1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was .

Events

February 13 – Michael Jackson purchases a ranch in Santa Ynez, California. He calls his new home "Neverland".
February 17 – A 12-year old Mötley Crüe fan in Florida is badly burned while trying to imitate a stunt in the band's "Live Wire" music video. The boy suffered burns over ten percent of his body. Mötley Crüe said the band's stunts should not be tried at home.
March 12 – Record producer Jimmy Iovine presents the Special Olympics with a donation of $5 million, which was raised with the release of the A Very Special Christmas album.
April 19 – Former rock and roll singer Sonny Bono becomes Mayor of Palm Springs, California
May 1 – Citing the 1st Amendment, a judge drops all charges filed against singer Billy Joel. Joel was being sued by Jack Powers for defamation following an interview with Playboy in which he called Powers a "creep".
 June 14 – A small wildfire starts in Montana near Yellowstone National Park. It joins other fires. Eventually, over  of Yellowstone burns before firefighters gain control in late September.
July 1 – Quartetto Cetra's last concert
 August 20 – The Iran–Iraq War ends
 September 16 – rapper Eazy-E releases his first album Eazy-Duz-It
 November 1 – Bad Religion releases Suffer
 Hurricane Gilbert strikes the Caribbean, Mexico and south Texas
November 24 – Mystery Science Theater 3000 premieres
December 7 – A powerful earthquake kills nearly 25,000 people in Soviet Armenia
December 21 – A Pan-Am airplane explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing more than 270 people
Ankst music label founded
Peter Ruzicka becomes director of the Hamburg State Opera and State Philharmonic Orchestra
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" experiences a surge in popularity sparked by television commercials featuring claymation raisin figures dancing to the song. The California Raisins version of the song peaks at No. 84 on Billboard's Hot 100.

Births

January 12 – Chris Casement, Northern Irish footballer
February 20 – Rihanna, Barbadian singer
February 29 – Lena Gercke, German model
March 27 – Brenda Song, American actress and singer
April 27 – Lizzo, American musician
April 29 – Jonathan Toews, Canadian Professional ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks
May 5 – Adele, British singer
June 7 – Michael Cera, Canadian actor
July 14 – Conor McGregor, Irish boxer
July 16 – Sergio Busquets, Spanish footballer
August 25 – Alexandra Burke, British singer
October 15 – Mesut Oezil, German footballer
November 6 – Emma Stone, American actress
November 8 - Chris McNally, Canadian actor 
November 19 – Patrick Kane, American professional ice hockey for the Chicago Blackhawks
November 25 – Nodar Kumaritashvili, Georgian luger (d. 2010)
December 14 – Vanessa Hudgens, American actress

Deaths

 January 5 – Pete Maravich, basketball player (b. 1947)
 January 13 – Chiang Ching-kuo, 3rd President of the Republic of China (b. 1910)
 January 14 – Georgy Malenkov, 5th Prime Minister of the Soviet Union (b. 1902)
 January 15 – Seán MacBride, Irish Republican Army leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1904)
February 1– Heather O'Rourke, American actress (b. 1975)
 February 13 – John Curulewski, American guitarist (Styx) (b. 1950)
 February 15 – Richard Feynman, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
 March 9 – Kurt Georg Kiesinger, 3rd Chancellor of Germany (b. 1904)
March 10
 Andy Gibb, singer (b. 1958)
 Phạm Hùng, Vietnamese prime minister (b. 1912)
 March 31 – Sir William McMahon, twentieth Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1908)
 May 25 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
 June 11 – Giuseppe Saragat, 5th President of Italy (b. 1898)
 June 25 – Hillel Slovak, American musician (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (b. 1962)
 August 10 – Arnulfo Arias, President of Panama (b. 1901)
 August 17 – Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, 6th President of Pakistan (b. 1924)
 September 1 – Luis Walter Alvarez, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
 September 30 – Trường Chinh, former President of Vietnam (b. 1907)
 December 4 – Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist (b. 1899)
 December 6 – Roy Orbison, singer (b. 1936)

