1989-1990 Facts & History

[NerdiestKen]

Washington, D.C. Mayor Indicted - February 1990
Mayor Marion Barry Jr. of Washington, D.C., who had been arrested in January, was indicted, February 15, by a federal grand jury on 5 counts of cocaine possession and 3 counts of perjury. The perjury counts related to testimony he had given to a grand jury in January 1989. Barry, meanwhile, had entered an alcohol treatment program in Florida. He had denied having a drug problem, and called the indictments "a continuation of the political lynching and excess of the Justice Department."

[NerdiestKen]

Communist Leader of Romania Re-Elected - November 1989
Seemingly unaffected by turmoil elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the Romanian Communist Party opened its 14th Congress in Bucharest. November 20. In a 5-hour keynote address, Pres. Nicolae Ceausescu proclaimed the party to be the "vital center" of life in Romania. Ceausescu, who had been in power since 1965, was unanimously re-elected party secretary, November 24.

[NerdiestKen]

Pinochet Era Ending in Chile - December 1989
On December 14, Chile held its first presidential election since 1970. The result was a victory for the opposition leader Patricio Aylwin, who received 55 percent percent of the vote. A more conservative candidate, Hernan Buchi, got 29 percent of the vote. Buchi, a former finance minister under Gen. Augusto Pinochet, was handicapped by his identification with Pinochet's authoritarian rule. Pinochet had come to power in a bloody coup in 1973, and election results appeared to signal the end of his domination of the country, although he would remain chief of the armed forces.

[NerdiestKen]

South Africa Frees Mandela - February 1990
South African Pres. F.W. de Klerk, February 2, that black nationalist leader Nelson Mandela, who had been in prison for treason for 27 years, would soon be freed. In a surprising speech, de Klerk also said his government was lifting its ban on the African National Congress, the principal black organization opposing white minority rule. He also announced legislation of the South african Communist Party and the Pan-African Congress, and the lifting the restrictions on 33 groups and 374 individuals. He said news censorship would end, executions would be suspended, nonviolent political prisoners would be freed, and power-sharing talks with black leaders were on the horizon. Mandela, 71, was released from prison, February 11. His release was hailed around the world. In his first speech, in Cape Town, February 11, he urged that the pressure to be kept on the white government until the apartheid system of racial segregation was destroyed. More than 100,000 people welcomed him home to Soweto, February 13. Up to 20,000 conservative whites protested in Pretoria, February 15, against the legalization of ANC and the freeing of Mandela. In his first trip outside of South Africa since being released, Mandela went to Zambia, February 27, to meet with ANC leaders. He was greeted by official delegations from many countries. Meeting with Pres. George bush in Washington, D.C., February 28, Zulu Chief Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi called on the president to lift economic sanctions against South Africa.

[NerdiestKen]

Tornado Kills 27 in Illinois - August 1990
Without warning from the National Weather Service, which was taken by surprise, a tornado, August 28, cut a 700-foot-wide swath across towns and cornfields 35 miles southwest of Chicago. Following an 8-mile course through Plainfield, Crest Hill, and Joliet, the tornado killed 27 persons and injured more than 350. Fifty houses and 500 apartments were destroyed. Some victims died when the tornado's vacuum lifted them into the sky and dropped them into nearby fields.

[NerdiestKen]

Lithuania Looks Toward Independence - December 1989
The Baltic republic of Lithuania gave strong signals of its eagerness to break free from the Soviet Union. The Lithuanian parliament voted overwhelmingly, December 7, to adopt a multiparty political system, the first time any republic in the USSR had taken such a step. The vote was to remove Article 6 of the republic's constitution guaranteeing the Communist Party a monopoly on power. At the federal level, at the opening of the Congress of People's Deputies, December 12, in Moscow, Pres. Mikhail Gorbachev averted a similar effort to debate the leading role of the party in the Soviet Union. Among those opposing gorbachev and calling for a debate was Andrei Sakharov, the nuclear physicist and political dissident. Sakharov, an admired figure around the world for his efforts in behalf of human rights and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, died, December 14. In another unprecedented move, the Lithuanian Communist Party declared itself independent of the national party, December 20. The party further asserted that its goal was creation of an "independent democratic Lithuanian state." Gorbachev, December 26, called this action "illegitimate" and ruled out secession by any of the nation's 15 republics.

[NerdiestKen]

Hungary Proclaimed a Free Republic - October 1989
The Hungarian National Assembly amended the constitution, October 18, to prepare for multiparty free elections in 1990 when a new constitution would be drafted. The Assembly ended the ruling party's monopoly on power, removed references to the "leading role" for the Communists, and rename the country the Republic of Hungary, without reference to a "People's Republic." Acting Pres. Matyas Szuros, October 23, proclaimed Hungary a free republic. The Assembly voted, October 31, to conduct a national referendum on how to choose a president.

[NerdiestKen]

U.S. to Return Iranian Assets - November 1989
It was announced, November 6, that the U.S. would unfreeze $567M in Iranian assets that had been held since 1979. Pres. Bush said, November 7, that he hoped Iran would use its influence to help free U.S. hostages in the Middle East. An Iranian newspaper said, November 9, that the unfreezing of assets was an insufficient gesture of U.S. good will.

[NerdiestKen]

Dow Jones Average to 3,000 Level - July 1990
The Dow Jones industrial average pushed to an all-time high on Wall Street even though most new economic data were not too encouraging. The Labor Dept. reported July 6, that the unemployment rate had edged downward to 5.2 percent in May, but added that few new jobs had been created and that the labor force was increasing only slowly. The department said, July 13, that producer prices had risen 0.2 percent in June. On 2 consecutive days, July 16 and 17, the Dow Jones average closed at the identical figure of 2,999.75, an all-time high. On both days, the average was above 3,000 during the course of the day. Thereafter, the average began to decline. The Commerce Dept. reported, July 17, that the U.S. merchandise trade deficit had widened to $7.73B in May. The Labor Dept. said, July 18, that comsumer prices had jumped 0.5 percent in June. The Commerce Dept. reported, July 27, that the gross national product had slowed to a 1.2 percent annual growth rate during the 2nd quarter of 1990, a signal to some economists that the country was moving toward recession.

[NerdiestKen]

Romanian Leader Overthrown, Executed - December 1989
Pres. Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania was overthrown in a popular uprising, and he and his wife Elena were executed. As first secretary of the Communist Party since 1965, Nicolae Ceausescu had ruled Romania for nearly quarter century. For months, Romania had appeared untouched by the political unrest sweeping other Communist nations in Eastern Europe. Then, on December 15, in Timisoara, in Transylvania, a crowd formed to to protest the arrest and deportation of a Protestant minister who had been advocating the rights of ethnic Hungarians who lived in the region. The protest evolved into a pro-democracy demonstration, December 16, and Army and Securitate (internal-security) troops moved in. A large number of citizens were shot to death, December 17, during a demonstration. Protests spread to 2 other cities, December 19. Ceausescu returned from an official visit to Iran, December 20, denounced the demonstrators, and then addressed a rally in Bucharest, December 21. He was jeered by many in the crowd, an unprecedented event considering how tightly he held power. Securitate troops, known for their fierce loyalty to Ceausescu, fired on the crowd, drove them elsewhere, and eventually killed up to 40. On December 22, as up to 150,000 persons massed to defy Securitate forces, it was reported that the defense minister had committed suicide, though it was later determined that he had been shot for refusing to order the army to fire on the demonstrators. Military units joined the rebels. Pres. Ceausescu and Elena, his chief deputy in the government, fled the capital by helicopter. They landed and seized a car, but were in turn captured by insurgents near Tirgoviste. On December 25, after a brief trial by a military tribunal on charges of genocide, abuse of power, and theft, they were both shot at an undisclosed location. Meanwhile, on December 22, a coalition of former Communist officials, military officers, students, and others formed a National Salvation Front to run the country. On December 26, Ion Iliescu, a former party official, was named interim president. By the end of the month, the rebels were in control, but only after bloody fighting. Reports of the number of people killed in the 2 weeks of upheaval varied widely, but ran as high as tens of thousands.

