# 1989

1989 in other calendars| Gregorian calendar | 1989 *MCMLXXXIX* |
| Ab urbe condita | 2742 |
| Armenian calendar | 1438 ԹՎ ՌՆԼԸ |
| Assyrian calendar | 6739 |
| Bahá'í calendar | 145–146 |
| Balinese saka calendar | 1910–1911 |
| Bengali calendar | 1396 |
| Berber calendar | 2939 |
| British Regnal year | 37 Eliz. 2 – 38 Eliz. 2 |
| Buddhist calendar | 2533 |
| Burmese calendar | 1351 |
| Byzantine calendar | 7497–7498 |
| Chinese calendar | 戊辰年 (Earth Dragon) 4685 or 4625     *— to —* 己巳年 (Earth Snake) 4686 or 4626 |
| Coptic calendar | 1705–1706 |
| Discordian calendar | 3155 |
| Ethiopian calendar | 1981–1982 |
| Hebrew calendar | 5749–5750 |
| Hindu calendars |  |
|  - *Vikram Samvat* | 2045–2046 |
|  - *Shaka Samvat* | 1910–1911 |
|  - *Kali Yuga* | 5089–5090 |
| Holocene calendar | 11989 |
| Igbo calendar | 989–990 |
| Iranian calendar | 1367–1368 |
| Islamic calendar | 1409–1410 |
| Japanese calendar | Shōwa 64 / Heisei 1 (平成元年) |
| Javanese calendar | 1921–1922 |
| Juche calendar | 78 |
| Julian calendar | Gregorian minus 13 days |
| Korean calendar | 4322 |
| Minguo calendar | ROC 78 民國78年 |
| Nanakshahi calendar | 521 |
| Thai solar calendar | 2532 |
| Tibetan calendar | ས་ཕོ་འབྲུག་ལོ་ (male Earth-Dragon) 2115 or 1734 or 962     *— to —* ས་མོ་སྦྲུལ་ལོ་ (female Earth-Snake) 2116 or 1735 or 963 |
| Unix time | 599616000 – 631151999 |

**1989** (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday in the Gregorian calendar. A wave of counter revolutions led to the end of the Eastern Bloc and the Cold War during the year.

## Events

Clean up after *Exxon Valdez* oil spill
* January 7 – Akihito becomes Emperor of Japan following the death of Hirohito. The Heisei period begins.
* January 8 – the Kegworth Air Disaster – A British Midland Boeing 737 crashes on approach to East Midlands Airport – 44 dead
* January 10 – Cuban troops begin withdrawing from Angola
* January 10 – Assistant Australian Federal Police commissioner Colin Winchester is shot dead in the driveway of his Canberra home.
* January 17 – A gunman kills 5 children, wounds 30 and then shoots himself in Stockton, California.
* January 20 – George Herbert Walker Bush succeeds Ronald Wilson Reagan as President of the United States of America
* January 24 – Serial killer Ted Bundy is executed in Florida's electric chair
* January 30 – American Olympic medalist Bruce Kimball is sentenced to 17 years in prison for killing two teenagers in a drunk driving accident.
* February 3 – Paraguayan leader Alfredo Stroessner is removed from office.
* February 14 – Iran issues a fatwa (death warrant) against the writer Salman Rushdie for his novel, The Satanic Verses.
* March 24 – The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurs at Prince William Sound in southern Alaska. Until 2010 it is the worst oil spill in United States history.
* May - Tornadoes hit Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
* June 4 – Protests at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, are brutally crushed. An image of a lone protestor defying a tank is shown worldwide.
* August – First sighting of the Aurora, a supposed hypersonic aircraft
* September - Hurricane Hugo strikes the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and North Carolina. The hurricane causes $8 billion in damage in the United States, about $10 billion in total. Many people die from this hurricane.
* October 17 – A major earthquake strikes San Francisco, California.
* October 18 – East Germany's leader Erich Honecker resigns.
* November 2 – Bad Religion releases *No Control*, which is considered one of the band's best known works in the history of punk music, along with its predecessor *Suffer*, which came out in the previous year.
* November 17 – The Berlin Wall in Germany starts to come down.
* December 17 – The television series *The Simpsons* premieres on FOX as a full animated series with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
* December 22 – The main crossing from East into West Berlin is officially reopened.
* December 22 – In Romania, Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu is removed from office.
* December 25 – Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena are executed by a firing squad.

