Calendar year
1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1988th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 988th year of the 2nd millennium, the 88th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1980s decade.
Calendar year
1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United States (NSFNET) and Europe (Nordunet) as well as the first Internet-based chat protocol, Internet Relay Chat. The concept of the World Wide Web was first discussed at CERN in 1988.
The Soviet Union began its major deconstructing towards a mixed economy at the beginning of 1988 and began its gradual dissolution. The Iron Curtain began to disintegrate in 1988 as Hungary began allowing freer travel to the West. The first extrasolar planet, Gamma Cephei Ab (confirmed in 2002) was detected this year and the World Health Organization began its mission to eradicate polio.
Events
January
February
March
April
- April 5 – Kuwait Airways Flight 422 is hijacked while en route from Bangkok, Thailand, to Kuwait. The hijackers demand the release of 17 Shiite Muslim prisoners held by Kuwait. Kuwait refuses to release the prisoners, leading to a 16-day siege across 3 continents. Two passengers are killed before the siege ends.
- April 10 – The Ojhri Camp Disaster occurs in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
- April 14
- April 16 – Israeli commandos kill the PLO's Abu Jihad in Tunisia.
- April 18 – The United States Navy retaliates for the USS Samuel B. Roberts mining with Operation Praying Mantis, in a day of strikes against Iranian oil platforms and naval vessels.
- April 20 – The world's longest skyjacking comes to an end when the remaining passengers of Kuwait Airways Flight 422 are released by their captors.
- April 22 – The Ouvéa cave hostage taking begins in Ouvéa, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia.
- April 25 – In Israel, John Demjanjuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II. He is accused by survivors of being the notorious guard at the Treblinka extermination camp known as "Ivan the Terrible". The conviction is later overturned by the Israeli Supreme Court.
- April 28 – Aloha Airlines Flight 243 safely lands after losing its roof in midair, killing a flight attendant and injuring 65 people.
- April 30 – World Expo 88 opens in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
May
June
- June 10–14 – Spontaneous 100,000 strong mass night-singing demonstrations in Estonian SSR eventually give name to the Singing Revolution.
- June 10–25 – West Germany hosts the UEFA Euro 1988 football tournament, which is won by the Netherlands.
- June 14 – A small wildfire is started by a lightning strike in Montana, United States, near the boundary for Yellowstone National Park. The Storm Creek fire expands into the park, then merges with dozens of other drought-aggravated fires. Eventually, over 750,000 acres (3,000 km2) of Yellowstone – 36% of the park's area – burns before firefighters gain control in late September.
- June 23 – NASA scientist James Hansen testifies to the U.S. Senate that man-made global warming has begun, becoming one of the first environmentalists to warn of the problem.
- June 27
- June 30 – Roman Catholic Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrates four bishops at Écône, Switzerland, for his apostolate, along with Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer, without a papal mandate.
July
August
- August 5 – The 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis culminates in the ousting of the Lord President of Malaysia, Salleh Abas.
- August 6–7 – Tompkins Square Park Police Riot in New York City: A riot erupts in Tompkins Square Park when police attempt to enforce a newly passed curfew for the park. Bystanders, artists, residents, homeless people and political activists are caught up in the police action that takes place during the night of August 6 and early into August 7.
- August 8 – 8888 Uprising: Thousands of protesters in Burma, now known as Myanmar, are killed during anti-government demonstrations.
- August 11 – A meeting of Islamic Jihadi leaders, including Osama bin Laden, takes place, leading to the founding of Al-Qaeda.
- August 17 – Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Arnold Lewis Raphel, are among those killed when a plane crashes and explodes near Bahawalpur.
- August 20 – A ceasefire effectively ends the Iran–Iraq War, with an estimated one million lives lost.
- August 21 – The 6.9 Nepal earthquake shakes the Nepal–India border with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), leaving 709–1,450 people killed and thousands injured.
