Year 1989 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

Gregory DeVictor is a trivia enthusiast who loves to write articles on American nostalgia.

What Happened During the Year 1989?

What are some fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1989? What were the top news stories in the U.S. and around the world, and what major events took place in the business and financial sectors? How much did a gallon of gas cost, and what happened in science, technology, sports, and in the entertainment industry? What were the biggest food and fashion trends, and what were the most popular baby names and Christmas gifts?

From world leaders to pioneers to innovators, who were the most influential people in 1989? What was the median household income, the average life expectancy, and how much did a new house or car cost? What about famous birthdays and deaths that year, and what were the best-selling books? Finally, what was 1989 best known for, and was it a good or bad year overall? Let's find out.

Here is a summary of the top news stories and history events that happened in 1989:

1. President Ronald Reagan left office alive, even though he was elected in a year that ended in zero. For nearly 150 years, every U.S. president who was elected in a year divisible by 20⁠—from William Henry Harrison to John F. Kennedy⁠—had died in office. (Twenty years later, George W. Bush, who was elected in 2000, also lived out his two presidential terms. He left office on January 20, 2009.)
2. The Cold War ended, and the Berlin Wall came down.
3. The World Series earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Exxon Valdez disaster changed the oil industry forever.
4. Temperatures plunged to record lows from Pittsburgh to Denver, and Phoenix had the highest overnight low on record.
5. Back in the year 1989, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? was founded, Eastern Airlines filed for bankruptcy, and AT&T announced that it had suffered its first loss in 102 years.
6. The FDA approved the fat substitute Simplesse, and Hershey's reduced the size of the Hershey bar to 1.55 ounces.
7. On December 22, the temperature plunged to -4°F in Oklahoma City, -6°F in Tulsa, -12°F in Pittsburgh, -18°F in Denver, -23°F in Kansas City, -42°F in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, -47°F in Hardin, Montana, and -60°F in Black Hills, South Dakota.
8. Michael and Ashley were favorite baby names, Club sandwiches and sugar cookies were food trends, and perms and spandex were all the rage.
9. Evangelist Billy Graham received the 1,900th star on Hollywood Boulevard.
10. The Cosby Show (NBC) was the most popular TV series, Batman was the highest-grossing film, and Look Away was the top song on the charts.
11. The pilot episode of Seinfeld aired on NBC, The Simpsons premiered on Fox, and the Broadway musical Oh! Calcutta! closed after 5,959 performances.
12. Jane Pauley bid farewell to NBC’s Today Show.
13. The I Love Lucy Christmas episode was shown for the first time in 30 years.
14. The Wizard of Oz (1939) was entered into the National Film Registry.
15. Unemployment averaged 5.4%, inflation was 4.82%, and the minimum wage was $3.35 an hour.
16. The retail price for a gallon of gas averaged $1.00.
17. In the year 1989, a loaf of white bread cost 61 cents, strawberries were 99 cents a pint, and eggs were 79 cents a dozen.
18. Here are some sports facts from 1989: The San Francisco 49ers were the Super Bowl champs, the Oakland Athletics won the World Series, and the Calgary Flames clinched the Stanley Cup.
19. Pete Rozelle announced that he was retiring from football, and Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life for gambling.
20. Basketball star Michael Jordan married Juanita Vanoy.

Here are the five most popular TV shows from 1989-90:

1. The Cosby Show (NBC)
2. Roseanne (ABC)
3. Cheers (NBC)
4. A Different World (NBC)
5. America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC)

Here are ten cool food and beverage trends for the year:

1. Bagel Bites
2. Club sandwiches
3. Crystal Light
4. Diet Coke
5. Fondue
6. Fruit Wrinkles
7. Planters Cheez Balls
8. Shrimp cocktails
9. SpaghettiOs
10. Sugar cookies

This article teaches you fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1989. Find out about popular TV shows and movies, best-selling books, food and fashion trends, sports facts, pop music artists and songs, famous birthdays, economic and tech news, as well as unusual news events to get the right mix of questions and answers for your 1980s-themed trivia quiz.

