Events from the year 1989 in the United Kingdom.
Incumbents
Events
- 8 January - the Kegworth air disaster: A British Midland Boeing 737 crashes onto the M1 motorway on the approach to East Midlands Airport killing 44 people.1
- 25 January - John Cleese wins libel case after the Daily Mirror described him as having become like his character Basil Fawlty in the sitcom Fawlty Towers.2
- 5 February - Sky Television begins broadcasting as the first satellite TV service in Britain.3
- 12 February - Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane is murdered by the Ulster Freedom Fighters.4
- 14 February - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran places a fatwa (order to kill) on author Salman Rushdie following the publication of his controversial book "The Satanic Verses", which has caused outrage among the Islamic community.5
- 20 February - IRA bomb the Tern Hill Barracks in Shropshire, injuring 50 soldiers of the Parachute Regiment.6
- 4 March - Purley rail crash: 2 trains collide at Purley, Surrey killing six people.7
- 7 March - Iran breaks off diplomatic relations with the UK over Salman Rushdie's controversial book The Satanic Verses.
- 20 March - Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Bob Buchanan of the Royal Ulster Constabulary are killed by the IRA.8
- 6 April - The government announces an end to the legislation which effectively guarantees secure work for more than 9,000 dockers over the remainder of their working lives.9
- 10 April - Nick Faldo becomes the first English winner of The Masters Tournament.2
- 14 April - Ford unveils the latest version of its small Fiesta hatchback, which is being built at the Dagenham plant in England and the Valencia plant in Spain.
- 15 April - 94 fans are killed in a crush during at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield during the FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest FC and Liverpool FC. Around 300 others have been taken to hospital.2
- 18 April - The Hillsborough disaster claims its 95th victim when 14-year-old Lee Nichol dies in hospital as a result of his injuries.
- 19 May - Walshaw Dean Lodge, West Yorkshire enters the UK Weather Records with the Highest 120-min total rainfall at 193 mm. As of July 2006 this record still stands. 10
- 24 May - Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, is awarded £600,000 in High Court damages against the satirical magazine Private Eye.11
- 19 July - The BBC programme Panorama accuses Shirley Porter, Conservative Leader of Westminster City Council, of gerrymandering.
- 25 July - The Princess of Wales opens the Landmark Aids Centre in London.12
- 1 August - Charlotte Hughes of Marske-by-the-Sea in Cleveland, believed to be the oldest living person in England, celebrates her 112th birthday.13
- 17 August - Introduction of electronic tagging to monitor and supervise crime suspects.2
- 18 August - Manchester United F.C. sold to property tycoon Michael Knighton for £20 million.(The deal collapsed after his financial backers backed out.)14
- 20 August - Marchioness disaster: A pleasure cruiser collides with a barge in the River Thames killing 30 people.15
- 22 September - Deal barracks bombing: The IRA bomb the Royal Marine School of Music in Deal, Kent killing 11 soldiers.16
- 26 September - Nigel Lawson resigns as Chancellor of the Exchequer; replaced by John Major, while Douglas Hurd becomes Foreign Secretary.3
- 2 October - three Anglican clergy, including Ian Paisley, cause a distrubance at a church service in Rome in protest at the Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie's suggestion that the Pope could become the spiritual leader of a united church.17
- 11 October - The newly-named Rover Group (Austin Rover until earlier this year) launches its new medium-sized hatchback, the 200 Series, which replaces the small four-door saloon of the same name, and gives buyers a more modern and upmarket alternative to the ongoing Maestro range.
- 19 October - The Guildford Four are released from prison after the High Court quashes their convictions for the 1975 terrorist atrocity.18
- 7 November - General Assembly of the Church of England votes to allow ordination of women.3
- 21 November - The House of Commons is televised live for the first time.3
- 5 December - Margaret Thatcher defeats Anthony Meyer in a leadership election for the Conservative Party.19
- 18 December - The Labour Party abandons its policy on closed shops.20
Undated
Publications
Births
Deaths
- 7 January - Frank Adams, mathematician (born 1930)
- 18 January - Bruce Chatwin, novelist and travel writer (born 1940)
- 27 January - Thomas Sopwith, aviation pioneer and yachtsman (born 1888)
- 6 March - Harry Andrews, actor (born 1911)
- 12 April - Gerald Flood, actor (born 1927)
- 19 April - Daphne du Maurier, novelist (born 1907)
- 19 May - C.L.R. James, writer and journalist (born 1901)
- 20 May - John Hicks, economist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1904)
- 27 June - Alfred Ayer, philosopher (born 1910)
- 11 July - Sir Laurence Olivier, acclaimed actor, director and producer (born 1907)
- 29 August - Peter Scott, ornithologist, conservationist and painter (born 1909)
- 4 October - Graham Chapman, comedian (born 1941)
- 5 December - John Pritchard, conductor (born 1921)
- 19 December - Stella Gibbons, novelist, journalist, poet and short-story writer (born 1902)
References
- ^ ""1989: Dozens die as plane crashes on motorway", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ a b c d (2006) Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. ISBN 0-141-02715-0.
- ^ a b c d Palmer, Alan & Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd, 456. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
- ^ ""1989: Belfast lawyer Finucane murdered", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Ayatollah sentences author to death",, BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: IRA bombs Tern Hill barracks", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Six die in Purley rail crash", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Senior RUC men die in gun attack", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Dockers' 'jobs for life' scrapped", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ "Extreme weather". Met Office. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
- ^ ""1989: Yorkshire Ripper's wife wins damages", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Diana opens Landmark Aids Centre", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Britain's oldest person turns 112", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Man U sold in record takeover deal", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Marchioness river crash 'kills 30'", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Ten dead in Kent barracks bomb", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Anglican anger over united church", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Guildford Four released after 15 years", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Thatcher beats off leadership rival", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ ""1989: Labour's union U-turn", BBC On This Day". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ a b (1999) The Hutchinson Factfinder. Helicon. ISBN 1-85986-000-1.
See also
|
1989 in the United Kingdom: 
England | 
Scotland