Editing 1988 (section)

==Events==

===January===
* January – The cargo ship ''[[Khian Sea waste disposal incident|Khian Sea]]'' deposits 4,000 tons of toxic waste in [[Haiti]] after wandering around the Atlantic for sixteen months.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cunningham|first=William P & Mary A|title=Principles of Environmental Science|year=2004|publisher=McGraw-Hill Further Education|isbn=0-07-291983-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/principlesofenvi0000cunn/page/ Chapter 13, Further Case Studies]|url=https://archive.org/details/principlesofenvi0000cunn/page/}}</ref>
* [[January 1]] – The Soviet Union begins its program of economic restructuring ([[perestroika]]) with legislation initiated by Premier [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] (though Gorbachev had begun minor restructuring in 1985).<ref>{{cite book|author=Abel Aganbegyan|title=Inside Perestroika: The Future of the Soviet Economy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eePZAAAAMAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Harper & Row|isbn=978-0-06-091694-7|page=2}}</ref>
* [[January 7]] – [[Erich Honecker]] visits [[France]], the first such visit by an [[East Germany|East German]] head of state.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Markham |first=James |date=January 9, 1988 |title=France Criticizes East German Chief on Arms |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/09/world/france-criticizes-east-german-chief-on-arms.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
* [[January 7]]–[[January 8|8]] – In the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Afghan War]], 39 men of the [[Soviet Airborne Troops]] from the [[345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment]] fight off an attack by 200 to 250 [[Mujahideen]] in the [[Battle for Hill 3234]], later dramatized in the Russian film ''[[The 9th Company]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Infantry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EAQ7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA15|year=1990|publisher=U.S. Army Infantry School|page=15|access-date=June 23, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091138/https://books.google.com/books?id=EAQ7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA15#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[January 13]] – Vice-president [[Lee Teng-hui]] takes over as President of the [[Republic of China]] and Chairman of the [[Kuomintang]] following the death of [[Chiang Ching-kuo]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Tsang | first = Steve | title = In the shadow of China: political developments in Taiwan since 1949 | publisher = University of Hawaii Press | location = Honolulu | year = 1993 | isbn = 978-0-8248-1583-7 | page=127}}</ref>
* [[January 15]] - The United States agrees to withdraw 72 fighter bombers and 3,800 troops from [[Torrejón Air Base|Torrejon]], ending the presence of U.S. forces in [[Spain–United States relations|Spain]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sciolino |first=Elaine |date=January 15, 1988 |title=US to Withdraw 72 Jet Fighters from Spanish Base |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/15/world/us-to-withdraw-72-jet-fighters-from-spanish-base.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
* [[January 26]] 
** Upon request of Hubert Michon, [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabat|archbishop of Rabat]], two [[Trappists|Trappist]] monks come to Fez and start a community that will later become the [[Priory of Our Lady of Atlas|Priory of Our Lady of the Atlas]].<ref name="Flachaire">{{cite journal |last1=Flachaire |first1=Jean-Pierre |title=Le monastère Notre Dame de l'Atlas au Maroc |journal=Collectanea Cisterciensia |date=2006 |volume=68 |pages=1–18 |url=https://www.moines-tibhirine.org/images/biblio-texte/historique.pdf |access-date=17 December 2023}}</ref>
** [[Australian Bicentenary]]: Australia celebrates 200 years since the arrival of the first English settlers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mydans |first=Seth |date=January 27, 1988 |title=At Age 200, Australia Makes Merry |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/27/world/at-age-200-australia-makes-merry.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
* [[January 27]] 
** [[List of sultans of Brunei|Sultan]] [[Hassanal Bolkiah]] of [[Brunei]], one of the world's last remaining [[Absolute monarchy|absolute monarchs]], dissolves the opposition [[Politics of Brunei|National Democratic Party]] and arrests its leaders.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kamm |first=Henry |date=July 14, 1988 |title=Sultan's Wealth is Vast; His Powers, Greater Still |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/14/world/brunei-journal-sultan-s-wealth-is-vast-his-power-greater-still.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
** [[Chrysler]] announces the closure of two auto plants in [[Kenosha, Wisconsin]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=AP. |date=June 11, 1988 |title=Chrysler Planning Layoffs in Kenosha |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/11/business/chrysler-planning-layoffs-in-kenosha.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
* [[January 29]] 
** Canada's [[Supreme Court of Canada|Supreme Court]] strikes down that country's restrictive [[Abortion in Canada|abortion]] law.<ref>{{Cite news |last=AP. |date=January 29, 1988 |title=Court in Canada Rules on Abortion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/29/world/court-in-canada-rules-on-abortion.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
** [[People's Republic of Bulgaria|Bulgarian]] leader [[Todor Zhivkov]] signals support for moderate reforms; non-Communist (though not anti-Communist) organizations are legalized for the first time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kamm |first=Henry |date=January 29, 1988 |title=Bulgaria Parley is Foretaste of a Scaling Down of Change |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/29/world/bulgaria-parley-is-foretaste-of-a-scaling-down-of-change.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>

===February===
* [[February 12]] – The [[1988 Black Sea bumping incident]]: Soviet frigate ''[[Ukrainian frigate Dnipropetrovsk|Bezzavetnyy]]'' intentionally rams [[USS Yorktown (CG-48)|USS ''Yorktown'']] in Soviet territorial waters while ''Yorktown'' claims [[innocent passage]]. The accompanying US [[destroyer]] {{USS|Caron|DD-970|6}} escapes damage.<ref>{{cite journal |author=William J. Aceves |title= Diplomacy at Sea: U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operations in the Black Sea|journal= International Law Studies|volume=68}}</ref> 
* [[February 13]]–[[February 28|28]] – The [[1988 Winter Olympics]] are held in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], Canada.<ref>{{cite book|title=Michigan Municipal Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LnqQAAAAMAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Michigan Municipal League|page=3|access-date=March 29, 2020|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091222/https://books.google.com/books?id=LnqQAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[February 17]]
** [[1988 Oshakati bomb blast]]: A bomb explodes outside the [[First National Bank (South Africa)|First National Bank]] in [[Oshakati]], [[Namibia]], killing 27 and injuring 70.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/20/world/bomb-kills-14-near-a-base-in-namibia.html|title=Bomb Kills 14 Near a Base in Namibia|work=The New York Times|date=1988-02-20|access-date=March 29, 2020|archive-date=March 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329120833/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/20/world/bomb-kills-14-near-a-base-in-namibia.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
** U.S. Lieutenant Colonel [[William R. Higgins]], serving with a [[United Nations]] group monitoring a truce in southern [[Lebanon]], is kidnapped (and later killed by his captors).
