At A Glance

12 January 1989 at a glance

Day of the week
12 January 1989 was a Thursday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison.
Top Film of 1989
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1989 was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Bestselling Novel of 1989
“Clear and Present Danger” by Tom Clancy was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1989.
Top-Rated TV Show
“The Cosby Show” (NBC) and “Roseanne” (ABC) were joint No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1989–90 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 12 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 12 January 1989 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 12 January 1989 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 12 January

  • 1986 Space Shuttle program: Congressman and future NASA Administrator Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a payload specialist.
  • 1991 Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of American military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.
  • 1997 Space Shuttle program: Atlantis launches from the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-81 to the Russian space station Mir, carrying astronaut Jerry M. Linenger for a four-month stay on board the station, replacing astronaut John E. Blaha.
  • 1998 Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
  • 2001 Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

Famous people born on January 12

  • Jeff Bezos, American computer scientist and businessman (born 1964)
  • Kirstie Alley, American actress and producer (1951–2022)
  • Zayn Malik, English singer (born 1993)
  • Howard Stern, American radio host, actor, and author (born 1954)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1989 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1989 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • March 24 – Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m3) of oil after running aground.
  • March 29 – The 61st Academy Awards, the first since 1971 with no official host are held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, with Barry Levinson's Rain Man winning four awards out of eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
  • April 19 – Trisha Meili is attacked while jogging in New York City's Central Park; as her identity remains secret for years, she becomes known as the "Central Park Jogger."

Life in the US in 1989

President

Ronald Reagan

Gas (per gallon)

$1.00

Loaf of Bread

$0.73

Average House

$107,600

Weekly Wage

$390

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1980s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →