1987 in the United States explained
Events from the year 1987 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
Tip O'Neill (D-Massachusetts) (until January 3)
Jim Wright (D-Texas) (starting January 6)
Bob Dole (R-Kansas) (until January 3)
Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) (starting January 3)
Events
January
- January 5 - President Ronald Reagan undergoes prostate surgery, causing speculation about his physical fitness to continue in office.
- January 13 - New York mafiosi Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno and Carmine Peruccia are sentenced to 100 years in prison for racketeering.[1]
- January 22 - Pennsylvania State Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer commits suicide by shooting himself during a press conference. The incident was captured by news cameras and later broadcast on television.
- January 27 - State of the Union Address.
- January 28 - The U.S. State Department invalidates US passports for travel to or through Lebanon due to security concerns. The ban was lifted in 1997.[2]
- January 29 - William J. Casey ends his term as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- January 31 - The last Ohrbach's department store closes in New York City after 64 years of operation.
February
March
- March 2 - American Motors Corporation is acquired by the Chrysler Corporation.
- March 4
- U.S. President Ronald Reagan addresses the American people on the Iran–Contra affair, acknowledging that his overtures to Iran had 'deteriorated' into an arms-for-hostages deal.
- Jonathan Pollard is sentenced to life in prison on one count of espionage.
- March 11 - The Watsonville Cannery strike comes to an official end with companies agreeing to union protection of wage cuts, among other benefits.
- March 12 - AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, abbreviated to ACT UP, is formed at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City.
- March 18 - Woodstock of physics: The marathon session of the American Physical Society’s meeting features 51 presentations concerning the science of high-temperature superconductors.
- March 19 - In Charlotte, North Carolina, televangelist Jim Bakker, head of PTL Ministries, resigns after admitting an affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn.
- March 29 - World Wrestling Entertainment presents WrestleMania III in Pontiac, Michigan. Hulk Hogan retains the WWF World Heavyweight Championship defeating his former friend André The Giant.
- March 30 - The 59th Academy Awards, hosted by Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan, are held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Oliver Stone's Platoon wins four awards out of eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film is tied in nominations by James Ivory's A Room with a View.
April
May
- May 8 - U.S. Senator Gary Hart drops out of the running for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, amid allegations of an extramarital affair with Donna Rice.
- May 17 - The USS Stark is hit by two Iraqi owned Exocet AM39 air-to-surface missiles, killing 37 sailors.
- May 21 - Andrew Wyeth, with his "Helga Pictures," becomes the first living American painter to have a one-man show of his work in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
- May 24
- Approximately 800,000 people gather for a walk to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
- Five days before his 48th birthday, Al Unser became the oldest winner of the Indianapolis 500 and only the second driver to win the event four times.
June
- June 12 - During a visit to Berlin, Germany, U.S. President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.
- June 16 - Bernhard Goetz is exonerated on 12 of 13 counts by a jury in the case against him stemming from the 1984 shootings of four youths in a New York subway car.
- June 19
- Teddy Seymour is officially designated the first black man to sail around the world, when he completes his solo sailing circumnavigation in Frederiksted, St. Croix, of the United States Virgin Islands.
- Edwards v. Aguillard: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that a Louisiana law requiring that creation science be taught in public schools whenever evolution is taught is unconstitutional.
- June 28 - An accidental explosion at Hohenfels Training Area in West Germany kills 3 U.S. troopers.
July
August
September
- September 17 - Televangelist Pat Robertson announces his candidacy for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination.
- September 25 - Varroa destructor, an invasive parasite, is found for the first time in the U.S.[4]
October
November
- November 6 - Florida rapist Tommy Lee Andrews is the first person to be convicted as a result of DNA fingerprinting: he is sentenced to 22 years in prison.
- November 18 - Iran–Contra affair: U.S. Senate and House panels release reports charging President Ronald Reagan with 'ultimate responsibility' for the affair.
- November 22 - The Max Headroom Incident: An unidentified person hijacks two television stations in Chicago, Illinois, and broadcasts video of them wearing a mask in the likeness of the character Max Headroom.
- November 23 - Frank Carlucci is sworn in as the new Secretary of Defense, succeeding Caspar Weinberger.
December
- December - The unemployment rate drops to 5.7%, the lowest since July 1979.
- December 1 - NASA announces the names of four companies who were awarded contracts to help build Space Station Freedom: Boeing Aerospace, General Electric's Astro-Space Division, McDonnell Douglas, and the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell.
