What happened in 1987
369 entries recorded for 1987, listed by date. That was 39 years ago.
1987 at a glance
- Years ago
- 39 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1980s
- Generation born
- Millennials (Generation Y)
- Entries here
- 369
- Breakdown
- 105 historical events · 263 births · 1 deaths
January
- January 3
Varig Flight 797
Varig Flight 797 crashes near Akouré in the Ivory Coast, resulting in 50 deaths.
- January 4
1987 Maryland train collision
The Maryland train collision: An Amtrak train en route to Boston from Washington, D.C., collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, United States, killing 16 people.
- January 11
Scotty Cranmer
Scotty Cranmer, American BMX rider
- January 16
Greivis Vásquez
Greivis Vásquez, Venezuelan basketball player
- January 16
Charlotte Henshaw
Charlotte Henshaw, English swimmer
- January 16
Jake Epstein
Jake Epstein, Canadian actor
- January 22
Bribery
After being convicted of receiving bribes, Pennsylvania state treasurer R. Budd Dwyer shot and killed himself in front of television cameras during a press conference.
- January 22
Philippines
Philippine security forces open fire on a crowd of 10,000–15,000 demonstrators at Malacañang Palace, Manila, killing 13.
- January 23
Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan
Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan sends a "letter of death" to Somali President Siad Barre, proposing the genocide of the Isaaq people.
- January 23
Leo Komarov
Leo Komarov, Estonian-Finnish ice hockey player
- January 24
1987 Forsyth County protests
About 20,000 protestors marched in a civil rights demonstration in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States.
- January 24
Brian Cushing
Brian Cushing, American football player
- January 24
Guan Xin
Guan Xin, Chinese basketball player
- January 24
Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez, Uruguayan footballer
- January 24
Kia Vaughn
Kia Vaughn, American-Czech basketball player
- January 25
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko, Russian tennis player
- January 27
Katy Rose
Katy Rose, American singer-songwriter and producer
- January 27
Anton Shunin
Anton Shunin, Russian footballer
- January 29
Alex Avila
Alex Avila, American baseball player
- January 29
Jessica Burkhart
Jessica Burkhart, American author
- January 29
José Abreu
José Abreu, Cuban baseball player
- January 29
Vladimír Mihálik
Vladimír Mihálik, Slovak ice hockey player
February
- February 2
People Power Revolution
After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.
- February 3
Elvana Gjata
Elvana Gjata, Albanian singer
- February 4
Lucie Šafářová
Lucie Šafářová, Czech tennis player
- February 4
Darren O'Dea
Darren O'Dea, Irish footballer
- February 5
Alex Brightman
Alex Brightman, American actor, singer, and voice actor
- February 6
Mary Gaudron
Mary Gaudron became the first woman to be appointed a justice of the High Court of Australia.
- February 9
February 1987 Palestinian unrest
Civil unrest broke out across Palestine.
- February 12
Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy, French tennis player
- February 12
Gabriela Mărginean
Gabriela Mărginean, Romanian basketball player
- February 13
Board of supervisors
Federal agents began to issue indictments against county-level supervisors in Mississippi after Operation Pretense exposed massive corruption in the state's local governments.
- February 13
Eljero Elia
Eljero Elia, Dutch footballer
- February 17
Ísis Valverde
Ísis Valverde, Brazilian actress
- February 20
Martin Hanzal
Martin Hanzal, Czech ice hockey player
- February 20
Luke Burgess (rugby league)
Luke Burgess, English rugby league player
- February 20
James Johnson (basketball, born 1987)
James Johnson, American basketball player
- February 22
Sergio Romero
Sergio Romero, Argentine footballer
- February 22
Han Hyo-joo
Han Hyo-joo, South Korean actress and model
- February 23
SN 1987A
SN 1987A, the first supernova that modern astronomers were able to study in great detail, was observed from Earth occurring in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
- February 23
Ab-Soul
Ab-Soul, American rapper
- February 23
Malik Hairston
Malik Hairston, American basketball player
- February 23
Theophilus London
Theophilus London, Trinidadian-American singer-songwriter and producer
- February 26
Iran–Contra affair
Iran–Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
March
- March 4
Ronald Reagan
U.S. president Ronald Reagan made a nationally televised address in which he accepted full responsibility for illegal actions in the Iran–Contra affair.
