References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 April 30.

1988 July 3 Gabe Dell, actor, dies at 68 of leukemia. [1] The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, providing the second connection between the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus. [82] US navy ship USS Vincennes shoots down Iran Air Flight 655 civilian jetliner over Gulf, kills 290. [82] (July 4 [1]) July 4 Death of Adrian Adonis, American wrestler (born 1954). [82] July 6 The Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires, killing 165 oil workers and two rescue mariners. [82] Carlos Salinas de Gortari elected president of Mexico. [1] July 7 Soviet Union launches Phobos 1 to probe Martian moon (unsuccessful). [1] July 8 Stevie Wonder announces he will run for mayor of Detroit in 1992. [1] Death of Ray Barbuti, American athlete (born 1905). [82] July 9 Barbara Woodhouse, dog trainer, dies at 78 of a stroke. [1] July 12 Joshua Logan, Broadway producer, dies at 79 of palsy. [1] USSR launches Phobos II for Martian orbit. [1] July 13 The film The Dead Pool is released to theaters in the USA. [8] July 14 200,000 demonstrate in Soviet Armenia for incorporation of Nagorno-Karabak. [1] Volkswagen closes its Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania plant after 10 years of operation (the first factory built by a non-American automaker in the U.S.). [82] July 15 Eleanor Estes, author (Ginger Pye, Moffats), dies at 82. [1] July 17 Highest temperature ever recorded in San Francisco, California: 103 degrees F (39 degrees C). [1] Death of Bruiser Brody, American professional wrestler (born 1946). [82] July 18 Death of Nico, singer-songwriter, fashion model, actress and Warhol socialite (born 1938). [82] July 20 The Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia nominates Michael Dukakis for U.S. President and Lloyd Bentsen for Vice President. [1] [82] July 21 Death of Jack Clark, American television personality and Game Show host (born 1921). [82] ESA's Ariane-3 launches two communications satellites (one Indian). [1] July 22 500 US scientists pledge to boycott Pentagon germ-warfare research. [1] Luigi Lucioni, Italian landscape painter (opera stars), dies at 87. [1] July 25 Death of Judith Barsi, American child actress (born 1978). [82] July 27 Death of Frank Zamboni, American inventor (born 1901). [5] [82] July 28 Israeli diplomats arrive in Moscow for first visit in 21 years. [1] Jordan cancels $1.3 billion development plan in West Bank. [1] Winnie Mandella's home in Soweto, South Africa destroyed by arson. [1] July 29 Ellin Berlin (MacKay), Mrs Irving Berlin, dies at 86. [1] FDIC bails out First Republic Bank, in Dallas, Texas with $4 billion. [1] Gorbachev pushes plan electing president and parliament in March, 1989. [1] Judge orders NASA to release unedited tape from Challenger cockpit. [1] Last US Playboy Club (Lansing, Michigan) closes. [1] South African government bans anti-apartheid film Cry Freedom. [1] July 30 Ronald J Dossenbach begins world record ride, pedaling across Canada. [1] July 31 Thirty-two people are killed and 1,674 injured when a bridge at the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry terminal collapses in Butterworth, Malaysia. [82] Death of Trinidad Silva, American actor (born 1950). [82] August 1 Deep Rover one-man research submarine unveiled at Crater Lake, Oregon. [1] Florence Eldridge, Broadway actress (The Swan), dies at 86. [1] John Cardinal Dearden, US cardinal, dies at 80. [1] Trindad Silva of TV show Hill Street Blues, dies at 38 in an auto accident. [1] August 2 Raymond Acevedo is retired from singing group Menudo. [1] Raymond Carver, American poet/short story writer (Furious Season), dies at age 50 (born 1938). [1] [82] August 4 US Congress votes $20,000 to each Japanese-American interned in WW II. [1] Hertz car rental company will pay out US$23 million in consumer fraud case. [1] August 5 The Malaysian constitutional crisis culminates in the ouster of the Lord President of Malaysia, Salleh Abas. [82] August 6 In Myanmar, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs. Five people killed, 42 injured. Felt throughout Bangladesh and northeastern India. [53] (to August 7) A riot erupts in Tompkins Square Park (New York City) when police attempt to enforce a newly-passed curfew for the park. Bystanders, artists, residents, homeless people and political activists are caught up in the police action. [82] August 8 Discovery of most distant galaxy (15 * 10 ^ 12 light years away) announced. [1] Russian troops begin pull-out of Afghanistan after nine-year war. [1] US Secretary