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Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar).
[edit] Events of 1987
[edit] January
- January 1 - Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories, changes its name to Iqaluit. In 1999, it became the capital of Nunavut.
- January 2 - Battle of Fada: The Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
- January 3 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- January 4 - Chase, Maryland rail wreck: An Amtrak train en route from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts collides with Conrail engines, killing 16.
- January 5 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan undergoes prostate surgery, causing speculation about his physical fitness to continue in office.
- January 8 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 2,000 for the first time, gaining 8.30 to close at 2,002.25.
- January 13 - New York mafiosi Fat Tony and Carmine Peruccia are sentenced to 100 years in prison for racketeering.
- January 16 - Leon Cordero, president of Ecuador, is kidnapped by followers of imprisoned General Frank Vargas, who successfully demand his release.
- January 20 - Terry Waite, the special envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury in Lebanon, is kidnapped in Beirut (released November 1991).
- January 22 - Budd Dwyer, Treasurer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, shoots and kills himself at a press conference after being found guilty on charges of bribery, fraud, conspiracy, and racketeering.
- January 24 - In Lebanon, gunmen kidnap Alann Steen, Jesse Turner, Robert Polhill and Mitheleshwar Singh.
- January 25 - The New York Giants defeat the Denver Broncos, 39-20, in Super Bowl XXI to win the NFL Championship for the first time since 1956.
- January 29 - William J. Casey ends his term as CIA Director.
- January 31 - The last Ohrbach's department store closes in New York City after 64 years of operation.
[edit] February
- March 2 - American Motors Corporation is acquired by the Chrysler Corporation
- March 4 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan addresses the American people on the Iran-Contra Affair, acknowledging that his overtures to Iran had 'deteriorated' into an arms-for-hostages deal.
- March 6 - Zeebrugge Disaster - A cross-channel ferry capsizes outside the harbor off Zeebrugge, Belgium - 180 drown.
- March 18 - Woodstock of physics, the marathon session of the American Physical Society’s meeting featuring 51 presentations concerning the science of high-temperature superconductors.
- March 19 - In Charlotte, North Carolina, televangelist Jim Bakker, head of PTL Ministries, resigns after admitting an affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn.
- March 29 - WrestleMania III is held at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, setting the North American indoor attendance record at 93,173.
- March 29 - Australian Football League expansion team, the West Coast Eagles, play their first ever match (not including pre-season). They defeat the Richmond Tigers 20.13 (133) to 16.23 (119).
- May 5 - The Assemblies of God defrocks Jim Bakker.
- May 8 - U.S. Senator Gary Hart drops out of the running for the Democratic presidential nomination, amid allegations of an extra-marital affair with Donna Rice.
- May 9 - A Soviet-made Il-62 airliner, operated by LOT Polish Airlines crashed near the Kabacki forest in Poland, killing all 183 people on board.
- May 11 - The first heart-lung transplant takes place in Baltimore, Maryland.
- May 11 - Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
- May 14 - Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka executes a bloodless coup in Fiji.
- May 17 - Iran-Iraq War: The USS Stark (FFG-31), while patrolling the Persian Gulf, is struck by two Exocet missiles from an Iraqi F-1 Mirage fighter, killing 37 sailors and injuring 21 other crew members.
- May 20 - Tennessee court rules that WWF can not promote Harley Race as the King of Wrestling in Tennessee upholding Jerry Lawler's claim.
- May 24 - Indianapolis 500: Al Unser wins for a fourth time, the second driver to do so, after A.J. Foyt in 1977.
- May 26 - Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Iron Sheik are arrested together in car for possession of marijuana. Many feel this is the beginning of the end for pro wrestling trying to hide the fact that it is scripted entertainment and not real sport, as Duggan and Sheik were portrayed as hated rivals.
- May 28 - West German pilot Mathias Rust, 19, evades Soviet air defenses and lands a private plane on Red Square in Moscow. He is immediately detained (but is released August 3, 1988).
- July 1 - The Single European Act is passed by the European Union.
- July 1 - The first ever Edgefest festival takes place at Molson Park in Barrie, Ontario.
- July 1 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan nominates former Solicitor General Robert Bork, a controversial conservative judge and legal scholar, to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- July 3 - In the Soviet Union, Vladimir Nikolayev is sentenced to death for cannibalism.
- July 3 - Greater Manchester Police recover the body of 16-year-old Pauline Reade from Saddleworth Moor after her killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley helped them in their search - almost exactly 24 years since Pauline was last seen alive.
- July 4 - A court in Lyon sentences former Gestapo boss Klaus Barbie to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity.
- July 11 - Australian Prime Minister Robert Hawke's government is re-elected for a third term.
- July 11 - World population reached 5 billion people, according to the United Nations.
