UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
31 December 1988 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 31 December 1988 was a Saturday.
- ARIA No. 1
- The ARIA No. 1 was “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys.
- Top Film of 1988
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1988 was Rain Man.
- Best-Selling Vehicle of 1988
- Australia's top-selling new vehicle in 1988 was the Ford Falcon.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1988 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 31 December 1988 was Last Quarter.
On this day: 31 December
- 1983 The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.
- 1983 Benjamin Ward is appointed New York City Police Department's first ever African American police commissioner.
- 1983 In Nigeria, a coup d'état led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari ends the Second Nigerian Republic.
- 1991 All official Soviet Union institutions have ceased operations by this date, five days after the Soviet Union is officially dissolved.
- 1992 Czechoslovakia is peacefully dissolved in what is dubbed by media as the Velvet Divorce, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.
Famous people born on 31 December
- Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025)
- Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer (born 2002)
- Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1941)
- Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (1720–1788)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
Events of 1988 in Australia
A selection from Wikipedia's '1988 in Australia'. Not a complete list.
- 17 January – The TV soap Home and Away is launched by Seven Network.
- 26 January – Australia Day, Australia celebrates its bicentennial day with the arrival of the First Fleet Re-enactment Voyage and a tall ships parade in Sydney Harbour.
- 19 March – Nick Greiner and the Liberal Party win the 1988 New South Wales state election in a landside, removing the ALP government of Barrie Unsworth.
Life in Australia in 1988
Prime Minister
Bob Hawke
Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II
Petrol (per litre)
$0.55
Loaf of Bread
$1.02
Average House
$92,000
Weekly Wage
$470.00
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Famous Faces Born in the 1980s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Chris Hemsworth11 August 1983ActorView their day →Delta Goodrem9 November 1984Singer & songwriterView their day →Ruby Rose20 March 1986Actor & modelView their day →Sam Reid19 February 1987ActorView their day →Rebel Wilson2 March 1980Actress & writerView their day →Teresa Palmer26 February 1986Actress & modelView their day →Alexander Volkanovski29 September 1988Mixed martial artist & kickboxerView their day →Abbie Cornish7 August 1982ActressView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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