* [[February 20]] – The [[Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast]] votes to secede from the [[Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic]] and join the [[Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic|Armenian SSR]], triggering the [[First Nagorno-Karabakh War]].
* [[February 23]] – Start of [[Anfal campaign]], a genocidal [[counterinsurgency]] operation within the [[Iran–Iraq War]] carried out by [[Ba'athist Iraq]]i forces led by [[Ali Hassan al-Majid]] on the orders of President [[Saddam Hussein]] that will kill between 50,000 and 182,000 [[Kurds]] in [[Iraqi Kurdistan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hrw.org/reports/1993/iraqanfal/|title=Genocide in Iraq|publisher=Human Rights Watch|location=New York|date=July 1993|access-date=2021-06-18|archive-date=July 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722223330/https://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/iraqanfal/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/iraq501/events_anfal.html|title=The Crimes of Saddam Hussein – 1988: The Anfal Campaign|first=Dave|last=Johns|work=PBS Frontline|date=2006-01-24|access-date=2021-06-18|archive-date=January 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112000344/http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/iraq501/events_anfal.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[February 25]] – The constitution of the [[Sixth Republic of Korea]] comes into effect.
* [[February 27]]–[[February 29|29]] – [[Collapse of the Soviet Union]]: The [[Sumgait pogrom]] of Armenians occurs in [[Sumqayit]].
* [[February 29]] – A [[Nazi]] document implicates [[Kurt Waldheim]] in [[World War II]] deportations.

===March===
* [[March 6]] – [[Operation Flavius]]: A [[Special Air Service]] team of the [[British Army]] shoots dead 3 unarmed members of a [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) [[Active service unit]] in [[Gibraltar]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/7/newsid_2516000/2516155.stm|title=IRA gang shot dead in Gibraltar|work=On This Day|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=2013-03-16|date=March 7, 1988|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307010143/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/7/newsid_2516000/2516155.stm |archive-date=March 7, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[March 16]]
** The [[Halabja chemical attack]] is carried out by [[Iraq]]i government forces.<ref>{{cite book|title=Biological Weapons: The Threat Posed by Terrorists - Congressional Hearing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HeBNs909KKoC&pg=PA196|date=October 2000|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=978-0-7567-0278-6|page=196|access-date=November 6, 2020|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091228/https://books.google.com/books?id=HeBNs909KKoC&pg=PA196#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
** [[Iran–Contra affair]]: Lieutenant Colonel [[Oliver North]] and Vice Admiral [[John Poindexter]] are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States. 
** [[Milltown Cemetery attack]]: Three men are killed and 70 wounded in a gun and grenade attack by [[Michael Stone (loyalist)|loyalist paramilitary Michael Stone]] on mourners at [[Milltown Cemetery]] in [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]], during the funerals of the 3 [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] members killed in Gibraltar.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/16/newsid_2523000/2523953.stm|title=Three shot dead at Milltown Cemetery|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=2008-02-02|date=March 16, 1988|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102044140/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/16/newsid_2523000/2523953.stm |archive-date=January 2, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>
** In the United States, the [[First Republic Bank Corporation|First Republic Bank]] of Texas fails and enters FDIC receivership, the largest FDIC assisted bank failure in history.<ref>{{cite book|title=Managing the Crisis: The FDIC and RTC Experience 1980-1994|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TisFEvj_7KAC&pg=PA598|year=1998|publisher=Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation|isbn=978-0-9661808-2-4|page=598|access-date=June 23, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091139/https://books.google.com/books?id=TisFEvj_7KAC&pg=PA598#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[March 17]]
** A [[Colombia]]n [[Boeing 727]] jetliner, [[Avianca Flight 410]], crashes into the side of the mountains near the [[Venezuela]]n border, killing 143 people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-21 HK-1716 Cúcuta-Camilo Daza Airport (CUC) |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19880317-0 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
** [[Eritrean War of Independence]] – [[Battle of Afabet]]: The Nadew Command, an [[Ethiopia]]n army corps in [[Eritrea]], is attacked on 3 sides by military units of the [[Eritrean People's Liberation Front]] (EPLF).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Battle of Afabet – Annihilation of Nadew Command |url=https://zantana.net/the-battle-of-afabet-annihilation-of-nadew-command/ |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=zantana.net |language=en}}</ref>
* [[March 19]] – [[Corporals killings]] in Belfast: Two British Army corporals are abducted, beaten and shot dead by [[Irish republicanism|Irish republicans]] after driving into the funeral cortege of [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] members killed in the [[Milltown Cemetery attack]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1997/06/21/nkane21.html |title=Judges free man jailed over IRA funeral murders |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=2008-02-02 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040906065655/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=%2Farchive%2F1997%2F06%2F21%2Fnkane21.html |archive-date=September 6, 2004 }}</ref>
* [[March 20]] – [[Eritrean War of Independence]]: Having defeated the Nadew Command, the EPLF enters the town of [[Afabet]], victoriously concluding the Battle of Afabet.<ref name=":0" />