## Births

Jason Derulo
Taylor Swift
* January 9 – Nina Dobrev, Canadian actress
* January 23 – April Pearson, British actress
* February 3 – Vania King, American tennis player
* February 9 – Shunta Takahashi, Japanese footballer
* February 18 – Zhang Li Yin, Chinese singer
* February 21 – Corbin Bleu, American actor
* March 12 – Holger Badstuber, German footballer
* March 13 – Marko Marin, German footballer
* March 14 – Ryohei Yamazaki, Japanese footballer
* March 16 – Theo Walcott, English footballer
* March 19 – James Richman, Latvian-born investor
* March 20 – Keisuke Endo, Japanese footballer
* March 28 – David Goodwillie, Scottish footballer
* April 8 – Koki Otani, Japanese footballer
* April 23 – Nicole Vaidisova, German tennis player
* May 5 – Chris Brown, American singer
* May 11 – Giovani dos Santos, Mexican footballer
* May 17 – Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer
* June 2 – Freddy Adu, American footballer
* June 10 – Alexandra Stan, Romanian singer and songwriter
* June 11 – Shia LaBeouf, American actor
* July 16 – Gareth Bale, Welsh footballer
* June 28 – Markiplier, American YouTube personality
* July 23 – Daniel Radcliffe, British actor
* August 15 – Joe Jonas, American singer and actor
* August 21 – Hayden Panettiere, American actress
* August 30 – Bebe Rexha, American singer and songwriter
* September 1 – Bill & Tom Kaulitz, German singers
* September 10 – Sanjaya Malakar, American singer
* September 13 – Thomas Mueller, German footballer
* September 21 – Jason Derulo, American singer
* September 21 – Emma Watkins, Australian musician (The Wiggles)
* September 23 – Brandon Jennings, American basketball player
* October 4 – Kimmie Meissner, American ice skater
* October 13 – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, American politician and activist
* October 24 – Pewdiepie, Swedish YouTube personality
* October 30 – Seth Adkins, American actor
* October 30 – Nastia Liukin, American gymnast
* November 11 – Patrick Starrr, American YouTube personality
* December 13 – Taylor Swift, American pop singer
* December 22 – Jordin Sparks, American singer
* December 28 – Mackenzie Rosman, American actress
* December 30 – Natasha Baker, English para-equestrian

## Deaths

### January

Hirohito
Salvador Dali
Ted Bundy
* January 4 - Junko furuta, Japanese schoolgirl (b. 1971)
* January 7 – Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (b. 1901)
* January 23 – Salvador Dalí, Spanish painter (b. 1904)
* January 24 – Ted Bundy, American serial killer (b. 1946)

### February

Konrad Lorenz
* February 6 – Chris Gueffroy, last person to be shot at the Berlin Wall (b. 1968)
* February 17 – Lefty Gomez, American baseball player (b. 1908)
* February 26 – Roy Eldridge, American jazz musician (b. 1911)
* February 27 – Konrad Lorenz, German scientist (b. 1903)

### March

### April

Emilio G. Segre
Lucille Ball
Sergio Leone
* April 12 – Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (b. 1921)
* April 22 - Emilio G. Segre, Italian-American physicist (b. 1905)
* April 26 – Lucille Ball, American actress (b. 1911)
* April 30 – Sergio Leone, movie director (b. 1929)

### May

* May 20 – Gilda Radner, American comedian and actress (b. 1946)

### June

* June 3 – Ayatollah Khomeini, Supreme Leader of Iran (b. 1900)
* June 30 – Hilmar Baunsgaard, Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1920)

