Time Capsule 1988: Revisiting 1988: A Year of Iconic Moments in Pop Culture and Personal Stories

A Look Back at 1988: A Year of Change and Pop Culture

1988 was one of those years that seemed packed with significant moments and cultural highlights. Let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the standout details.

Cost of Living 

Median yearly income (all families): $32,191 

Minimum wage (per hour): $3.35 

College tuition: $6,725* (*Average annual cost of tuition, room and board at a four-year institution) 

Median cost of a new home: $112,500 

Postage stamp: $0.25 Gas (1 gallon): $0.90 

Gold (1 oz.): $437 Coffee (11.5 oz. can): $1.49 

Post Grape Nuts (24 oz. box): $1.99 

Coca-Cola (6 12-oz. cans): $1.79 

Movie ticket: $4.11


Politics & Population: Ronald Reagan was the U.S. president, with George H.W. Bush as the vice president. The U.S. population was around 244.5 million, while the world population was estimated at 5.1 billion.


Pop Culture Highlights: 1988 saw some notable cultural moments. 

  • Wrigley Field in Chicago hosted its first night baseball game under the lights.
  • At just 17, Debbie Gibson became the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Foolish Beat." 
  • The League of Women Voters stopped supporting presidential debates, citing concerns about the debate format. 
  • An Aboriginal man planted a flag on the cliffs of Dover, claiming England for the Aborigines. 
  • In Rio de Janeiro, a popular monkey received over 400,000 votes in the mayoral election due to citizen dissatisfaction with politicians. 
  • Sadly, "Pistol" Pete Maravich passed away from a heart attack at age 40 after a 10-year NBA career.


Notable New Products: Some cool new products that hit the market in 1988 included:

  • Calvin Klein's Eternity for Men
  • Lunchables
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Figures


Major News Events: 

  • January 26th saw the opening of "The Phantom of the Opera," the longest-running Broadway musical ever.
  • On March 16th, former national security adviser John Poindexter and former National Security Council aide Oliver North were indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government. 
  • April 5th marked the hijacking of Kuwait Airways Flight 422 en route from Bangkok, Thailand, to Kuwait. 
  • NASA scientist James Hansen testified to the U.S. Senate on June 23rd, stating that man-made global warming had begun. 
  • The Iran-Iraq War ended on July 20th, with a million lives lost over nearly eight years. NASA resumed space shuttle flights with the space shuttle Discovery on September 29th, after grounding them post-Challenger disaster. 
  • A wildfire in Montana expanded into Yellowstone National Park on September 30th, burning nearly 800,000 acres. 
  • Finally, on November 2nd, the Morris worm, one of the first computer worms distributed via the internet, was launched from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The October 1988 to April 1989 TV season featured several top shows, including "The Cosby Show" (NBC), "Who's the Boss?" (ABC), "Roseanne" (ABC), "Murder, She Wrote" (CBS), "A Different World" (NBC), "Cheers" (NBC), "Empty Nest" (NBC), "60 Minutes" (CBS), "The Golden Girls" (NBC), and "Anything But Love" (ABC).

The 1989 Academy Awards honored films released in 1988. "Rain Man" won Best Picture, with Dustin Hoffman taking home Best Actor for his role in the film. Jodie Foster won Best Actress for her performance in "The Accused." Kevin Kline received Best Supporting Actor for "A Fish Called Wanda," and Geena Davis won Best Supporting Actress for "The Accidental Tourist." Barry Levinson was awarded Best Director for "Rain Man."

1988 saw the premieres of several iconic TV series. On January 19, "48 Hours" debuted on CBS. January 31 brought us "The Wonder Years" on ABC. February 7 marked the start of "America's Most Wanted" on FOX, which later moved to Lifetime. "In the Heat of the Night" premiered on NBC on March 6 before later transitioning to CBS. April 26 saw the debut of "China Beach" on ABC. In the fall, "Empty Nest" premiered on NBC on October 8, followed by "Roseanne" on ABC on October 18 and "Murphy Brown" on CBS on November 14.

Several beloved TV series also came to an end in 1988. "9 to 5" concluded on March 28 on ABC. "Magnum, P.I." and "Truth or Consequences" both aired their final episodes on May 1, with "Magnum, P.I." on CBS and "Truth or Consequences" in syndication. May 7 saw the end of "The Facts of Life" on NBC and "Spenser: For Hire" on ABC. "Max Headroom" wrapped up on May 12 on ABC, and "St. Elsewhere" concluded on May 25 on NBC.

Some of the most popular movies of 1988 included "Rain Man," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Coming to America," "Big," and "Die Hard."

In the world of sports, 1988 saw the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series, while the San Francisco 49ers claimed victory in Super Bowl XXIII (determined in January 1989). The Los Angeles Lakers were the NBA Champions, and Stefan Edberg and Steffi Graf won the Wimbledon singles titles. The Kansas Jayhawks were the NCAA Basketball Champions, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish took the NCAA Football Championship. Barry Sanders, running back for Oklahoma State, won the Heisman Trophy. Sandy Lyle won the PGA Masters Tournament, and Rick Mears took first place in the Indianapolis 500. Winning Colors was the Kentucky Derby Champion, and the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup.

Some of the top Billboard hits of 1988 included:

  • "Faith" by George Michael
  • "Need You Tonight" by INXS
  • "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison
  • "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley
  • "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses
  • "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston
  • "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle
  • "Could've Been" by Tiffany
  • "Hands to Heaven" by Breathe
  • "Roll With It" by Steve Winwood
  • "One More Try" by George Michael
  • "Wishing Well" by Terence Trent D'Arby

In the world of books, 1988 brought us popular titles like "The Cardinal of the Kremlin" by Tom Clancy, "The Sands of Time" by Sidney Sheldon, "Zoya" by Danielle Steel, "Alaska" by James A. Michener, "The Queen of the Damned" by Anne Rice, and "One" by Richard Bach.

