WHAT ALL HAPPENED MAY TO AUGUST 1989
Find out what all happened May to August 1989

Hungary begins dismantling its border fence with Austria, which allows a number of East Germans to defect. (2. May 1989)

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: the 33-foot high "Goddess of Democracy" statue is unveiled in Tiananmen Square by student demonstrators. (30. May 1989)

Iran-Contra Affair: Former White House aide Oliver North is convicted of three crimes and acquitted of nine other charges. The convictions, however, are later overturned on appeal. (4. May 1989)

Singing Revolution: two million people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania stand on the Vilnius-Tallinn road, holding hands (Baltic Way). (23. August 1989)

Signing of an agreement between Egypt and the United States, allowing the manufacture of parts of the F-16 jet fighter plane in Egypt. (29. May 1989)

Polish president Wojciech Jaruzelski nominates Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki to be the first non-communist prime minister in 42 years. (19. August 1989)

The Tiananmen Square protests are violently ended in Beijing by the People's Liberation Army. (4. June 1989)

Radio Caroline, the offshore pirate station in the North Sea, is raided by British and Dutch governments. (19. August 1989)

A massacre is carried out by an Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 64 ethnic Tamil civilians. (2. August 1989)

The San Bernardino train disaster kills 4 people. A week later an underground gasoline pipeline explodes killing 2 more people. (12. May 1989)

The government of China sends troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation. (3. June 1989)

Space Shuttle program: STS-28 Mission – Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission. (8. August 1989)

Burma's ruling junta puts opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. (20. July 1989)

Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States. (1. May 1989)

Iran-Contra Affair: Oliver North is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell to a three-year suspended prison term, two years probation, $150,000 in fines and 1,200 hours community service. His convictions were later overturned. (5. July 1989)

On the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, Slobodan Milošević delivers the Gazimestan speech at the site of the historic battle. (28. June 1989)

Mayumi Moriyama becomes Japan's first female cabinet secretary. (25. August 1989)

1,645 Australian domestic airline pilots resign after the airlines threaten to fire them and sue them over a dispute. (23. August 1989)

A federal grand jury indicts Cornell University student Robert T. Morris, Jr. for releasing the Morris worm, thus becoming the first person to be prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. (26. July 1989)

Cedar Point opens Magnum XL-200, the first roller coaster to break the 200 ft height barrier, therefore spawning what is known as the "coaster wars". (6. May 1989)