- March 6
MS Herald of Free Enterprise
The ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized while leaving the harbour of Zeebrugge, Belgium, killing 193 people on board.
- March 7
Niclas Bergfors
Niclas Bergfors, Swedish ice hockey player
- March 8
Jonathan Wright (rugby league)
Jonathan Wright, Australian rugby league player
- March 8
Milana Vayntrub
Milana Vayntrub, Uzbekistani-American actress and comedian
- March 9
Chrysler
Chrysler announces its acquisition of American Motors Corporation.
- March 9
Bow Wow (rapper)
Bow Wow, American rapper and actor
- March 9
Daniel Hudson
Daniel Hudson, American baseball player
- March 11
Marc-André Gragnani
Marc-André Gragnani, Canadian ice hockey player
- March 11
Ngonidzashe Makusha
Ngonidzashe Makusha, Zimbabwean sprinter and long jumper
- March 11
Tanel Kangert
Tanel Kangert, Estonian cyclist
- March 19
Televangelism
American televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as the host of The PTL Club in the midst of a sex scandal.
- March 19
AJ Lee
AJ Lee, American wrestler and author
- March 19
Miloš Teodosić
Miloš Teodosić, Serbian basketball player
- March 19
Michal Švec
Michal Švec, Czech footballer
- March 20
Antiviral drug
The antiretroviral drug zidovudine became the first treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for HIV/AIDS.
- March 20
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration approves the anti-AIDS drug, AZT.
- March 22
Ike Davis
Ike Davis, American baseball player
- March 22
Liam Doran
Liam Doran, British rallycross driver
- March 22
Murder of Jairo Mora Sandoval
Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (died 2013)
- March 25
Nobunari Oda
Nobunari Oda, Japanese figure skater
- March 25
Jacob Bagersted
Jacob Bagersted, Danish handball player
- March 25
Hyun-jin Ryu
Hyun-jin Ryu, South Korean baseball player
- March 25
Victor Obinna
Victor Obinna, Nigerian footballer
- March 30
Trent Beretta
Trent Barreta, American wrestler
April
- April 1
Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui, Chinese professional snooker player
- April 1
Gianluca Musacci
Gianluca Musacci, Italian footballer
- April 1
Vitorino Antunes
Vitorino Antunes, Portuguese footballer
- April 4
Garuda Indonesia Flight 035
Garuda Indonesia Flight 032 crashes at Medan Airport, killing 23.
- April 7
Martín Cáceres
Martín Cáceres, Uruguayan footballer
- April 10
Adam Friedland
Adam Friedland, American comedian
- April 10
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano
- April 10
Ahmed Adel Abdel Moneam
Ahmed Adel Abdel Moneam, Egyptian footballer
- April 11
Peres–Hussein London Agreement
The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan.
- April 13
Steven De Vuyst
Steven De Vuyst, Belgian politician
- April 14
Wilson Kiprop
Wilson Kiprop, Kenyan runner
- April 14
Michael Baze
Michael Baze, American jockey (died 2011)
- April 14
Erwin Hoffer
Erwin Hoffer, Austrian footballer
- April 16
Cenk Akyol
Cenk Akyol, Turkish basketball player
- April 16
Aaron Lennon
Aaron Lennon, English international footballer
- April 19
Simpson family
The fictional Simpson family made their first appearance in the short "Good Night", aired in a segment of the The Tracey Ullman Show.
- April 19
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player
- April 19
Joe Hart
Joe Hart, English footballer
- April 20
Jorge Pinto
Jorge Pinto, Portuguese politician
- April 21
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people.
- April 22
David Luiz
David Luiz, Brazilian footballer
- April 26
Coke (footballer)
Jorge Andújar Moreno, Spanish footballer
- April 27
United States Department of Justice
The U.S. Department of Justice bars Austrian President Kurt Waldheim (and his wife, Elisabeth, who had also been a Nazi) from entering the US, charging that he had aided in the deportations and executions of thousands of Jews and others as a German Army officer during World War I
- April 27
William Moseley (actor)
William Moseley, English actor
- April 27
Fei (singer)
Wang Feifei, Chinese singer and actress
- April 27
Taylor Chorney
Taylor Chorney, American ice hockey player
- April 28
Drew Gulak
Drew Gulak, American wrestler
- April 28
Daequan Cook
Daequan Cook, American basketball player
May
- May 1
Leonardo Bonucci
Leonardo Bonucci, Italian footballer
- May 1
Amir Johnson
Amir Johnson, American basketball player
- May 2
Kris Russell
Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player
- May 2
Saara Aalto
Saara Aalto, Finnish singer and actress
- May 2
Nana Kitade
Nana Kitade, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
- May 2
Pat McAfee
Pat McAfee, American sports analyst and football player
- May 3
Bobby Allison
A crash by Bobby Allison at the Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama fencing at the start-finish line would lead NASCAR to develop the restrictor plate for the following season both at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega.
