Information for the Year 1988

Click Here to Return to the Home Page

  • US and Canada reach free trade agreement (Jan. 2).
  • Benazir Bhutto, first Islamic woman prime minister, chosen to lead Pakistan (Dec. 1).
  • Pan-Am 747 explodes from terrorist bomb and crashes in Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on ground (Dec. 21).
  • Population:   5.104 billion
  • Nobel Peace Prize:  U.N. Peacekeeping Forces
  • Robert C. McFarlane, former National Security Adviser, pleads guilty in Iran-Contra case (March 11).
  • US Navy ship shoots down Iranian airliner in Persian Gulf, mistaking it for jet fighter; 290 killed (July 3).
  • Democratic convention nominates Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts for President and Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen for Vice President (July 17)
  • Republican convention nominates George Bush for President and Indiana Senator Dan Quayle for Vice President (Aug. 15 et seq.).
  • Republicans sweep 40 states in election, and Bush beats Dukakis (Nov. 8).
  • President:  Ronald W. Reagan
  • Vice President:  George Bush
  • Population:  244,498,982
  • Life expectancy:  74.9 years
  • US GDP (1998 dollars):   $5,049.60 billion
  • Federal spending:   $1064.14 billion
  • Federal debt:   $2601.3 billion
  • Median Household Income(current dollars): $27,225
  • Consumer Price Index:   118.3
  • Unemployment:   5.5%
  • Cost of a first-class stamp:  $0.22 ($0.25 as of 4/3/88)
  • Super Bowl  Washington Redskins defeat Denver Broncos (SCORE 42-10)
  • World Series of Baseball  Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Oakland A's
  • National Basketball Association Championship  Los Angeles Lakers defeat Detroit Pistons
  • National Hockey League Stanley Cup  Edmonton Oilers defeat Boston Bruins
  • Women Wimbledon Tennis  Steffi Graf defeats Martina Navratilova(5-7 6-2 6-1)
  • Men Wimbledon Tennis   Stefan Edberg defeats Boris Becker (4-6 7-6 6-4 6-2)
  • Kentucky Derby Horse Race Champion   Winning Colors
  • National College Athletic Association Basketball Championship  Kansas defeats Oklahoma (SCORE 83-79)
  • National College Athletic Association Football Champions  Notre Dame (RECORD 12-0-0)
  • 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea
  • 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary, Canada
  • Ninety-eight percent of U.S. households have at least one television set.
  • CDs outsell vinyl records for the first time.
  • Ted Turner starts Turner Network Television (TNT) and buys MGM's film library.
  • Academy Award, Best Picture:  The Last Emperor
  • Grammy Award - Record of the Year  Graceland by Paul Simon
  • Emmy Award - Best Television Comedy  The Wonder Years - ABC
  • Miss America:   Kaye Lani Rae Rafko (Michigan)
  • NASA scientist James Hansen warns congress of the dangers of the global warming and the greenhouse effect.

 

All of the Information on this site is from Fact Monster