January 7
January 7
Emperor Hirohito dies
Showa Tenno Hirohito, the 124th Japanese monarch in an imperial line dating back to 660 B.C., dies after serving six decades as the emperor of Japan. He was the longest…
A Year In History: 1989
Also Within This Year in History:
1989
The final year of the 1980s saw the Berlin Wall toppled, heralding the Cold War’s imminent demise, while in Czechoslovakia, the Velvet Revolution brought a nonviolent end to Communist rule. The Chinese military brutally squashed pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, and the U.S. invaded Panama to depose dictator Manuel Noriega. Nintendo released the Game Boy handheld game console, selling 40,000 units the first day. And in a harbinger of things to come, a British scientist invented the world wide web.
January 10
January 10
Cuban troops begin withdrawal from Angola
As part of an arrangement to decrease Cold War tensions and end a brutal war in Angola, Cuban troops begin their withdrawal from the African nation. The process was part…
January 11
January 11
President Reagan gives his farewell address
After eight years as president of the United States, Ronald Reagan gives his farewell address to the American people. In his speech, President Reagan spoke with particular enthusiasm about the…
February 3
February 3
John Cassavetes dies
The film director, writer and actor John Cassavetes, hailed as a fiercely independent filmmaker and a pioneer of American cinema verite,dies on this day in 1989 at the age of…
February 5
February 5
The last Soviet troops leave Kabul
In an important move signaling the close of the nearly decade‑long Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan, the last Russian troops withdraw from the capital city of Kabul. Less than two…
February 10
February 10
Brown elected chairman of the Democratic Party
Ronald H. Brown, a former Supreme Court lawyer and leader of the National Urban League, is elected chairman of the Democratic Party National Committee. He was the first African American…
February 14
February 14
Sandinistas agree to free elections
At a meeting of the presidents of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador, the leftist Sandinista government of Nicaragua agrees to free a number of political prisoners and…
February 14
February 14
Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini calls on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of “The Satanic Verses”
On February 14, 1989, Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini decrees a death sentence for author Salman Rushdie after publication of his novel The Satanic Verses ignited a storm…
March 11
March 11
COPS debuts on Fox
On this day in 1989, the hit reality‑based television show COPS premieres on the Fox television network, and audiences hear the reggae beat of its distinctive theme song, Inner Circle’s…
March 11
March 11
“Cops” makes TV debut
On March 11, 1989, “Cops,” a documentary‑style television series that follows police officers and sheriff’s deputies as they go about their jobs, debuts on Fox. “Cops” went on to become one…
March 14
March 14
Cult commits murder at Rancho Santa Elena
Cult leader Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo sacrifices another human victim at his remote Mexican desert compound Rancho Santa Elena. When the victim didn’t beg for mercy before dying, Constanzo sent his people…
March 15
March 15
Gorbachev calls for radical agricultural reform
In a dramatic indication of just how far he wants his reforms to go, General Secretary of the Communist Party Mikhail Gorbachev calls for an end to the Soviet agricultural…
March 24
March 24
Exxon Valdez runs aground in Alaska
On this day in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker hits a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, resulting in an enormous oil spill. Though there were no human victims…
March 24
March 24
Exxon Valdez crashes, causing one of the worst oil spills in history
March 24, 1989: One of the worst oil spills in U.S. history begins when the supertanker Exxon Valdez, owned and operated by the Exxon Corporation, runs aground on a reef…
April 2
April 2
Gorbachev begins visit to Cuba
In an effort to mend strained relations between the Soviet Union and Cuba, Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana to meet with Fidel Castro. Castro’s suspicions regarding Gorbachev’s economic…
April 8
April 8
Pitcher Jim Abbott, born without right hand, makes MLB debut
On April 8, 1989, California Angels rookie pitcher Jim Abbott, who was born without a right hand, makes his Major League Baseball debut in a 7‑0 loss to the Seattle…
April 17
April 17
Chinese students protest against government
Thousands of Chinese students take to the streets in Beijing to protest government policies and issue a call for greater democracy in the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC). The…
April 19
April 19
Central Park jogger attack shocks New York City
On April 19, 1989, a 28‑year‑old female investment banker is beaten and sexually assaulted while jogging in New York City’s Central Park. Five teenagers from Harlem were wrongly convicted of…
April 22
April 22
100,000 Chinese students gather at Tiananmen Square, demand to meet Li Peng
Seven days after the death of Hu Yaobang, the deposed reform‑minded leader of the Chinese Communist Party, some 100,000 students gather at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate Hu and voice…
April 25
April 25
A father is exonerated after 21 years
James Richardson walks out of a Florida prison 21 years after being wrongfully convicted of killing his seven children. Special prosecutor Janet Reno agreed to the release after evidence showed…