* [[March 24]] – The first [[McDonald's]] restaurant in a country run by a [[Communist party]] opens in Belgrade, [[Yugoslavia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-03-24-mn-510-story.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|title=Yugoslavs Relish Opening of McDonald's in Belgrade|date=March 24, 1988|access-date=July 25, 2013|archive-date=January 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116141539/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-03-24/news/mn-510_1_big-mac|url-status=live}}</ref> It was later followed by one in [[Budapest]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-05 |title=This is how the first McDonald's was opened in Hungary during communism - Daily News Hungary |url=https://dailynewshungary.com/first-mcdonalds-opened-hungary-communism/ |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=dailynewshungary.com |language=en-US}}</ref> and in 1990 in Moscow,<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2019 |title=When a Canadian brought McDonald's fast food to Moscow |url=https://www.cbc.ca/archives/first-mcdonalds-moscow-1990-1.4980247 |access-date=February 2, 2024 |website=CBC Archives}}</ref> and [[Shenzhen, China]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-12-04 |title=The History of McDonald's in China |url=https://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/the-history-of-mcdonalds-in-china/ |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Chinese Language Blog {{!}} Language and Culture of the Chinese-Speaking World}}</ref>
* [[March 25]] – The [[Candle demonstration in Bratislava]], [[Slovakia]], is the first mass demonstration of the 1980s against the socialist government in [[Czechoslovakia]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 17, 2023 |title=The Candle Demonstration reminds Slovaks of the power of the people |url=https://www.mzv.sk/en/web/en/slovakia/history/the-candle-demonstration-reminds-slovaks-of-the-power-of-the-people |access-date=February 2, 2024 |website=Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic}}</ref>

===April===
[[File:OperationPrayingMantis-IS Alvand.jpg|thumb|200px|The Iranian frigate, IS ''Alvand'', attacked by US Navy forces during [[Operation Praying Mantis]]]]
* [[April 5]] – [[Kuwait Airways Flight 422]] is hijacked while en route from [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]], to [[Kuwait]]. The hijackers demand the release of 17 [[Shiite Muslims|Shiite Muslim]] prisoners held by Kuwait. Kuwait refuses to release the prisoners, leading to a 16-day siege across 3 continents. Two passengers are killed before the siege ends.<ref name= Smh.au>{{cite web |author1=Antony Walker |title=Flashback: The deadly hijacking of Kuwait Airways Flight 422 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/flashback-the-deadly-hijacking-of-kuwait-airways-flight-422-20180405-h0ydyj.html |website=smh.com.au |publisher=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=6 May 2024 |language=English |date=5 April 2018 }}</ref>
* [[April 10]] – The [[Ojhri Camp|Ojhri Camp Disaster]] occurs in [[Islamabad]] and [[Rawalpindi]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aziz |first=Shaikh |date=2016-02-07 |title=The Ojhri Camp disaster — Who's to blame? |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1237794 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref>
* [[April 14]]
** In the [[Geneva Accords (1988)|Geneva Accords]], the [[Soviet Union]] commits itself to withdrawal of its forces from [[Afghanistan]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ottaway |first=David B. |date=April 15, 1988 |title=Agreement on Afghanistan signed in Geneva |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/04/15/agreement-on-afghanistan-signed-in-geneva/c7288c64-6764-4e73-9bc5-7eeb48f7827d/ |access-date=February 2, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
** The [[USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58)|USS ''Samuel B. Roberts'' (FFG-58)]] strikes a [[naval mine]] in the [[Persian Gulf]], while deployed on [[Operation Earnest Will]], during the [[Iran–Iraq War#Attacks on shipping|Tanker War]] phase of the [[Iran–Iraq War]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/ships/modern-ships/uss-samuel-b--roberts--ffg-58-.html |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=NHHC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604152754/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/ships/modern-ships/uss-samuel-b--roberts--ffg-58-.html|archive-date=June 4, 2024}}</ref>
* [[April 16]] – [[Israel]]i commandos kill the [[Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO]]'s [[Abu Jihad]] in [[Tunisia]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shmulovich |first1=Michal |title=24 years later, Israel acknowledges top-secret operation that killed Fatah terror chief |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-admits-to-top-secret-operation-that-killed-top-fatah-commander-abu-jihad-in-1988/ |website=The Times of Israel |access-date=3 January 2024}}</ref>
* [[April 18]] – The United States Navy retaliates for the {{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|FFG-58|6}} mining with [[Operation Praying Mantis]], in a day of strikes against [[Iran]]ian oil platforms and naval vessels.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 19, 1988 |title=U.S. STRIKES 2 IRANIAN OIL RIGS AND HITS 6 WARSHIPS IN BATTLES OVER MINING SEA LANES IN GULF |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/19/world/us-strikes-2-iranian-oil-rigs-hits-6-warships-battles-over-mining-sea-lanes-gulf.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
* [[April 20]] – The world's longest skyjacking comes to an end when the remaining passengers of [[Kuwait Airways Flight 422]] are released by their captors.<ref name= Smh.au/>
* [[April 28]] – [[Aloha Airlines Flight 243]] safely lands after losing its roof in midair, killing a flight attendant and injuring 65 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR8903.pdf|title=Aircraft Accident Report, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, Boeing 737-100, N73711, Near Maui, Hawaii, April 28, 1998|date=June 14, 1989|publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|id=NTSB/AAR-89/03|access-date=February 5, 2016|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120112357/https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR8903.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[April 30]] – [[World Expo 88]] opens in [[Brisbane]], Queensland, Australia.