- May 4
Jorge Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo, Spanish motorcycle racer
- May 4
Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas, Spanish footballer and manager
- May 5
Iran–Contra affair
Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States.
- May 7
Aidy Bryant
Aidy Bryant, American actress and comedian
- May 8
Special Air Service
A British Special Air Service unit ambushed a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit in Loughgall, Northern Ireland, killing eight IRA members and one civilian.
- May 8
Mark Noble
Mark Noble, English footballer
- May 8
Felix Jones
Felix Jones, American football player
- May 8
Kurt Tippett
Kurt Tippett, Australian footballer
- May 9
LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055
LOT Flight 5055 Tadeusz Kościuszko crashes after takeoff in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board.
- May 9
Scott Bolton (rugby league)
Scott Bolton, Australian rugby league player
- May 9
Kevin Gameiro
Kevin Gameiro, French footballer
- May 11
Klaus Barbie
Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
- May 12
Darren Randolph
Darren Randolph, Irish footballer
- May 12
Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard, Trinidadian cricketer
- May 12
Lance Lynn
Lance Lynn, American baseball player
- May 14
Timoci Bavadra
Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Lieutenant colonel Sitiveni Rabuka.
- May 14
François Steyn
François Steyn, South African rugby player
- May 15
David Adams (baseball)
David Adams, American baseball player
- May 15
Brian Dozier
Brian Dozier, American baseball player
- May 15
Michael Brantley
Michael Brantley, American baseball player
- May 17
Iran–Iraq War
Iran–Iraq War: An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S. Navy warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.
- May 17
USS Stark incident
An Iraqi jet fired two Exocet missiles at the American frigate USS Stark, killing 37 personnel and injuring 21 others.
- May 17
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen, Norwegian cyclist
- May 17
Aleandro Rosi
Aleandro Rosi, Italian footballer
- May 19
Michael Angelakos
Michael Angelakos, American singer-songwriter and producer
- May 19
Mariano Torres
Mariano Torres, Argentinian footballer
- May 19
David Edgar (soccer, born 1987)
David Edgar, Canadian soccer player
- May 20
Mike Havenaar
Mike Havenaar, Japanese footballer
- May 20
Julian Wright
Julian Wright, American basketball player
- May 22
Religious violence in India
During Hindu–Muslim rioting in Meerut, India, 19 members of the Provincial Armed Constabulary allegedly massacred 42 Muslims and dumped their bodies in water canals.
- May 25
Kamil Stoch
Kamil Stoch, Polish ski jumper
- May 25
Timothy Derijck
Timothy Derijck, Belgian footballer
- May 25
Moritz Stehling
Moritz Stehling, German footballer
- May 25
Yves De Winter
Yves De Winter, Belgian footballer
- May 26
Olcay Şahan
Olcay Şahan, Turkish footballer
- May 28
Mathias Rust
Mathias Rust, a West German aviator, flew his Cessna 172 from Helsinki, Finland, through Soviet air defences, landing illegally near Red Square in Moscow.
- May 28
T. J. Yates
T.J. Yates, American football player
June
- June 1
Zoltán Harsányi
Zoltán Harsányi, Slovak footballer
- June 1
Yarisley Silva
Yarisley Silva, Cuban pole vaulter
- June 2
Angelo Mathews
Angelo Mathews, Sri Lankan cricketer
- June 2
Yoann Huget
Yoann Huget, French rugby player
- June 2
Maryka Holtzhausen
Maryka Holtzhausen, South African netball player
- June 2
Matthew Koma
Matthew Koma, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- June 2
Sonakshi Sinha
Sonakshi Sinha, Indian actress
- June 2
Clayton Bartolo
Clayton Bartolo, Maltese politician
- June 3
Masami Nagasawa
Masami Nagasawa, Japanese actress
- June 4
Intelligence assessment
American intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard pleaded guilty to charges of spying for Israel.
