1989 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s – 1980s – 1990s 2000s 2010s
Years:	1986 1987 1988 – 1989 – 1990 1991 1992

The year 1989 was a very important year, especially for world history. It was the last year of the 1980s. Many big changes happened, like the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Eastern Bloc. This period saw many countries in Eastern Europe become free from Communism.

Major Events of 1989
Famous People Born in 1989
Famous People Who Passed Away in 1989
Popular Movies Released in 1989
Hit Songs of 1989
New Books Released in 1989
Images for kids
See also

Major Events of 1989

Cleaning up after the Exxon Valdez oil spill

January 7 – Akihito became the new Emperor of Japan after his father, Hirohito, passed away. This started the Heisei era.
January 8 – A British Midland Boeing 737 plane crashed near East Midlands Airport in England. Sadly, 44 people died.
January 10 – Cuban soldiers started leaving Angola, a country in Africa.
January 20 – George H. W. Bush became the new President of the United States. He took over from Ronald Reagan.
February 3 – Alfredo Stroessner, the leader of Paraguay, was removed from his position.
February 14 – Iran issued a special order called a fatwa against writer Salman Rushdie because of his book, The Satanic Verses.
March 24 – The Exxon Valdez oil spill happened in Alaska. A lot of oil spilled into the ocean, causing a huge environmental disaster. It was the worst oil spill in United States history for a long time.
May – Strong tornadoes hit several states in the US, including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
June 4 – In Beijing, China, protests at Tiananmen Square were stopped very harshly. A famous photo showed one person standing in front of a tank.
August – People reported seeing a mysterious, very fast aircraft called the Aurora for the first time.
September – Hurricane Hugo caused a lot of damage in the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and parts of the US like South Carolina and North Carolina. It caused about $10 billion in damage.
October 17 – A big earthquake hit San Francisco, California, causing a lot of damage.
October 18 – Erich Honecker, the leader of East Germany, resigned from his job.
November 17 – The Berlin Wall in Germany began to be taken down. This was a huge moment for freedom and the end of the Cold War.
December 22 – The main crossing point between East and West Berlin was officially reopened.
December 22 – In Romania, the Communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu was removed from power.
December 25 – Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena faced justice for their actions.

Famous People Born in 1989

Jason Derulo

Taylor Swift

January 9 - Nina Dobrev, Canadian actress
February 3 – Vania King, American tennis player
February 21 – Corbin Bleu, American actor
March 12 – Holger Badstuber, German footballer
March 16 – Theo Walcott, English footballer
May 5 – Chris Brown, American singer
June 11 – Shia LaBeouf, American actor
July 16 - Gareth Bale, Welsh footballer
June 28 - Markiplier, American YouTube personality
July 23 – Daniel Radcliffe, British actor (famous for playing Harry Potter)
August 15 – Joe Jonas, American singer and actor
August 21 – Hayden Panettiere, American actress
September 1 – Bill & Tom Kaulitz, German singers
September 21 – Jason Derulo, American singer
October 13 – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, American politician
October 24 - PewDiePie, Swedish YouTube personality
October 30 – Nastia Liukin, American gymnast
December 13 – Taylor Swift, American singer (who later released an album called 1989)
December 22 – Jordin Sparks, American singer

Famous People Who Passed Away in 1989

Sugar Ray Robinson

Mel Blanc

January 7 – Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (born 1901)
January 23 – Salvador Dalí, famous Spanish painter (born 1904)
February 6 – Chris Gueffroy, the last person to be shot trying to cross the Berlin Wall (born 1968)
April 12 – Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (born 1921)
April 26 – Lucille Ball, American actress and comedian (born 1911)
April 30 – Sergio Leone, movie director (born 1929)
June 3 – Ayatollah Khomeini, Supreme Leader of Iran (born 1900)
July 10 – Mel Blanc, American voice actor (known as the voice of Bugs Bunny and many other cartoon characters) (born 1908)
July 11 – Laurence Olivier, famous British actor (born 1907)
September 28 – Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines (born 1917)
October 4 – Graham Chapman, English comedian (from Monty Python) (born 1941)
October 6 – Bette Davis, American actress (born 1908)
December 14 – Andrei Sakharov, Soviet physicist and activist (born 1921)
December 22 – Samuel Beckett, Irish playwright (born 1906)
December 25 – Nicolae Ceaușescu, dictator of Romania (born 1918)

Popular Movies Released in 1989

Batman
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Born on the Fourth of July
Dead Poets Society
Do The Right Thing
Driving Miss Daisy
Ghostbusters II
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (the movie that made the most money in 1989)
Kiki's Delivery Service, an animated movie
The Little Mermaid, made by Walt Disney Pictures
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Steel Magnolias
Uncle Buck