===May===
* [[May 8]] – [[François Mitterrand]] is [[1988 French presidential election|re-elected]] as [[President of France]] for 7 years.
* [[May 15]] – [[Soviet–Afghan War]]: After more than 8 years of fighting, the [[Soviet Army]] begins [[Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan|its withdrawal from Afghanistan]].
* [[May 16]]–[[May 18|18]] – [[1988 Gilgit massacre]]: A revolt by the Shias of Gilgit (in northern Pakistan) is ruthlessly suppressed by the Zia-ul Haq regime.
* [[May 27]]–[[May 29|29]] – [[Somaliland War of Independence]]: [[Somali National Movement]] launches a [[1988 Hargeisa-Burao offensive|major offensive]] against Somali government forces in [[Hargeisa]] and [[Burao]], then second and third largest cities of [[Somalia]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Binet|first=Laurence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LboiAQAAQBAJ|title=Somalia 1991-1993: Civil War, Famine Alert and a UN "Military-Humanitarian" Intervention|date=2013-10-03|publisher=Médecins Sans Frontières|page=214|language=en|access-date=January 18, 2022|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091216/https://books.google.com/books?id=LboiAQAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":21">{{Cite book|last=Tekle|first=Amare|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xbQTEF0rd7wC&pg=PA152|title=Eritrea and Ethiopia: From Conflict to Cooperation|date=1 January 1994|publisher=The Red Sea Press|isbn=978-0-932415-97-4|page=152|access-date=January 18, 2022|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091141/https://books.google.com/books?id=xbQTEF0rd7wC&pg=PA152#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* May 29–June 3 – The [[Moscow Summit (1988)|Moscow Summit]] meeting between [[United States|U.S.]] [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[General Secretary of the Communist Party]] of the [[Soviet Union]] [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] takes place, where the [[Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty]] (INF) was finalized.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 June 1988 |title=Joint Document: 'Realistic Approach' to Reducing Nuclear Risk |agency=Reuters |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/02/world/moscow-summit-joint-document-realistic-approach-to-reducing-nuclear-risk.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |url-access=registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240812165557/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/02/world/moscow-summit-joint-document-realistic-approach-to-reducing-nuclear-risk.html |archive-date=12 August 2024 |newspaper=The New York Times |volume=137 |issue=47524}}</ref>

===June===
* [[June 10]]–[[June 14|14]] – Spontaneous 100,000 strong mass night-singing demonstrations in [[Estonian SSR]] eventually give name to the [[Singing Revolution]].
* [[June 10]]–[[June 25|25]] – [[West Germany]] hosts the [[UEFA Euro 1988]] football tournament, which is won by the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]].
* [[June 21]] – The [[1988 Poole explosion|Poole explosion of 1988]] caused 3,500 people to be evacuated out of the [[Poole Town Centre|town centre]] in the biggest peacetime evacuation the [[United Kingdom]] had seen since the [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=GALLERY: The explosions that rocked Poole - 30 years since the BDH fire |url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/16318155.bdh-fire-poole-1988/ |access-date=2022-03-29 |website=Bournemouth Echo |date=June 28, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[June 22]] – [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]] and [[Steven Spielberg]] release ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]''.
* [[June 23]] – NASA scientist [[James Hansen]] testifies to the U.S. Senate that human-made global warming has begun, becoming one of the first environmentalists to warn of the problem.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert C. Balling|title=The Heated Debate: Greenhouse Predictions Versus Climate Reality|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=atJXAAAAYAAJ|year=1992|publisher=Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy|isbn=978-0-936488-48-6|page=11|access-date=June 29, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091218/https://books.google.com/books?id=atJXAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[June 27]] 
** The [[Gare de Lyon rail accident]] occurs in Paris, France as a commuter train headed inbound to the terminal crashes into a stationary outbound train, killing 56 and injuring 57.<ref>{{cite book|author=International Union of Public Transport|title=International Congress: Proceedings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9idSAAAAMAAJ|year=1989|page=27|access-date=June 29, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091846/https://books.google.com/books?id=9idSAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
**[[Villa Tunari massacre]]: [[UMOPAR|Bolivian anti-narcotics police]] kills 9 to 12 and injures over a hundred protesting [[Cocalero|coca-growing peasants]].<ref name="bolivian-reality-29">{{Cite book|title=Coca, cocaine, and the Bolivian reality|editor=Madeline Barbara Léons, Harry Sanabria|publisher=SUNY Press|year=1997|page=29|isbn=978-0-7914-3482-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0uPCUxT_rsAC&q=umopar&pg=PA264|access-date=February 24, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207092024/https://books.google.com/books?id=0uPCUxT_rsAC&q=umopar&pg=PA264#v=onepage&q=umopar&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="gomez-bolivia-greenlee">{{Cite news|url=http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/luis-gomez/2006/02/bolivias-political-moment-part-ii-contradictions-response-viceroy-greenl|title=Bolivia's Political Moment, Part II: Contradictions in Response to Viceroy Greenlee|last=Gomez|first=Luis|date=February 28, 2006|work=Narco News|access-date=5 February 2010|archive-date=March 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316191230/http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/luis-gomez/2006/02/bolivias-political-moment-part-ii-contradictions-response-viceroy-greenl}}</ref><ref name="wsws-massacre">{{Cite news|url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/oct2003/boli-o14.shtml|title=Bolivian troops massacre strikers|last=Uco|first=César|author2=Bill Vann|date=14 October 2003|work=World Socialist Web Site|publisher=International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)|access-date=5 February 2010|archive-date=June 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606064331/http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/oct2003/boli-o14.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nsn-weekly-update-2002">{{Cite news |date=October 6, 2002 |title=Bolivia: Cocaleros Sign Truce |work=Weekly News Update on the Americas |publisher=Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York |issue=266 |url=http://www.tulane.edu/~libweb/RESTRICTED/WEEKLY/2002_1006.txt |access-date=5 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701041314/http://www.tulane.edu/~libweb/RESTRICTED/WEEKLY/2002_1006.txt |archive-date=July 1, 2016}}</ref>
* [[June 30]] – [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[Archbishop]] [[Marcel Lefebvre]] consecrates four [[bishop]]s at [[Écône]], Switzerland, for his [[Society of St. Pius X|apostolate]], along with [[Antônio de Castro Mayer|Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer]], without a [[Pope|papal]] mandate.