- June 7
Cahit Zarifoğlu
Cahit Zarifoğlu, Turkish poet and author (born 1940)
- June 8
New Zealand
New Zealand's Labour government establishes a national nuclear-free zone under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987.
- June 9
Jaan Mölder
Jaan Mölder, Estonian race car driver
- June 10
June Democratic Struggle
Mass protests demanding direct presidential elections broke out across South Korea.
- June 10
Martin Harnik
Martin Harnik, German-Austrian footballer
- June 10
James Maynard (mathematician)
James Maynard, British mathematician
- June 10
Amobi Okoye
Amobi Okoye, Nigerian-American football player
- June 11
Diane Abbott
Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant are elected as the first black MPs in Great Britain.
- June 11
Gonzalo Castro
Gonzalo Castro, German footballer
- June 12
Cold War
Cold War: During a speech at the Brandenburg Gate by the Berlin Wall, US president Ronald Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" (speech featured).
- June 12
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic's former emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa is sentenced to death for crimes he had committed during his 13-year rule.
- June 17
Dusky seaside sparrow
With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct.
- June 19
Basque nationalism
The Basque separatist group ETA detonated a car bomb at a Hipercor shopping centre in Barcelona, killing 21 people and injuring 45 others.
- June 19
ETA (separatist group)
Basque separatist group ETA commits one of its most violent attacks, in which a bomb is set off in a supermarket, Hipercor, killing 21 and injuring 45.
- June 19
Aeroflot Flight N-528
Aeroflot Flight N-528 crashes at Berdiansk Airport in present-day Ukraine, killing eight people.
- June 19
Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Mendenhall, American football player
- June 22
Nikita Rukavytsya
Nikita Rukavytsya, Ukrainian-Australian footballer
- June 22
Danny Green (basketball)
Danny Green, American basketball player
- June 22
Lee Min-ho
Lee Min-ho, South Korean actor, singer, model, creative director and businessman
- June 23
Alessia Filippi
Alessia Filippi, Italian swimmer
- June 24
Simona Dobrá
Simona Dobrá, Czech tennis player
- June 24
Pierre Vaultier
Pierre Vaultier, French snowboarder
- June 24
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, Argentine footballer
- June 28
Mustard gas
For the first time in military history, a civilian population is targeted for chemical attack when Iraqi warplanes bomb the Iranian town of Sardasht.
- June 29
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh's painting, the Le Pont de Trinquetaille, is bought for $20.4 million at an auction in London, England.
- June 30
Ryan Cook (baseball)
Ryan Cook, American baseball player
- June 30
Andrew Hedgman
Andrew Hedgman, New Zealand runner
July
- July 1
WFAN (AM)
The American radio station WFAN in New York City is launched as the world's first all-sports radio station.
- July 2
Esteban Granero
Esteban Granero, Spanish footballer
- July 4
Wude Ayalew
Wude Ayalew, Ethiopian runner
- July 4
Guram Kashia
Guram Kashia, Georgian footballer
- July 5
Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan Civil War: The LTTE uses suicide attacks on the Sri Lankan Army for the first time. The Black Tigers are born and, in the following years, will continue to kill with the tactic.
- July 6
Manteo Mitchell
Manteo Mitchell, American runner
- July 6
Caroline Trentini
Caroline Trentini, Brazilian model
- July 6
Sophie Auster
Sophie Auster, American singer-songwriter and actress
- July 6
Kate Nash
Kate Nash, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
- July 8
Josh Harrison
Josh Harrison, American baseball player
- July 9
Gert Jõeäär
Gert Jõeäär, Estonian cyclist
- July 9
Rebecca Sugar
Rebecca Sugar, American animator, composer, and screenwriter
- July 14
Montreal flood of 1987
More than 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain fell in a two-and-a-half-hour period in parts of Montreal, causing severe flooding.
- July 14
Dan Reynolds
Dan Reynolds, American singer-songwriter
- July 14
Adam Johnson (footballer)
Adam Johnson, English footballer
- July 16
AnnaLynne McCord
AnnaLynne McCord, American actress and producer
- July 16
Mousa Dembélé (Belgian footballer)
Mousa Dembélé, Belgian footballer
- July 16
Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Moreno, American football player
- July 17
Jeremih
Jeremih, American singer, songwriter, and record producer
- July 17
Darius Boyd
Darius Boyd, Australian rugby league player
- July 23
Alessio Cerci
Alessio Cerci, Italian footballer
- July 23
Felipe Dylon
Felipe Dylon, Brazilian singer
- July 23
Serdar Kurtuluş
Serdar Kurtuluş, Turkish footballer
- July 24
SS Bridgeton
US supertanker SS Bridgeton collides with mines laid by IRGC, causing a 43-square-meter dent in the body of the oil tanker.
- July 24
Hulda Crooks
Hulda Crooks, at 91 years of age, climbs Mt. Fuji. Crooks became the oldest person to climb Japan's highest peak.
- July 24
Iran–Iraq War
Iran–Iraq War: In opposition to the American plan to protect Kuwaiti tankers, Iran laid mines and damaged the SS Bridgeton, resulting in a propaganda victory for Iran.
- July 24
Nathan Gerbe
Nathan Gerbe, American ice hockey player
- July 24
Zack Sabre Jr.
Zack Sabre Jr., English wrestler
- July 26
Panagiotis Kone
Panagiotis Kone, Greek footballer
- July 26
Fredy Montero
Fredy Montero, Colombian footballer
- July 26
Alec Martinez
Alec Martinez, American ice hockey player
- July 26
Jordie Benn
Jordie Benn, Canadian ice hockey player
- July 27
Jacoby Ford
Jacoby Ford, American football player
- July 27
Marek Hamšík
Marek Hamšík, Slovak footballer
- July 27
Jordan Hill (basketball)
Jordan Hill, American basketball player
- July 28
Pedro (footballer, born 1987)
Pedro, Spanish footballer
- July 28
Christofer Ranzmaier
Christofer Ranzmaier, Austrian politician
- July 28
Yevhen Khacheridi
Yevhen Khacheridi, Ukrainian-Greek footballer
- July 29
Rajiv Gandhi
Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues.
- July 29
Margaret Thatcher
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Channel Tunnel).
- July 30
Anton Fink
Anton Fink, German footballer
- July 31
Edmonton tornado
A tornado occurs in Edmonton, Alberta, killing 27 people.
- July 31
Michael Bradley (soccer)
Michael Bradley, American soccer player
August
- August 4
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission rescinds the Fairness Doctrine which had required radio and television stations to give equal time to opposing views.
- August 4
Marreese Speights
Marreese Speights American basketball player
- August 6
Leanne Crichton
Leanne Crichton, Scottish footballer
- August 7
Lynne Cox
Lynne Cox became the first person to swim between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, crossing from Little Diomede to Big Diomede in the Bering Strait in 2 hours and 5 minutes.
- August 7
Cold War
Cold War: Lynne Cox becomes the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, crossing the Bering Strait from Little Diomede Island in Alaska to Big Diomede in the Soviet Union.
- August 11
Dany N'Guessan
Dany N'Guessan, French footballer
- August 14
Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow, American football and baseball player and sportscaster
- August 14
Johnny Gargano
Johnny Gargano, American wrestler
- August 14
David Peralta
David Peralta, Venezuelan baseball player
- August 15
Michel Kreder
Michel Kreder, Dutch cyclist
- August 15
Ryan D'Imperio
Ryan D'Imperio, American football player
- August 16
Northwest Airlines Flight 255
Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus two people on the ground.
- August 16
Eri Kitamura
Eri Kitamura, Japanese voice actress and singer.
- August 16
Carey Price
Carey Price, Canadian ice hockey player
- August 19
Hungerford massacre
Hungerford massacre: In the United Kingdom, Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with a semi-automatic rifle and then commits suicide.
- August 19
Manny Jacinto
Manny Jacinto, Canadian actor
- August 19
Nick Driebergen
Nick Driebergen, Dutch swimmer
- August 19
Patrick Chung
Patrick Chung, Jamaican-American football player
- August 25
Velimir Jovanović
Velimir Jovanović, Serbian footballer
- August 25
Amy Macdonald
Amy Macdonald, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- August 25
Stacey Farber
Stacey Farber, Canadian actress
- August 25
Blake Lively
Blake Lively, American model and actress
- August 28
Ryugyong Hotel
Construction began on the Ryugyong Hotel (pictured) in Pyongyang, the tallest building in North Korea.
