Some historical events from 1989:
January 1989: Two Libyan jets were shot down by US aircraft in the Mediterranen. Czechoslovakia announced it would stop the export of 'Semtex' explosive.
February 1989: Students marched in London against government plans to introduce student loans. Twenty villages were evacuated in Russia, after high radiation fall-out from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. John Cassavetes, the American actor and film director, died aged 59. Sky satellite television was launched. Neo-Nazi groups were outlawed in West Germany.
March 1989: Chinese occupying forces fired on Tibetan monks and civilians.
April 1989: A Soviet nuclear powered submarine cuaght fire and sank off the caost of Norway. It was announced that an asteroid had 'narrowly' missed the Earth. 100,000 chinese students gathered in Tiananmen Square.
May 1989: 'Cats' became the longest running musical in the West End. Singer Cliff Richard released his 100th single.
June 1989: Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian leader, died. MP's voted to allow television cameras into the House Of Commons. Sprinter Ben Johnson admitted to using steroids. The West Midlands Serious Crime Squad was disbanded.
July 1989: Laurence Olivier, English actor of stage & screen, died. Hundreds of thousands of Siberian miners went on strike for better pay & conditions. General Jaruzelski was appointed President of Poland.
August 1989: Electronic tagging was used for the first time in Britain, on Richard Hart, accused of theft. English born Jane Webber, a Canadian citizen, became the first woman to cross the Atlantic single handed. The US space probe Voyager reached Neptune pictures of Triton, its moon, revealed the existence of two additional moons.
September 1989: Due to a computer error, 41,000 Parisians received letters charging them with murder, extortion, and organized prostitution instead of traffic violations. Hungary opened its borders to the West, allowing thousands to leave East Germany. Britain's biggest ever banking computer error gave customers an extra £2 billion in a period of 30 minutes 99.3 per cent of the money was reportedly returned. Hungary began a transition to a Western style democracy. Vietnamese troops withdrew from Cambodia. Hurricane Hugo struck the US coastal states of Georgia and South Carolina, causing Widespread damage and loss of life. Irving Berlin, the famous American composer, died.
October 1989: Thousands of East German refugees continued to pass to the West. The exiled Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The remains of the 'Globe' theatre were discovered by archaeologists working on the South Bank of the Thames in London. Shares on the 'Wall Street' stock exchange plunged to record lows following similar falls in London. An earthquake measuring 7 points on the richter scale struck San Fransisco & Los Angeles. The 'Guilford Four', accused of IRA bombings, had their convictions quashed after serving 14 years in prison. Sir Anthony Quayle died aged 76, Star of many stage and screen productions,including 'Lawrence of Arabia'. Nigel Lawson resigned over differences with PM Margaret Thatchers economic adviser, Sir Alan Walters. The re-built Globe Theatre in London reopened for the first time in 350 years . Eight people died, when winds of almost 100mph struck South Wales and the West of England, causing flooding,fallen trees and power cuts. The African National Congress(ANC),held its first political rally for almost thirty years,attended by 70,000 supporters.
November 1989: East German border guards began to dismantle parts of the 'Berlin Wall'. Dense fog in central and southern England caused chaos; five people were killed. The South African government opened up its previously segregated beaches to all races.
December 1989: Panama, in central America, declared war on the United States. Egypt resumed full diplomatic relations with Syria, after a ten year break. An earthquake measuring 5.5 struck New South Wales, Australia.