News
The Hubble Space Telescope comes into operation to explore deep space and is still in full use today to map our universe. A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21. Prozac was also first sold as an antidepressant, some of the big films of that year included Rain Man, Die Hard and A Fish Called Wanda.
First transatlantic fiber optic cable capable of carrying 40,000 telephone calls simultaneously
Stephen Hawking publishes "A Brief History of Time"
The first major computer virus infects computers connected to the Internet.
The Hubble Space Telescope is commissioned
US stealth bomber unveiled
Using carbon dating, it is established that the Shroud of Turin cannot be the burial cloth of Christ
The antidepressant Prozac introduced which quickly became the market leader for the treatment of depression
Popular movies
Rain man
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Big
Twins
Crocodile Dundee II
Die Hard
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Beetle juice
Dangerous Liaisons
A fish called Wanda
Friday the 13th Part VII: New Blood
Major world political leaders 1988
Australia Prime Minister Bob Hawke Brazil President José Sarney Canada Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
China President of the People's Republic of China Yang Shangkun
France President François Mitterrand
Germany Chancellor Helmut Kohl
India Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
Italy Prime Minister Giovanni Goria until April 13 Italy Prime Minister Ciriaco de Mita from April 13
Japan Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita Mexico President Miguel de la Madrid Until November 30 Mexico President Carlos Salinas de Gortari from November 30
Russia / Union
Soviet General Secretary of the CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev South Africa State President Pieter Willem Botha President of the United States Ronald Reagan United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher