Europe

• March 2 – Louis V
  Louis V of France
  Louis V , called the Indolent or the Sluggard , was the King of Western Francia from 986 until his early death...
  
   becomes King of the Franks
  Franks
  The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
  
  .
• The de facto ruler of al-Andalus, al-Mansur
  Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir
  Abu Aamir Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abi Aamir, Al-Hajib Al-Mansur , better known as Almanzor, was the de facto ruler of Muslim Al-Andalus in the late 10th to early 11th centuries. His rule marked the peak of power for Moorish Iberia.-Origins:He was born Muhammad Ibn Abi Aamir, into a noble Arab...
  
  , continues his effort in the north of the Iberian peninsula, he takes and sacks Coimbra
  Coimbra
  Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
  
   (following this episod the city is said to have remained deserted for six years).
• Sweyn Forkbeard becomes King of Denmark.
• Håkon Sigurdsson of Norway
  Norway
  Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
  
   defeats the Danish invasion force at Hjørungavåg
  Battle of Hjörungavágr
  The Battle of Hjörungavágr is a semi-legendary naval battle that took place in the late 10th century between the Jarls of Lade and a Danish invasion fleet led by the fabled Jomsvikings...
  
  .

Asia

• Emperor Ichijō
  Emperor Ichijo
  was the 66th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Ichijō's reign spanned the years from 986 to 1011.-Traditional narrative:Before he ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Kanehito-shinnō....
  
   succeeds Emperor Kazan
  Emperor Kazan
  was the 65th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Kazan's reign spanned the years from 984 through 986.-Traditional narrative:...
  
   on the throne of Japan
  Japan
  Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
  
  .
• March–July – The Song Dynasty
  Song Dynasty
  The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
  
   sends armies on three fronts against the Liao Dynasty
  Liao Dynasty
  The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
  
   in the Sixteen Prefectures
  Sixteen Prefectures
  The Sixteen Prefectures are a region in northern China stretching from present-day Beijing westward to Datong. In most areas, it is approximately seventy to one hundred miles in width...
  
  , but are defeated on all fronts.(Chi go Pass Compaign)
• One of the Four Great Books of Song
  Four Great Books of Song
  The Four Great Books of Song was compiled by Li Fang and others during the Song Dynasty . The term was coined after the last book was finished during the 11th century...
  
  , the Chinese encyclopedia Finest Blossoms in the Garden of Literature
  Finest Blossoms in the Garden of Literature
  The Finest Blossoms in the Garden of Literature is an anthology of poetry, odes, songs and writings from the Liang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties era. The book was compiled by a team of officers headed by Li Fang under an imperial order from 982 to 986, during the Song Dynasty...
  
  is finished in this year, with a total of 1,000 volumes representing the work of some 2,200 authors.

America

• Explorer Bjarni Herjólfsson
  Bjarni Herjólfsson
  Bjarni Herjólfsson was a Norwegian explorer who is the first known European discoverer of the mainland of the Americas, which he sighted in 985 or 986.-Life:...
  
   becomes the first inhabitant of the Old World to sight North America
  North America
  North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
  
  .

Deaths

• March 2 – Lothair
  Lothair of France
  Lothair , sometimes called Lothair IV, was the Carolingian king of West Francia , son of Louis IV and Gerberga of Saxony.-Regency:...
  
  , King of the Franks
• May 25 – 'Abd Al-Rahman Al Sufi, Muslim astronomer
• November 1 – Harold I of Denmark
• Cadwallon ab Ieuaf
  Cadwallon ab Ieuaf
  Cadwallon ap Ieuaf was a King of Gwynedd.Cadwallon was the son of Ieuaf ab Idwal and succeeded to the throne of Gwynedd on the death of his brother Hywel ab Ieuaf in 985. He only reigned for a year, for in 986 Maredudd ab Owain of Deheubarth invaded Gwynedd, slew Cadwallon and annexed his...
  
  , King of Gwynedd
• Yang Ye, Chinese general of Song Dynasty
  Song Dynasty
  The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...