- August 28 – Seventy-five people are killed and 346 injured in one of the worst air show disasters in history at Germany's Ramstein Air Base, when three jets from the Italian air demonstration team, Frecce Tricolori, collide, sending one of the aircraft crashing into the crowd of spectators.
September
- September 5 – With the United States' largest thrift institution, American Savings and Loan Association, entering receivership, the Robert M. Bass Group agrees to buy its good assets with US$1.7 billion in federal aid (completed December).
- September 11 – Singing Revolution: In the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, 300,000 people gather to express their support for independence.
- September 12 – Hurricane Gilbert devastates Jamaica; it turns towards Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula 2 days later, causing an estimated $5 billion in damage.
- September 15 – The International Olympic Committee awards Lillehammer the right to host the 1994 Winter Olympics.
- September 17–October 2 – The 1988 Summer Olympics are held in Seoul, South Korea.
- September 22 – The Ocean Odyssey drilling rig suffers a blowout and fire in the North Sea (see also July 6), resulting in one death.
- September 29 – STS-26: NASA resumes Space Shuttle flights, grounded after the Challenger disaster, with Space Shuttle Discovery.
October
November
- November – TAT-8, the first transatlantic telephone cable to use optical fibers, is completed. This led to more robust connections between the American and European Internet.
- November 2 – The Morris worm, the first computer worm distributed via the Internet, written by Robert Tappan Morris, is launched from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S.
- November 3 – Sri Lankan Tamil mercenaries try to overthrow the Maldivian government. At President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's request, the Indian military suppresses the coup attempt within 24 hours.
- November 6 – The 1988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakes kills at least 938 people when it strikes the China–Myanmar border region in Yunnan.
- November 8 – The United States Vice-President and Republican nominee George H. W. Bush, defeats the Democratic nominee and Governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis, in the 1988 United States Presidential Election.
- November 10 – The United States Air Force acknowledges the existence of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk in a Pentagon press conference.
- November 15
- November 16
- Singing Revolution: The Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR adopts the Estonian Sovereignty Declaration in which the laws of the Estonian SSR are declared supreme over those of the Soviet Union. The USSR declares it unconstitutional on November 26. It is the first declaration of sovereignty from Moscow of any Soviet or Eastern Bloc entity.
- In the first open election in more than a decade, voters in Pakistan choose populist candidate Benazir Bhutto to be Prime Minister. Elections are held as planned despite head of state Zia-ul-Haq's death earlier in August.
- November 22 – In Palmdale, California, the first prototype B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is revealed.
- November 23 – Former Korean president Chun Doo-hwan makes a formal apology for corruption during his presidency, announcing he will go into exile.
December
Date unknown
Births
January
February
- February 3
- February 4 – Carly Patterson, American gymnast
- February 7
- Ai Kago, Japanese singer
- Lee Joon, South Korean idol singer (MBLAQ), dancer, actor and model
- February 12 – Nicolás Otamendi, Argentinian footballer
- February 13 – Aston Merrygold, English singer
- February 14 – Ángel Di María, Argentine footballer
- February 16
- February 17 – Natascha Kampusch, Austrian television hostess and kidnapping victim
- February 18 – Changmin, South Korean singer, songwriter, lyricist, and actor
- February 20 – Rihanna, Barbadian pop singer
- February 21 – Matthias de Zordo, German javelin thrower
- February 22
- February 25 – Tom Marshall, British photo colouriser.
