What Happened in June 1989

Historical Events

  • Jun 1 62nd National Spelling Bee: Scott Isaacs wins spelling spoliator

Dead Poets Society

Jun 2 "Dead Poets Society" film starring Robin Williams premieres

Goddess of Democracy

Jun 2 10,000 Chinese soldiers are blocked by 100,000 citizens in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, protecting students demonstrating for democracy

  • Jun 2 14-year-old Scott Isaacs spells spoliator to win 1989 Spelling Bee
  • Jun 2 Cincinnati Red Eric Davis hits for cycle

Tiananmen Square Massacre

Jun 3 Beginning of the Tiananmen Square Massacre as Chinese troops open fire on pro-democracy supporters in Beijing

  • Jun 3 Houston Astros beat LA Dodgers, 5-4, in 22 innings (7:14:09)
  • Jun 3 Leaking pipe in Asha, USSR, causes 2 trains to catch fire; 460 die

Sports History

Jun 3 Nolan Ryan pitches his 2nd one-hitter this season & 11th overall

Sports History

Jun 3 Sportscasting legend Vin Scully broadcasts 23 innings in two different cities on one day

  • Jun 4 2nd Children's Miracle Network Telethon raises $770,000

Tony Awards

Jun 4 43rd Tony Awards: "The Heidi Chronicles" (play) and "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" (musical) win

  • Jun 4 Beijing policeman shoots & wounds Chinese priemer Li Ping
  • Jun 4 Eastern Europe's first partial free elections in 40 years held in Poland, Solidarity Party comes to power
  • Jun 4 Gas explodes near 2 passenger trains in USSR, kills 100s
  • Jun 4 Largest parade in Bronx history honors 350th anniversary
  • Jun 4 Red Sox lead Blue Jays 10-0 in 7th, but lose 12-11 in 12 for Blue Jays 12th consecutive victory at Fenway
  • Jun 4 Tiananmen Square Massacre: Chinese troops clear the square of student protesters, unofficial figures place death toll near 1,000

Music City News Awards

Jun 5 23rd Music City News Country Awards: Ricky Van Shelton & Randy Travis win

Flowers in the Dirt

Jun 5 Paul McCartney releases "Flowers in the Dirt", his eighth solo studio album, featuring the Elvis Costello collaboration "My Brave Face"

  • Jun 5 Toronto Blue Jays Skydome stadium opens, Milwaukee Brewers win 5-3
  • Jun 6 Mets turn their 1st triple play in 7 years but lose to Cubs 8-4
  • Jun 7 1st Baseball game to start outdoors & end indoors, as Toronto Blue Jays stadium closes roof during game at 8:48, & beat Brewers 4-2
  • Jun 7 23-year-old olympic barefoot South African runner Zola Budd retires
  • Jun 7 Atlanta Fulton County Comm approves $210M stadium for the Falcons
  • Jun 7 For one second this morning, the time is 01:23:45, 6-7-89
  • Jun 7 Suriname SLM-173 (DC-8) crashes near Paramaribo Airport killing 173

Sports History

Jun 7 Wayne Gretzky wins his 9th NHL Hart (MVP) Trophy in 10 years

  • Jun 8 Pirates score 10 in 1st (their best inning since 1942), prompts Pirate broadcaster Jim Rooker to say he would walk from Pitts to Philadelphia if Pirates lost, Phillies beat them 15-11, Rooker walks at end of season
  • Jun 9 "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" premieres in USA
  • Jun 9 Rare tornado in Philadelphia kills 1
  • Jun 10 "Tales From The Crypt" TV Anthology debuts on HBO

Belmont Stakes

Jun 10 121st Belmont: Pat Day aboard Easy Goer wins in 2:26

French Open Women's Tennis

Jun 10 French Open Women's Tennis: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario of Spain wins her first Grand Slam singles title; beats Steffi Graf 7-6, 3-6, 7-5

French Open Men's Tennis

Jun 11 French Open Men's Tennis: American Michael Chang wins lone career Grand Slam title; beats Stefan Edberg of Sweden 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; at 17 years, 110 days, becomes youngest male to win a Grand Slam singles title

