1989 - What happened in 1989 ?

January 1989

Sunday 08:

beginning of Japanese Heisei era

Monday 09:

The Sega Genesis is released in New York, New York and Los Angeles, California.

Friday 13:

The final episode of the American soap opera Ryan's Hope is aired, ending a 14-year run on the network.

Tuesday 24:

Serial killer Ted Bundy is executed in Florida's electric chair.

Monday 30:

The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan closes.

February 1989

Thursday 02:

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan: The last Soviet Union armored column leaves Kabul ending nine years of military occupation.

Friday 03:

After a stroke, P.W. Botha resigns party leadership and the presidency of South Africa.

Friday 10:

Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party.

Tuesday 14:

The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit.

Monday 27:

Venezuela is rocked by the Caracazo.

March 1989

Thursday 02:

Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century.

Tuesday 07:

The State Council of the People's Republic of China declares martial law in Lhasa, Tibet.

Wednesday 15:

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is established.

Tuesday 21:

Sports Illustrated reports allegations that tie baseball player Pete Rose to baseball gambling.

Thursday 23:

A 1,000-foot diameter Near-Earth asteroid misses the Earth by 400,000 miles.

April 1989

Sunday 02:

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.

Friday 07:

Soviet submarine Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway after a fire. 42 sailors die.

Saturday 08:

South Africa In Johannesburg, the Progressive Federal Party, Independent party, National Democratic Movement and the force of "Ontevrede Afrikaners" or dissatisfied Afrikaners merged to form the Democratic Party.

Wednesday 19:

1989- Desirae Farmer is born

Friday 21:

Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate the late Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.

May 1989

Thursday 04:

Iran-Contra Affair: Former White House aide Oliver North is convicted of three crimes and was acquitted of nine other charges. The convictions, however, are later overturned on appeal.

Friday 12:

1989 A Southern Pacific Railroad freight train derails on Duffy Street on the very steep Cajon Pass in San Bernardino, California

Saturday 20:

The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Wednesday 24:

Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, is awarded a six-figure sum in damages after winning a libel action against Private Eye.

Tuesday 30:

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: The 33-foot high "Goddess of Democracy" statue is unveiled in Tiananmen Square by student demonstrators.

June 1989

Monday 05:

The Unknown Rebel halts the progress of a column of advancing tanks for over half an hour after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Wednesday 07:

1989 - At 01:23:45 AM the time and date by US reckoning was 01:23:45 6/7/89. This was also true 12 hours later excepting 24-hour time.

Wednesday 21:

The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Texas v. Johnson that flag burning is protected speech under the United States Constitution.

Thursday 22:

Dublin City University and University of Limerick are established in Ireland.

Friday 23:

The movie Batman is released in the United States.

July 1989

Thursday 06:

1989 - At 01:23:45 AM, the time and date by British reckoning was 01:23:45 6/7/89. This was also true 12 hours later excepting 24-hour time.

Sunday 09:

Two bombs explode in Mecca, killing one pilgrim and wounding 16 others.

Tuesday 18:

Rebecca Schaeffer is shot by a crazed fan, prompting California to pass America's first anti-stalking law in 1990.

Tuesday 25:

Rock/Hip-hop trio The Beastie Boys release the classic Paul's Boutique.

Wednesday 26:

A federal grand jury indicts Cornell University student Robert T. Morris, Jr. for releasing a computer worm, thus becoming the first person to be prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

August 1989

Tuesday 08:

STS-28: The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission.

Saturday 19:

Polish president Wojciech Jaruzelski nominates Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki to be the first non-communist Prime Minister in 42 years.

Sunday 20:

1989- In Beverly Hills, California, Lyle and Erik Menendez shoot and kill their wealthy parents.

Tuesday 22:

Nolan Ryan strikes out Rickey Henderson to become the first major league baseball pitcher to record 5000 strikeouts.

Thursday 24:

Voyager 2 passes Neptune.

September 1989

Wednesday 13:

Largest anti-Apartheid march in South Africa, led by Desmond Tutu.

Friday 15:

The U.S. Congress recognizes Terry Anderson's continued captivity in Beirut.

Monday 18:

Hurricane Hugo hits Puerto Rico, killing six.

Tuesday 19:

Hurricane Hugo makes landfall in the U.S. state of South Carolina.

Saturday 30:

Foreign Minister of West Germany Hans-Dietrich Genscher's speech from the balcony of the German embassy in Prague.

October 1989

Monday 09:

In Leipzig, East Germany, 70,000 protesters demand the legalization of opposition groups and democratic reforms.

Sunday 15:

Wayne Gretzky becomes the all time leading points scorer in the NHL.

Tuesday 17:

Loma Prieta earthquake (7.1 on the Richter scale) hits the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sunday 22:

Jacob Wetterling is abducted in St. Joseph, Minnesota.

Tuesday 24:

Televangelist Jim Bakker is sentenced to 45 years in prison and a 500,000 USD fine for defrauding investors of 3.7 million USD.

November 1989

Monday 06:

Kitty Dukakis, wife of presidential candidate and Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, is hospitalised for drinking rubbing alcohol.

Tuesday 07:

In California, convicted murder Richard Ramirez (aka "The Night Stalker") is sentenced to death.

Friday 10:

After 35 years of communist rule in Bulgaria, Bulgarian Communist Party leader Todor Zhivkov is replaced by former Prime Minister Petre Mladenov who changes the party's name to the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

Monday 20:

Velvet Revolution: The number of peaceful protestors assembled in Prague, Czechoslovakia swells from 200,000 the day before to an estimated half-million.

Thursday 30:

Richard Mallory of Palm Harbor, Florida, takes a ride with Aileen Wuornos before becoming the female serial killer's first victim.

December 1989

Friday 01:

Cold War: East Germany's parliament abolishes the constitutional provision granting the communist party the leading role in the state.

Sunday 03:

Cold War: In a meeting off the coast of Malta, US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev release statements indicating that the cold war between their nations may be coming to an end (some commentators from both nations exaggerated the wording and independently declared the Cold War over).

Thursday 14:

Chile holds its first free election in 16 years. Patricio Aylwin was elected president.

Monday 25:

Nicolae Ceau?escu, former communist dictator of Romania, and his wife Elena are condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.

Friday 29:

On the final day of trading for the year and decade, the Japanese Nikkei 225 Average closes at an all-time high of 38,915.87.