===July===
* [[July 1]] – The Soviet Union votes to end the [[CPSU]]'s monopoly on economic and other non-political power and to further economic changes towards a less rigidly [[Marxist-Leninist]] economy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-02-mn-5121-story.html|title=Soviet Party Votes End to Monopoly on Power: Communist Delegates OK Gorbachev Reforms, Approve Revision of Country's Political System|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 2, 1988|access-date=September 20, 2015|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222173001/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-02/news/mn-5121_1_communist-party|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[July 3]]
** The [[Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge]] in [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]], is completed, providing the second connection between the continents of Europe and Asia over the [[Bosphorus]].
** [[Iran Air Flight 655]] is shot down by a missile launched from the {{USS|Vincennes|CG-49|6}}, killing a total of 290 people on board.
* [[July 6]] – The [[Piper Alpha]] production platform in the [[North Sea]] is destroyed by explosions and fires, killing 165 oil workers and 2 rescue mariners. 61 workers survive.<ref>{{cite book|title=Informal Logic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p8bXAAAAMAAJ|year=2002|publisher=P.F. Wilkinson|page=304|access-date=June 21, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091959/https://books.google.com/books?id=p8bXAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[July 9]] – The ruling [[Party of Labour of Albania|Communist Party]] of [[People's Socialist Republic of Albania|Albania]] criticizes Gorbachev's [[Perestroika|Soviet reforms]], alleging they have "opened doors to all the anti-Communist and counterrevolutionary elements to slander and attack everything sound, socialist, and revolutionary in the life of the Soviet Union."<ref name=":1" />
* [[July 18]] – [[Iran–Iraq War|Iran-Iraq War]]: [[Iran]] agrees to United Nations Security Council [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 598|Resolution 598]] negotiating a ceasefire.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 22, 1988 |title=Iran-Iraq War: Eight Brutal Years |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/22/world/iran-iraq-war-eight-brutal-years.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
* [[July 22]] – [[Eastern Air Lines]] announces layoffs for 4,000 employees and elimination of service to 14 U.S. cities; labor union efforts to block the layoffs will fail in federal court in September.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Salpukas |first=Agis |date=October 1, 1988 |title=U.S. Appeals Court Backs Eastern on Layoffs of 4,000 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/01/business/us-appeals-court-backs-eastern-on-layoffs-of-4000.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
* [[July 31]] – Thirty-two people are killed and 1,674 injured when a bridge at the [[Sultan Abdul Halim]] Ferry terminal [[Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal bridge collapse|collapses]] in [[Butterworth, Penang]], [[Malaysia]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Library of Congress. Library of Congress Office, Jakarta|title=Accessions List, Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TrjmAAAAMAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Library of Congress Office, Jakarta|page=464|access-date=June 21, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091958/https://books.google.com/books?id=TrjmAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

===August=== 
* [[August 5]] – The [[1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis]] culminates in the ousting of the [[Lord President of the Supreme Court|Lord President]] of [[Malaysia]], [[Salleh Abas]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Mohamed Salleh Abas (Tun Haji)|title=May Day for Justice: The Lord President's Version|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BM2JAAAAMAAJ|year=1989|publisher=Magnus Books|isbn=978-983-9631-00-5|page=4|access-date=June 21, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207092002/https://books.google.com/books?id=BM2JAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[August 8]] – [[8888 Uprising]]: Thousands of protesters in [[Burma]], now known as ''Myanmar'', are killed during anti-government [[Demonstration (protest)|demonstrations]].
* [[August 11]] – A meeting of Islamic Jihadi leaders, including [[Osama bin Laden]], takes place, leading to the founding of [[Al-Qaeda]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Asthana | first = N. C. | title = Urban terrorism: myths and realities | publisher = Pointer Publishers Distributed by Aavishkar Publishers, Distributors | location = Jaipur | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-81-7132-598-6 | page=108}}</ref>
* [[August 17]] – [[President of Pakistan|Pakistani President]] [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] and the [[United States Ambassador to Pakistan|U.S. ambassador to Pakistan]], [[Arnold Lewis Raphel]], are among those killed when a plane crashes and explodes near [[Bahawalpur]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19880817-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed C-130B Hercules 23494 Bahawalpur Airport (BHV)|author=Harro Ranter|date=17 August 1988|website=aviation-safety.net|access-date=30 October 2020|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064728/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19880817-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[August 20]] – A ceasefire effectively ends the [[Iran–Iraq War]], with an estimated one million lives lost.<ref>{{cite book|author=Taylor & Francis Group|title=The Middle East and North Africa 2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pP315Mw3S9EC&pg=PA1028|date=30 October 2003|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-1-85743-184-1|page=1028|access-date=October 30, 2020|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207092024/https://books.google.com/books?id=pP315Mw3S9EC&pg=PA1028#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[August 21]] – The {{M|w|link=y}} 6.9 [[1988 Nepal earthquake|Nepal earthquake]] shakes the Nepal–India border with a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] of VIII (''Severe''), leaving 709–1,450 people killed and thousands injured.
