What happened in 1989

“Miss You Much”

Janet Jackson · 4 weeks at #1 in 1989

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1. Jan 7Every Rose Has Its ThornPoison1 wk
2. Jan 14My PrerogativeBobby Brown1 wk
3. Jan 21Two HeartsPhil Collins2 wks
4. Feb 4When I'm With YouSheriff1 wk
5. Feb 11Straight UpPaula Abdul3 wks
6. Mar 4Lost In Your EyesDebbie Gibson3 wks
7. Mar 25The Living YearsMike + The Mechanics1 wk
8. Apr 1Eternal FlameThe Bangles1 wk
9. Apr 8The LookRoxette1 wk
10. Apr 15She Drives Me CrazyFine Young Cannibals1 wk
11. Apr 22Like A PrayerMadonna3 wks
12. May 13I'll Be There For YouBon Jovi1 wk
13. May 20Forever Your GirlPaula Abdul2 wks
14. Jun 3Rock On (From "Dream A Little Dream")Michael Damian1 wk
15. Jun 10Wind Beneath My Wings (From "Beaches")Bette Midler1 wk
16. Jun 17I'll Be Loving You (Forever)New Kids On The Block1 wk
17. Jun 24SatisfiedRichard Marx1 wk
18. Jul 1Baby Don't Forget My NumberMilli Vanilli1 wk
19. Jul 8Good ThingFine Young Cannibals1 wk
20. Jul 15If You Don't Know Me By NowSimply Red1 wk
21. Jul 22Toy SoldiersMartika2 wks
22. Aug 5Batdance (From "Batman")Prince1 wk
23. Aug 12Right Here WaitingRichard Marx3 wks
24. Sep 2Cold HeartedPaula Abdul1 wk
25. Sep 9Hangin' ToughNew Kids On The Block1 wk
26. Sep 16Don't Wanna Lose YouGloria Estefan1 wk
27. Sep 23Girl I'm Gonna Miss YouMilli Vanilli2 wks
28. Oct 7Miss You MuchJanet Jackson4 wks
29. Nov 4Listen To Your HeartRoxette1 wk
30. Nov 11When I See You SmileBad English2 wks
31. Nov 25Blame It On The RainMilli Vanilli2 wks
32. Dec 9We Didn't Start The FireBilly Joel2 wks
33. Dec 23Another Day In ParadisePhil Collins2 wks

Dates are the first chart week at #1 in 1989; weeks count only those in 1989.Find the #1 song on your birthday →

1. Jan 4Two American F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan MiG-23 Floggers that appeared to be attempting to engage them over the Gulf of Sidra.
2. Jan 17Patrick Purdy opened fire in an elementary school in Stockton, California, killing 5 and wounding 32 others.
3. Apr 15The Hillsborough disaster, a human crush that caused 97 deaths in the worst disaster in British sporting history, occurred during an FA Cup match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in Sheffield.
4. Apr 19A gun turret exploded on board the United States Navy battleship Iowa, killing 47 sailors.
5. May 29Signing of an agreement between Egypt and the United States that allows for the manufacture of F-16 Falcon parts in Egypt.
6. Jul 5United States National Security Council member Oliver North was given a suspended sentence, probation, and community service for his part in the Iran–Contra affair.
7. Jul 18American actress Rebecca Schaeffer was shot and killed by Robert John Bardo, eventually prompting the passage of anti-stalking laws in California.
8. Aug 2Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations after having restored democracy for the first time since 1972.
9. Sep 11Hungary announces that the East German refugees who had been housed in temporary camps were free to leave for West Germany.
10. Oct 15Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL.
11. Nov 9East German official Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced the immediate opening of the inner German border, resulting in the fall of the Berlin Wall that night.
12. Nov 17Walt Disney Pictures released The Little Mermaid to theatres, beginning the Disney Renaissance.
13. Dec 1Cold War: East Germany's parliament abolishes the constitutional provision granting the Communist Party the leading role in the state.
14. Dec 17The Simpsons premieres on television with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".

Event summaries from Wikipedia’s “On this day”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Each links to its article.

• U.S. President

  Ronald Reagan → George H. W. Bush

• UK Prime Minister

  Margaret Thatcher

• Prime Minister of Canada

  Brian Mulroney

• President of France

  François Mitterrand

• German Chancellor

  Helmut Kohl

• Prime Minister of Japan

  Noboru Takeshita → Sōsuke Uno → Toshiki Kaifu

• Soviet leader

  Mikhail Gorbachev

Everyone who held the office at some point in 1989, from Wikidata.

A selection of the best-documented titles on Wikidata, by first release year; not a box-office ranking.

• Michael BeasleyAmerican basketball player · Jan 9
• Doug MartinAmerican football player (died 2025) · Jan 13
• Kelly Marie TranAmerican actress · Jan 17
• Isaiah ThomasAmerican basketball player · Feb 7
• Julio JonesAmerican football player · Feb 8
• Elizabeth OlsenAmerican actress · Feb 16
• Chord OverstreetAmerican actor and singer · Feb 17
• Corbin BleuAmerican actor, model, dancer, film producer and singer-songwriter · Feb 21
• Trace CyrusAmerican singer-songwriter and guitarist · Feb 24
• Jake LloydAmerican actor · Mar 5

From Wikipedia’s “On this day”, CC BY-SA 4.0.