# 1987

> All things 1987 — history, politics, science, culture, and more from the year 1987.

## What is 1987?

1987 was a pivotal year of the Cold War's final chapter — a year of geopolitical breakthroughs, financial shocks, cultural milestones, and scientific discoveries. This repository serves as a curated collection of knowledge, references, and resources about everything related to the year **1987**.

## Topics

- **History & Politics** — World events, Cold War developments, treaties, and political turning points
- **Science & Technology** — Discoveries, inventions, and technological breakthroughs
- **Arts & Culture** — Films, music, literature, art, and cultural moments
- **Society & Economics** — Social movements, markets, sport, and everyday life
- **People** — Notable births, deaths, and figures of the era

## Notable Events of 1987

| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| [Black Monday stock market crash](society-economics/black-monday.md) | On October 19, the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 22.6% in a single day, the largest one-day percentage drop in history. |
| [INF Treaty signed](history-politics/inf-treaty.md) | Reagan and Gorbachev sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in Washington, the first arms-control agreement to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons. |
| [Iran-Contra hearings](history-politics/iran-contra.md) | Congressional hearings expose covert U.S. arms sales to Iran and illegal funding of Nicaraguan Contras; Oliver North's testimony rivets the nation. |
| [First Intifada begins](history-politics/first-intifada.md) | Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation breaks out in Gaza and the West Bank in December, reshaping Middle East politics. |
| [Supernova 1987A observed](science-technology/supernova-1987a.md) | The brightest supernova visible from Earth since 1604 is observed in the Large Magellanic Cloud, providing unprecedented data on stellar death. |
| [Montreal Protocol signed](history-politics/montreal-protocol.md) | 46 nations sign the landmark treaty to phase out ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the first global environmental protection agreement. |
| [FDA approves Prozac](society-economics/prozac-fda-approval.md) | The FDA approves fluoxetine (Prozac), the first SSRI antidepressant, transforming the treatment of depression worldwide. |
| ["Tear down this wall" speech](history-politics/reagan-berlin-speech.md) | President Reagan delivers his famous challenge to Gorbachev at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin on June 12. |
| [Aretha Franklin Hall of Fame](arts-culture/aretha-franklin-hof.md) | Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, at the January 21 ceremony in New York City. |
| [*Full Metal Jacket* released](arts-culture/full-metal-jacket.md) | Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam War film premieres, joining *RoboCop* and *Lethal Weapon* in a landmark year for Hollywood. |
| [IBM PS/2 launched](science-technology/ibm-ps2.md) | IBM introduces the Personal System/2 on April 2, standardizing VGA, PS/2 ports, and 3.5-inch floppies while its proprietary MCA bus triggers a clone-maker revolt that ends IBM's PC market dominance. |
| [Margaret Thatcher wins third term](people/margaret-thatcher.md) | On June 11, Thatcher becomes the first British Prime Minister since 1820 to lead a party to three consecutive election victories, securing a 102-seat majority. |
| [DNA fingerprinting in criminal court](science-technology/dna-fingerprinting.md) | DNA evidence is used for the first time to convict a criminal (Robert Melias in the UK, November 1987), opening a new era in forensic science. |
| [Microsoft Windows 2.0 released](science-technology/windows-2.md) | Microsoft releases Windows 2.0, introducing overlapping windows and laying groundwork for the future Windows interface. |
| [Rudolf Hess dies in Spandau](people/rudolf-hess.md) | Hitler's former deputy dies at 93 in Berlin's Spandau Prison on August 17, ending four-power Allied custody and the prison's demolition. |
| [Mathias Rust lands in Red Square](people/mathias-rust.md) | An 18-year-old West German amateur pilot flies a Cessna from Helsinki to Moscow's Red Square on May 28, humiliating Soviet air defenses and triggering a historic military purge. |
| [*Sign 'O' the Times* released](arts-culture/sign-o-the-times.md) | Prince releases his acclaimed double album on March 31, widely considered his finest work and one of the greatest albums in popular music history. |
| [ACT UP founded](society-economics/act-up-founding.md) | The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is established in New York City on March 12, launching a direct-action movement that transforms U.S. AIDS policy and drug approval processes. |
| [Klaus Barbie convicted](people/klaus-barbie.md) | Former Lyon Gestapo chief is convicted on July 4 in France's first crimes-against-humanity prosecution, sentenced to life imprisonment for the deportation and murder of thousands. |
| [Michael Jackson's *Bad* released](arts-culture/michael-jackson-bad.md) | Jackson's seventh studio album, released August 31, becomes the first album in history to generate five Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, selling over 35 million copies worldwide. |
| [Gary Hart suspends presidential campaign](people/gary-hart.md) | The leading Democratic frontrunner withdraws on May 8 after the Miami Herald reports a relationship with model Donna Rice, permanently reshaping political journalism. |
| [1987 World Series](society-economics/world-series-1987.md) | The Minnesota Twins defeat the Cardinals 4–3 in the first World Series played entirely indoors; the home team wins all seven games, a unique feat never repeated. |
| [FDA approves AZT for AIDS treatment](science-technology/azt-fda-approval.md) | On March 20, the FDA approves zidovudine (AZT/Retrovir), the first antiretroviral drug for HIV/AIDS, in a record-fast 25-month development cycle, transforming a uniformly fatal diagnosis. |
| [U2's *The Joshua Tree* released](arts-culture/the-joshua-tree.md) | U2 release their fifth studio album on March 9, becoming Britain's fastest-selling record and winning the 1988 Grammy Album of the Year, establishing the band as the world's biggest rock act. |
| [Fox Broadcasting Company launches primetime](society-economics/fox-broadcasting.md) | Rupert Murdoch's Fox debuts *Married...with Children* and *The Tracey Ullman Show* on April 5, becoming the first successful fourth U.S. broadcast network since 1956. |
| [*Beloved* by Toni Morrison published](arts-culture/beloved.md) | Toni Morrison's novel about an escaped enslaved woman haunted by her murdered daughter is published on September 16, later winning the 1988 Pulitzer Prize and ranking among the greatest American novels. |

## Contributing

Contributions welcome! If you know something interesting about 1987, open an issue or submit a pull request.

## License

MIT