* [[August 28]] – Seventy people are killed and 346 injured in one of the worst [[Ramstein air show disaster|air show disasters]] in history at Germany's [[Ramstein Air Base]], when three [[Jet aircraft|jets]] from the Italian air demonstration team, ''[[Frecce Tricolori]]'', collide, sending one of the aircraft crashing into the crowd of spectators.<ref>{{cite book|title=Medical 911: The EMS Information Sourcebook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M1VrAAAAMAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Emergency Care Information Center|isbn=978-0-936174-12-9|page=319|access-date=November 6, 2020|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091956/https://books.google.com/books?id=M1VrAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

===September===
* [[September 1]] – [[Angolan Civil War]]: South African troops withdraw from Angola.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brooke |first=James |date=September 1, 1988 |title=Angola Confirms Pullout by Pretoria's Forces |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/01/world/angola-confirms-pullout-by-pretoria-s-forces.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
* [[September 11]] – [[Singing Revolution]]: In the [[Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic]], 300,000 people gather to express their support for independence.<ref>{{cite book|author=Nanci Adler|title=Five Years Gorbachev|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qR0hAQAAMAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Second World Center|isbn=978-90-71271-11-3|page=49|access-date=June 19, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207091930/https://books.google.com/books?id=qR0hAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[September 12]] – [[Hurricane Gilbert]] devastates [[Jamaica]]; it turns towards Mexico's [[Yucatán Peninsula]] 2 days later, causing an estimated $5&nbsp;billion in damage.
* [[September 15]] – The [[International Olympic Committee]] awards [[Lillehammer]] the right to host the [[1994 Winter Olympics]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Roel Puijk|title=Global Spotlights on Lillehammer: How the World Viewed Norway During the 1994 Winter Olympics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JO-BAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=University of Luton Press|isbn=978-1-86020-520-0|page=29|access-date=June 19, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207093156/https://books.google.com/books?id=JO-BAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[September 17]]–[[October 2]] – The [[1988 Summer Olympics]] are held in [[Seoul]], South Korea.<ref>{{cite book|author=Adrian Buzo|title=The Making of Modern Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yZmKVZsGkDIC&pg=PA212|year=2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-23749-9|page=212|access-date=June 23, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207093311/https://books.google.com/books?id=yZmKVZsGkDIC&pg=PA212#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[September 22]] – The [[Ocean Odyssey]] drilling rig suffers a blowout and fire in the North Sea (see also July 6), resulting in one death.<ref>{{cite book|author=Great Britain. Dept. of Energy|title=Development of the oil and gas resources of the United Kingdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I0gRAAAAYAAJ|year=1987|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|page=77|isbn=978-0-11-412826-5|access-date=July 13, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207093248/https://books.google.com/books?id=I0gRAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[September 23]] – The [[World Health Organization]] estimates that there are 250,000 current cases of [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] worldwide.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Zeleny |first=Robert O. |title=The 1989 World Book Year Book: A Review of the Events of 1988. |publisher=World Book, Inc. |year=1989 |isbn=0-7166-0489-2 |editor-last=Harmet |editor-first=A. Richard |location=Chicago |pages=165}}</ref>
* [[September 28]] – A [[territorial dispute]] between [[Egypt-Israel border|Egypt and Israel]] over [[Taba, Egypt|Taba]] is resolved by international arbitration when most of the resort town is awarded to [[Egypt]]. Negotiations over exact delineations will continue for several months.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brinkley |first=Joel |date=September 30, 1988 |title=Israeli Parties Clash On Ruling Over Enclave |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/30/world/israeli-parties-clash-on-ruling-over-enclave.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>
* [[September 29]] – [[STS-26]]: [[NASA]] resumes [[Space Shuttle]] flights, grounded after the ''[[Space Shuttle Challenger|Challenger]]'' [[STS-51-L|disaster]], with [[Space Shuttle Discovery|Space Shuttle ''Discovery'']].

===October===
* [[October 5]]
** [[1988 October Riots|Thousands riot]] in [[Algiers]], [[Algeria]] against the [[National Liberation Front (Algeria)|National Liberation Front]] government; by [[October 10]] the army has tortured and killed{{Clarify|see talk page|date=December 2017}} about 500 people in crushing the riots.
** [[Chile]]an dictator [[Augusto Pinochet]] loses a [[1988 Chilean national plebiscite|national plebiscite]] on his rule; he relinquishes power in 1990.
** Promulgation of the [[Constitution of Brazil|1988 Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil]].
* [[October 12]]
** [[Walsh Street police shootings]]: Two [[Victoria Police]] officers are gunned down, execution style, in Australia.<ref name="Representatives2008">{{cite book|author=Australia. Parliament. House of Representatives|title=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).: House of Representatives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLpDAQAAIAAJ|date=September 2008|publisher=Commonwealth Government Printer|page=8168|access-date=July 13, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207093157/https://books.google.com/books?id=hLpDAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
** The [[Birchandra Manu massacre]] occurs in [[Tripura]], India.<ref>{{cite book|author=Suresh K. Sharma|title=Documents on North-East India: Tripura|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nzUlNjhiITkC&pg=PA133|year=2006|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=978-81-8324-097-0|page=133}}</ref>
* [[October 20]] – The [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] won 4 games to 1 in the [[1988 World Series]] against the [[Oakland Athletics]].
* [[October 28]] – [[Abortion]]: 48 hours after announcing it was abandoning [[RU-486]], French manufacturer [[Roussel Uclaf]] states that it will resume distribution of the drug.