- August 28
Caleb Moore
Caleb Moore, American snowmobile racer (died 2013)
- August 29
Evangelical Baptist Church of Korea
Odaeyang mass suicide: Thirty-three individuals linked to a religious cult are found dead in the attic of a cafeteria in Yongin, South Korea. Investigators attribute their deaths to a murder–suicide pact.
- August 29
Tony Kane
Tony Kane, Northern Irish footballer
- August 30
Johanna Braddy
Johanna Braddy, American actress
- August 30
Tania Foster
Tania Foster, English singer-songwriter
- August 31
Thai Airways Flight 365
Thai Airways Flight 365 crashes into the ocean near Ko Phuket, Thailand, killing all 83 aboard.
September
- September 2
Mathias Rust
In Moscow, the trial begins for 19-year-old pilot Mathias Rust, who flew his Cessna airplane into Red Square in May.
- September 3
Jean-Baptiste Bagaza
While he was abroad, Burundian president Jean-Baptiste Bagaza was deposed in a military coup d'état by Pierre Buyoya.
- September 3
1987 Burundian coup d'état
In a coup d'état in Burundi, President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza is deposed by Major Pierre Buyoya.
- September 4
Marisa Kabas
Marisa Kabas, American journalist
- September 4
Wesley Blake
Wesley Blake, American wrestler
- September 11
Elizabeth Henstridge
Elizabeth Henstridge, English actress
- September 11
Robert Acquafresca
Robert Acquafresca, Italian footballer
- September 11
Tyler Hoechlin
Tyler Hoechlin, American actor
- September 13
Goiânia accident
Goiânia accident: A radioactive object is stolen from an abandoned hospital in Goiânia, Brazil, contaminating many people in the following weeks and causing some to die from radiation poisoning.
- September 15
Vaila Barsley
Vaila Barsley, Scottish footballer
- September 16
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol is signed to protect the ozone layer from depletion.
- September 18
Marwin Hitz
Marwin Hitz, Swiss footballer
- September 18
Seiko Oomori
Seiko Oomori, Japanese singer-songwriter
- September 19
Darwin Quintero
Carlos Quintero, Colombian footballer
- September 22
Derick Brassard
Derick Brassard, Canadian ice hockey player
- September 23
Skylar Astin
Skylar Astin, American actor and singer
- September 24
Matthew Connolly
Matthew Connolly, English footballer
- September 24
Grey Damon
Grey Damon, American actor
- September 24
Spencer Treat Clark
Spencer Treat Clark, American actor
- September 25
Penaia Ganilau
Fijian Governor-General Penaia Ganilau is overthrown in a coup d'état led by Lieutenant colonel Sitiveni Rabuka.
- September 25
Monica Niculescu
Monica Niculescu, Romanian tennis player
- September 26
Rosanna Munter
Rosanna Munter, Swedish singer-songwriter
- September 29
Josh Farro
Josh Farro, American musician
- September 30
Kenley Jansen
Kenley Jansen, Curaçaoan baseball player
- September 30
Aida Garifullina
Aida Garifullina, Russian operatic soprano
October
- October 1
Hiroki Aiba
Hiroki Aiba, Japanese actor and singer
- October 1
Matthew Daddario
Matthew Daddario, American actor
- October 1
Mitchell Aubusson
Mitchell Aubusson, Australian rugby league player
- October 2
Phil Kessel
Phil Kessel, American ice hockey player
- October 2
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., American race car driver
- October 2
Joe Ingles
Joe Ingles, Australian basketball player
- October 4
Marina Weisband
Marina Weisband, German politician
- October 5
Michael Grabner
Michael Grabner, Austrian ice hockey player
- October 5
Dillon Francis
Dillon Francis, American DJ and record producer
- October 6
Fiji
Fiji becomes a republic.
- October 7
Khalistan movement
Sikh nationalists declare the independence of Khalistan from India; it is not internationally recognized.
- October 8
Aya Hirano
Aya Hirano, Japanese voice actress and singer
- October 11
NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is first displayed during the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
- October 11
Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights
An estimated 750,000 people attended the "Great March" in Washington, D.C., to demand greater civil rights for the LGBT community.
