WHAT ALL HAPPENED AUGUST TO OCTOBER 1986
Find out what all happened August to October 1986

The British government suddenly deregulates financial markets, leading to a total restructuring of the way in which they operate in the country, in an event now referred to as the Big Bang. (27. October 1986)

Cold War: U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Reykjavík, Iceland, in an effort to continue discussions about scaling back their intermediate missile arsenals in Europe. (11. October 1986)

Desmond Tutu becomes the first black man to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa. (7. September 1986)

Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometer range. (21. August 1986)

Samora Machel, President of Mozambique and a prominent leader of FRELIMO, and 33 others die when their Tupolev 134 plane crashes into the Lebombo Mountains. (19. October 1986)

The Soviet passenger liner  Admiral Nakhimov sinks in the Black Sea after colliding with the bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev, killing 423. (31. August 1986)

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit the People's Republic of China (12. October 1986)

Aeroméxico Flight 498 collides with a Piper PA-28 over Cerritos, California, killing 67 in the air and 15 on the ground. (31. August 1986)

Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed details of Israel's covert nuclear program to British media, is kidnapped in Rome, Italy by the Israeli Mossad. (30. September 1986)

TASCC, a superconducting cyclotron at the Chalk River Laboratories, is officially opened. (3. October 1986)

Reinhold Messner becomes the first person to summit all 14 Eight-thousanders. (16. October 1986)

The musical The Phantom of the Opera has its first performance at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. (9. October 1986)

Pan Am Flight 73 with 358 people on board is hijacked at Karachi International Airport. (5. September 1986)

A low-pressure system that redeveloped off the New South Wales coast dumps a record 328 millimeters (13 inches) of rain in a day on Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. (6. August 1986)

Gen. Augusto Pinochet, president of Chile, escapes attempted assassination. (7. September 1986)

In Lebanon, pro-Irankidnappers claim to have abducted American writer Edward Tracy (he is released in August 1991). (21. October 1986)

An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale strikes San Salvador, El Salvador, killing an estimated 1,500 people. (10. October 1986)

In Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S. Postal employee Patrick Sherrill guns down 14 of his co-workers and then commits suicide. (20. August 1986)

Nezar Hindawi is sentenced to 45 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down by a British court, for the attempted bombing on an El Al flight at Heathrow. After the verdict, the United Kingdom breaks diplomatic relations with Syria, claiming that Hindawi is helped by Syrian officials. (24. October 1986)

Jim Deshaies of the Houston Astros sets the major-league record by striking out the first eight batters of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (23. September 1986)