* [[October 29]] – Pakistan's General [[Rahimuddin Khan]] resigns from his post as the [[governor]] of [[Sindh]], following attempts by the [[President of Pakistan]], [[Ghulam Ishaq Khan]], to limit the powers Rahimuddin had accumulated.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://pakistaniat.com/2006/10/27/ghulam-ishaq-khan-dead/comment-page-2/|title= Ghulam Ishaq Khan Dead|access-date= 2006-10-27|author= Najam, Adil Najam|year= 2006|archive-date= August 21, 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080821200926/http://pakistaniat.com/2006/10/27/ghulam-ishaq-khan-dead/comment-page-2/|url-status= live}}</ref>
* [[October 30]] – [[Jericho bus firebombing]]: Five [[Israeli Jews|Israelis]] are killed and five wounded in a [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] attack in the [[West Bank]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Ami Ayalon|title=Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xii, 1988|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gce1I2KAxdwC&pg=PA120|date=25 September 1990|publisher=The Moshe Dayan Center|isbn=978-0-8133-1044-2|page=120|access-date=July 2, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207093317/https://books.google.com/books?id=gce1I2KAxdwC&pg=PA120#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

===November===
* November – [[TAT-8]], the first [[transatlantic telephone cable]] to use [[optical fiber]]s, is completed. This led to more robust connections between the American and European Internet.<ref>{{cite book|title=U.S. Industrial Outlook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vw8RgugbDNoC&pg=RA1-PA277|year=1989|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industrial Economics|page=1|access-date=July 2, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207093313/https://books.google.com/books?id=Vw8RgugbDNoC&pg=RA1-PA277#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[November 2]] – The [[Morris worm]], the first [[computer worm]] distributed via the [[Internet]], written by [[Robert Tappan Morris]], is launched from [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] in the U.S.<ref>{{cite book|author=Richard Hill|title=The New International Telecommunication Regulations and the Internet: A Commentary and Legislative History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H4a9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA8|date=25 March 2014|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-3-642-45416-5|page=8|access-date=October 30, 2020|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207093319/https://books.google.com/books?id=H4a9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA8#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[November 3]] – [[1988 Maldives coup attempt]]: The [[People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam]], a [[Sri Lankan Tamil]] [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups|militant group]], attempts to overthrow the [[Maldives|Maldivian]] government. At the request of President [[Maumoon Abdul Gayoom]], the [[Indian Military|Indian military]] suppresses the coup attempt within 24 hours.
* [[November 6]] – The [[1988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakes]] kills at least 938 people when it strikes the [[China–Myanmar border]] region in Yunnan.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kristof|first=Nicholas D.|date=Nov 9, 1988|title=Toll Reported in China Earthquake Reaches 938|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/09/world/toll-reported-in-china-earthquake-reaches-938.html|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108112848/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/09/world/toll-reported-in-china-earthquake-reaches-938.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[November 8]] – The United States [[Vice President of the United States|Vice-president]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee [[George H. W. Bush]] defeats the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee and Governor of Massachusetts, [[Michael Dukakis]], in the [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 United States Presidential Election]].
* [[November 15]]
** In the [[Soviet Union]], the uncrewed Shuttle ''[[Buran (spacecraft)|Buran]]'' is launched by an [[Energia (rocket)|Energia]] rocket on its maiden [[orbit]]al spaceflight (the first and last space flight for the shuttle).
** [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]: An independent [[State of Palestine]] is [[Palestinian Declaration of Independence|proclaimed]] at the [[Palestinian National Council]] meeting in [[Algiers]], by a vote of 253–46.
** The first [[Fairtrade]] label, [[Stichting Max Havelaar|Max Havelaar]], is launched by [[Nico Roozen]], [[Frans van der Hoff]] and [[ecumenical]] [[development agency]] [[Solidaridad (charitable organization)|Solidaridad]] in the Netherlands.
* [[November 16]]
** [[Singing Revolution]]: The Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR adopts the [[Estonian Sovereignty Declaration]] in which the laws of the Estonian SSR are declared supreme over those of the Soviet Union. The USSR declares it unconstitutional on November 26. It is the first declaration of sovereignty from Moscow of any Soviet or Eastern Bloc entity.<ref>{{cite book|author=Kristina Spohr Readman|title=Germany and the Baltic Problem After the Cold War: The Development of a New Ostpolitik, 1989-2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4fKQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT45|date=10 June 2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=1-135-77022-0|page=45|access-date=December 30, 2020|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207093320/https://books.google.com/books?id=4fKQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT45#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
** In the first open election in more than a decade, voters in [[Pakistan]] choose populist candidate [[Benazir Bhutto]] to be [[Prime Minister]]. Elections are held as planned despite [[head of state]] Zia-ul-Haq's death earlier in August.<ref>{{cite book|title=The World Factbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u1xQqcMrmR4C&pg=PA230|year=1989|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|page=230|access-date=December 30, 2020|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207092505/https://books.google.com/books?id=u1xQqcMrmR4C&pg=PA230#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[November 23]] – Former Korean president [[Chun Doo-hwan]] makes a formal apology for corruption during his presidency, announcing he will go into exile.<ref>{{cite book|author=Terence Roehrig|title=The Prosecution of Former Military Leaders in Newly Democratic Nations: The Cases of Argentina, Greece, and South Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zfQggLWwyi4C&pg=PA164|year=2002|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-1091-0|page=164|access-date=January 17, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207094830/https://books.google.com/books?id=zfQggLWwyi4C&pg=PA164#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

===December===
{{Main|December 1988}}
[[File:Surb Amenaprkitch.jpeg|thumb|240px|The [[Holy Saviour's Church, Gyumri|Holy Saviour's Church]] in [[Gyumri]] after the [[1988 Armenian earthquake|Spitak earthquake]] in Armenia, December 7]]
* [[December 1]]
