What happened in April 1989?
The top front-page story of each day in April 1989, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Apr 1🔬 Fusion Breakthrough Reported – Scientists at Brigham Young University achieved fusion of heavy hydrogen into helium at room temperature, a potential new power source.
- Apr 2🎨 Harvard Wins Hockey Title – Harvard claims its first NCAA hockey championship by defeating Minnesota 4-3 in overtime at the St. Paul Civic Center.
- Apr 3🌊 Molokai Oil Spill Cleaned – A cleanup crew has finished scrubbing oil from a 10-mile stretch of Molokai Island's shoreline after a significant oil spill.
- Apr 4🌊 Oil Spill Impact – The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound poses severe ecological risks, threatening wildlife and marine life during critical spawning periods.
- Apr 5🌍 World Bank Debt Plan – The World Bank and I.M.F. approved a plan to reduce $1.3 trillion debt burden on poorer nations, aiming to boost growth in developing regions.
- Apr 6🎨 Getty Buys Renoir's 'Walk' – The J. Paul Getty Museum purchased Renoir's 'The Walk' for $17.7 million at Sotheby's, enhancing its Impressionist collection.
- Apr 7🌍 Brazil Protects Amazon – President Jose Sarney announced a $100 million plan to zone the Amazon for economic and ecological use amid global criticism.
- Apr 8🌍 Poland's Changes Adopted – Polish Parliament approved six laws to restore Solidarity's legal status and implement significant public life changes.
- Apr 9🌸 A Crater Moonscape – Visitors at Leleiwi Overlook in Maui witness Brocken's Specter, a stunning visual phenomenon during sunset over the dormant volcano's crater.
- Apr 10🏆 Faldo Wins Masters – Nick Faldo won the 53rd Masters by sinking a 25-foot birdie putt in sudden death, defeating Scott Hoch at Augusta National.
- Apr 11🔬 Fusion Claim Supported – Scientists report support for a claim of achieving nuclear fusion in a jar of water from two independent research groups.
- Apr 12🚀 Soviet Astronauts Return – Three Soviet astronauts aboard the Mir space station will return to Earth on April 27, leaving it unmanned for the first time in over two years.
- Apr 13🔬 Fusion-in-Jar Experiment – A Utah scientist received applause from 7,000 chemists for claiming nuclear fusion in a simple electrolytic cell.
- Apr 14✈️ Smithsonian to Get Concorde – The Smithsonian Institution will receive a Concorde supersonic airliner from Air France, enhancing its National Air and Space Museum collection.
- Apr 15🔬 Patents Enhance Fertility – A new patent was approved for a method to enhance fertility in aging animals, developed by a professor at Hebrew University.
- Apr 16⛪ Soviets Return Churches – Soviet authorities return hundreds of churches to congregations, marking a significant shift in religious policy under Gorbachev.
- Apr 17🔬 Fusion Breakthrough Announced – A significant announcement was made regarding the successful taming of nuclear fusion, marking a pivotal moment in energy research.
- Apr 18🔬 Fusion Breakthrough Confirmed – B. Stanley Pons announced that 60 labs worldwide have replicated his claims of achieving nuclear fusion at room temperature.
- Apr 19🔬 Nuclear Fusion Achieved – Stanford scientists reported success in duplicating a nuclear fusion experiment, measuring heat but not radiation.
- Apr 20🌍 Big Asteroid Passes Near Earth – A large asteroid passed close to Earth without detection, highlighting concerns about monitoring near-Earth objects.
- Apr 21📈 G.M. Profit Up – General Motors Corporation posted first-quarter earnings of $1.55 billion, a 42% increase from the previous year.
- Apr 22🗳️ 100,000 Protest in Beijing – A crowd of over 100,000 defied a ban on protests in Beijing's central square, demanding more democracy in China.
- Apr 23🌊 Exxon Valdez Spill – Cleanup of beaches from the Exxon Valdez oil spill is slow, with heavy staining still present nearly a month after the incident.
- Apr 24🌍 Beijing Students Protest – University students in Beijing plan protests for democracy, anticipating a strong government response to recent riots.
- Apr 25🌍 Takeshita Resigns Over Scandal – Japanese Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita resigns amid a bribery scandal, citing responsibility for political distrust.
- Apr 26🚀 Shuttle Countdown Begins – The countdown for a long-awaited space shuttle mission, marking the first planetary expedition in 11 years, officially began today.
- Apr 27🦉 Neanderthal Man Could Talk – Archeologists in Israel discovered a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton, suggesting these early humans were anatomically capable of speech.
- Apr 28🌪️ Tornado in Bangladesh – A tornado in central Bangladesh killed 600 people, injured 12,000, and devastated over 20 villages, with at least 200 reported missing.
- Apr 29🌪️ Tornado Toll Rises – The death toll from a devastating tornado in Bangladesh is expected to reach 1,000 as recovery efforts continue.
- Apr 30🏛️ U.S. Holocaust Museum Opens – Construction begins on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., marking a significant step in commemorating the victims of the Holocaust.
Happy Birthday! 1989 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1989 in real headlines. See the 1989 book →