At A Glance

16 August 1988 at a glance

Day of the week
16 August 1988 was a Tuesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Roll With It” by Steve Winwood.
Top Film of 1988
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1988 was Rain Man.
Bestselling Novel of 1988
“The Cardinal of the Kremlin” by Tom Clancy was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1988.
Top-Rated TV Show
“The Cosby Show” (NBC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1988–89 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 16 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 16 August 1988 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 16 August 1988 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 16 August

  • 1966 Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.
  • 1972 In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
  • 1975 Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration.
  • 1989 A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading.
  • 2008 The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet (423 m), at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level.

Famous people born on August 16

  • Madonna, American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and director (born 1958)
  • Sophie Cunningham, American basketball player (born 1996)
  • Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player (born 2001)
  • James Cameron, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1954)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1988 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1988 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 1 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is established, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
  • January 4 – Nick Jr. begins as a block of Nickelodeon programming for younger children.
  • March 9 – Blackstone Financial Management is founded as a global asset management company in New York City by eight co-founders, led by Larry Fink. In 1992, it would change its name to BlackRock.

Life in the US in 1988

President

Ronald Reagan

Gas (per gallon)

$0.90

Loaf of Bread

$0.70

Average House

$99,700

Weekly Wage

$374

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 →