### July

Andrei Gromyko
Laurence Olivier
Herbert von Karajan
* July 2 – Andrei Gromyko, Soviet politician (b. 1909)
* July 10 – Mel Blanc, American actor (b. 1908)
* July 11 – Laurence Olivier, British actor (b. 1907)
* July 16 – Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor (b. 1908)

### August

William Shockley
* August 12 – William Shockley, American physicist (b. 1910)

### September

Georges SimenonIrving Berlin
Ferdinand Marcos
* September 4 – Georges Simenon, Belgian writer (b. 1903)
* September 8 – Barry Sadler, American musician (b. 1940)
* September 22 – Irving Berlin, Russian-born composer (b. 1888)
* September 28 – Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines (b. 1917)

### October

Bette Davis
* October 4 – Graham Chapman, English comedian (b. 1941)
* October 6 – Bette Davis, American actress (b. 1908)

### November

Ahmadou Ahidjo
* November 5 – Vladimir Horowitz, Russian-born pianist (b. 1903)
* November 30 – Ahmadou Ahidjo, 1st President of Cameroon (b. 1924)

### December

Andrei Sakharov
Samuel Beckett
Nicolae Ceausescu
Elena Ceaușescu
* December 14 – Andrei Sakharov, Soviet physicist and activist (b. 1921)
* December 22 – Samuel Beckett, Irish playwright (b. 1906)
* December 25 – Nicolae Ceausescu, President of Romania (b. 1918)
* December 25 – Elena Ceaușescu, Deputy Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1916)

## Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Physics won by Norman F. Ramsey, and shared by Hans G. Dehmelt and Wolfgang Paul
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry shared by Sidney Altman and Thomas R. Cech
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine shared by J. Michael Bishop and Harold E. Varmus
* Nobel Prize in Literature won by Camilo José Cela, Spanish novelist
* Nobel Peace Prize won by Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
* Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences won by Trygve Haavelmo

## Movies released

* *Batman*
* *Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure*
* *Born on the Fourth of July*, nominated for eight Academy Awards
* *Dead Poets Society*, winner of the BAFTA Award for Best Film
* *Do The Right Thing*
* *Driving Miss Daisy*, nominated for nine Academy Awards
* *Ghostbusters II*
* *Great Balls of Fire!*
* *Honey, I Shrunk The Kids*
* *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade*, the highest-grossing movie of 1989
* *Kickboxer*
* *Kiki's Delivery Service*, an animated movie
* *Lethal Weapon II*
* *Tango & Cash*
* *The Little Mermaid*, made by Walt Disney Pictures
* *Lock Up*
* *Look Who's Talking*
* *Next of Kin*
* *National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation*
* *Road House*
* *Roger & Me*, directed by Michael Moore
* *Steel Magnolias*, winning a Golden Globe Award for Julia Roberts
* *Turner & Hooch*
* *UHF*
* *Uncle Buck*, directed by John Hughes

