The United States bombs Tripoli, the capital of Libya, after terrorist groups attack a West Berlin disco.

The space shuttle Challenger explodes after lift-off, generating national mourning and a setback for the U.S. space program.

A prominent nonviolent fighter against apartheid, Desmond Tutu becomes archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa.

The U.S. national debt exceeds $2 trillion and is accompanied by a trade deficit of over $170 billion.

In the world's worst nuclear accident, the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine explodes, polluting the environment and causing perhaps 8,000 short-term deaths.

Oliver Stone's Vietnam-era movie, Platoon, earns Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards.

Electronic games from Nintendo debut.

Ivan Boesky and Dennis Levine both plead guilty to insider trading after using non-public information in financial transactions.

A bombshell lands in American politics as it is discovered that the U.S. is selling arms to Iran during its war with Iraq and using the profits to fund Contra forces in Nicaragua. Congress proceeds to investigate the Iran-Contra affair.