Table of Contents

Here is a sneak preview of what this article is about:

1. Grocery Prices in the Year 1989
2. History Facts and Events From the USA and World
3. Sports Facts and Trivia
4. Miscellaneous Fun Facts, Trivia, and Pop Culture Trends
5. Nobel Prize Winners
6. Best-Selling Books
7. Most Popular Television Shows From 1989-90
8. Highest-Grossing Films
9. Horror Movies From the Year 1989
10. Entries Into the National Film Registry
11. Biggest Pop Music Artists
12. Top 100 Songs for the Year
13. Favorite Video Games
14. Food and Beverage Trivia
15. Weddings and Divorces
16. Famous People Who Died in 1989
17. America’s Largest Corporations
18. Retailers and Brands From 1989 That No Longer Exist

1. Grocery Prices in the Year 1989

These 1989 grocery prices have been made available courtesy of the Morris County Public Library in Whippany, NJ.

1. Bacon (Armour): $1.29 for a one-pound package
2. Bananas: Three pounds for $1.00
3. Beef (bottom round roast): $1.69 per pound
4. Cantaloupes: 99 cents apiece
5. Cereal (Kellogg’s Corn Flakes): 99 cents for a 12-ounce box
6. Cheese (Kraft, American singles): $1.59 for a 12-ounce package
7. Coffee (Chase & Sanborn): $1.29 for an 11.5-ounce can
8. Corn: 10 ears for $1.49
9. Cornish game hens (Perdue): $1.49 a pound
10. Crackers (Keebler, Town House): $1.69 for a one-pound box
11. Eggs: 79 cents per dozen
12. Flour (Pillsbury): 99 cents for a five-pound bag
13. Frankfurters (Ball Park): $1.49 for a one-pound package
14. Ham (Virginia, sliced): $3.49 a pound
15. Ice cream (Sealtest): $1.99 per half gallon
16. Juice (Citrus Hill, orange): $1.69 for a 64-ounce carton
17. Lettuce (Romaine): 69 cents a pound
18. Macaroni and cheese (Kraft): Two 5.5-ounce boxes for 88 cents
19. Margarine (Parkay): 59 cents for a one-pound package
20. Oil (olive, Bertolli): $8.99 for a three-liter can
21. Onions (yellow): 99 cents for a three-pound bag
22. Ovaltine: $2.69 for a 12-ounce jar
23. Peaches: 79 cents a pound
24. Peanut butter (Skippy): $1.69 for a 14-ounce jar
25. Pie (Sara Lee, Bake & Serve): $1.99 for a 27-ounce box
26. Pop Tarts (Kellogg’s): 99 cents for an 11-ounce box
27. Potato chips (Wise): 99 cents for a 6.5-ounce bag
28. Rice (Uncle Ben’s): $1.99 for a two-pound box
29. Salad dressing (Kraft): 99 cents for a 16-ounce bottle
30. Soda (Pepsi): $2.99 for a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans
31. Soup (Campbell’s): 39 cents for a 10-ounce can
32. Strawberries: 99 cents per pint
33. Tomatoes: 89 cents a pound
34. Water (Perrier): 89 cents for a 23-ounce bottle
35. Watermelon: 19 cents a pound
36. Yogurt (Breyers): 88 cents for two eight-ounce containers

