1989 - What happened in 1989 ?

January 1989

Saturday 07:

Akihito becomes Emperor of Japan.

Monday 09:

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

Tuesday 10:

Cuban troops begin withdrawing from Angola.

Friday 13:

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

Monday 30:

The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan closes.

February 1989

Friday 03:

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

Wednesday 08:

An Independent Air Boeing 707 crashes into Santa Maria mountain in Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal killing 144.

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

Wednesday 01:

The United States becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.

Saturday 18:

In Egypt, a 4,400-year-old mummy is found in the Pyramid of Cheops.

Tuesday 21:

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

Friday 24:

Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (42,000 m³) of petroleum after running aground.

Monday 27:

Generations, the first American soap opera to have an entire black family in its original core cast, commences telecasts on NBC.

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.

Saturday 15:

Upon Hu Yaobang's death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in the People's Republic of China.

Wednesday 19:

1989- Desirae Farmer is born

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

Saturday 03:

The government of China sends troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation.

Sunday 04:

Ufa train disaster: A natural gas explosion near Ufa, Russia, kills 645 as two trains passing each other throw sparks near a leaky pipeline.

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.

Friday 23:

The movie Batman is released in the United States.

July 1989

Tuesday 04:

14-year-old actress Drew Barrymore attempts suicide.

Wednesday 05:

Iran-Contra Affair: Oliver North is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell to a three-year suspended prison term, two years probation, $150,000 in fines and 1,200 hours community service.

Sunday 09:

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

Saturday 15:

Punk rock band Bad Religion releases their sixth album, No Control.

Tuesday 18:

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

August 1989

Monday 07:

US Congressman Mickey Leland (D-TX), and 15 others die in a plane crash in Ethiopia.

Wednesday 09:

Kaifu Toshiki becomes Prime Minister of Japan.

Sunday 20:

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

Friday 25:

Mayumi Moriyama becomes Japan's first female cabinet secretary.

Thursday 31:

Buckingham Palace officials confirm that Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips are to be separated.

September 1989

Monday 11:

President George H. W. Bush delivers a nationally televised speech in which he threatens the use of force to remove Iraqi soldiers from Kuwait, which Iraq had recently invaded.

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.

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.

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.

Sunday 29:

After years of delays, the 63rd Street Tunnel opens for service, the first expansion of the New York City subway system since 1967.

November 1989

Tuesday 07:

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

Thursday 16:

A death squad composed of El Salvadoran army troops, most of them trained by the School of the Americas, kill six Jesuit priests and two others at Jose Simeon Canas University.

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.

Wednesday 22:

In west Beirut, a bomb explodes near the motorcade of Lebanese President Rene Moawad, killing him.

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

Thursday 07:

In their third and final fight, Sugar Ray Leonard retains the WBC Super Middleweight championship of the world over Roberto Duran.

Thursday 14:

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

Saturday 16:

The Romanian Revolution begins in the city of Timişoara as a protest against an attempt to evict a dissident priest.

Thursday 28:

1989 -A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, killing 13 people.

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.