- February 28 – Markéta Irglová, Czech songwriter
- February 29
March
- March 2 – Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver
- March 4 – Gal Mekel, Israeli basketball player
- March 6
- March 10 – Ivan Rakitić, Croatian and Swiss footballer
- March 11 – Fábio Coentrão, Portuguese footballer
- March 12 – Sebastian Brendel, German canoeist
- March 14 – Stephen Curry, American basketball player
- March 16 – Jhené Aiko, American singer-songwriter
- March 19 – Zhou Lulu, Chinese weightlifter
- March 21 – Josepmir Ballón, Peruvian footballer
- March 23 – Jason Kenny, British cyclist
- March 25
- March 27
- March 28 – Lacey Turner, English actress
April
- April 2 – Jesse Plemons, American film and television actor
- April 5 – Daniela Luján, Mexican pop singer and actress
- April 7 – Ed Speleers, British actor
- April 8 – Stephanie Cayo, Peruvian actress, singer, songwriter and model
- April 10 – Haley Joel Osment, American actor
- April 14 – Roberto Bautista Agut, Spanish tennis player
- April 15
- April 18
- April 21
- April 23 – Alistair Brownlee, English triathlete
- April 25 – Laura Lepisto, Finnish figure skater
- April 27 – Lizzo, American singer-songwriter and rapper
- April 28 – Juan Mata, Spanish footballer
- April 29 – Jonathan Toews, Canadian ice hockey player
- April 30 – Ana de Armas, Cuban actress
May
- May 1 – Anushka Sharma, Indian actress
- May 4 – Radja Nainggolan, Belgian footballer
- May 6 – Dakota Kai, New Zealand professional wrestler
- May 5 – Adele, British singer-songwriter
- May 8 – Trisha Paytas, American YouTuber
- May 11
- May 12 – Marcelo Vieira, Brazilian footballer
- May 16 – Behati Prinsloo, Namibian model
- May 17
- May 18 – Taeyang, South Korean recording artist and model
- May 21 – Park Gyu-ri, South Korean idol singer
- May 25 – Cameron van der Burgh, South African Olympic swimmer
- May 26
June
- June 2
- June 7
- June 9
- June 11 – Claire Holt, Australian actress
- June 12 – Eren Derdiyok, Swiss footballer
- June 14 – Kevin McHale, American actor, dancer and singer
- June 16
- June 17 – Stephanie Rice, Australian swimmer
- June 18 – Josh Dun, American drummer
- June 22
- June 23 – Chellsie Memmel, American gymnast
- Alex Green, American Football Player
- June 25 – Therese Johaug, Norwegian cross-country skier
- June 27 – Matthew Spiranovic, Australian soccer player
- June 29 – Éver Banega, Argentine footballer
July
- July 1 – Aleksander Lesun, Russian modern pentathlete
- July 2 – Lee Chung-yong, South Korean footballer
- July 4 – Angelique Boyer, French-Mexican actress and singer
- July 10 – Sarkodie, Ghanaian hip hop artist
- July 13
- July 14 – Conor McGregor, Irish mixed martial artist
- July 16
- July 20 – Julianne Hough, American ballroom dancer, country music singer and actress
- July 21 – DeAndre Jordan, American basketball player
- July 22 – Noriko Senge, Japanese princess
- July 24 – Han Seung-yeon, South Korean singer and actress
- July 25 – Sarah Geronimo, Filipina singer and actress[citation needed]
- July 31 – Charlie Carver, American actor
August
- August 1 – Max Carver, American actor
- August 5 – Federica Pellegrini, Italian swimmer
- August 8 – Princess Beatrice of York, British princess
- August 9 – Willian, Brazilian footballer
- August 11 – Irfan Bachdim, Indonesian footballer
- August 12 – Tyson Fury, British professional boxer
- August 13 – MØ, Danish singer
- August 18 – G-Dragon, South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, and fashion icon
- August 19 – Veronica Roth, American novelist and short story writer
- August 21
- August 25 – Alexandra Burke, English singer
- August 28 – Rosie MacLennan, Canadian trampoline gymnast
- August 29 – Bartosz Kurek, Polish volleyball player
September
- September 1 – Simona de Silvestro, Swiss racing driver
- September 2 – Ishant Sharma, Indian cricketer
- September 3 – Jérôme Boateng, German footballer
- September 5
- September 6 – Sargun Mehta, Indian model, comedian, dancer, presenter and actress.