- July 17 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 2,500 mark for the first time, at 2,510.04.
- July 22 - Palestinian cartoonist Naji Salim al-Ali is shot in London; he dies August 28.
- July 27- Australian singer Kylie Minogue releases her first hit, a remake of Little Eva's The Locomotion.
- July 31 - Four hundred Iranian pilgrims are killed in clashes with Saudi Arabian security forces in Mecca.
- July 31 - Docklands Light Railway, the first driverless railway in Great Britain, is formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II
- July 31 - A F4-rated tornado devastates eastern Edmonton, Alberta. Hardest hit were an industrial park and a trailer park. 27 people are killed and hundreds injured. Hundreds more are left homeless and jobless.
[edit] August
- August 4 - The World Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brundtland Commission, publishes its report, Our Common Future.
- August 4 - The Federal Communications Commission rescinds the Fairness Doctrine, which had required radio and television stations to "fairly" present controversial issues.
- August 7 - Colombian frigate Caldas enters Venezuelan waters near the Los Monjes archipelago, sparking the Caldas frigate crisis between both nations.
- August 9 - Hoddle Street Massacre: Nine people die and 17 are injured when 19-year-old Julian Knight goes on a shooting rampage in Melbourne.
- August 16 - Northwest Airlines Flight 255 (a McDonnell Douglas MD-82) crashes on takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan just West of Detroit killing all but 1 (4-year old Cecelia Cichan) of the 156 people on-board (among them Nick Vanos, a center for the Phoenix Suns).
- August 16 - The Harmonic Convergence is observed around the world.
- August 17 - Rudolf Hess is found dead in his cell in Spandau Prison. Hess, 93, is believed to have committed suicide by hanging himself with an electrical flex. He was the last remaining prisoner at the complex, which is expected to be demolished.
- August 19 - ABC News Chief Middle East Corresponden Charles Glass escapes his Hizballah kidnappers in Beirut, Lebanon, after sixty-two days in captivity.
- August 19 - In London, The Order of the Garter is opened to women.
- August 19 - Hungerford Massacre: Michael Ryan kills 16 with an assault rifle before committing suicide.
- August 22 - The Legend of Zelda released for the NES in North America.
[edit] September
[edit] October
[edit] November
[edit] December
- December 1 - NASA announces the names of 4 companies who were awarded contracts to help build Space Station Freedom: Boeing Aerospace, General Electric's Astro-Space Division, McDonnell Douglas, and the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell.
- December 1 - Construction of the Channel Tunnel is initiated.
- December 1 - Queensland: Following a week of turmoil from his National Party of Australia colleagues, Joh Bjelke-Petersen resigns as Premier of Queensland. He is replaced by Mike Ahern, the only premier never to contest an election as premier.
- December 2 - Hustler Magazine v. Falwell is argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
- December 7 - PSA Flight 1771 crashes near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 on board, after a disgruntled passenger shoots his ex-supervisor on the flight, then shoots both pilots and himself.
- December 8 - Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The First Intifada begins in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
- December 8 - Queen Street Massacre in Melbourne, Australia: 22-year-old Frank Vitkovic kills 8 and injures another 5 in an Australia Post office building in Queen Street, before committing suicide by jumping from the 11th floor.
- December 8 - The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
- December 8 - Alianza Lima air disaster: A Peruvian Navy Fokker F27 crashes near Ventanilla, Peru, killing 43.
- December 9 - General Rahimuddin Khan retires from the Pakistan Army, as well as the cabinet of the country's military dictatorship.
- December 17 - Czechoslovakian leader Gustáv Husák resigns as General Secretary of the Communist Party.
- December 18 - Square Co., Ltd. releases Final Fantasy in Japan for the Famicom.
- December 18 - The Perl programming language was created by Larry Wall.
- December 21 - The ferry Doña Paz collides with the oil tanker Vector I - 1,500 confirmed deaths (reportedly closer to 4,000 due to unregistered passengers).
- December 29 - Prozac makes its debut in the United States.
- December 30- Pope John Paul II issues encyclical on Social Concern.