of State George Shultz narrowly escapes assassination attempt in Bolivia. [1] South Africa declares cease-fire in Angola. [1] Death of Félix Leclerc, French-Canadian poet & singer (born 1914). [82] Death of Alan Napier, American actor (Alfred the Butler on Batman), at age 85 (born 1903). [82] (August 9 [1]) Thousands of protesters in Myanmar are killed during anti-government demonstrations. [82] August 9 Just one day after 8/8/88 New York lottery's daily number is 888. [1] Death of Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer (born 1905). [82] Death of Ramon Valdez, Mexican actor (born 1923). [82] August 10 Adela Rogers Saint John, journalist (Free Soul, Honeycomb), dies at 94. [1] Arias Arnulfo, three time president of Panama, dies at 86. [1] United Nations estimates Asia's population at three billion. [1] In Solomon Islands, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurs. One person killed and about 100 homes washed away in 13 villages along the southwestern coast of San Cristobal where a tsunami flooded 50-100 metres inland. [53] August 11 Anne Ramsey, American actress, dies of cancer at age 59 (born 1929). [1] [82] Jean-Pierre Ponnele, opera director (Carmina Burana), dies at 56. [1] Meir Kahane renounces US citizenship to stay in Israeli Parliament. [1] August 12 Movie Last Temptation of Christ is released. [1] Richard Thornburgh becomes US Attorney General. [1] Death of Jean-Michel Basquiat, American musician/graffiti painter (born 1960). [82] Death of Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Deva Gosvami Maharaja, religious Guru from India (born 1895). [82] August 13 Otto E Passman (Representative-Democrat-Louisiana, 1947-77), dies at 88. [1] Ronald J Dossenbach sets world record for pedaling across Canada from Vancouver, British Columbia to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 13 days, 15 hours, 4 min. [1] August 14 Enzo Ferrari, Italian sportscar manufacturer (Ferrari), dies at age 90 in Italy (born 1898). [1] [5] [82] August 16 Jailed South African nationalist Nelson Mandela struck with tuberculosis. [1] August 17 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr (Representative-Democrat-New York, 1949-55) dies on 74th birthday (born 1914). [1] [5] [82] The Pakistani president, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, and the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Arnold Raphel, are killed in a plane crash near Bhawalpur. [1] [82] New York City first case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (9-year-old Bronx boy). [1] August 18 American FDA approves Minoxidil as a hair loss treatment. [1] Frederick Ashton, choreographer (Cinderella), dies at 83. [1] The Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana nominates George H.W. Bush for President and James "Dan" Quayle for Vice President of the United States of America. [1] [82] August 19 Iran and Iraq begin a cease-fire after eight years of war. [1] [82] August 20 In the Nepal-India border region, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs. 721 people killed, 6,553 injured and 64,470 buildings damaged in eastern Nepal. At least 277 people killed, thousands injured and extensive damage in northern Bihar, India. Felt in large parts of northern India from Delhi to the Burma border and in much of Bangladesh. [53] August 22 Australia unveils first platinum coin (Koala). [1] NBC premieres Later with Bob Costas (first guest Linda Ellerbee). [1] August 24 Max Shulman, author (Dobie Gillis, Tender Trap), dies at 69. [1] August 25 NASA launches space vehicle S-214. [1] Price Daniel (Governor/Senator-Democrat-Texas), dies at 77. [1] A fire destroys part of Chiado quarter, in Lisbon's historical center in Portugal. [82] August 26 Mehran Karimi Nasseri, "The terminal man", is stuck in the De Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, where he will continue to reside until August 1, 2006. [82] August 27 Death of William Sargant, British psychiatrist (born 1907). [82] August 28 At Germany's Ramstein Air Base, three jets from the Italian air demonstration team, Frecce Tricolori, collide, sending one of the aircraft crashing into the crowd of spectators. Seventy-five people are killed and three-hundred and forty-six injured in one of the worst airshow disasters in history. [1] [82] August 29 USSR launches three cosmonauts (Valery Polyakav, one Afghan) to station Mir. [1] August 31 Five-day power blackout of downtown Seattle, Washington, USA begins. [1] September 1 Nintendo releases the Super Mario Bros. 2 video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. (Total sales: 7.46 million.) [9] Leonor