- October 11
Operation Pawan
Start of Operation Pawan by Indian forces in Sri Lanka. Thousands of civilians, insurgents, soldiers die.
- October 11
Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan Civil War: The Indian Peace Keeping Force began Operation Pawan to take control of Jaffna from the Tamil Tigers and enforce their disarmament as a part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord.
- October 13
Adrian Poparadu
Adrian Poparadu, Romanian footballer
- October 14
Jay Pharoah
Jay Pharoah, American actor and comedian
- October 15
Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460
Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460 crashes near Conca di Crezzo, Italy, killing all 37 people on board.
- October 15
1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état
A coup d'état in Burkina Faso overthrows and kills then President Thomas Sankara.
- October 18
Zac Efron
Zac Efron, American actor and singer
- October 19
Iran–Iraq War
Iran–Iraq War: U.S. Navy forces destroyed two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf in response to an Iranian missile attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker three days earlier.
- October 19
Black Monday (1987)
Black Monday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points.
- October 19
Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 22.6 percent on Black Monday, the largest one-day percentage decline in the stock market index's history.
- October 19
Operation Nimble Archer
The United States Navy conducts Operation Nimble Archer, an attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.
- October 21
Jaffna hospital massacre
The Jaffna hospital massacre is carried out by Indian peacekeeping forces in Sri Lanka, killing 70 Tamil patients, doctors and nurses.
- October 22
John Adams (composer)
John Adams' (pictured) opera Nixon in China premiered.
- October 22
Tiki Gelana
Tiki Gelana, Ethiopian runner
- October 26
Shawn Lauvao
Shawn Lauvao, American football player
- October 26
Abudramae Bamba
Abudramae Bamba, Ivorian footballer
- October 29
Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton, American football player
- October 29
Tove Lo
Tove Lo, Swedish singer
- October 29
Jessica Dubé
Jessica Dubé, Canadian figure skater
- October 30
Danielle Fong
Danielle Fong, Canadian entrepreneur, co-founder and chief scientist of LightSail Energy
November
- November 1
British Rail Class 43 (HST)
British Rail Class 43 (HST) hits the record speed of 238 km/h for rail vehicles with on-board fuel to generate electricity for traction motors.
- November 2
Danny Cipriani
Danny Cipriani, English rugby player
- November 5
O. J. Mayo
O. J. Mayo, American basketball player
- November 5
Kevin Jonas
Kevin Jonas, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor
- November 5
Jason Kelce
Jason Kelce, American football player
- November 7
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
Tunisian prime minister Zine El Abidine Ben Ali deposed and replaced President Habib Bourguiba by declaring him medically unfit for the duties of the office.
- November 7
Tunisia
In Tunisia, president Habib Bourguiba is overthrown and replaced by Prime Minister Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
- November 7
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
Singapore's first Mass Rapid Transit line opened, with train services running between Yio Chu Kang and Toa Payoh.
- November 8
Provisional Irish Republican Army
A Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb exploded during a Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, killing 12 people and injuring 63 others.
- November 8
Remembrance Day bombing
Remembrance Day bombing: A Provisional IRA bomb explodes in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland during a ceremony honouring those who had died in wars involving British forces. Twelve people are killed and sixty-three wounded.
- November 13
Hatsune Matsushima
Hatsune Matsushima, Japanese model and actress
- November 13
Dana Vollmer
Dana Vollmer, American swimmer
- November 15
Brașov
In Brașov, Romania, workers rebel against the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu.
- November 18
King's Cross fire
An underground fire killed 31 people at King's Cross St Pancras tube station in London.
- November 22
Max Headroom signal hijackings
Two television stations in Chicago had their broadcast signals hijacked with footage of an unknown person wearing a Max Headroom mask and costume.
- November 23
Nicklas Bäckström
Nicklas Bäckström, Swedish ice hockey player
- November 23
Snooki
Snooki, American reality television personality
- November 25
Typhoon Nina (1987)
Typhoon Nina pummels the Philippines with category 5 winds of 265 km/h (165 mph) and a surge that destroys entire villages. At least 1,036 deaths are attributed to the storm.
- November 25
Trevor Booker
Trevor Booker, American basketball player
- November 27
Luigi Datome
Luigi Datome, Italian basketball player
- November 27
Lashana Lynch
Lashana Lynch, English actress
- November 28
South African Airways Flight 295
South African Airways Flight 295 suffered a catastrophic in-flight fire and crashed into the Indian Ocean east of Mauritius, killing all 159 people on board.