## Hit songs

Duran Duran in 2012
Garth Brooks in 2009
* "All She Wants Is" – Duran Duran
* "My Brave Face" – Paul McCartney
* "Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins
* "Batdance" – Prince
* "Bat Attack '89 – Crime Fighters Inc
* "Beds Are Burning" – Midnight Oil
* "Blame It on the Rain" – Milli Vanilli
* "Buffalo Stance" – Neneh Cherry
* "Cartoon" – Soul Asylum
* "Compulsory Hero – 1927
* "Chained To The Wheel – Black Sorrows
* "Cry In Shame Johnny Diesel + The Injectors
* "Crying In The Chapel" – Peter Blakley
* "Do You Believe In Shame?" – Duran Duran
* "Dr. Feelgood" – Mötley Crüe
* "Eternal Flame" – The Bangles
* "Eyes Of A Stranger" – Queensrÿche
* "Hangin' Tough" – New Kids On The Block
* "Heavy Metal" – Judas Priest
* "I Drove All Night – Cyndi Lauper
* "I Feel The Earth Move – Martika
* "If I Could" – 1927
* "If I Could Turn Back Time" – Cher
* "If Tomorrow Never Comes" – Garth Brooks
* "Kickstart My Heart" – Mötley Crüe
* "Killin' Time" – Clint Black
* "Leave A Light On For Me – Belinda Carlisle
* "Like a Prayer" – Madonna
* "Listen To Your Heart" – Roxette
* "Lost in Your Eyes" – Debbie Gibson
* "Love Shack"- The B-52's
* "Miss You Much" – Janet Jackson
* "Monsters Of Rock" – Judas Priest
* "Open Letter (To A Landlord)" – Living Colour
* "Orange Crush" – R.E.M.
* "Rendez-vous chaque soir" – Dalida (inédit)
* "Right Here Waiting" – Richard Marx
* "Ring My Bell – Collette
* "She Drives Me Crazy" – Fine Young Cannibals
* "She Has To Be Loved" – Jenny Morris
* "Sometime To Return" – Soul Asylum
* "Soul Revival" – Johnny Disel + The Injectors
* "Stand" – R.E.M.
* "Stop – Sam Brown
* "Straight Up" – Paula Abdul
* "Talk It Over" – Grayson Hugh
* "The Crack-Up" – The Black Sorrows
* "The Dance" – Garth Brooks
* "The Look" – Roxette
* "The World Seems Difficult" – Mentals
* "Tucker's Daughter – Ian Moss
* "Un soir qu'on oublie pas" – Dalida (inédit)
* "Veronica" – Elvis Costello
* "When I See You Smile" – Bad English
* "We Didn't Start The Fire" – Billy Joel
* "Wild Thing" – Tone Loc
* "You Got It" – Roy Orbison
* "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" – New Kids On The Block
* "Young Years" – Dragon
* "You'll Never Know" – 1927

## New Books

Gilda Radner with husband Gene Wilder in 1986
Mary Higgins Clark in 2012
* *Geek Love* – Katherine Dunn
* *The Cardinal of the Kremlin* – Tom Clancy
* *Chronicle of the French Revolution* – Jean Favier et al.
* *Daddy* – Danielle Steel
* *The Face of Battle* – John Keegan
* *Foucault's Pendulum* – Umberto Eco
* *The Great and Secret Show* – Clive Barker
* *Guards! Guards!* – Terry Pratchett
* *Hyperion* – Dan Simmons
* *It's Always Something* – Gilda Radner
* *Jasmine* – Bharati Mukherjee
* *The Joy Luck Club* – Amy Tan
* *The Legacy of Heorot* – Larry Niven
* *Licence to Kill* – John Gardner
* *London Fields* – Martin Amis
* *Lot's Wife* – Tom Wakefield
* *The Magick of Candleburning* – Gerina Dunwich
* *The Negotiator* – Frederick Forsyth
* *The Pillars of the Earth* – Ken Follett
* *A Prayer For Owen Meany* – John Irving
* *Pyramids* – Terry Pratchett
* *Red Phoenix* – Larry Bond
* *The Remains of the Day* – Kazuo Ishiguro
* *The Russia House* – John le Carré
* *The Sands of Time* – Sidney Sheldon
* *The Satanic Verses* – Salman Rushdie
* *Six Days in Havana* – James A. Michener
* *Solomon Gursky Was Here* – Mordecai Richler
* *Star* – Danielle Steel
* *Stark* – Ben Elton
* *The Temple of My Familiar* – Alice Walker
* *A Time to Kill* – John Grisham
* *Total Recall* – Piers Anthony
* *While My Pretty One Sleeps* – Mary Higgins Clark
* *The Wicked and the Witless* – Hugh Cook
* *Win, Lose or Die* – John Gardner
* *New Revised Standard Version* of the Bible
* *Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony* by Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon
* *Snot Stew* by Bill Wallace

## Other websites

* Media related to 1989 at Wikimedia Commons