Sullivan (Representative-Democrat-Missouri, 1955-77), dies at 86. [1] Death of Luis Alvarez, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911). [82] September 2 Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! tour begins in Wembley, England. [1] September 5 Jerry Lewis' 23rd Labor Day telethon raises record US$41,132,113. [1] With US$2 billion in federal aid, the Robert M. Bass Group agrees to buy the United States's largest thrift, American Savings and Loan Association. [82] Death of Gert Fröbe, German actor (born 1913). [82] September 6 Crippled soviet Soyuz TM-5 lands safely with two cosmonauts aboard. [1] September 7 Security and Exchange Commission accuses Drexel of violating security laws. [1] September 11 George Alpert, railroad executive, dies at 90. [1] Luis W Alvarez, physicist (Nobel Prize-1968), dies at 77. [1] Peter Tosh, reggae singer, shot dead at 43 in Jamaica. [1] In Estonia, 300,000 demonstrate for independence. [82] September 12 Alan Bible (Senator-Democrat-Nevada, 1954-74), dies at 78. [1] William Mitchell dies of a heart attack from a brain tumor. [8] Hurricane Gilbert, strongest ever (160 mph), devastates Jamaica. [1] [82] Lauris Norstad, NATO commander/CEO Corning Fiberglass, dies at 71. [1] Death of Roger Hargreaves, author of the Mr. Men series (born 1935). [82] September 13 Hurricane Gilbert becomes strongest (26.13 barometer) hurricane in Western Hemisphere. [1] September 14 Louis Quinn, actor, dies at 73 of cancer. [1] September 16 Death of Dick Pym, English footballer (born 1893). [82] September 18 Death of Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar, Iranian Azari poet (born 1906). [82] September 19 Israel launches first satellite, for secret military reconnaissance. [1] Oren Lee Staley, first president of National Farmers Organization (1955-79), dies at 65. [1] September 21 Robert Gwathmey, artist, dies at 85. [1] Death of Glenn Robert Davis, member of United States Congress (born 1914). [82] September 22 The Ocean Odyssey drilling rig suffers a blowout and fire in the North Sea. [82] September 24 Barbara C Harris of Massachusetts elected first woman Episcopal bishop. [1] (to September 26) Large, militant protests against the 1988 World Bank and IMF meetings take place in West Berlin. [82] September 25 Billy Carter, President Carter's brother, dies of cancer at 51. [1] September 26 New York City's Rockefeller Center declared a national landmark. [1] Polish communist party picks propaganda chief Rakowski as new Prime Minister. [1] September 27 Lab tests reportedly show Shroud of Turin not Christ's burial cloth. [1] Senate votes for major federal tax code changes. [1] William V Shannon, US ambassador to Ireland (1977-81), dies at 61. [1] September 28 Bronx Museum for the Arts opens in New York. [1] Charles Addams, American cartoonist (Addams Family), dies at age 76 of heart attack (born 1912). [82] (September 29 [1]) September 29 NASA resumes space shuttle flights, grounded after the Challenger disaster, with the 26th Space Shuttle mission, Discovery 7. Challenger disaster, with Space Shuttle Discovery. [1] [82] United Nations peacekeeping forces win Nobel Peace prize. [1] September 30 Andrei A Gromyko retires. [1] IBM announces shipment of three millionth PS/2 personal computer. [1] Joachim Prinz, author/Rabbi of Berlin (1926-37), dies at 86. [1] October 1 Death of Sacheverell Sitwell, English writer (born 1897). [82] October 3 26th Space Shuttle Mission, Discovery 7 returns to Earth after four days. [1] Franz Josef Strauss, German Federal Republic minister of defense (1956-62), dies at 73. [1] [37] Generoso Pope Jr, National Enquirer owner, dies at 61. [1] Lebanese kidnappers release Mithileshwar Singh (held for 30 months). [1] October 4 Pillsbury stock soars $18.37 to $57.37 on takeover bid. [1] October 5 Israel bans Meir Kahane's Kach Party on grounds of racism. [1] Thousands riot in Algiers, Algeria against the National Liberation Front government. [82] Chilean president Augusto Pinochet is defeated in a national plebiscite which sought to renew his mandate. [82] October 7 Billy Daniels, singer, dies of cancer at 73. [1] Latvian flag raised in Riga for first time since annexation by USSR. [1] October 8 Fire in Seattle's Space Needle causes evacuation, $2,000 damage. [1] October 9 Edward Chodorov, playwright/director (Louis Pasteur), dies at 84. [1] Death of Jackie Milburn, English footballer (born 1924). [82] Felix Wankel, developer of the Wankel rotary engine, dies in Lindau, Germany. [1] [37] October 11 Women are allowed to study at Magdalene College, Cambridge, for the first time. Male