By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
January 31, 2005
09:23 AM EST (14:23 GMT)
When Dale Earnhardt ran out of fuel with three laps to go, Geoff Bodine found himself alone and heading for victory in the 28th Daytona 500 on Feb. 16, 1986. Earnhardt had beaten Bodine twice earlier in the week, but the third time was not the charm, even though Earnhardt was poised to make a slingshot pass for the lead. A 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Super Sport SS listed for $12,865, so if Bodine had chipped in another $60, he could have purchased 15 Monte Carlos -- not including a fleet discount, tax, tags or title.  |  | NASCAR ACCELERATION | |
| ALSO IN 1986 ... |
| • | The U.S. Senate allows its debates to be televised on a trial basis (Feb. 27) |
| • | "Captain Midnight" (John R. MacDougall) hijacks HBO's satellite and transmits his own message to HBO viewers (April 27) |
| • | In London, Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey (July 23) |
| • | Desmond Tutu becomes the first black to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa (Sept. 7) |
| • | The centennial of the Statue of Liberty's dedication is celebrated in New York Harbor (Oct. 28) |
Courtesy: Wikipedia
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On Jan. 23, the first group of musicians were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. They included Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley. If Bodine had wanted to be at the induction ceremony, the 317-mile trip from his hometown of Chemung, N.Y., would have taken six hours in the stock Monte Carlo SS -- or two hours and eight minutes in the stock-car Monte Carlo, based on Bodine's average winning speed of 148.124 mph. On Jan. 24, the Voyager 2 space probe made its first encounter with Uranus. Venus by Bananarama was one of the top selling singles of 1986. On Dec. 23, flying an experimental plane named "Voyager," Burt Rutan and Jeana Yeager completed the first nonstop circumnavigation of the earth by air without refueling in nine days, three minutes and 44 seconds. On March, the Japanese space probe Suisei flew past Halley's Comet. Bill Haley -- famous for his 1954 hit, (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock -- was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. On Jan. 12, the first Hispanic-American astronaut -- Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz -- lifted off in Columbia. Sixteen days later, the first teacher in space -- Christa McAuliffe -- is killed, along with six other astronauts, when Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff. On Feb. 7, President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled Haiti after 28 years of dictatorship, while on Feb. 25, President Ferdinand Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going was a hit for Billy Ocean in 1986. On Feb. 19, the Soviet Union launched the Mir space station. Two months later, the Chernobyl nuclear plant launched itself across much of the Ukraine and Belarus, killing at least 31 people and exposing thousands more to radiation. On Jan. 9, Kodak handed over the instant camera business to Polaroid after losing a patent battle. On Jan. 20, the United Kingdom and France shook hands after agreeing to construct the Channel Tunnel. On May 25, millions of Americans held hands for "Hands Across America," reportedly raising $30 million for the nation's hungry and homeless. On Nov. 3, a Lebanese magazine reported that the United States was selling weapons to Iran in secret to secure the release of seven American hostages being held in Lebanon. Two weeks later, National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary started to shred documents implicating them in the sale of weapons to Iran and channeling the proceeds to help fund the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. On April 3, IBM unveiled its first laptop, the PC Convertible. In July, Apple discontinued its Lisa computer. On Nov. 11, Sperry Rand and Burroughs merged to form Unisys. → Click here for more Daytona Countdown. | 
