, French jazz violinist, viola player, and composer, (Tricollectif), born in Pithiviers, France
  • May 6 Cindy Daniel, Québécois singer, born in Montreal, Quebec
  • May 6 Tyler Hynes, Canadian actor, born in Toronto, Canada
  • May 7 Frances Quinlan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Hop Along; Likewise), born in New Jersey
  • May 7 Mark Furze, Australian actor (Home and Away), born in Orange, New South Wales
  • May 7 Matt Helders, English musician and drummer (Arctic Monkeys), born in Sheffield, England
  • May 11 Abou Diaby, French footballer
  • May 11 Manuel "Grubby" Schenkhuizen, Dutch real-time strategy gamer and professional esports player (2× World Cyber Games champion), born in Nieuwegein, Netherlands
  • May 12 Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress (Revenge, Captain America films), born in Port Perry, Ontario
  • May 13 Giuliana Marino, German model, Playboy Playmate (Apr 2005, Playmate of the Year 2006), born in Nuremberg, Germany
  • May 13 Ji Eun-hee, South Korean golfer (US Open 2009), born in Gapyeong, South Korea

Lena Dunham (37 years old)

May 13 American actress, writer and producer (Girls), born in New York City

Robert Pattinson (37 years old)

May 13 English actor (Cedric Diggory-Harry Potter, Edward Cullen-Twilight), born in London, England

  • May 14 Camila Sodi, Mexican actress ("Inocente de Ti"; "Rubí"), born in Mexico City
  • May 15 Adam Moffat, Scottish football player, born in Glasgow, Scotland
  • May 15 Kyle Loza, Freestyle Motocross Rider, born in Orange County, California
  • May 15 Matías Fernández, Chilean footballer
  • May 16 Andy Keogh, Irish soccer striker (30 caps Republic of Ireland; Wolverhampton Wanderers, Millwall), born in Dublin, Ireland

Megan Fox (37 years old)

May 16 American actress (Transformers) and model, born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

  • May 17 Tahj Mowry, American actor
  • May 18 Adam Bałdych, Polish jazz violinist, contemporary classical composer, and music producer, born in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland
  • May 19 Eric Lloyd, American actor
  • May 19 Mario Chalmers, NCAA basketball player
  • May 20 Dexter Blackstock, English footballer
  • May 20 Yolanda "LaLa" Brown, American R&B singer ("S.E.X"), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2007)
  • May 21 Da'Vine Joy Randolph, American actress (High Fidelity, The Holdovers), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • May 21 Myra [Quintana], Mexican-American pop singer ("Miracles Happen (When You Believe)"), born in Los Angeles, California
  • May 23 Ruben Zadkovich, Australian soccer player
  • May 23 Ryan Coogler, American director and screenwriter (Fruitvale Station, The Black Panther), born in Oakland, California
  • May 24 Jordan Metcalfe, English actor (Genie in the House), born in Kingston-upon-Hull, East Yorkshire, England
  • May 24 Mark Ballas, American professional dancer (Dancing with the Stars), born in Houston, Texas
  • May 25 Juri Ueno, Japanese actress (Last Friends), born in Kakogawa, Hyōgo, Japan
  • May 25 Yoan Gouffran, French footballer, born in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France
  • May 28 Berrick Barnes, Australian Rugby player
  • May 28 Charles N'Zogbia, French footballer
  • May 28 Joseph Cross, American actor
  • May 28 Michael Oher, American NFL player (Baltimore Ravens, story depicted in "The Blind Side"), born in Memphis, Tennessee
  • May 28 Seth Rollins [Colby Lopez], American professional wrestler (WWE), born in Buffalo, Iowa
  • May 29 Dylan Postl, American professional wrestler (Hornswaggle), born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
  • May 29 Jaslene Gonzalez, Puerto Rican-American fashion model
  • May 29 Valy Hedjasi, Afghan pop singer, born in Maschhad, Iran
  • May 30 Ashley Slaney, daughter of Olympians Mary Decker & Richard Slaney
  • May 31 Robert Gesink, Dutch professional cyclist, born in Varsseveld, Netherlands
  • May 31 Sopho Khalvashi, Georgian pop-electronic singer, born in Batumi, Adjara, Georgian SSR
  • May 31 Waka Flocka Flame [Juaquin Malphurs], American rapper (O Lets Do It), born in New York City
Born in 1986