  • Jun 11 Senior Tournament Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC of Sawgrass: Orville Moody wins by 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Charles Coody
  • Jun 12 "Doctor Doctor", TV Comedy starring Matt Frewer, debuts on CBS-TV
  • Jun 12 Canadian Olympian Ben Johnson admits using steroids
  • Jun 13 "Licence to Kill", 16th James Bond film, last directed by John Glen and starring Timothy Dalton premieres in London
  • Jun 13 43rd NBA Championship: Detroit Pistons sweeps LA Lakers in 4 games
  • Jun 13 Houston's Terry Puhl plays in his 1,403rd game (most by a Canadian)

Music History

Jun 13 Piano playing rock singer Jerry Lee Lewis gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Music History

Jun 14 "You've Got A Friend" singer-songwriter Carole King gets a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame

  • Jun 14 Groundbreaking begins in Bloomington, Minnesota on world's largest mall - "The Mall of America"
  • Jun 14 MLB Texas Rangers' Nolan Ryan becomes 2nd pitcher to defeat all 26 teams

Film & TV History

Jun 14 Zsa Zsa Gabor arrested for slapping Beverly Hills motorcycle patrolman

  • Jun 15 Baltimore Orioles pull their 9th triple play (vs Yankees)

Event of Interest

Jun 16 Funeral for Imre Nagy, leader of Hungarian uprising in 1956

Glastonbury Festival

Jun 16 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, and Suzanne Vega headline; other performers include: Bhundu Boys, Fairground Attraction, Hothouse Flowers, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, Yossou N'Dour, Pixies, The Proclaimers, Throwing Muses, The Waterboys, Lucinda Williams, Womack & Womack, and Flaco Jiménez

  • Jun 16 Only 17 holes-in-one recorded since US open began, today 4 more are made all on 6th hole (Weaver, Wiebe, Pate & Price)
  • Jun 17 US beats Guatemala 2-1 in 3rd round of 1990 world soccer cup
  • Jun 18 Barry Keating's musical "Starmites" closes at Criterion Center Stage Right Theater, NYC, after 60 performances
  • Jun 18 Comet Churyunov-Gerasimenko at perihelion

US Golf Open

Jun 18 US Open Men's Golf, Oak Hill CC: Curtis Strange wins by 3 from Scott Simpson for first back-to-back Open titles since Ben Hogan 1950-51

  • Jun 19 Barry Switzer resigns as head coach of Oklahoma's football team

Sports History

Jun 19 Mets Dwight Gooden wins his 100th game (100-37)

Film & TV History

Jun 21 Black comedy "Heathers" starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty premieres at the Sundance Film Festival

  • Jun 21 Carlton Fisk becomes AL catcher HR hitter, 307th at Yankee stadium
  • Jun 21 Supreme Court rules ok to burn US flag as a political expression

Baseball Trade

Jun 21 Yankees trade Rickey Henderson to A's for Plunk, Cadaret & Polonia

  • Jun 22 Business Day reports that SA is about to test an intermediate range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads

Appointment of Interest

Jun 24 Jiang Zemin appointed the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

  • Jun 25 "Day By Day" last airs on NBC-TV
  • Jun 25 1st US postmark dedicated to Lesbian & Gay Pride (Stonewall, NYC)
  • Jun 25 Mets' defense does not record a single assist in a 5-1 win over Phils

Event of Interest

Jun 26 Canada updates its coinage with a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by a Canadian for the 1st time - artist Dora dePedery-Hunt

  • Jun 26 Supreme Court rules 16-year-olds can receive the death penalty

Daytime Emmy Awards

Jun 29 Emmy 16th Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci loses for 10th time

