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Year in Review

1987

Population	5,020,809,215
International year of the	Shelter for the Homeless
Chinese Year of the	Rabbit
Melbourne Cup Winner	Kensei
AFL Grand Final Winners	Carleton
Rugby League Grand Final Winners	Manly- Warringah
Australian of the Year	John Farnham
Nobel Peace Prize Winner	Oscar Arias Sanchez, President of Costa Rica. Initiator of peace negotiations in Central America
Commonwealth/Olympic Game Locations
Gold Logie Winner	Ray Martin
Best Selling Book	Fiction-“The Cardinal of the Kremlin” by Tom Clancy Non Fiction “The Eight Week Cholesterol Diet” by Robert Kowalski
No. 1 Song (Australia)	La Bamba by Los Lobos
No. 1 Album (Australia)	Whispering Jack by John Farham
No. 1 Song (Australian Artist)	Locomotion Kylie Minogue
Australian Music Awards	First ARIA Awards Best Australian Album- “Whispering Jack” John Farnham Best Australian Single- “You’re the Voice” John Farnham
No. 1 at the Box Office	Three men and a Baby
Most Popular Australian TV Show	Neighbours
What’s on TV	Cosby Show Roseanne Cheers The Golden Girls Who’s The Boss Murder She Wrote
Australian Prime Minister	Bob Hawke
US President	Ronald Reagan
Famous People
Births	16^th June Diana De Garmo 28^th Sept Hilary Duff 7^th Dec Aaron Carter
Deaths	4^th Feb Liberace (67) 22^nd Feb Andy Warhol 14^thMay Rita Hayworth (68) 22^nd June Fred Astaire (88) 29^th Aug Lee Marvin (63)
Cost of Living
Postage Stamp	36 cents and 37 cents
Petrol
Loaf of Break
Litre of Milk
Major News Events	Jan 5^th Ronald Reagan undergoes prostate surgery Feb 11^th US performs nuclear testing at Nevada Test Site Feb 12^th Unabomber bomb explodes in Salt Lake City May 11^th First heart lung transplant takes place in Baltimore Maryland Aug 28^th Micheal Jackson releases “Bad”. Oct 19^th Black Monday. Stock market falls sharply around the world. Dec 29^th Prozac makes its debut in the US
January	2^nd Ideological purity dictates that Noddy can’t play with Golly any more. All new editions of Enid Blyton’s “Noddy” books will be devoid of the traditional black Golliwogs who will be replaced with Gnomes 5^th Genetic fingerprinting is used for the first time in a criminal investigation in Leicester, UK 21^st Terry Waite, the archbishop of Canterbury’s envoy disappears in Beirut, Lebanon 24^th 162 police and 33 demonstrators are injured in violent riots outside Rupert Murdoch’s News International plant at Wapping, UK
February	2^nd In a referendum in the Philippines, 81% approve a new US style constitution 4^th Stars and Stripes wins back the America’s Cup for the USA. 4^th Liberace dies of AIDS (b. MAY 16 1919) 22^ndUS pop artist Andy Warhol dies age 56, after routine gall bladder surgery 22^nd A force of around 7,000 Syrian troops enters West Beirut in an effort to end fighting between Muslim and Druse forces 26^th The Tower commission investigating US arms sales to Iran criticizes senior White House officials
March	4^th In a televised address, President Reagan takes “full responsibility” for the Iran-Contra affair, but stops short of admitting that the plan was wrong. 6^th Dover car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes off Zeebrugge, Belgium, drowning 187 people. One set of cargo doors had been left open. 11^th Four New Jersey high school drop-outs die of carbon monoxide poisoning in an apparent suicide 19^th Evangelist Jim Bakker resigns as head of the PTL Club, following revelations of sexual encounters with church secretary Jessica Hahn. 20^th The Australian Federal Government approves the use of AZT (azido-thymidine) on AIDS patients, although the drug is criticized by some for its expense ($10,000 per year per person) and its side effects. 29^th Crocodile kills US model in Northern Australia 30^th A Japanese insurance company buys Van Gough’s “Sunflowers” for $53.9 million – The highest price ever paid for a painting.
April	2^nd Jazz drummer Buddy Rich dies of a brain tumour, age 69 14^th Gorbachev announces that the USSR is prepared to remove the short-range missiles from Eastern Europe