Famous Weddings

  • May 3 American Mousketeer-actress-singer Annette Funicello (43) weds American harness racing horse breeder and trainer Glen Holt (55), until her death in 2013

Tommy Lee

May 10 Tommy Lee drummer of Motley Crue marries Heather Locklear

  • May 16 "King Crimson" founder and guitarist Robert Fripp (40) weds British actress and rock singer Toyah Wilcox (27) at Church of St. Mary, St. Cuthurga and All Saints in Witchampton, England

Garth Brooks

May 24 American country singer Garth Brooks (24) weds songwriter Sandy Mahl; divorce in 2001


Famous Deaths

  • May 1 Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and record producer, dies at 69
  • May 1 Hylda Baker, English comedy actress (b. 1905)
  • May 2 Henri Toivonen, Finnish rally driver (3 x World Rally C'ship round wins for Talbot, Opel, Porsche, Lancia), dies in a rally accident at 29
  • May 3 Robert Alda, American actor (Supertrain, By Popular Demand), dies at 72
  • May 5 John William Haussermann Jr., American composer, dies at 76
  • May 5 Rui Coelho, Portuguese composer, dies at 94
  • May 7 Gaston Defferre, French Socialist politician, dies at 75
  • May 7 Jeffrey Mylett, American actor and songwriter (Godspell), dies from complications of HIV/AIDS at 36
  • May 9 Dirk de Vroome, Dutch campaigner & Limbourg activist, dies at 60
  • May 9 Herschel Bernardi, American actor (Arnie, Voice of Charlie the Tuna, Front), dies of a heart attack at 62

Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986)

May 9 Tibetan climber who was the 1st to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953 with Edmund Hillary, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 71

  • May 11 Fritz Pollard, early African American NFL star and coach, dies at 92
  • May 11 Henry P. McIlhenny, American philanthropist, dies at 76
  • May 12 Elisabeth Bergner, Austrian British stage actress, dies at 85
  • May 12 Lee Bonnell, American actor, dies at 67
  • May 15 Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (b. 1958)
  • May 15 Theodore H. White, American journalist (Making of President, Pulitzer Prize1962), dies at 71
  • May 17 Jack Waldman, American jazz and rock keyboardist and avant garde composer dies of HIV related illness at 33
  • May 17 Lyudmila Pakhomova, Russian ice dancer (World C'ship gold x 6; Olympic gold USSR 1976; with Alexandr Gorshkov), dies from leukemia at 39
  • May 18 John Bubbles Sublett, American tap dancer (Black & Bubbles), dies at 84
  • May 19 Jimmy Lyons, American jazz saxophonist and composer (Cecil Taylor), dies of lung cancer at 54
  • May 20 Bernard Naylor, English-Canadian organist, conductor, and composer, dies at 78
  • May 20 Willem Pee, Belgian linguist, dies at 83
  • May 22 Martin Gabel, American stage, radio and screen character actor (The Thief; Marnie; Lady In Cement), and television panelist (What's My Line?), dies of a heart attack at 73
  • May 23 Sterling Hayden, actor (Blue & Gray), dies at 70
  • May 24 Gunnar Bjornstrand, Swedish actor (7th Seal, Devil's Eye), dies at 76
  • May 24 Stephen D Thorne, Lt Cmdr USN/astronaut, dies in a plane crash at 33
  • May 24 Yakima Canutt [Enos Edward], American rodeo cowboy, actor and director(Texas Terror), dies at 90
  • May 25 Chester Bowles, American ambassador and writer (Conscience of a Liberal), dies at 85
  • May 27 Gaston Duribreux, Flemish writer (Sour Dove), dies at 82
  • May 27 Isma'il Raji' al-Faruqi, Palestinian-born philosopher (b. 1921)
  • May 28 Lurene Tuttle, American actress (Father of Bride, Julia), dies at 79
  • May 30 Hank Mobley, American hard bop and soul jazz saxophonist, dies of pneumonia at 55
  • May 31 James Rainwater, American physicist (Nobel 1975-determining the asymmetrical shapes of certain atomic nuclei), dies at 68
  • May 31 Jane Frank, American artist, dies at 67