students wear black armbands and the porter flies a black flag. [82] Waylon Flowers, puppeteer, dies at 48. [1] October 12 NeXT launches its first public debut of the NeXT Computer at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, California. [5] Israel and China sign trade deal, plan diplomatic relations. [1] Two Victoria Police officers are gunned down, execution style, in Australia. [82] Ken Murray, entertainer, dies at 85. [1] Death of Ruth Manning-Sanders, British children's author (born 1895). [82] October 13 Concert at Masada ends Israel's 40th-anniversary fest. [1] October 15 Amnesty International's Global Concert Tour ends in Buenos Aires, Argentina. [1] Death of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, English composer and pianist (born 1892). [82] October 17 31 reported dead as Ugandan jetliner crashes in fog near Rome, Italy. [1] Phillip Morris announces US$11 Billion tender offer for Kraft. [1] October 18 Israel's supreme court uphold's ban on Kahane's Kach Party as racist. [1] October 19 Three Americans win Nobel Prize in physics; three West Germans win chemistry Nobel Prize. [1] Britain bans broadcast interviews with Irish Republican Army members. [1] Car bomb kills 7 Israelis, wounds 11 near Lebanon border. [1] South Africa anti-apartheid leader Sisulu wins $100,000 Human Rights prize. [1] Death of Son House, American musician (born 1902). [82] US Senate passes bill curbing ads during children's TV shows. [1] October 20 Britain ends suspects right to remain silent in crackdown on Irish Republican Army. [1] Man armed with explosives blows self up in 125 Steet subway station (New York City). [1] October 21 Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos indicted on racketeering charges. [1] October 22 Death of Henry Armstrong, American boxer (born 1912). [82] October 24 Typhoon Ruby sinks Philippine ferry; hundreds drown. [1] October 26 The Callaway Sledgehammer Corvette reaches a top speed of 254.76 MPH at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio. making it the fastest street car. [8] October 27 S.B. Fuller, founder of Fuller products, dies at 83. [1] Death of Charles Hawtrey, English Comic Actor (born 1914). [82] October 29 2,000 US anti-abortion protesters arrested for blocking clinics. [1] China announces a herbal male contraceptive. [1] Pakistan's General Rahimuddin Khan resigns from his post as the governor of Sindh, following attempts by the President of Pakistan, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, to limit the vast powers General Rahimuddin had accumulated. [82] October 30 Philip Morris buys Kraft Foods for US$13.1 billion. [82] Two gambling clubs and one player share US$61.38 million California lotto jackpot. [1] Expo '88 in Brisbane, Australia, draws to a close after a six month spectacular. [82] October 31 John Houseman, Romanian-born actor and producer, dies of spinal cancer at 86 (born 1902). [1] [82] Journalists demand greater press freedom in Yugoslavia. [1] November 1 Helmut Kohl and the French President, Francois Mitterrand jointly receive the Charlemagne Prize (Karlspreis) of the city of Aachen for their efforts on behalf of European unity. [37] November 2 Robert Tappan Morris Jr. unleashes a "worm" program on the ARPAnet computer network (Internet). Over two days, it crashes 10-20 percent of all connected computers. [1] [5] [15] Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir's Likud party wins election in Israel. [1] (November 1 [82]) November 3 Pakistan claims it downed Afghan warplane. [1] Reagan signs credit-card disclosure-bill. [1] Soviet Union agrees to allow teaching of Hebrew. [1] Talk-show host Geraldo Rivera's nose is broken as Roy Innis brawls with skinheads at TV taping. [1] (to November 5) Thousands of South Korean students demonstrate against former president Chun Doo Hwan. [82] November 5 Cornell confirms grad student (Robert Tappan Morris, Jr) source of worst computer sabotage. [1] November 6 In the Burma-China Border Region, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs. 730 people killed, 3,900 injured, 267,000 homeless, 29 reservoirs severely damaged and 67 percent of the public buildings destroyed in the Lancang-Menglian area, China. [53] November 8 George Bush (Republican) beats Mike Dukakis (Democrat) for American Presidency. [1] [82] November 9 John Mitchell, former American Attorney General and convicted Watergate criminal, dies of heart attack in Washington (born 1913). [1] [82] November 11 Oldest known insect fossils (390 million years) reported in Science. [1] In Sacramento, California, police find a body buried in