- September 7 – Kevin Love, American basketball player
- September 9 – Sergey Stanev, Bulgarian footballer of Ukrainian descent
- September 10 – Coco Rocha, Canadian fashion model
- September 11 – Lee Yong-dae, South Korean male badminton player
- September 12 – Prachi Desai, Indian film and television actress
- September 14 – Martin Fourcade, French biathlete
- September 15 – Chelsea Kane, American actress and singer[citation needed]
- September 21 – Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistani politician
- September 23 – Juan Martín del Potro, Argentine tennis player
- September 26
- September 27 – Alma, French singer and songwriter
- September 29 – Kevin Durant, American basketball player
October
November
- November 1 – Scott Arfield, Scottish footballer
- November 2 – Julia Görges, German professional tennis player
- November 5 – Virat Kohli, Indian international cricketer
- November 6
- November 7
- November 8 – Jessica Lowndes, Canadian actress and singer
- November 12 – Russell Westbrook, American basketball player
- November 15 – B.o.B., American rapper, singer, record producer, and conspiracy theorist
- November 19 – Patrick Kane, American ice hockey player
- November 20 – Dušan Tadić, Serbian footballer
- November 23 – Juha-Pekka Inkeröinen, Finnish football player
- November 26 – Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Icelandic professional strongman and actor
- November 29 – Russell Wilson, American football player
- November 30
December
Deaths
January–February
- January 2 – E. B. Ford, British geneticist (b. 1901)
- January 3
- January 5 – Pete Maravich, American basketball player (b. 1947)
- January 7 – Trevor Howard, English actor (b. 1913)
- January 11 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1898)
- January 13 – Chiang Ching-kuo, Chinese politician, 3rd President of the Republic of China (b. 1910)
- January 14 – Georgy Malenkov, Soviet politician, 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)
- January 20 – Philippe de Rothschild, French vineyard owner (b. 1902)
- January 25 – Colleen Moore, American actress (b. 1899)
- January 28 – Klaus Fuchs, German-British physicist and spy (b. 1911)
- February 5 – Emeric Pressburger, Hungarian-British film producer (b. 1902)
- February 6 – Carmen Polo, wife of Francisco Franco (b. 1900)
- February 13 – Léon Goossens, British oboist (b. 1897)
- February 14 – Frederick Loewe, Austrian-American composer (b. 1901)
- February 15 – Richard Feynman, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- February 19
- February 28 – Kylie Tennant, Australian novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and historian (b. 1912)
March–April
- March 3 – Lois Wilson, American actress (b. 1894)
- March 7 – Divine, American singer and actor (b. 1945)
- March 8 – Henryk Szeryng, Polish-born violinist (b. 1918)
- March 9 – Kurt Georg Kiesinger, German politician, 28th Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) (b. 1904)
- March 10
- March 11
- March 29 – Dulcie September, South African ANC activist (b. 1935; assassinated).