2. History Facts and Events From the USA and World

1. In 1989, George H. W. Bush was inaugurated as the 41st President of the United States.
2. The U.S. unemployment rate averaged 5.4%.
3. The rate of inflation was 4.82%. According to In2013Dollars.com, “Purchasing power decreased by 4.82% in 1989 compared to 1988. On average, you would have to spend 4.82% more money in 1989 than in 1988 for the same item. In other words, $1 in 1988 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1.05 in 1989.”
4. In 1989, eggs were 79 cents a dozen, bacon cost $1.29 for a one-pound package, and strawberries were 99 cents a pint. Three pounds of bananas cost $1.00, Skippy Peanut Butter was $1.69 for a 14-ounce jar, and a loaf of white bread was 61 cents.
5. Here were the sticker prices for two best-selling 1989 cars: a Chevrolet S10 Blazer cost $15,750.00, and a Ford Escort LX was $10,219.00
6. The average price for a gallon of gas was $1.00.
7. A first-class stamp cost 25 cents.
8. There were 93,347,000 households in the U.S., and the average annual income was $26,440.
9. The average cost of a new home was $148,000.
10. The federal minimum wage was $3.35.
11. The prime rate averaged 10.50%, and an ounce of gold was $371.15 on June 30.
12. On January 1, the Year of the Young Reader began. According to the Los Angeles Times, the YYR was designed “to focus attention on the importance of getting young people familiar with books and reading at the earliest age.”
13. On January 7, Akihito became the 125th Emperor of Japan.
14. On January 19, President Reagan pardoned George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, “for convictions connected with illegal contributions to the 1972 campaign of Richard M. Nixon.”
15. On January 20, President Ronald Reagan left office alive, even though he was elected in a year that ended in zero. For nearly 150 years, every U.S. President elected in a year divisible by 20--from William Henry Harrison to John F. Kennedy--had died in office until Reagan. SeanMunger.com remarks that “Anyone who begins to study the history of Presidential death will instantly note a curious fact. Harrison, elected in 1840, was the first of seven chief executives elected in years ending in zero who died in office. Indeed, between 1841 and 1963, not a single President elected in a zero year left office alive. Supposedly the curse was ‘broken’ by Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, who lived out his two terms; so did George W. Bush, proclaimed the winner of the 2000 election by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
16. On January 24, serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in the electric chair at Florida State Prison.
17. On January 26, AT&T announced that it lost $167 billion during 1988, which was the company’s first loss in 102 years.
18. On February 22, 46-year-old Maryanne Profeta of Brooklyn won $26.9 million in the New York lotto. She chose the numbers 1, 5, 12, 19, 44, and 50.
19. On March 4, machinists at Eastern Airlines went out on strike.
20. On March 9, Eastern Airlines filed for bankruptcy in Federal court “to conserve cash and gain time to persuade striking employees to return to work.” The New York Times adds that “The bankruptcy filing is seen as the centerpiece of a strategy to wear down the 8,500 striking machinists and the 3,500 pilots until they agree to return to work.”
21. On March 22, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced plains to retire after 29 years on the job. ESPN.com points out that “Rozelle initially took the helm as commissioner of the NFL in 1960 when the then-33-year-old general manager of the Los Angeles Rams was selected by league owners after 22 ballots.”
22. On March 24, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound. History.com reveals that "The Exxon Valdez oil slick covered 1,300 miles of coastline and killed hundreds of thousands of seabirds, otters, seals and whales. Nearly 30 years later, pockets of crude oil remain in some locations. After the spill, Exxon Valdez returned to service under a different name, operating for more than two decades as an oil tanker and ore carrier."
23. On April 21, George W. Bush and Edward W. Rose became joint CEOs of the Texas Rangers.
24. On June 14, Queen Elizabeth II conferred an honorary knighthood on former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, “the highest honor Britain can give a foreigner.”
25. On July 20, Phoenix’s overnight low was 93°F, which was the highest overnight low on record.
26. On August 25, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life. History.com confirms that "It was known in baseball circles since the 1970s that Pete Rose had a gambling problem. Although at first he bet only on horse races and football games, allegations surfaced in early 1989 that Rose was not only betting on baseball, but on his own team. Although Rose continued to proclaim his innocence, he was eventually persuaded to accept a settlement that included a lifetime ban from the game."
27. On September 15, the U.S. Senate voted “to ban smoking on all domestic airline flights, rolling over the objections of tobacco-state lawmakers and illustrating a sweeping change in society's attitudes toward smoking and health.”
28. On September 27, Sony purchased Columbia Pictures for $3.4 billion.
29. On October 15, evangelist Billy Graham received the 1,900th star on Hollywood Boulevard for his work “as a minister of the Gospel using radio, television, and film.” He was the first clergyman to be honored with a star.
30. On October 17, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area, killing 67 people and causing over $5 billion in damage. Two of the hard-hit areas were San Francisco’s Marina District and Watsonville, a city located several miles from the quake’s epicenter in Santa Cruz County. Britannica.com tells us that the quake struck “just before the start of the third game of the World Series, which was being held at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.” History.com adds that “The disaster is known as both the San Francisco-Oakland earthquake and the Loma Prieta earthquake because it was centered near Loma Prieta Peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains.”
31. On November 7, David Dinkins became the first African-American mayor of New York City.
32. On November 11, the Berlin Wall was opened to travel from East to West Berlin. The next day, celebrating Germans began to tear the wall down. History.com explains that “One of the ugliest and most infamous symbols of the Cold War was soon reduced to rubble that was quickly snatched up by souvenir hunters. The East German action followed a decision by Hungarian officials a few weeks earlier to open the border between Hungary and Austria. This effectively ended the purpose of the Berlin Wall, since East German citizens could now circumvent it by going through Hungary, into Austria, and thence into West Germany.”
33. On December 3, President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announced that the Cold War was over.
34. On December 22, the temperature plunged to -4°F in Oklahoma City, -6°F in Tulsa, -12°F in Pittsburgh, -18°F in Denver, -23°F in Kansas City, -42°F in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, -47°F in Hardin, Montana, and -60°F in Black Hills, South Dakota.
35. On December 29, Jane Pauley bid farewell to NBC’s Today show, following “a nostalgic review of her 13 years on the early morning NBC news program.”