- November 28
Craig Kieswetter
Craig Kieswetter, South African-English cricketer and golfer
- November 28
Karen Gillan
Karen Gillan, Scottish actress
- November 29
Time bomb
A time bomb planted by North Korean agents on Korean Air Flight 858 detonated over the Andaman Sea, killing all 115 people on board.
- November 29
Korean Air Flight 858
North Korean agents plant a bomb on Korean Air Flight 858, which kills all 115 passengers and crew.
- November 30
Christel Khalil
Christel Khalil, American actress
- November 30
Naomi (wrestler)
Naomi, American wrestler, model, and dancer
- November 30
Vasilisa Bardina
Vasilisa Bardina, Russian tennis player
- November 30
Dougie Poynter
Dougie Poynter, English singer-songwriter and bass player
- November 30
Daniel Noboa
Daniel Noboa, Politician and businessman, President of Ecuador
December
- December 3
Eric Barone
Eric Barone, American video game designer and musician
- December 3
Erik Grönwall
Erik Grönwall, Swedish singer-songwriter
- December 3
Michael Angarano
Michael Angarano, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- December 3
Brian Robiskie
Brian Robiskie, American football player
- December 7
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, a British Aerospace 146-200A, crashes near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 on board, after a disgruntled passenger shoots his ex-boss traveling on the flight, then shoots both pilots and steers the plane into the ground.
- December 8
Palestinian refugees
An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border, which has been cited as one of the events which sparked the First Intifada.
- December 8
Queen Street massacre
A man shot and killed eight people at the Australia Post building in Melbourne, before jumping to his death.
- December 8
Cold War
Cold War: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the White House.
- December 8
Arab–Israeli conflict
Arab–Israeli conflict: An Israeli army tank transporter killed four Palestinian refugees and injured seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border, sparking the First Intifada.
- December 9
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Israeli–Palestinian conflict: The First Intifada begins in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
- December 11
Clifton Geathers
Clifton Geathers, American football player
- December 11
Miranda Tapsell
Miranda Tapsell, Australian actress
- December 11
Alex Russell (actor)
Alex Russell, Australian actor
- December 11
Violetta Bock
Violetta Bock, German politician
- December 13
James Holmes (mass murderer)
James Holmes, American mass murderer
- December 20
MV Doña Paz
In the worst peacetime sea disaster, the passenger ferry Doña Paz sinks after colliding with the oil tanker MT Vector in the Tablas Strait of the Philippines, killing an estimated 4,000 people (1,749 official).
- December 20
List of maritime disasters
The deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history occurred when the MV Doña Paz (pictured) sank after colliding with an oil tanker in the Tablas Strait in the Philippines, resulting in an estimated 4,385 deaths.
- December 20
Malcolm Jenkins
Malcolm Jenkins, American football player
- December 21
Khris Davis
Khris Davis, American baseball player
- December 22
Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, the political parties ZANU and ZAPU reach an agreement that ends the violence in the Matabeleland region known as the Gukurahundi.
- December 23
Owen Franks
Owen Franks, New Zealand rugby player
- December 23
Jori Lehterä
Jori Lehterä, Finnish ice hockey player
- December 23
Tommaso Bellazzini
Tommaso Bellazzini, Italian footballer
- December 25
Ceyhun Gülselam
Ceyhun Gülselam, Turkish footballer
- December 25
Demaryius Thomas
Demaryius Thomas, American football player (died 2021)
- December 26
Oskar Osala
Oskar Osala, Finnish ice hockey player
- December 28
Thomas Dekker (actor)
Thomas Dekker, American actor and musician
- December 30
Stella Sigcau
Stella Sigcau, Prime minister of the South African Bantustan of Transkei, is ousted from power in a bloodless military coup led by General Bantu Holomisa.
- December 30
Jakub Nakládal
Jakub Nakládal, Czech ice hockey player
Questions about 1987
What happened in 1987?
This site records 369 entries for 1987, including Varig Flight 797 on January 3. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1987?
39 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1987 turns 39 this year.
Which century is 1987 in?
1987 falls in the 20th century, in the 1980s.
Which generation was born in 1987?
Millennials (Generation Y) (1981–1996). Came of age around the year 2000 and the rise of the internet.
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