World Events

• Stock Market Crash: On October 19, 1987, “Black Monday” occurred, marking one of the largest single-day stock market crashes in history. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 22.6% in one day.
• Cold War Tensions Ease: U.S. President Ronald Reagan delivered his famous speech at the Berlin Wall, urging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall!”
• The Simpsons’ Debut: The Simpsons made their first appearance as animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. It would later become the longest-running animated TV show in history.

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Pop Culture & Entertainment

• Movies: 1987 was a big year for iconic films like:
  • The Princess Bride (“As you wish…”)
  • Predator (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger)
  • RoboCop (“Dead or alive, you’re coming with me.”)
  • Dirty Dancing (“Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”)
  • Lethal Weapon (launching the classic buddy cop franchise)
• Music:
  • U2 released their landmark album The Joshua Tree, which included hits like “With or Without You” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.”
  • Michael Jackson’s Bad album was released, featuring classic tracks like “Bad,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.”
  • Guns N’ Roses dropped Appetite for Destruction, featuring iconic rock anthems like “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine.”
• TV Shows:
  • Full House premiered, introducing the world to the Tanner family and launching the careers of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered, reviving the Star Trek franchise with Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) at the helm.

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Technology & Inventions

• The First Disposable Contact Lenses were released, making corrective lenses more accessible and convenient.
• The GIF File Format was introduced by CompuServe, which eventually became one of the most popular image formats on the internet (and the foundation for internet memes).
• Prozac (fluoxetine) was approved by the FDA as an antidepressant, revolutionizing mental health treatment.

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Sports

• NBA: The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals (4-2) to claim the championship.
• MLB: The Minnesota Twins won the World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals.
• NFL: The New York Giants won Super Bowl XXI, defeating the Denver Broncos (39-20).
• Mike Tyson was the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world and defended his title multiple times in 1987.

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Fun Facts from 1987

• Baby Name Trends: The most popular baby names of 1987 were Jessica and Michael.
• Average Costs:
  • A gallon of gas: $0.89
  • A movie ticket: $3.50
  • Median home price: Around $92,000
• Time’s Person of the Year: Mikhail Gorbachev, for his role in ending the Cold War.

1987 was a year of big pop culture moments, major historical shifts, and technological innovations that still have an impact today. If you’d like to know more details about any of these events, let me know!