3. Sports Facts and Trivia

This information has been made available courtesy of Pop-Culture.us. Generally suitable for all age groups, sports questions are a welcome addition to any trivia quiz.

1. Kentucky Derby: Sunday Silence
2. NBA Champions: Detroit Pistons
3. NCAA Basketball Champions: Michigan
4. NCAA Football Champs: Miami
5. Stanley Cup Champs: Calgary Flames
6. Super Bowl XXVII Champions: San Francisco 49ers
7. U.S. Open Golf: Curtis Strange
8. U.S. Open Tennis (men/women): Boris Becker/Steffi Graf
9. Wimbledon (men/women): Boris Becker/Steffi Graf
10. World Series Champions: Oakland Athletics

4. Miscellaneous Fun Facts, Trivia, and Pop Culture Trends

PBS.org explains that pop culture is that loose blend of books, music, fashion and other daily ephemera that contributes to the identity of a society at a particular point in time. In the 1980s, radio, film, television, and books defined the essence of American pop culture.

1. In 1989, popular baby names were Michael, Christopher, Matthew, David, Ashley, Jessica, Brittany, and Sarah.
2. The average life expectancy at birth in the United States was 71.7 years for males and 78.5 years for females.
3. The cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad was $675,000.
4. Popular Halloween costumes were Batman and Joker.
5. Favorite holiday gifts included the TurboGrafx-16, Lynx by Atari, Nintendo Game Boy, Polly Pockets, and the Super Mario Land video game.
6. Fashion trends in 1989 included perms, spandex, jeans with ripped knees, lacey shirts, leg warmers, high-waisted jeans, neon colors, mullets, side ponytails, and cut-off sweatshirts.
7. Heartthrobs and fashion icons for the year were Christina Applegate, Jennifer Beals, Candice Bergen, Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Cindy Crawford, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Linda Evangelista, Linda Evans, Debbie Gibson, Melanie Griffith, Kathy Ireland, Elle Macpherson, Madonna, Kate Moss, Princess Diana, and Brooke Shields.
8. Hunks included Mel Gibson, John F. Kennedy Jr., Sean Connery, Tom Cruise, and Patrick Swayze.
9. Gretchen Carlson (Minnesota) won the Miss America crown.
10. Gretchen Polhemus (Texas) became Miss USA.
11. Top-grossing Broadway shows were The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Cats, Me and My Girl, Black and Blue, Rumors, Anything Goes, A Chorus Line, Into the Woods, The Heidi Chronicles, and Lend Me a Tenor.
12. Broadway shows that opened in 1989 included A Few Good Men, Artist Descending a Staircase, Barry Manilow at the Gershwin, Black and Blue, Born Yesterday, Cafe Crown, Chu Chem, City of Angels, Dangerous Games, and Eastern Standard.
13. At the 61st Academy Awards, which honored the best films of 1988, Rain Man won an Oscar for Best Picture, Barry Levinson (Rain Man) won an Oscar for Best Director, Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man) won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Jodie Foster (The Accused) won an Oscar for Best Actress.
14. At the 41st Primetime Emmy Awards, Cheers (NBC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and L.A. Law (NBC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. Likewise, Richard Mulligan (Empty Nest) won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Candice Bergen (Murphy Brown) won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
15. Mikhail Gorbachev was Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year.”
16. Traditional Home and First for Women both began publishing.
17. About 47.4 million tons of commercial fertilizer was used on American farms.
18. U.S. agricultural exports were about 15% of total exports.
19. The FDA approved Simplesse, a low-calorie fat substitute.
20. Iceland lifted the ban on full-strength beer, which had been in effect since 1915 when Iceland banned all alcoholic drinks. BBC.com tells us that a generation later, beer accounts for 62% of the 7.1 liters of pure alcohol consumed each year by the average Icelander. That's higher than in traditional brewing countries such as Germany and the Czech Republic (54% each), and the UK (37%).
21. Hershey's reduced the size of the Hershey bar to 1.55 ounces. (However, the price remained the same.)
22. New York City’s transit fare increased from $1.00 to $1.15.
23. On January 8, the Broadway musical 42nd Street closed after 3,486 performances.
24. On May 11, the 217th and final episode of the TV soap Dynasty was broadcast.
25. On May 14, 36 million people watched the final episode of the sitcom Family Ties (NBC).
26. On July 5, the pilot episode of Seinfeld, originally titled The Seinfeld Chronicles, was aired on NBC. Seinfeld.Fandom.com points out that “The original title of the episode was StandUp, but later changed to Good News, Bad News before reverting to The Seinfeld Chronicles.”
27. On August 6, the Broadway musical Oh! Calcutta! closed after 5,959 performances.
28. On December 17, the animated sitcom The Simpsons premiered on Fox. The first episode was the Christmas episode titled "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire."
29. On December 18, the I Love Lucy Christmas episode was shown for the first time in 30 years.
30. On December 31, the Broadway musical Me and My Girl closed after 1,420 performances.