- December 2 - Hustler Magazine v. Falwell is argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
- December 7 - Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 crashes near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 on board, after a disgruntled passenger shoots his ex-supervisor on the flight, then shoots both pilots and himself.
- December 8 - The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
- December 10 - A squirrel closes down the Nasdaq Stock Exchange when it burrows through a telephone line.[5]
- December 22–28 - Ronald Gene Simmons goes on a 6-day killing spree in Russellville, Arkansas, killing his wife, children, and grandchildren as they arrived to celebrate the holidays at his home. On the 28th he went on a shooting spree, killing an additional woman and wounding 5 others before surrendering to police. The final death toll was 16. He was tried and eventually executed.
- December 29 - Prozac makes its debut in the United States.
Date unknown
Ongoing
Births
January
- January 1
- January 2
- January 5
- January 6
- Arin Hanson, internet personality, comedian, voice actor, songwriter, rapper, animator and cartoonist
- Ndamukong Suh, football player
- January 7
- January 10 - Perrish Cox, football player
- January 11 - Scotty Cranmer, BMX rider
- January 12
- January 13
- January 14 - James Belfer, producer, founder and CEO of Cartuna, founder and CEO of Dogfish Pictures, and founder and managing director of Dogfish Accelerator
- January 15
- January 16
- January 17
- January 18
- January 19
- January 20
- January 21 - Brandon Crawford, baseball player
- January 22
- January 23
- January 24
- January 25 - Isaako Aaitui, football player
- January 26
- January 27
- Rucka Rucka Ali, rapper, singer, comedian, and YouTuber
- Ashley Avis, screenwriter, director, and producer
- Marcus Brown, football player
- Anthony Pettis, mixed martial artist
- Katy Rose, singer/songwriter
- Hannah Teter, Olympic snowboarder
- January 28
- January 29
- January 30 - Phil Lester, YouTube personality
- January 31
- Pat Angerer, football player
- Kurt Baker, musician, songwriter, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist
- Brandon Bollig, ice hockey player
- Tyler Hubbard, country singer and one half of Florida Georgia Line
- Marcus Mumford, English-born singer/songwriter, musician, and frontman for Mumford & Sons
February
- February 1
- February 2
- February 4 - Cameron Achord, football coach
- February 5
- Adassa, reggaeton singer
- Brandon Bender, mixed martial artist
- Kyle Bochniak, mixed martial artist
- Alex Brightman, actor, singer, and writer
- Chris Brooks, football player
- David Buehler, football player
- Darren Criss, actor
- Raymond Lee, actor
- Donald Sanford, American-born Israeli Olympic sprinter
- February 6
- February 7 - Cynthia Barboza, volleyball player
- February 8 - Jessica Jerome, Olympic ski jumper
- February 9
- February 10
- February 11
- February 12
- February 13
- February 14
- February 15 - Chris Cook, football player
- February 16
- February 17
- February 18
- February 20
- February 21
- February 23
- February 24 - Ulysses Cuadra, actor and voice actor
- February 25 - Natalie Dreyfuss, actress
- February 26
- February 27
- February 28
March
- March 1
- March 2
- March 4 - Dan Cortes, baseball player
- March 7 - Justin Bamberg, politician
- March 8
- Devon Graye, actor
- Milana Vayntrub, Uzbek-born actress and comedian
- March 9 - Bow Wow, rapper
- March 10
- March 11
- March 12
- March 13 - Marco Andretti, race car driver
- March 14
- March 15 - Steve Cilladi, baseball player
- March 17
- March 18
- March 19
- March 20
- March 21
- March 22
- March 23 - Earl Bennett, football player
- March 24
- March 25
- March 27
- March 28
- March 30
- March 31
April
- April 3
- April 6
- April 7
- April 8 - Jake Anderson, basketball player
- April 9
- April 10
- April 11
- April 12
- April 13
- April 14 - Michael Baze, jockey (d. 2011)
- April 15 - Samira Wiley, actress and model
- April 16
- April 18
- April 19 - Courtland Mead, actor
- April 20
- April 21
- April 22
- April 23
- Summit1g, twitch streamer and esports athlete
- T-Bar, wrestler