  • Jun 29 South Africa's National Party adopts five year programme of its objectives, including a political "reform" plan to give Black majority role in national and local government; ANC responds it would consider only a one-man, one-vote system
  • Jun 30 "Great Balls of Fire!" a quasi-biographical drama film starring Dennis Quaid as rockabilly pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis premieres; Lewis hates the film and the book from which it is sourced, but praises Quaid's performance
  • Jun 30 NASA closes down tracking stations in Santiago, Chile & Guam
  • Jun 30 NY State Legislature passes Staten Island secession bill
  • Jun 30 Sudan suspends interim constitution following coup
  • Jun 30 US Attorney General Thornburgh orders Joseph Doherty deported to UK
  • Jun 30 US Congressman Donald Lukens found guilty of having sex with a 16-year-old girl
1989 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jun 2 Freddy Adu, Ghanaian-American footballer
  • Jun 2 Steve Smith, Australian cricket batsman and captain (HS 239; NSW CA), born in Sydney, Australia
  • Jun 3 Daniela Vega, Chilean transgender actress and sinnger (A Fantastic Woman), born in San Miguel, Chile
  • Jun 3 Katie Hoff, American swimmer, born in Palo Alto, California
  • Jun 10 Alexandra Stan, Romanian dance music singer-songwriter (Mr. Saxobeat), born in Constanța, Romania
  • Jun 11 Maya Moore, American basketball small forward (WNBA C'ship 2011, 13 [MVP], 15, 17; WNBA MVP 2014; 6×WNBA All-Star; 5×All-WNBA First Team; Olympic gold 2012, 16; Minnesota Lynx), born in Jefferson City, Missouri
  • Jun 13 Lisa Tucker, American singer and actress (American Idol), born in Anaheim, California
  • Jun 14 Courtney Halverson, American actress (Unfriended), born in Orange County, California

Lucy Hale (34 years old)

Jun 14 American actress (Pretty Little Liars), and singer, born in Memphis, Tennessee

  • Jun 15 Alex Puccio, American rock climber and boulderer, born in McKinney, Texas
  • Jun 16 Odion Ighalo, Nigerian soccer striker (Udinese, Watford, Al-Hilal), born in Lagos, Nigeria
  • Jun 18 Renee Olstead, American singer and actress
  • Jun 20 Christopher Mintz-Plasse, American actor
  • Jun 23 Lisa Carrington, New Zealand canoeist (Olympic gold K-1 200m 2012, 16, 20; K-2 500m 2020; 10 x World C'ship gold), born in Tauranga, New Zealand
  • Jun 25 Sam Ryder, English singer-songwriter ("Space Man" - Eurovision 2022), born in Maldon, England
  • Jun 27 Matthew Lewis, English actor (The Syndicate), born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
  • Jun 28 Mark Fischbach [Markiplier], American Youtuber, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
Born in 1989

Famous Weddings

James Woods

Jun 2 Actor James Woods (42) weds horse trainer Sarah Owen (26) in Beverly Hills, California

  • Jun 2 Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman (52) weds Mandy Smith (18); divorced in 1993
  • Jun 3 Country singer Rebe McEntire weds her manager Narvel Blackstone at Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Steve Yzerman

Jun 10 Detroit Red Wings NHL player Steve Yzerman (24) weds Lisa Brennan

Hugh Laurie

Jun 16 English "House" actor Hugh Laurie (30) weds theatre administrator Jo Green in Camden, London

  • Jun 18 John Wayne Bobitt marries Lorena L Gallo

Melanie Griffith

Jun 26 American actress Melanie Griffith weds American actor Don Johnson for 2nd time - they had been married for 6 months in 1976; divorce again in 1996


Famous Divorces

Mike Tyson & Robin Givens

Jun 1 Robin Givens and Mike Tyson granted final divorce in New Jersey

Courtney Love

Jun 15 Singer-songwriter Courtney Love (24) divorces vocalist James Moreland only 4 months after getting married


Famous Deaths

  • Jun 1 Aurelio Lampredi, Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer (Ferrari), dies at 71
  • Jun 2 Dick Mayer, American golfer (US Open 1957), dies from alcoholism complications at 64
  • Jun 2 Ted à Beckett, Australian cricket fast bowler (4 Tests, 3 wickets; Victoria), dies at 81

Ayatollah Khomeini (1902-1989)

Jun 3 Supreme leader of Iran (1979-89), religious figure and political leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, dies of a heart attack at 89