5. Nobel Prize Winners

Beth Rowen tells us that winning a Nobel Prize is a life-changing honor. Whether the laureate is an internationally known figure (such as Mother Teresa) or a scientist from obscurity (like Richard R. Ernst), the award brings worldwide recognition that highlights one's life work and provides the funds to continue the mission.

This Nobel Prize information from 1989 has been made available courtesy of NobelPrize.com.

1. Chemistry: Thomas Cech and Sidney Altman
2. Economics: Trygve Haavelmo
3. Literature: Camilo José Cela
4. Peace: 14th Dalai Lama
5. Physics: Hans Georg Dehmelt, Wolfgang Paul, and Norman Foster Ramsey Jr.
6. Physiology or medicine: J. Michael Bishop and Harold E. Varmus

6. Best-Selling Books

This book trivia has been made available courtesy of PopCultureMadness.com.

1. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
2. California Gold by John Jakes
3. Caribbean by James A. Michener
4. Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy
5. Daddy by Danielle Steel
6. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
7. Midnight by Dean Koontz
8. Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith
9. Star by Danielle Steel
10. The Dark Half by Stephen King

7. Most Popular Television Shows From 1989–90

This cool TV trivia has been made available courtesy of Nielsen Media Research. How many of these shows do you remember?

1. The Cosby Show (NBC)
2. Roseanne (ABC)
3. Cheers (NBC)
4. A Different World (NBC)
5. America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC)
6. The Golden Girls (NBC)
7. 60 Minutes (CBS)
8. The Wonder Years (ABC)
9. Empty Nest (NBC)
10. Monday Night Football (ABC)

8. Highest-Grossing Films

These film facts have been made available courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com.

1. Batman
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
3. Lethal Weapon 2
4. Look Who's Talking
5. Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
6. Back To The Future Part II
7. Ghostbusters II
8. Driving Miss Daisy
9. Parenthood
10. Dead Poets Society

Other notable films for 1989 include When Harry Met Sally, The War of the Roses, The Little Mermaid, Steel Magnolias, Christmas Vacation, Turner & Hooch, Born on the Fourth of July, Uncle Buck, Field of Dreams, Tango & Cash, Harlem Nights, Sea of Love, Pet Sematary, The Abyss, and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

9. Horror Movies From the Year 1989

Horror films for the year included the following:

1. Shocker
2. Pet Sematary
3. Society
4. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
5. The Horror Show
6. Halloween
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
8. Intruder
9. Puppet Master
10. Leviathan
11. Parents
12. The Church
13. Warlock
14. DeepStar Six
15. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
16. The Dead Next Door
17. Clownhouse
18. The Fly II
19. Stepfather Ii
20. The Phantom of the Opera
21. After Midnight
22. Hellgate
23. Bride of Re-Animator

10. Entries Into the National Film Registry

According to CBSNews.com, the National Film Registry is a “compendium of motion pictures that have been judged to be culturally, aesthetically[,] or historically important and worthy of preservation for future generations. In addition to Hollywood studio classics and box office hits, the Registry also protects independent films, documentaries, experimental works, cartoons, music videos, educational and training films, ads, and even home movies.” Courtesy of the Library of Congress, here are the 1989 additions to the National Film Registry:

1. Casablanca (1942)
2. Citizen Kane (1941)
3. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
4. Gone With the Wind (1939)
5. High Noon (1952)
6. Intolerance (1916)
7. Modern Times (1936)
8. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
9. Nanook of the North (1922)
10. On the Waterfront (1954)
11. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
12. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
13. Some Like It Hot (1959)
14. Star Wars (1977)
15. Sunrise (1927)
16. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
17. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
18. The Crowd (1928)
19. The General (1927)
20. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
21. The Learning Tree (1969)
22. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
23. The Searchers (1956)
24. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
25. Vertigo (1958)

Straight Up: Paula Abdul

11. Biggest Pop Music Artists

Popular music artists from the year 1989 include the following:

