The Nation 1989

Joel Steinberg found guilty of 1st degree manslaughter of daughter sentenced to 25 years

Ron Brown chosen 1st black chairman of a major U.S. party (Democrats)

Douglas Wilder elected 1st U.S. black governor (D-Va)

Worst U.S. oil spill, Exxon's Valdez spills 11.3 mil gallons off Alaska

Michael Milken, junk bond king, indicted in New York for racketeering

President Bush orders nearly 2,000 troops to Panama

U.S. troops invade Panama and oust Manuel Noriega, but don't catch him

Panama's dictator, Manual Noriega seeks asylum at Vatican embassy

Speaker of House Jim Wright resigns

Supreme Court rules ok to burn U.S. flag as a political expression

Reverend Al Sharpton leads a civil rights march through Bensonhurst

Earthquake in San Francisco (6.9) cancels 3rd game of World Series, 67 lost

Reverend Jim Bakker is sentenced to 50 years for fraud

Nobel prizes 1989

Physics – Norman F. Ramsey, Hans G. Dehmelt, Wolfgang Paul

Chemistry – Sidney Altman, Thomas R. Cech

Medicine – J. Michael Bishop, Harold E. Varmus

Literature – Camilo José Cela

Peace – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Economics – Trygve Haavelmo

"The magician who set loose these forces is a career party functionary, faithful communist, charismatic politician, international celebrity and impresario of calculated disorder named Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev. He calls what he is doing—and permitting—a revolution. His has (so far) been a bloodless revolution, without the murderous, conspiratorial associations that the word has carried in the past. In novel alliance with the glasnost of world communications, Gorbachev became the patron of change: Big Brother's better twin. His portraits, like icons at a saint's-day festival, waved amid a swarm of Czechs. The East German young chanted "Gorby! Gorby!" to taunt the police." Time Man of the Decade Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev

The World 1989

October 1  Thousands of East Germans flee to West Germany. East German state/party leader Erich Honecker, resigns. Hungary proclaims itself a republic and declares communist rule ended Communist Party resigns in Czechoslovakia East Germany drops communist monopoly from its constitution After 23 years of dictatorial rule, Romania ousts Nicolea Ceausescu Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's final speech (executed 12/25)

Vaclav Havel becomes president of Czechoslovakia

November 9, 1989 Berlin Wall is opened
December 22, 1989 Brandenburg Gate is opened

1,000 muslims burn Rushdies' "Satanic Verses" in Bradfort England Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offers $1M-$3M bounty on Salman Rushdie's death due to his novel, "Satanic Verses"

Lech Walesa begins negotiating with Polish

Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 mill damages for Bhopol disaster

General Manuel Noriega's government nullifies country's elections, which the opposition had won by a 3-1 margin

Thousands of Chinese crowd into Beijing's Tiananmen Square cheering students demanding greater political freedom Approx 2,000 students begin hunger strike in Tiananmen Square, China China declares martial law in Beijing Student protesters in China construct a replica of Statue of Liberty 10,000 Chinese soldiers are blocked by 100,000 citizens protecting students demonstrating for democracy in Tiananmen Square, Beijing Chinese troops kill hundred of pro-democracy students in Beijing

Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping ended a 30-year rift when they formally met in Beijing

Danish parliament allows legal marriage among homosexuals

Desmond Tutu leads biggest anti-apartheid protest march in South Africa South Africa President FW de Klerk frees Sisulu and 4 other political prisoners

South african ANC-founder/leader Walter Sisulu freed

The Class of 1989