When it comes to toys, kids were all about the Barbie TV Game Show Set, Airless Hockey, Cricket Doll, Power Wheels Fire Truck, Gerry Giraffe Rocker, Transformers Optimus Prime, Playskool Kitchen, and the Tastybake Oven.

Popular vehicles in 1988 included the Ford F-Series pickup, Honda Accord, Ford Mustang 5.0, Chevy C-K Series pickup, Ford Escort, and Chevy Corsica.

1988 was also a year marked by the loss of many notable individuals. We said goodbye to:

  • Basketball legend Pete Maravich (born June 22, 1947) on January 5
  • Pappy Boyington (born January 4, 1912) on January 11
  • Child actress Heather O'Rourke (born December 27, 1975) on February 1
  • Richard Feynman (born May 11, 1918) passed away on February 15
  • Performer Divine (born October 19, 1945) on March 7
  • Musician Andy Gibb (born March 5, 1958) died on March 10
  • Author Robert A. Heinlein (born July 7, 1907) passed on May 8
  • Jazz musician Chet Baker (born December 23, 1929) died on May 13
  • Author Louis L'Amour (born March 22, 1908) passed away on June 10
  • Writer Raymond Carver (born May 25, 1938) died on August 2
  • Actor Ralph Meeker (born November 21, 1920) on August 5
  • Cartoonist Charles Addams (born January 7, 1912) passed on September 29
  • Actor John Houseman (born September 22, 1902) on October 31
  • Finally, we lost music legend Roy Orbison (born April 23, 1936) on December 6

In terms of what's on the newsstands: 

  • TIME Magazine's July 4, 1988 issue focused on the Midwest suffering through its worst drought in 50 years, raising concerns about global warming. 
  • People Magazine's September 12, 1988 issue crowned John F. Kennedy Jr. as the Sexiest Man Alive. 
  • Vanity Fair Magazine's June 1988 issue highlighted the success of the TV series "Moonlighting" and Cybill Shepherd's return to the movies.
  • MAD Magazine's March 1988 issue featured a Michael Jackson parody titled "Bad."


1988 was also the birth year for several notable individuals:

  • Skrillex (January 15)
  • Charlie Barnett (February 4)
  • Clayton Kershaw (March 19)
  • Colton Haynes (July 13)
  • Zosia Mamet (February 2) 
  • Stephen Curry (March 14) 
  • Alicia Sixtos (May 27)
  • Julianne Hough (July 20)
  • Rumer Willis (August 16)
  • Jeremy Lin (August 23)
  • Alexa PenaVega (August 27)
  • Katrina Bowden (September 19)
  • Kevin Durant (September 29)
  • Glen Powell (October 21)
  • Emma Stone (November 6)
  • Zoë Kravitz (December 1)
  • Vanessa Hudgens (December 14)
A Look Back at 1988: A Personal Reflection of 1988 (This will get dark)

As I looked over many of the facts from this time capsule, it jogged my memory of a lot of personal things going on within that year. So I thought I might expand that time capsule and throw my memories and a little bit of my personal story of the year into the universe just because.
1988 was one of those years when so much happened in my already short life. My sister was a senior in high school, and I was a 7th grader at Pace Middle School. I encountered my first bully situation due to my status as an LGBT person, although I hadn’t a clue at the time that I was different from the other kids. From that bullying experience, I met my friend TK, who helped me work through some of the frustration. I struggled to play the clarinet in second year band—an instrument I hadn't chosen myself, but rather what the band director, Mr. Riggs, convinced my parents I should play.
1988 was also the year that I fell in love with the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and professional wrestling. Though I loved listening to all of the Madonna tapes released up until that point, I was also hooked on albums like Whitney Houston's "Whitney," George Michael's "Faith," and every song by Debbie Gibson that played on the radio. My weekends often involved visits to the Skateland Skating Rink in Milton, Florida, where my dad would take me. Roller skating to tunes by Trinere, Debbie Deb, and Exposé became a mental release for me.
I experienced a significant shift in my life when the person who had been causing me harm, who lived just a few doors down, began to leave me alone. This change brought a sense of relief, though it also left me with lingering concerns about what might have happened next. It was a secret I carried with me until my 40s, when I finally felt ready to share my story.
That same year, I transitioned from Webelos to Boy Scouts, hoping for a fresh start. Unfortunately, the following year at Boy Scout camp, I faced another traumatic experience. Despite these challenges, I kept these painful memories to myself for many years, only finding the strength to open up about them later in life.
1988 was also the year that I came home from school one day to find my English Springer Spaniel, Pickles, gone. I was told that she was too aggressive towards the neighbor kid, Will McKenzie, who kept putting his hands through the fence. That wasn't her nature at all; Will was just taunting her. No matter how much I tried to convince my parents that I had seen Will tease Pickles countless times, sometimes even getting their collie and Pickles to fight for food through the fence, they wouldn't change their minds. Pickles had been given to me in the first grade after my dad had used his rifle to put my beagle, Chip, to rest due to an unfortunate rattlesnake bite in our yard. I was heartbroken. Just before Christmas, my dad took mercy upon me and let me pick out a puppy from a litter being sold at Bonnie’s Pet Grooming in Pace, Florida. I chose a black and white Cocker Spaniel with the same sort of markings as Pickles. I named her Peaches.

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