1. Babyface
2. Bette Midler
3. Bobby Brown
4. Cher
5. Debbie Gibson
6. Donny Osmond
7. Janet Jackson
8. Keith Sweat
9. Madonna
10. Martika
11. Micheal Jackson
12. Natalie Cole
13. New Kids on the Block
14. Paula Abdul
15. Phil Collins
16. Poison
17. Prince
18. Quincy Jones
19. Regina Belle
20. Roxette
21. Simply Red
22. Slick Rick
23. Stephanie Mills
24. Surface
25. Taylor Dayne
26. Vanessa Williams
27. Whitney Houston

12. Top 100 Songs for the Year

This pop music trivia has been made available courtesy of MusicOutfitters.com. How many of these songs do you remember?

1. Look Away: Chicago

3. Every Rose Has Its Thorn: Poison

4. Straight Up: Paula Abdul

5. Miss You Much: Janet Jackson

6. Cold Hearted: Paula Abdul

7. Wind Beneath My Wings: Bette Midler

8. Girl You Know It's True: Milli Vanilli

9. Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird: Will To Power

10. Giving You the Best That I Got: Anita Baker

11. Right Here Waiting: Richard Marx

12. Waiting for a Star to Fall: Boy Meets Girl

13. Lost In Your Eyes: Debbie Gibson

14. Don't Wanna Lose You: Gloria Estefan

15. Heaven: Warrant

16. Girl I'm Gonna Miss You: Milli Vanilli

17. The Look: Roxette

18. She Drives Me Crazy: Fine Young Cannibals

19. On Our Own: Bobby Brown

20. Two Hearts: Phil Collins

21. Blame It On The Rain: Milli Vanilli

22. Listen to Your Heart: Roxette

23. I'll Be There for You: Bon Jovi

24. If You Don't Know Me By Now: Simply Red

25. Like a Prayer: Madonna

26. I'll Be Loving You (Forever): New Kids On The Block

27. How Can I Fall?: Breathe

28. Baby Don't Forget My Number: Milli Vanilli

29. Toy Soldiers: Martika

30. Forever Your Girl: Paula Abdul

31. The Living Years: Mike + the Mechanics

32. Eternal Flame: The Bangles

33. Wild Thing: Tone Loc

34. When I See You Smile: Bad English

35. If I Could Turn Back Time: Cher

36. Buffalo Stance: Neneh Cherry

37. When I'm With You: Sheriff

38. Don't Rush Me: Taylor Dayne

39. Born to Be My Baby: Bon Jovi

40. Good Thing: Fine Young Cannibals

41. The Lover In Me: Sheena Easton

42. Bust a Move: Young M.C.

43. Once Bitten Twice Shy: Great White

44. Batdance: Prince

45. Rock On: Michael Damian

46. Real Love: Jody Watley

47. Love Shack: The B-52's

48. Every Little Step: Bobby Brown

49. Hangin' Tough: New Kids On The Block

50. My Heart Can't Tell You No: Rod Stewart

51. So Alive: Love and Rockets

52. You've Got It (The Right Stuff): New Kids On The Block

53. Armageddon It: Def Leppard

54. Satisfied: Richard Marx

55. Express Yourself: Madonna

56. I Like It: Dino

57. Soldier of Love: Donny Osmond

58. Sowing the Seeds of Love: Tears For Fears

59. Cherish: Madonna

60. When the Children Cry: White Lion

61. 18 and Life: Skid Row

62. I Don't Want Your Love: Duran Duran

63. Second Chance: .38 Special

64. The Way You Love Me: Karyn White

65. Funky Cold Medina: Tone Loc

66. In Your Room: Bangles

67. Miss You Like Crazy: Natalie Cole

68. Love Song: Cure

69. Secret Rendezvous: Karyn White

70. Angel Eyes: Jeff Healey Band

71. Patience: Guns N' Roses

72. Walk On Water: Eddie Money

73. Cover Girl: New Kids On The Block

74. Welcome to the Jungle: Guns N' Roses

75. Shower Me With Your Love: Surface

76. Stand: R.E.M.

77. Close My Eyes Forever: Lita Ford

78. All This Time: Tiffany

79. After All: Cher and Peter Cetera

80. Roni: Bobby Brown

81. Love In An Elevator: Aerosmith

82. Lay Your Hands on Me: Bon Jovi

83. The Promise: When In Rome

84. What I Am: Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians

85. I Remember Holding You: Boys Club

86. Paradise City: Guns N' Roses

87. I Wanna Have Some Fun: Samantha Fox

88. She Wants to Dance With Me: Rick Astley

89. Dreamin': Vanessa Williams

90. It's No Crime: Babyface