- April 24
- April 26
- April 27
- April 28
- April 29
- April 30 - Al Iaquinta, mixed martial artist
May
- May 1
- May 2
- May 4
- May 5
- May 6
- May 7
- May 10
- May 11
- May 12
- May 13
- May 15
- May 16
- May 17 - Cash Wheeler, wrestler
- May 18
- May 19
- Michael Angelakos, musician, singer/songwriter, and record producer
- David Caldwell, football player
- Kristi Cirone, basketball player and coach
- Danny Curzon, pair figure skater
- Stacey Park Milbern, South Korean-born disability rights activist (d. 2020)
- May 20
- May 21
- May 22
- May 23
- May 24 - Marline Barberena, American-born Nicaraguan beauty pageant titleholder, Miss Nicaragua 2014
- May 25 - Kirk Carlsen, cyclist
- May 26
- May 27
- May 28 - Jessica Rothe, actress
- May 29
- May 30
- May 31
June
- June 1
- June 2
- June 3
- June 4
- June 7 - Cassius Chaney, boxer
- June 8
- June 9
- June 10
- June 11 - Nichole Cheza, dirt track motorcycle racer
- June 12
- June 13
- June 14
- June 15 - Van Ferro, actor
- June 16
- June 17 - Kendrick Lamar, rapper
- June 18
- June 19
- June 21
- June 22
- June 23
- June 24
- June 25
- June 26
- June 28 - Brandon Brooks, basketball player
- June 29
- June 30 - Ryan Cook, baseball player
July
- July 1
- July 2
- July 3
- July 5 - Erik Cook, football player
- July 6
- July 7
- July 9
- July 10
- July 11
- July 12
- July 13 - Cynthia Calvillo, mixed martial artist
- July 14
- July 15
- July 16
- July 17
- July 19
- July 21
- July 22 - Bre-Z, actress and rapper
- July 23
- July 24
- July 25
- Jule 26
- July 28
- July 29
- July 30 - Brandon Caleb, football player
- July 31
August
- August 2
- August 4
- August 5
- August 7
- August 9 - Jabari Brisport, politician
- August 10
- August 13
- August 14
- August 15 - Ryan D'Imperio, football player
- August 16
- August 17 - Dominick Casola, stock car racing driver
- August 18
- August 19
- August 21
- August 22
- August 23
- August 24 - Jon Scheyer, basketball player
- August 25
- August 26 - Ryan Brasier, baseball player
- August 27
- August 28 - David Carr, politician
- August 29
- August 30
- August 31
September
- September 1
- September 2 - Spencer Smith, musician
- September 3
- September 4
- September 5
- September 6
- September 7
- September 8
- September 9
- September 10
- September 11 - Tyler Hoechlin, actor
- September 12 - Huey, rapper (d. 2020)
- September 13
- September 14
- September 15 - Alex Torres, metalcore guitarist
- September 16
- September 17 - Lionel Brown, soccer player
- September 19
- September 20
- September 21
- September 22 - Teyonah Parris, actress
- September 23 - Skylar Astin, actor, model and singer
- September 24
- September 25
- September 27
- September 28
- September 29
- September 30 - Melinda Sullivan, dancer, choreographer and actress
October
- October 1
- October 2
- October 3 - Kaci Battaglia, singer/songwriter, dancer, and actress
- October 5
- October 6
- October 7
- October 8 - Chris Baker, football player
- October 9
- October 10
- October 11
- October 14
- October 15
- October 17 - Seth Mosley, singer/songwriter and frontman for Me in Motion
- October 18
- October 19 - Rick Boogs, wrestler
- October 20 - Jerry Brown, football player (d. 2012)
- October 23 - Carmella, wrestler, dancer, and model
- October 24
- October 25
- October 26
- October 27
- October 28
- October 29 - Ariana Berlin, artistic gymnast, dancer, film actress, and senior producer at Fox Sports
- October 30
- October 31 - Clara Chung, singer/songwriter, producer, and composer
November
- November 1
- November 2
- November 3
- November 4
- November 5
- Erin Brady, television host, model, and Miss USA 2013
- Kevin Jonas, actor, singer/songwriter, and member of the Jonas Brothers[7]
- Jason Kelce, football player
- Chris Knierim, figure skater
- O. J. Mayo, basketball player
- Stephanie Edwards, singer
- Allysin Kay, wrestler
- November 6 - Caleb Cotham, baseball player
- November 7
- November 8 - Sam Bradford, football player
- November 9
- November 10
- November 11 - Vinny Guadagnino, TV personality
- November 13
- November 15 - Tyler Allen, NASCAR race engineer
- November 18
- November 19 - Clare Egan, Olympic biathlete