- March 30 – Edgar Faure, French politician, 69th Prime Minister of France (b. 1908)
- March 31 – Sir William McMahon, Australian politician, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1908)
- April 12 – Alan Paton, South African author (b. 1903)
- April 17 – Louise Nevelson, Ukrainian-American sculptor (b. 1900)
- April 18 – Pierre Desproges, French humorist (b. 1939)
- April 21
- April 23 – Michael Ramsey, British Anglican bishop, 100th Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1904)
- April 26
- April 28 – Fenner Brockway, British politician and anti-war activist (b. 1888)
May–June
- May 3
- May 8 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction author (b. 1907)
- May 10 – Shen Congwen, Chinese writer (b. 1902)
- May 11 – Kim Philby, British spy (b. 1912)
- May 13 – Chet Baker, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1929)
- May 14 – Willem Drees, Dutch politician and historian, 30th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1886)
- May 15 – Greta Nissen, Norwegian-born actress (b. 1905)
- May 21 – Dino Grandi, Italian politician (b. 1895)
- May 27 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- May 29 – Siaka Stevens, 3rd Prime Minister of Sierra Leone and 1st President of Sierra Leone (b. 1905)
- May 30 – Ella Raines, American actress (b. 1920)
- June 2 – Raj Kapoor, Indian actor, producer and director (b. 1924)
- June 10 – Louis L'Amour, American writer (b. 1908)
- June 11 – Giuseppe Saragat, Italian politician, 5th President of Italy (b. 1898)
- June 26 – Hans Urs von Balthasar, Swiss theologian and Catholic priest (b. 1905)
- June 27 – Aparicio Méndez, former President of Uruguay (b. 1904)
July–August
- July 8
- July 12 – Joshua Logan, American stage and film director (b. 1908)
- July 18 – Nico, German rock musician, fashion model, actress and Warhol socialite (b. 1938)
- July 27
- August 1
- August 2 – Raymond Carver, American short-story writer and poet (b. 1938)
- August 6 – Anatoly Levchenko, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1941)
- August 9 – Ramón Valdés, Mexican actor, comedian, songwriter and entrepreneur (b. 1923)
- August 10 – Arnulfo Arias, Panamanian politician, 3-time President of Panama (b. 1901)
- August 11 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (b. 1929)
- August 12 – Jean-Michel Basquiat, American musician/graffiti painter (b. 1960)
- August 14 – Enzo Ferrari, Italian car maker (b. 1898)
- August 17 – Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, 6th President of Pakistan (b. 1924)
- August 19 – Sir Frederick Ashton, choreographer (b. 1904)
- August 20 – Lazarus Salii, 3rd President of Palau (b. 1936)
- August 25 – Françoise Dolto, French physician and psychoanalyst (b. 1908)
- August 28 – Paul Grice, British philosopher (b. 1913)
- August 30 – Jack Marshall, 28th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1912)
September–October
- September 1 – Luis Walter Alvarez, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- September 5 – Gert Fröbe, German actor (b. 1913)
- September 12 – Roger Hargreaves, English author (b. 1935)
- September 18 – Alan Watt, Australian public servant (b. 1901)
- September 28 – Charles Addams, American cartoonist (b. 1912)
- September 30 – Trường Chinh, Vietnamese political leader, 3rd President of Vietnam (b. 1907)
- October 1 – Sacheverell Sitwell, English writer (b. 1897)
- October 2
- October 3 – Franz Josef Strauss, German politician (b. 1915)
- October 9
- October 10 – Juan Pujol García ('Garbo'), Spanish Catalan-born double agent (b. 1912)
- October 11 – Bonita Granville, American actress (b. 1923)
- October 16 – Queen Farida of Egypt, consort of King Farouk of Egypt (b. 1921)
- October 19 – Son House, American musician (b. 1902)
- October 22 – Henry Armstrong, American boxer (b. 1912)
- October 23 – Asashio Tarō III, Sumo wrestler (b. 1929)
- October 29
- October 31 – John Houseman, Romanian-American actor and producer (b. 1902)
November–December
- November 4 – Hermann Graf, German fighter ace (b. 1912)
- November 13 – Antal Doráti, Hungarian conductor (b. 1906)
- November 14 – Takeo Miki, Japanese politician, 41st Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1907)
- November 15 – Mona Washbourne, English actress (b. 1903)
- November 19 – Christina Onassis, American shipping magnate (b. 1950)
- November 22
- November 24 – Irmgard Seefried, German operatic soprano (b. 1919)
- November 25
- November 27
- December 6 – Roy Orbison, American rock musician (b. 1936)
- December 10 – Richard S. Castellano, American actor (b. 1933)
- December 21 – Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch ornithologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1907)
- December 22 – Chico Mendes, Brazilian environmental activist (murdered) (b. 1944)
- December 27 – Hal Ashby, American film director (b. 1929)
Nobel Prizes
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