91. Poison: Alice Cooper

92. This Time I Know It's for Real: Donna Summer

93. Smooth Criminal: Michael Jackson

94. Heaven Help Me: Deon Estus

95. Rock Wit'cha: Bobby Brown

96. Thinking Of You: Sa-fire

97. What You Don't Know: Expose

98. Surrender to Me: Ann Wilson and Robin Zander

99. The End of the Innocence: Don Henley

100. Keep On Movin': Soul II Soul

13. Favorite Video Games

Popular video games in 1989 included the following:

1. Super Mario Land
2. DuckTales
3. Batman: The Video Game
4. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
5. Final Fight
6. Golden Axe
7. SimCity
8. Prince of Persia
9. Populous
10. Mother
11. River City Ransom,
12. Castlevania: The Adventure
13. Batman
14. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
15. Minesweeper
16. Future Wars
17. Strider
18. Friday the 13th
19. Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap

14. Food and Beverage Trivia

Here are some foods and beverages that were popular in 1989:

1. Bagel Bites
2. Big League Chew
3. Capri Sun
4. Club sandwiches
5. Cool Ranch Doritos
6. Crystal Light
7. Crème brûlée - The Insider.com tells us that “While crème brûlée existed prior to 1989, it took Le Cirque pastry chef Dieter Schorner to boost its appeal worldwide. . . . Cookbook author Patricia Wells even included a recipe for it in her 1989 cookbook, ‘Bistro Cooking,’ because she felt that it was currently one of the entire world's most favorite desserts.”
8. Diet Coke
9. Dr. Pepper Gum
10. Ecto Cooler
11. Fondue
12. Fruit Roll-Ups
13. Fruit Wrinkles
14. General Mills Pac-Man Cereal
15. Gobstoppers
16. Handi-Snacks
17. Hot Pockets
18. Jell-O Pudding Pops
19. Jolly Rancher Fire Stix
20. Keebler’s Magic Middles
21. Lean Cuisine
22. Lemon squares
23. Lunchables
24. Microwave popcorn
25. Mr. T Cereal
26. Nerds
27. Planters Cheez Balls
28. Post Smurf-Berry Crunch Cereal
29. Push Pop Candy
30. Quaker Quisp Cereal
31. Reese’s Pieces
32. Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake
33. Shrimp cocktails
34. SpaghettiOs
35. Squeezits
36. Sugar cookies
37. SuperPretzel
38. TCBY Yogurt
39. Toaster Strudel

15. Weddings and Divorces

This celebrity news has been made available courtesy of OnThisDay.com.

Weddings:

1. On January 1, actor Leonard Nimoy married actress Susan Bay.
2. On January 7, MLB player Greg Maddux wed Kathy Ronnow.
3. On February 11, MLB pitcher Dave Righetti married Kandice Owen.
4. On February 14, singer-songwriter Courtney Love wed vocalist James Moreland.
5. On February 24, film director Tim Burton married photographer Lena Gieseke.
6. On April 30, actor and comedian Robin Williams wed nanny Marsha Garces.
7. On June 2, actor James Woods married horse trainer Sarah Owen.
8. On June 10, Detroit Red Wings player Steve Yzerman wed Lisa Brennan.
9. On June 16, actor Hugh Laurie married theatre administrator Jo Green.
10. On July 1, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner wed Kimberly Conrad.
11. On September 2, basketball star Michael Jordan married Juanita Vanoy.
12. On September 16, singer Natalie Cole wed record producer Andre Fisher.
13. On October 7, radio talk show host Larry King married Julie Alexander.
14. On October 14, novelist Sidney Sheldon wed Alexandra Sheldon.
15. On December 15, actor and director George Clooney married actress Talia Balsam.

Divorces:

1. On February 16, actress Jane Fonda and activist Tom Hayden separated after 16 years of marriage.
2. On March 1, singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen and Julianne Philips were divorced.
3. On June 15, singer-songwriter Courtney Love divorced vocalist James Moreland only four months after getting married.

16. Famous People Who Died in 1989

These celebrity facts have been made available courtesy of OnThisDay.com.