- November 20 - Amelia Rose Blaire, actress
- November 21 - Alex Carnerio, Brazilian-born personal trainer
- November 22
- November 23
- November 24
- November 25
- November 26
- November 27 - Darnell Carter, football player
- November 30
December
- December 1 - Jill Costello, activist (d. 2010)
- December 2
- December 3
- December 4
- December 6
- December 7
- A. C. H., wrestler
- Aaron Carter, actor and singer (d. 2022)
- Manting Chan, singer/songwriter
- Michael Chiesa, mixed martial artist
- Cara Cunningham, internet personality, songwriter, recording artist, YouTuber, and former pornographic film actress
- December 8
- December 9
- December 10 - David Carter, football player
- December 11 - Clifton Geathers, football player
- December 13 - Brett Brackett, football player
- December 14
- December 15
- December 16
- December 17 - Chelsea Manning, whistleblower
- December 18
- December 19
- December 20
- December 21
- December 22 - Zack Britton, baseball player
- December 23 - James Brewer, football player
- December 25
- December 26
- December 27 - Andy Leavine, wrestler
- December 28
- December 29
- December 30
- December 31 - Javaris Crittenton, basketball player
Full date unknown
- Josh Adams, comic book and commercial artist
- Brooke Annibale, singer/songwriter
- Katherine Arden, novelist
- Brandon Stirling Baker, lighting designer
- Andrew Bayer, DJ and music producer
- Jeremy Blackman, actor and musician
- Kenneth Bogner, politician
- Mia Borders, singer/songwriter
- Kent Brantly, doctor
- Ashley Bratcher, actress
- Melvin LaThomas Brimm, singer/songwriter, vocal producer, dancer-choreographer, and actor
- Leigh Brooklyn, figurative artist
- Michael Brown, pianist and composer
- Shaun Brown, actor
- Rembert Browne, writer
- Tim Bueler, media and political consultant
- Julia Bullock, opera singer
- Aisha Burns, singer/songwriter and violinist
- Emily Calandrelli, science communicator, MIT engineer, and host and executive producer of Xploration Outer Space and Emily's Wonder Lab
- Yvanna Cancela, politician
- Caitlin Cherry, painter, sculptor, and educator
- Lauren Chief Elk, feminist educator and writer
- Tracy Chou, software engineer and advocate for diversity in technology related fields
- Vivian Chu, roboticist and entrepreneur
- Ken Clausen, lacrosse player
- Dave Clauss, recording and mixing engineer
- Kimberly Cole, pop singer/songwriter, music correspondent, and host
- Matt Conn, founder of MidBoss and creator of GaymerX
- Ashley Connor, cinematographer
- Fidel Corrales Jimenez, Cuban-born chess grandmaster
- Alexandra Crandell, model and television personality
- Phillipe Cunningham, politician
- Michelle Curran, Air Force major and pilot
- Shaghayegh Cyrous, Iranian-born artist and curator
Deaths
- January 1 – Lloyd Haynes, actor (born 1934)
- January 13 - Taddy Aycock, politician, 45th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana (born 1915)
- January 14 – Sam Wagstaff, art curator and collector (born 1921)
- January 15 - Ray Bolger, actor, singer and dancer, Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (born 1904)
- January 16 - Joyce Jameson, actress (born 1932)
- January 22 - R. Budd Dwyer, 30th State Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (born 1939)
- February - Lou Darvas, artist and cartoonist (born 1913)
- February 4 – Liberace, pianist, singer, and actor (born 1919)
- February 5
- February 22
- February 25 – James Coco, actor (born 1930)
- March 2 – Randolph Scott, actor (born 1898)
- March 3 - Danny Kaye, singer, actor, and comedian (born 1911)[8]
- March 18 – Bil Baird, puppeteer (born 1904)
- March 21
- March 22 - Joan Shawlee, actress (born 1926)
- March 26 - Walter Abel, actor (born 1898)
- March 28
- April 1 – Victor D'Amico, teaching artist, Director of the Department of Education of the Museum of Modern Art (born 1904)
- April 2 – Buddy Rich, drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader (born 1917)
- April 12 – Mike Von Erich, professional wrestler (born 1964)
- April 17
- April 19 – Hugh Brannum, composer, vocalist, and actor (born 1910)
- April 26 – Bill Amos, college football player and coach (born 1898)