** [[Carlos Salinas de Gortari]] takes office as [[President of Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cidob.org/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_del_norte/mexico/carlos_salinas_de_gortari |editor-last=Ortiz de Zárate |editor-first=Roberto |title=Carlos Salina de Gortari |language=es |date=2 July 2018 |publisher=[[Fundación CIDOB]] |access-date=25 October 2021 |archive-date=October 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024230159/http://www.cidob.org/es/documentacio/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_del_norte/mexico/carlos_salinas_de_gortari |url-status=live }}</ref>
** The first [[World AIDS Day]] is held.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldaidsday.org/about/ |title=About |website=[[World AIDS Day]] |year=2021 |publisher=[[National AIDS Trust]] |access-date=25 October 2021 |archive-date=November 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120080054/http://www.worldaidsday.org/about |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[December 2]]
** [[Benazir Bhutto]] is sworn in as [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]], becoming the first woman to head the government of an [[Islam]]-dominated state.<ref>{{cite book |first=Sajjad |last=Bokhari |title=Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the Leader of Today |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ljhuAAAAMAAJ |year=1993 |publisher=Fiction House |page=27 |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date=June 23, 2021 |archive-date=December 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207094812/https://books.google.com/books?id=ljhuAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>
** A [[1988 Bangladesh cyclone|cyclone]] in [[Bangladesh]] leaves 5&nbsp;million homeless and thousands dead.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2582436/1988-bangladesh-cyclone/ |last=Saeed |first=Hasan |title=Bangladesh starts fixing cyclone ruin |agency=[[Associated Press]] |journal=[[The San Bernardino County Sun]] |date=3 December 1988 |page=9 |access-date=25 October 2021 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025162036/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2582436/1988-bangladesh-cyclone/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[December 6]] – The [[Australian Capital Territory]] is granted self-government by the [[Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?dID=118 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221051914/http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?dID=118 |archive-date=21 February 2006 |title=Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 (Cth) |website=Documenting a Democracy |publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]] |access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref>
* [[December 7]] – In [[Soviet Armenia]], the {{M|s|link=y}} 6.8 [[1988 Armenian earthquake|Spitak earthquake]] kills nearly 25,000, injures 31,000 and leaves 400,000 homeless.<ref name="Armenia">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/10/newsid_2544000/2544077.stm |title=BBC ON THIS DAY <nowiki>|</nowiki> 10 <nowiki>|</nowiki> 1988: Death toll rises in Armenian earthquake |year=2008 |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=25 October 2021 |archive-date=April 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407191222/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/10/newsid_2544000/2544077.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[December 12]] – The [[Clapham Junction rail crash]] in London kills 35 and injures 132.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoT_Hidden001.pdf |last=Hidden |first=Anthony QC |author-link=Anthony Hidden |title=Investigation into the Clapham Junction Railway Accident |publisher=[[Department for Transport|The Department of Transport]] |date=November 1989 |pages=4–5 |isbn=0-10-1082029 |access-date=25 October 2021 |archive-date=May 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519223834/http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoT_Hidden001.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[December 16]] – Perennial U.S. presidential candidate [[Lyndon LaRouche]] is convicted of mail fraud.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.loudountimes.com/news/2002/oct/30/campaign-draws-attention-to-larouchebr-smallnancy-/ |last=Casey |first=Martin |title=Campaign draws attention to LaRouche Nancy Spannaus uses his sound bites |journal=[[Loudon Times-Mirror]] |agency=[[Times Community Newspapers]] |date=30 October 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219203318/http://www.loudountimes.com/news/2002/oct/30/campaign-draws-attention-to-larouchebr-smallnancy-/ |archive-date=19 December 2008 |access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref>
* [[December 20]] – The [[United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances]] is signed at [[Vienna]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.incb.org/e/conv/1988/ |title=FINAL ACT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE FOR THE ADOPTION OF A CONVENTION AGAINST ILLICIT TRAFFIC IN NARCOTIC DRUGS AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES |date=20 December 1988 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050518085810/http://www.incb.org/e/conv/1988/ |archive-date=18 May 2005 |publisher=[[International Narcotics Control Board]] |access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref>
* [[December 21]] – [[Pan Am Flight 103]] is blown up over [[Lockerbie]], Scotland, killing a total of 270 people. [[Libya]] is suspected of involvement.<ref>{{cite book |title=African Journal of International and Comparative Law |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OQgtAQAAIAAJ |year=1992 |publisher=African Society of International and Comparative Law |page=303 |language=en |via=Google Books |access-date=June 19, 2021 |archive-date=December 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207094701/https://books.google.com/books?id=OQgtAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Date unknown===
* Near the end of the year, the first proper and official [[Internet]] connection between North America and Europe is made between [[Princeton, New Jersey]], United States, and [[Stockholm, Sweden]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nordu.net/history/TheHistoryOfNordunet_simple.pdf|title=nordunet_alkusivut_nettiversio.indd<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=September 20, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031416/http://www.nordu.net/history/TheHistoryOfNordunet_simple.pdf}}</ref>
* [[Zebra mussel]]s, a species originally native to the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, are found in the [[Great Lakes]] of North America.<ref>{{cite web |title = Zebra Mussels Overwhelm U.S. Waterways in the Great Lakes Region and Beyond – Copper Screens and Coatings Provide a Solution to this $500 million Problem |publisher = Copper Development Association |date = 2009-07-30 |url =http://www.copper.org/about/pressreleases/2009/pr2009_July_30.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101215202436/http://copper.org/about/pressreleases/2009/pr2009_July_30.html |archive-date = 2010-12-15 |access-date = 2011-03-13 |url-status    = live}}</ref>
* [[1988 Polish strikes]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/special_report/1999/09/99/iron_curtain/timelines/poland_8488.stm|title=BBC News &#124; Communism &#124; Poland|website=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 30, 1988 |title=Polish Unrest Spreads; Dozens of Activists Held; Workers at 2nd Industrial Center Join Protest |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1253858.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025185757/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1253858.html |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>