the lawn of 60-year-old boardinghouse landlady Dorothea Puente (seven bodies are eventually found and Puente is convicted of three murders and sentenced to life in prison). [82] Death of William Ifor Jones, Welsh conductor & organist (born 1900). [82] November 13 Death of Antal Dorati, Hungarian conductor (born 1906). [82] November 15 91-metre radio telescope dish at Green Bank, West Virginia collapses. [1] An independent State of Palestine is proclaimed at the Palestinian National Council meeting in Algiers, by a vote of 253 to 46. [1] [82] In the Soviet Union, the unmanned space shuttle Buran is launched by an Energia rocket on its maiden orbital spaceflight (the first and last space flight for the shuttle). [1] [82] November 16 In the first open election in eleven years, voters in Pakistan choose populist candidate Benazir Bhutto to be Prime Minister. [1] [82] The Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR declares that Estonia is "sovereign" but stops short of declaring independence. [1] [82] November 17 Sheilah Graham, gossip columnist, dies of heart failure at 84. [1] November 18 U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs a bill providing the death penalty for drug traffickers. [82] November 19 Christine Onassis, American shipping heiress, dies of heart failure at age 37 (born 1950). [1] [82] November 21 Ted Turner officially buys Jim Crockett Promotions, known as NWA Crockett, and turns it into World Championship Wrestling (WCW). [82] Brian Mulroney and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada win a second majority government. [82] November 22 In Palmdale, California, the first prototype B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is revealed. [82] November 23 In South Africa President Botha reprieves the Sharpeville Six. [1] Former Korean president Chun Doo Hwan publicly apologizes for corruption during his presidency, announcing he will go into exile. [82] November 25 Convention on exploitation of Antarctic mineral resources signed. [1] In southern Quebec, Canada, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs. Felt to the east coast, and as far south as Washington, D.C. [1] [53] November 26 Alexander Volkov, Sergei Krikalev, and Jean-Loup Chretien launch. [1] Pioneer 6's closest approach to Earth since 1965 launch (1.87 million km). [1] November 27 John Carradine, American actor, dies at 82 of kidney failure (born 1906). [1] [82] November 28 Picasso's painting Acrobat and Harlequin sells for US$38.46 million. [1] November 30 Cyclone lashes Bangladesh, Eastern India; 317 killed. [1] Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. buys RJR Nabisco for US$25.07 billion in the biggest leveraged buyout deal of all time. [82] Soviets stop jamming Radio Liberty; first time in 38 years. [1] United Nations General Assembly (151-2) censures US for refusing Palestinian Liberation Organization's Arafat visa. [1] December 1 596 dead after cyclone hits Bangladesh, half a million homeless. [1] Benazir Bhutto named first female Prime Minister of a Muslim country (Pakistan). [1] Chinese minister of Foreign affairs Qian Qichen visits Moscow, Russia. [1] December 2 The Naked Gun film premieres, a movie based on TV's Police Squad. [1] Five gunmen who hijacked Soviet Aeroflot jet surrender in Israel. [1] United Nations votes 151-2 (Israel and US against, Britain abstains) to move Palestinian Liberation Organization debate to Geneva. [1] A cyclone in Bangladesh leaves 5 million homeless and thousands dead. [82] Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state. [82] Death of Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer and lyricist (Quartetto Cetra) (born 1922). [82] December 3 New York Lotto pays US$45 million to twelve winners (numbers are 1-8-13-18-28-48). [1] December 4 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya. [1] December 5 North Carolina federal grand jury indicts PTL founder Jim Bakker on fraud and conspiracy. [1] Shuttle Atlantis (STS-27) launches world's first nuclear-war-fighting satellite. [1] December 6 In southern Iran, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurs. [53] Yasser Arafat meets prominent American Jews in Stockholm, Sweden. [1] Bill Harris, US guitarist (Clovers-"Love Potion No 9"), dies at 63. [1] Carlos Andrés Pérez re-elected President of Venezuela. [1] Nelson Mandela is transferred to Victor Vester Prison, Capetown, South Africa. [1] Roy Orbison, American rock singer ("Pretty Woman", "Only the Lonely"), dies of a massive heart attack at 52 (born 1936). [1] [82] STS-27 Atlantis lands in California after secret mission. [1] December 7 