[edit] Undated
[edit] Ongoing
[edit] Fictional
The following are references to year 1987 in fiction:
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[edit] Environmental change
[edit] Births
[edit] January-March
- January 2 - Loui Batley, British actress
- January 2 - Lauren Storm, American actress
- January 5 - Kristin Cavallari, American reality television star
- January 11 - David Allen, American actor/comedian/writer
- January 13 - Marc Staal, Canadian ice hockey player
- January 15 - Jake Epstein, Canadian actor
- January 15 - Michael Seater, Canadian actor
- January 15 - Kelly Kelly American professional wrestler
- January 16 - Kaavya Viswanathan, Indian-American "author"
- January 27 - Hannah Teter, American professional snowboarder
- January 28 - Chelsea Brummet, American actress
- February 2 - Martin Spanjers, American actor
- February 21 - Ellen Page, Canadian actress
- February 24 - Daniel Reilly, British entrepreneur
- February 24 - Mayuko Iwasa, Japanese entertainer and model
- February 26 - Julia Bond, American pornographic actress
- March 6 - Hannah Taylor-Gordon, British actress
- March 9 - Bow Wow, American rapper
- March 13 - Marco Andretti, IRL driver
- March 14 - Aravane Rezaï, Iranian-French tennis player
- March 16 - Tiiu Kuik, Estonian model
- March 20 - Emilia Attias, Argentina model
- March 26 - Yui, Japanese musician and singer
[edit] April-June
- April 4 - Sarah Gadon, Canadian actress
- April 8 - Royston Drenthe, Real Madrid footballer
- April 9 - Jesse McCartney, American singer and actor
- April 10 - Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano
- April 11 - Joss Stone, English musician
- April 12 - Brendon Urie, American musician
- April 13 - Jiafeng Chen, Chinese violinist
- April 16 - Aaron Lennon, English footballer
- April 19 - Courtland Mead, American actor
- April 19 - Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player
- April 22 - Mikel John Obi, Nigerian footballer
- April 23 - Emily Fox, American cupstacking champion
- April 26 - Jessica Rose, American internet celebrity and actress
- April 27 - William Moseley, English actor
- April 27 - Emma Taylor-Isherwood, Canadian actress
- May 1 - Shahar Pe'er, Israeli tennis player
- May 1 - Noah Reid, Canadian actor
- May 2 - Nana Kitade, Japanese singer
- May 4 - Cesc Fàbregas, Spanish football player
- May 5 - Samantha Cope, American actress
- May 5 - Ian Michael Smith, American actor
- May 6 - Moon Geun Young, Korean actress
- May 7 - Asami Konno, Japanese singer
- May 10 - Eileen April Boylan, American actress
- May 14 - Francois Steyn, South African rugby player
- May 15 - Andrew Murray, Scottish tennis player
- May 15 - Jennylyn Mercado, Filipino actress and singer
- May 19 - David Andrew West, poet, and writer
- May 21 - Ashlie Brillault, American actress
- May 22 - Novak Đoković , Serbian tennis player
- May 30 - Daniel J. Inman, artist, free-thinker, poet, and male nurse
- June 3 - Lalaine, American actress and singer
- June 3 - Masami Nagasawa, Japanese actress
- June 6 - Kyle Falconer, Scottish musician
- June 9 - Rheagan Wallace, American actress
- June 10 - Amobi Okoye, Nigerian-born American football player
- June 17 - Nozomi Tsuji, Japanese singer
- June 21 - Kim Ryeowook, Korean singer, member of Super Junior
- June 22 - Joseph Dempsie, British actor
- June 24 - Lionel Messi, Argentine soccer player
- June 25 - Hayami Kishimoto, Japanese singer
- June 29 - Yasuka Saitou, Japanese actor
[edit] July-September
- July 3 - Chris Hunter, American actor
- July 6 - Matt O'Leary, American actor
- July 6 - Kate Nash, British singer/songwriter
- July 24 - Mara Wilson, American actress
- July 25 - Nathan Lawrence, American actor
- July 25 - Michael Welch, American actor
- July 26 - Miriam McDonald, Canadian actress
- August 4 - Philip Younghusband, British-Filipino footballer
- August 5 - Stephanie Edwards, American singer
- August 7 - Sidney Crosby, Canadian hockey player
- August 8 - Katie Leung, Scottish actress
- August 10 - Jim Bakkum, Dutch singer and actor
- August 14 - Tim Tebow, American football quarterback
- August 18 - Mika Boorem, American actress
- August 21 - Kim Kibum, Korean singer, member of Super Junior
- August 25 - Liu Yifei, Chinese actress
- August 25 - Blake Lively, American actress
- August 25 - Stacey Farber, Canadian actress
- August 25 - Justin Upton, professional baseball player
- August 27 - Darren McFadden, American football player
- August 29 - Risa Shimamoto, Japanese gravure idol
- September 2 - Spencer Smith, American musician
- September 3 - Chris Fountain, British actor
- September 5 - Pierre Rainier Stefano Casiraghi, Prince of Monaco
- September 7 - Evan Rachel Wood, American actress and singer
- September 9 - Clayton Snyder, American actor
- September 11 - Tyler Hoechlin, American actor
- September 16 - Anthony Padilla, American comedian and co-founder of Smosh
- September 17 - Ray Friesen, American cartoonist and founder of Don't Eat Any Bugs Productions
- September 19 -