- May - John Pierotti, cartoonist (born 1911)
- May 4 – Paul Butterfield, blues harmonica player (born 1942)
- May 5 - Phil Woolpert, basketball coach (born 1915)
- May 6 – William J. Casey, Director of the C.I.A. from 1981 to 1987 (born 1913)
- May 13 - Richard Ellmann, literary critic and biographer (born 1918)
- May 14 – Rita Hayworth, actress (born 1918)
- May 21 – Alejandro Rey, Argentine-American actor and television director (born 1930)
- May 24 – Hermione Gingold, English actress (born 1897)
- May 28 – Charles Ludlam, actor, director, and playwright (born 1943)
- June 2 – Sammy Kaye, bandleader and songwriter (born 1910)
- June 3 – Will Sampson, Muscogee Nation painter, actor, and rodeo performer (born 1933)
- June 13 – Geraldine Page, actress (born 1924)
- June 17 – Dick Howser, baseball player and manager (born 1936)
- June 22 – Fred Astaire, dancer, singer, and actor (born 1899)
- June 24 – Jackie Gleason, actor, comedian, and writer (born 1916)
- June 27 – Althea Flynt, model and publisher (born 1953)
- June 25 - Boudleaux Bryant, American songwriter (born 1920)
- July 2 – Michael Bennett, musical theatre director, writer, choreographer, and dancer (born 1943)
- July 29 – Arthur J. Bressan Jr., American filmmaker and writer (born 1943)
- August 10 – Casey Donovan, American pornographic actor (born 1943)
- August 11 – Clara Peller, Russian-born television personality (born 1902)
- August 14 – Edgar Rosenberg, German-born British television producer (born 1925)
- August 19 - Hayden Rorke, actor (born 1910)
- August 24 - Bayard Rustin, African American civil rights activist (born 1912)
- August 27 - Scott La Rock, American disc jockey (born 1962)
- August 28 – John Huston, filmmaker and actor (born 1906)
- August 29 – Lee Marvin, actor (b. 1924)
- September 5 – Quinn Martin, television producer (born 1922)
- September 11 – Lorne Greene, Canadian actor and musician (born 1915)
- September 21 – Jaco Pastorius, American musician and producer (born 1951)
- September 22 – Dan Rowan, actor (born 1922)
- September 23 – Bob Fosse, actor, choreographer, dancer, and director (born 1927)
- September 25 – Mary Astor, actress (born 1906)
- September 29 – Henry Ford II, chairman, CEO & president of the Ford Motor Company (born 1917)
- October 9 – Clare Boothe Luce, writer, politician, and U.S. ambassador (born 1903)
- October 12
- October 18 – Pete Carpenter, musician and arranger (born 1914)
- October 29 – Woody Herman, jazz musician and bandleader (born 1913)
- November 2 - Claude J. Jasper, Wisconsin politician (born 1905/1906)
- November 10 – Jackie Vernon, comedian and actor (born 1924)
- November 22 - W. Haydon Burns, 35th Governor of Florida (born 1912)
- November 28 – Goo Choo San, Singaporean dancer and choreographer (b. 1948)
- December 1 - James Baldwin, author and civil rights activist (born 1924)
- December 4 - Arnold Lobel, children's book author (born 1933)
- December 4 - Rouben Mamoulian, film and theatre director (born 1897 in Russia)
- December 5 - Molly O'Day, country singer (born 1923)
- December 8 – Fay Baker, actress and writer (born 1917)
- December 10
- December 11 – George Harold Brown, research engineer (born 1908)
- December 17 - Linda Wong, American pornographic actress (born 1951)
- December 21
See also
Notes and References
- News: U.s. Indictment Says 9 Governed New York Mafia. Arnold H.. Lubasch. The New York Times . February 27, 1985. NYTimes.com.
- Web site: U.S. Invalidates Passports for Traveling to Lebanon : Situation Too Chaotic for Safety. January 28, 1987. Los Angeles Times.
- Book: Bell . Daniel . Encyclopedia of International Games . 17 March 2016 . McFarland . 978-1-4766-1527-1 . 515 . en.
- http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/varroa.html Varroa Jacobsonii/Destructor
- Gilpin, Kenneth N.Squirrel Shuts Down Nasdaq System, December 10, 1987, New York Times
- Web site: Paul Goldschmidt #46 . mlb.com.
- Web site: Kevin Jonas news, photos and more on . Usmagazine.com . May 24, 2012.
- News: Actor-comedian Danny Kaye dies. March 3, 1987. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 15, 2010.
- Obituary, The Boston Globe (Boston, MA) December 19, 1987