Major Events
- Jan 6 Astronomers at University of California see 1st sight of birth of a galaxy
- Jun 8 New Zealand's Labour government legislates against nuclear weapons and nuclear powered vessels in NZ. Only nation to legislate against nuclear power.
- Jun 11 Margaret Thatcher is 1st British Prime Minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term
- Oct 19 Black Monday: Stock markets around the world crash, including the Dow Jones stock index, which falls 508.32 points (22%), 4½ times the previous daily record
- More 1987 Events
1987 in Film & TV
- Jan 22 Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a press conference on live national television, leading to debates on boundaries in journalism
- Apr 5 Fox TV network premieres showing "Married With Children" and "The Tracey Ullman Show"
- May 30 North American Philips Company unveils compact disc video
- Jun 5 "Nightline" presents its 1st "Town Meeting" the subject is AIDS and the show runs until 3:47 AM
- Aug 4 FCC vote 4-0 to rescind fairness doctrine for broadcasters
- Oct 4 "The Last Emperor" directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring John Lone, Joan Chen and Peter O'Toole premieres at the Tokyo Film Festival (Best Picture 1988)
1987 in Music
- Jan 3 Aretha Franklin is the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Aug 22 Madonna's "Who's That Girl" single goes #1
- Oct 6 "Faith" single released by George Michael (Billboard Song of the Year 1988)
- Oct 12 George Harrison releases single "Got My Mind Set On You", it becomes his third solo #1 hit, and the last chart-topper by any of the Beatles
1987 in Sport
- Jun 6 French Open Women's Tennis: 17-year-old German Steffi Graf beats World #1 Martina Navratilova 6-4, 4-6, 8-6; Graf's first Grand Slam victory
- Jun 20 1st Rugby World Cup Final, Eden Park, Auckland: New Zealand fly-half Grant Fox lands 4 penalties, a conversion and drop goal as the All Blacks beat France, 29-9
- Aug 14 Oakland's Mark McGwire sets rookie HR record at 39, en route to 49
- Sep 14 Cal Ripken Jr.'s record streak of 8,243 consecutive innings (908 games) is finally broken
- Oct 31 American jockey Chris Antley becomes first rider to win 9 races in a day (4 at Aqueduct / 5 at The Meadowlands)
- Nov 4 NBA announces 4 new franchises; Charlotte & Miami for 1988 & Minneapolis & Orlando for 1989
- Nov 29 Joe Montana of SF 49ers completes NFL record of 22 consecutive passes
Did You Know?
Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" sells for a record 22.5 million pounds ($39.7 million)
Evan Peters
Michael B. Jordan
Rose Leslie
Elliot Page
Hilary Duff
Karen Gillan
Cynthia Erivo
Kesha
Joss Stone
Diana DeGarmo
Kendrick Lamar
Maria Sharapova
Andy Murray
Novak Đoković
Lionel Messi
Sebastian Vettel
Ana IvanovićMore People Born in 1987
William J. Casey
Rudolf Hess
Jean Anouilh
Pieter Menten
Harold Washington
James Baldwin
Liberace
Andy Warhol
Rita Hayworth
Geraldine Page
Fred Astaire
Mary Astor
Buddy Rich
Jackie Gleason
Bob Fosse
Bobby Locke
Henri Cochet
Ralph Guldahl
Jacques AnquetilMore 1987 Deaths
Articles About 1987
Secret Behind Mona Lisa's Smile
The smile has beguiled art lovers for nearly 600 years and made the Mona Lisa the world's most famous work of art. But was her smile due to a medical condition?January 29
I'm Not Gay Insists 'Fruit-Flavoured, Mincing' Liberace
Entertainer Liberace died on this day, going to his grave insisting he was not gay. But his death from AIDS told a different story . . .February 4
Hurricane on the Way? Don't Worry
A cosy assurance from a BBC weather forecaster for viewers not to worry about an impending storm has gone down as the most spectacular mis-forecast in history.October 15
Famous Weddings in 1987
- Jan 3 American singer and former Miss America Vanessa Williams (23) marries Ramon T. Hervey in NYC; divorce 1997
- Jan 3 Swedish tennis player Mats Wilander (22) weds South African model Sonya Mulholland in South Africa
- Jan 9 Opera impresario Sir Rudolf Bing (85) weds Carroll Douglass (45); annulled in September, 1989
Famous Divorces in 1987
- Jan 29 Lisa files for separation from husband NY Met Darryl Strawberry
- Jul 14 Actor Michael Biehn (30) divorces actress Carlene Olson (32) after 7 years of marriage
More 1987 Weddings
Cher
Michael Douglas
Patty Sheehan
Deng Xiaoping
François Mitterrand
Helmut Kohl
Margaret Thatcher
Mikhail Gorbachev
Ronald Reagan