Nobel Prizes
 Nobel Prize in Physics shared by Leon M. Lederman, Melvin Schwartz, and Jack Steinberger for their research on neutrinos
 Nobel Prize in Chemistry shared by Johann Deisenhofer, Robert Huber, and Hartmut Michel
 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine shared by Sir James W. Black, Gertrude B. Elion, and George H. Hitchings
 Nobel Prize in Literature won by Naguib Mahfouz, an Egyptian writer
 Nobel Peace Prize won by The United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces
 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences won by Maurice Allais, French economist

Movies released
The Accused, starring Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis
Big, directed by Penny Marshall and starring Tom Hanks
The Cat Came BackCocktail starring Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, and Elisabeth ShueComing to America starring Eddie MurphyDie HardA Fish Called Wanda, nominated for three Academy AwardsThe Great OutdoorsThe Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
My Neighbor Totoro, an animated movie
Rain Man, winning 4 Academy Awards
Rambo III
Red Scorpion
Red Heat
The Thin Blue LineTwinsWorking GirlWho Framed Roger Rabbit?, based on a novel by Gary K. WolfWillow,  directed by Ron HowardYoung Guns, written by John Fusco

Hit songs

"1-2-3" – Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine
"Anything for You" – Gloria Estefan
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" – Poison
"Forever Young" – Rod Stewart
"Get Outta My Dreams (Get Into My Car)" – Billy Ocean
"Got My Mind Set On You" – George Harrison
"Heaven Is A Place On Earth" – Belinda Carlie
"I Get Weak" – Belinda Carlisle
"I Should Be So Lucky" – Kylie Minogue
"Is this Love" – Whitesnake
"Johnny B. Goode" – Judas Priest
"Kokomo" – The Beach Boys
"Lead Me On" – Amy Grant
"Look Away" – Chicago
"Man in the Mirror" – Michael Jackson
"Mountain Song" – Jane's Addiction
"Never Gonna Give You Up" – Rick Astley
"New Sensation" – INXS
"One More Try" – George Michael
"The Promise" – When In Rome
"Roll With It" – Steve Winwood
"Saved By Love" – Amy Grant
"Simply Irristable" – Robert Palmer
"Sweet Child O' Mine" – Guns N' Roses
"Tell It To My Heart" – Taylor Dayne
"Toy Soldiers" – Martika
"Theme from S-Express" – S-Express
"When You Put Your Heart In It" – Kenny Rogers

New booksAlaska  –  James A. MichenerThe Alchemist – Paulo CoelhoKiki: Reine de la Montparnasse – Lou MollgaardBreathing Lessons – Anne TylerA Brief History of Time  –  Stephen HawkingThe Butcher – Alina ReyesCabal – Clive BarkerCandlelight Spells – Gerina DunwichThe Cardinal of the Kremlin  –  Tom ClancyCat's Eye – Margaret AtwoodThe Coming of the King – Nikolai TolstoyCurriculum (poems) –  Grazyna MillerThe Dark Green Tunnel – Allan W. EckertThe Fifth Child – Doris LessingGolden Girl: The Story of Jessica Savitch  – Alanna NashThe Hellbound Heart  –  Clive BarkerThe Icarus Agenda  –  Robert LudlumLove in the Time of Cholera  –  Gabriel García Márquez
Matilda - Roald DahlNervous Conditions  –  Tsitsi DangarembgaOscar and Lucinda  –  Peter CareyThe Player of Games  –  Iain M. BanksA Ring of Conspirators: Henry James and his literary circle, 1895-1915 – Miranda SeymourThe Sands of Time  –  Sidney SheldonScorpius – John GardnerThe Shell Seekers  –  Rosamunde PilcherSourcery – Terry PratchettTapestry – Belva PlainTil We Meet Again  –  Judith KrantzThe Toynbee Convector – Ray BradburyWyrd Sisters – Terry PratchettZoya''  – Danielle Steel