[NerdiestKen]

Van Gogh Painting Sells for $82.5M - May 1990
A record price for a painting sold at auction was set, May 15, at Christie's auction house in New York City. Vincent Van Gogh's "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" was sold for $82.5M (including Christie's commission) to a Japanese businessman, Ryoei Saito. On May 17, at Sotheby's in New York City, Saito was the successful bidder for Pierre Auguste Renoir's "Au Moulin de la Galette." The total cost of that transaction, $78.1M, was the second highest for any painting.

[NerdiestKen]

New Lebanese President Killed - November 1989
René Moawad, a moderate Christian who enjoyed the support of Syria, was elected president of Lebanon, November 5, but he was assassinated 17 days later. When electing Moawad, the Lebanese parliament also approved a plan supported by the Arab League to end Lebanon's civil war. The plan called for balancing of political offices among the religious factions and would require militias to disband and Syrian troops to withdraw within 2 years. Gen. Michel Aoun, the Christian army commander, rejected the plan because Syrian troops would not leave at once. Moawad was assassinated, November 22, when a bomb exploded along the route of his motorcade. It killed 23 other people. Parliament, November 24, elected as president Elias Hrawi, like Moawad a moderate Maronite Catholic friendly to Syria.

[NerdiestKen]

Tuna Canners Act to Protect Dolphins - April 1990
Three companies announced, April 12, that they would no longer buy tuna that had been caught in nets that also trapped dolphins. H.J. Heinz Company, Van Camp Seafood Company, and Bumble Bee Seafoods Inc., which produced 70 percent of the canned tuna fish sold in the United States, acted in response to protests from environmentalists. Tuna fisherman often used huge nets to capture tuna, and from 80,000 to 100,000 dolphins also perished each year when caught in the nets.

[NerdiestKen]

Juries Decide Obscenity Cases - October 1990
A jury in Broward County Court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., October 3, found a record store owner, Charles Freeman, guilty of obscenity charges. At issue was the sale of an album, As Nasty as They Wanna Be, by the rap group 2 Live Crew. The lyrics contained many references to sexual intercourse and oral and anal sex, as well as unflattering references to woman. On October 5, in Cincinnati, a jury found Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center and its director, Dennis Barrie, not guilty of obscenity charges. The museum had exhibited 175 photographs by the late Robert Mapplethorphe. Five of these depicted sadomasochistic or homoerotic acts, and 2 others showed children with exposed genitals. The jury and hence did not meet the Supreme Court's definition of obscenity. Another jury in Fort Lauderdale concluded on October 20, that the music of 2 Live Crew was art and found members of the band not guilty of obscenity charges filed after they performed at a nightclub in June.

[NerdiestKen]

USSR Moves Toward Economic Reform - September 1990
The Soviet Union appeared to be well on its way toward embracing radical economic reform. The economic crisis was underscored, September 3, when bread virtually disappeared from the shelves of food stores in Moscow. On September 5, the government newspaper Izvestia plublished details of a plan which aides to Pres. Mikhail Gorbachev and Russian Pres. Boris Yeltsin had been working. What had emerged was the "Shatalin plan," named for Stanislav Shatalin, an adviser to Gorbachev, and the plan was based on the 500-day plan already adopted by the Russian Republic. It would dismantle most central economic planning and stress private propety and economic freedom. On September 11, Premier Nikolai Ryzhkov addressed the Supreme Soviet, warning that the Shatalin plan, if implemented, would lead to high unemployment and a decline in the standard of living. But then, Gorbachev spoke and endorsed it. On September 14, he submitted a modified version of the plan to the Supreme Soviet that would retain central authority over financial matters. The parliament of Russia, September 19, called on Ryzhkov to resign. Gorbachev, September 21, asked the Supreme Soviet for sweeping new powers to govern during the transition to a market economy. Ryzhkov said, September 23, that the country faced a potato shortage because of a lack of success in collecting the harvest. The Supreme Soviet, September 24, granted Gorbachev emergency economic powers, and agreed to accept a compromise plan for the economy at Gorbachev's request, heading off a showdown between him and the premier. The details of the compromise were yet to be worked out.