1. January 7: Hirohito (Emperor of Japan for 62 years)
2. January 23: Salvador Dali (Spanish surrealist)
3. January 24: Ted Bundy (American serial killer)
4. February 14: James Bond (American ornithologist)
5. March 4: Lloyd “Tiny” Grimes (American jazz and R&B guitarist)
6. April 12: Sugar Ray Robinson (American middle/welterweight boxer)
7. April 22: Emilio G. Segrè (Italian physicist and Nobel Prize winner)
8. April 26: Lucille Ball (American comedienne who played on the sitcom I Love Lucy)
9. July 11: Laurence Olivier (English stage and screen actor)
10. August 12: William Shockley (American physicist who helped invent the transistor)
11. September 22: Irving Berlin (American composer and lyricist who is considered to be one of the greatest songwriters in American history)
12. September 28: Ferdinand Marcos (President of the Philippines from 1965-86)
13. October 6: Bette Davis (American actress)
14. December 14: Andrei Sakharov (Russian physicist and Nobel Prize winner)
15. December 22: Samuel Beckett (Irish-French writer)

17. America’s Largest Corporations

This information has been made available courtesy of Fortune.com.

1. General Motors
2. Ford Motor
3. Exxon Mobil
4. IBM
5. General Electric
6. Mobil
7. Chrysler
8. Texaco
9. Dupont
10. Altria Group

18. Retailers and Brands From 1989 That No Longer Exist

This consumer trivia has been made available courtesy of GoodHousekeeping.com.

1. A&P (grocery store chain)
2. B. Dalton Bookstore (book retailer)
3. Blockbuster (video rental store)
4. Borders (book retailer)
5. Chi-Chi’s (restaurant chain)
6. Circuit City (electronics chain)
7. Compaq (computer company)
8. F. W. Woolworth Company (five-and-dime retailer)
9. Fotomat (photo-developing chain)
10. Hills Department Store (discount store chain)
11. Horn & Hardart (chain of automats, which means that food and beverages were sold by vending machines)
12. Howard Johnson's Restaurants
13. Kinney Shoes (shoe retailer)
14. Levitz Furniture
15. Marshall Field’s (department store)
16. Montgomery Ward & Company (department store)
17. National Record Mart (music store chain)
18. Oldsmobile (car brand)
19. Pan American (airline)
20. Radio Shack (electronics retailer)
21. Service Merchandise (catalog showroom that specialized in jewelry and household items)
22. The Limited (clothing retailer that focused on young women)
23. Tower Records (retailer that sold records, tapes, and CDs)
24. Toys “R” Us (epic toy and baby products chain)
25. Wet Seal (clothing store similar to The Limited)

References

• Top Rated Programs - 1985-1990
  
• Food Timeline: 1986 to 1990 - Food History Events
  1986 - 1990 Food Timeline - Events in the History of the Culinary Arts: Inventions and Patents, Restaurants, Births, Deaths, Agricultural Advances, etc
• 1989 | Morris County Library
  Historic prices in Morristown, as printed in the Daily Record, for the year 1989.
• 1989 - Famous Weddings & Divorces - On This Day
  Famous weddings and divorces in 1989. See which famous celebrities and historical figures married and divorced in 1989.
• FORTUNE 500: 1989 Archive Full List 1-100
  
• https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1989.htm
  Top 100 songs for the year 1989 from the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 charts.
• The Most Popular Snacks and Candy from the ’80s
  Feast your eyes on our favorite popular food from the '80s––but be warned, hunger pangs and strong nostalgic cravings are ahead.
• Iconic Stores You Grew Up With That Are No Longer Around
  Blame it on businesses that couldn’t adapt to changing tastes or the convenience of shopping in our PJs . But, sadly, many once-iconic retailers are now distant memories.
• U.S. chains that no longer exist | Newsday
  America loves its chain restaurants and stores, but they don't always last.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2019 Gregory DeVictor

Comments

Gregory DeVictor (author) from Pittsburgh, PA on September 10, 2019:

Liz, thank you for the comment. What surprised me the most is what I learned about former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. That is, “President Ronald Reagan left office alive, even though he was elected in a year that ended in zero. For nearly 150 years, every U.S. President who was elected in a year divisible by 20--from William Henry Harrison to John F. Kennedy--had died in office. (Twenty years later, George W. Bush, who was elected in 2000, also lived out his two presidential terms. He left office on January 20, 2009.)”

Liz Westwood from UK on September 10, 2019:

It has been a while, but well worth the wait for another fact filled article from you. The Berlin Wall was a big event. In the UK the Marchioness disaster on the River Thames on 20th August was a big tragedy. 51 people lost their lives on the pleasure cruiser when it was struck by a dredger.