  • Jun 3 John McCauley, American NHL official, dies at 44
  • Jun 3 Scott Ross, American-French harpsichordist (recorded all 555 sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti), dies of AIDS related pneumonia at 38
  • Jun 4 Andor Kovács, Hungarian classical guitarist, and composer, dies at 60
  • Jun 4 Dik Browne, American cartoonist (Hi & Lois, Hagar the Horrible), dies at 71
  • Jun 4 Václav Kašlík, Czech opera composer (Krakatit), conductor, and director, dies at 71
  • Jun 6 Richard F. Kahn, English economist, worked with John Maynard Keynes (concept of the "multiplier"), dies at 83
  • Jun 7 Chico Landi, Brazilian auto racer (6 x F1 GP; first Brazilian to driver in a F1 GP, and to score points; Mil Milhas Brasil 1960), dies at 81
  • Jun 7 Milton van Embricqs, Suriname/Dutch publicist, dies
  • Jun 7 Percy Stuart, Suriname/Dutch sports journalist, dies
  • Jun 9 George Beadle, American geneticist (biochemical genetics - Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1958), dies at 85
  • Jun 9 Piet[er J] Lieftinck, Dutch minister of Finance (1945-52), dies
  • Jun 9 Rashid Behbudov, Azerbaijani singer and actor, dies of kidney disease at 73
  • Jun 9 Wolfdietrich Schnurre, German writer, dies at 68
  • Jun 10 Richard Quine, American actor and director (How to Murder Your Wife, Clay Pigeon), commits suicide at 68
  • Jun 11 Jack McMahon, American basketball guard and coach (player Rochester Royal, St. Louis Hawks; coach Cincinnati Royals, San Diego Rockets, Pittsburgh Condors), dies at 60
  • Jun 12 Lou Monte [Scaglione], Italian-American novelty song singer-songwriter (Peppino the Italian Mouse; Dominick the Donkey), dies at 72
  • Jun 12 Peter Baden, Norwegian composer, organist and music critic, dies at 80
  • Jun 13 Fran Allison, American actress (Kukla, Fran & Ollie), dies at 81
  • Jun 14 Pete de Freitas, British drummer (Echo & the Bunnyman), dies in a motorcycle accident at 27
  • Jun 15 (William) "Judy" Johnson, American Baseball HOF third baseman (NgL World Series 1925 Hilldale AC; NgL All-Star 1933, 1936 Pittsburgh Crawfords), dies at 89
  • Jun 15 Maurice Bellemare, Canadian politician (b. 1912)
  • Jun 15 Ray McAnally, Irish actor (The Mission, My Left Foot, Empire State, Sicilian), dies of a heart attack at 63
  • Jun 15 Victor French, American actor (Get Smart -"44"; Highway to Heaven), dies at 54
  • Jun 17 Hy Gardner, American newspaper columnist (New York Herald Tribune, 1951-66), and television panelist, dies at 80
  • Jun 17 John Matuszak, American NFL defensive end, 1973-82 (Oakland Raiders and 3 other teams), and actor (Caveman; The Goonies), dies of an accidental propoxyphene overdose at 38
  • Jun 17 Stanley David Griggs, American astronaut (STS 51-D), dies in plane crash at 59 (b. 1939)
  • Jun 18 I. F. Stone, American journalist (b. 1907)
  • Jun 19 Ad van Emmenes, Dutch soccer reporter, dies at 91
  • Jun 19 Isidore Feinstein Stone, author (I F Stone's Weekly), dies at 81
  • Jun 21 Lee Calhoun, American athlete (Olympic gold 110m hurdles 1956, 60), dies at 56
  • Jun 21 Simon van Collem, Dutch journalist and TV host (Amsterdamned), dies at 70
  • Jun 22 Bengt Johansson, Finnish composer, dies at 74
  • Jun 22 Henri Sauguet [Poupard], French organist and composer (Symphonie Expiatoire), dies at 88
  • Jun 22 Lucien Saulnier, Canadian politician, dies at 72
  • Jun 23 Werner Best, German Nazi leader, jurist and convicted war criminal, dies at 85
  • Jun 27 A. J. Ayer, English Neopositivist philosopher (Logical Positivism), dies at 78
  • Jun 27 Jack Beutel, actor (The Outlaw), dies
  • Jun 28 Joris Ivens, Dutch director (A Tale of the Wind, Rain), dies at 90