The year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) of the Gregorian Calendar was a leap year starting on a Friday and ending on a Saturday. One notable fact is that 1988 has the most Roman numeral digits with 11. Hurricane Gilbert destroys 25% of all homes in Jamaica leaving 500,000 homeless. A typhoon in Bangladesh leaves ten’s of thousands dead and millions homeless. An air show disaster at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base kills 75. The Iran-Iraq War ends. PLO leader Yasser Arafat renounces terrorism. The Soviet Red Army withdraws from Afghanistan. Taiwanese president [Chiang Ching-kuo]] dies while in office.
George H.W. Bush defeats Michael Dukakis to become the 41st president of the United States. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is established. Aloha Airlines 737 has part of its fuselage ripped away during flight. They are able to land safely with only a single death. President Ronald Regan appoints Anthony M. Kennedy to the US Supreme Court. Olive North and John Poindexter are indicted, on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, for their role in the Iran Contra Affair. Beaches in New York and states up and down the east coast close when medical waste begins washing ashore.
There are fears of HIV contamination. The US drought of 1988 causes crop damage in many states with about $60 billion in damages. Sonny Bono becomes mayor of Palm Springs. Musicians Roy Orbison and Andy Gibbs die along with Author Louis L’Amour and presidential brother Billy Carter. Jimmy Swaggart confesses to sin with a prostitute. Jim Baker is indicted on fraud charges. The Winter Olympics were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jamaica enters the field in Bobsledding. The Summer Olympics were held in Seoul, South Korea. Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson is stripped of his gold metal after testing positive for steroids.
January 1988
- January 26: The Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway, it would go on to be the longest running Broadway show in history.
February 1988
- February 12: Anthony M. Kennedy is appointed to the Supreme Court
- February 13-February 28: The Winter Olympics are held in Calgary, Canada
March 1988
- March 16: Saddam Hussein launches a deadly chemical gas attack on the Kurdish city of Halabja killing thousands.
April 1988
- April 14: The Soviet Union signed an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
May 1988
- May 3: The White House acknowledged that first lady Nancy Reagan had used astrological advice to help schedule President Ronald Reagan's activities.
- May 15: The Soviet Union began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan.
- May 21: Cold War: In an attempt ease political and ethnic tensions in the Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Mikhail Gorbachev consolidates his power.
- May 29: President Ronald Reagan meets with Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
June 1988
July 1988
July 3: USS Vincennes shoots down Iran Air Flight 655 with missile fire.
August 1988
September 1988
- September 29: The Space Shuttle Discovery takes off from Cape Canaveral, Florida becoming the first space mission since the Challenger Disaster on January 28, 1986.
October 1988
- October 9: A movement begins in Riga, Latvia as thousand gather seeking more independence from the Soviet Union.
- October 29: Astronaut John Glenn at the age of 77 became the oldest man to leave the earth and enter Space.
November 1988
- November 16: Benazir Bhutto wins the Pakistan general election, becoming the first female leader in a Muslim country.
December 21 1988
December 21: 270 people are killed after a Terrorist bomb explodes aboard Pan Am Flight 103 as it was flying over Scotland, 11 of the killed were people on the ground.
December 1988
- December 7: Over 20,000 people perish after an Earthquake hits northern Armenia.
- December 30: President Ronald Reagan and President-elect George H.W. Bush were subpoenaed to testify as defense witnesses in the pending Iran-Contra trial of Oliver North.
Famous Births
- Feb. 20: Rihanna - Musician
- Apr. 02: Jesse Plemons - Friday Night Lights
- Apr. 10: Haley Joel Osment - The Sixth Sense
- Apr. 29: Jonathan Toews - Chicago Blackhawks
- May 05: Brooke Hogan - Brooke Knows Best
- May 18: Nikki Reed - Twilight
- Jun. 07: Michael Cera - Year One
- Jul. 20: Julianne Hough - Dancing with the Stars
- Dec. 14: Vanessa Hudgens - High School Musical
Famous Deaths
- Feb. 15: Richard Feynman - Manhattan Project
- Mar. 10: Andy Gibb - Bee Gees
- Dec. 06: Roy Orbison - Musician
Chart Toppers
- Jan. 02: George Michael - Faith
- Jan. 09: Whitney Houston - So Emotional
- Jan. 16: George Harrison - Got My Mind Set on You
- Jan. 23: Michael Jackson - The Way You Make...
- Jan. 30: INXS - Need You Tonight
- Feb. 06: Tiffany - Could've Been
- Feb. 20: Exposé - Seasons Change
- Feb. 27: George Michael - Father Figure
- Mar. 12: Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
- Mar. 26: Michael Jackson - Man in the Mirror
- Apr. 09: Billy Ocean - Get Outta My Dreams
- Apr. 23: Whitney Houston - Where Do broken Hearts Go
- May 07: Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well
- May 14: Gloria Estefan - Anything for You
- May 28: George Michael - One More Try
- Jun. 18: Rick Astley - Together Forever
- Jun. 25: Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat
- Jul. 09: Cheap Trick - The Flame
- Jul. 23: Richard Marx - Hold onto the Nights
- Jul. 30: Steve Winwood - Roll With It
- Aug. 27: George Michael - Monkey
- Sep. 10: Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine
- Sep. 24: Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry, Be Happy
- Oct. 08: Def Leppard - Love Bites
- Oct. 15: UB40 - Red Red Wine
- Oct. 22: Phil Collins - Groovy Kind of Love
- Nov. 05: The Beach Boys - Kokomo
- Nov. 12: The Escape Club - Wild, Wild West
- Nov. 19: Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine
- Dec. 03: Will to Power - Baby, I Love Your Way...
- Dec. 10: Chicago - Look Away
- Dec. 24: Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn Billboard: Historical Billboard Charts
Top Grossing Films
61st Academy Awards
- Presented on: March 29, 1989
- Best Picture: Rain Man
- Lead Actor: Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man
- Lead Actress: Jodie Foster in The Accused
- Best Director: Barry Levinson for Rain Man
- Best Documentary: Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie RopesofSilicon: Complete Oscar winners list
Olympics
Championship Teams
Top Athletes
Nobel Laureates
References
Fast Facts
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