Andrei P Ershov, Russian computer pioneer, dies. [1] Christopher Connelly, actor (Liar's Moon, Hawmps), dies at 47. [1] In Armenia, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs. At least 25,000 people killed, 19,000 injured and 500,000 homeless. Damage totals US$16.2 billion. [1] [53] [82] Gorbachev announces 10 percent unilateral Soviet troop reductions at United Nations. [1] Mikhail Gorbachev cheered by Wall Street crowds upon arrival in New York City. [1] Peter Langan, Irish restaurateur (Langans London), dies in fire. [1] Estonian becomes the official language of Estonia. [82] December 8 Anne Seymour, actress (Misty, Chevy Mystery Show), dies at 79. [1] Herbert "Tubo" Rhoad, US singer (Persuasions-Good news), dies at 44. [1] December 9 The last Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant roll off the assembly line in a Chrysler factory. [82] December 10 Dick Clair, comedian (Clair and McMahon, Facts of Life), dies of AIDS. [1] Richard Castellano, actor (Honor thy Father), dies at 55. [1] December 12 In London, England, three trains collide at the Clapham Junction killing 35 and injuring 132. [1] [82] John Canning, New York Post managing editor, dies at 56. [1] Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat accepts Israel's right to exist. [1] December 13 Yasser Arafat addresses United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. [1] December 14 Spanish general strike to protest austerity measures. [1] US agrees to talk to Palestine Liberation Organization (first time in 13 years). [1] December 16 Political cult leader Lyndon LaRouche convicted of tax, mail fraud. [1] Death of Sylvester James, American R&B singer, disco performer (born 1948). [82] December 17 USS Tennessee, first submarine to carry Trident 2 missiles, commissioned. [1] USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. [1] December 19 NASA unveils plans for lunar colony and manned missions to Mars. [1] Unexploded WWII bomb found in Frankfurt, Germany-5,000 evacuated. [1] December 20 Animal rights terrorists fire-bomb Harrod's department store, London, England. [1] Max Robinson, first black network (ABC) TV anchor, dies of AIDS at 49. [1] The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna, Austria. [82] NBC signs lease to stay in New York City for 33 more years. [1] Premier Ranasinghe Premadasa elected President of Sri Lanka. [1] December 21 Bob Steele [Robert Bradbury] dies after short illness at 60. [1] Drexel agrees guilt to security felonies, pays a US$650 million fine. [1] New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 jumbo jet explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on the plane and 11 people on the ground. [1] [82] Death of Nikolaas Tinbergen at age 81, Dutch/British ornithologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1907). [1] [82] Vladimir Titov, Anatoly Levchenko, and Musa Manarov return to Earth (after a year) with Chretien. [1] December 22 Two robbers wearing police uniforms rob armored truck of US$3 million in New Jersey. [1] South Africa signs accord granting independence to South-West Africa. [1] Tucker Smith, singer/dancer (Cool - West Side Story), dies. [1] Tug hits oil barge, spreads 231,000 gallons on 300 miles of Western Australia and British Columbia coast. [1] Brazilian union and environmental activist Chico Mendes is assassinated. [82] December 24 In Spain, the El Gordo lottery draw first prize is US$194 million, shared by 72 winners. [40.41] December 26 Anti-African student rebellion in People's Republic of China. [1] John Loder, actor (Sabotage, Java Head), dies at 90. [1] Death of Glenn McCarthy, American oil tycoon and businessman (born 1907). [82] December 27 Bulgaria stops jamming Radio Free Europe after more than three decades. [1] Fox Harris, actor (Alienator, Warlords, Sid and Nancy), dies. [1] Hal Ashby, academy-award winning director (Shampoo, 8 Million Ways to Die), dies of cancer at 59. [1] December 28 US second Circuit Court of Appeals affirms Yonkers is guilty of racism. [1] USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. [1] December 29 Victorian Post Office Museum in Australia closes. [1] December 30 Canadian Senate okays free trade pact with US. [1] Former Soviet President Brezhnev's son-in-law sentenced to 12-years (bribery). [1] Mercedes-Benz pays US$20.2 million fine, failed to meet 1986 US government fuel standard. [1] Oliver North subpoenas Ronald Reagan and George Bush as defense witnesses for upcoming trial. [1] Yugoslav government resigns. [1] Year Global mean surface temperature at highest point since accurate measurements in 1880. [58]