May	4^th Australian Supreme Court rules that Rotary Clubs must admit women 6^th In the South African general election, the ruling ational Party wins an overwhelming victory 7^th Gary Hart suspends his campaign for the US Democratic presidential nomination following news stories that reveal his adulteress association with 29 year old model Donna Rice 12^th Australian crime boss, Robert Trimbole dies in Spain 17^th Iraqi Exocet missiles blast US frigate USS Stark in the Persian Gulf killing 37crew. Iraq apologizes for the incident, insisting that the missiles were fired by mistake. 28^th 19 year old West German, Matthias Rust, lands a Cessna next to the Kremlin in Red Square Moscow
June	2ndAustralian Chamberlains are pardoned over baby Azaria’s death 11^th Margaret Thatcher wins record third term as British PM 17^TH Five convicted of brutal Anita Cobby killing in Sydney, Australia 22^nd Dancer and actor, Fred Astaire dies at the age of 88.
July	4^th Klaus Barbie, 73, Gestapo wartime chief in Lyon, sentenced to life imprisonment by French court for war crimes. 11^th Australian PM Bob Hawke back for record third term. 17^th Ollie North wraps himself in a flag at “Irangate” hearing. 20^th UN Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution calling on Iran to implement a ceasefire. 22^nd. US warships begin escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Persian Gulf to protect them from Iranian attacks. 26^th Irish cyclist Steven Roche wins the Tour De France
August	1^st Dave Stewart of Eurythmics marries Sioban Fahey of Bananarama 9^th A youth armed with an automatic rifle and a pump action shotgun, kills six people and wounds 10 others when he takes random shots at traffic on Hoddle Street, Melbourne. 20^th Gunman Micheal Ryan kills 16 on a rampage in English village of Hungerford. 23^rd An escaped drug addict who shot a policeman is apprehended and killed by police at a Grateful Dead concert celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the “Summer of Love” 28^TH us Film director John Houston dies.
September	11th Peter Tosh, guitarist and founding member of The Wailers, is shot and killed by burglars at his home in Jamaica a month before his 43^rd birthday.21^st US Helicopters intercept an Iranian ship caught laying mines in the Persian Gulf.
October	1^st An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale, strikes Los Angeles, leaving over 100 injured and 8 dead. 6^th Fiji becomes a Republic after two successive bloodless coups. 16^th “Storm of the Century” lashes Southern England. 17 people die and winds of 93 mph fell an estimated 15 million trees. 16^th Jessica McClure is rescued after being stuck in a well shaft for three days in Midland Texas. 18^th US destroyers attack Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping. 19^th 50 million pounds is wiped off value of public companies as Wall Street crashes on “Black Monday”, the worst day for shares in the 20^th century. Dow Jones index plummets over 20%.
November	8^th Ulster bomb blast kills 11 on Remembrance Day 8^th Australia wins cricket World Cup for first time 18^th “Irangate” Congressional report blames President Ronald Reagan for the widespread corruption in the US government. 19^th Thirty die as tube fire hits Kings Cross tube station in London.
December	8^th Historic INF missile treaty signed with USSR to reduce nuclear arsenals. According to the agreement, 2611 US and Soviet medium and short range missiles will be destroyed. 8^th A 22 year old man armed with a high powered rifle shoots dead 8 people in the Melbourne headquarters of Australia Post before leaping to his death from a 10^th floor window. 21^st Nearly 3,000 people die in a ferry disaster in the Philippines. 22^nd. Barred by the International Court of Justice from sending any further arms or military supplies to the Nicaraguan Contras, Reagan authorizes $14 million in “non-lethal Contra aid.

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