On this day

May 9, 1987

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from May 9, 1987

HART DROPS RACE FOR WHITE HOUSE IN A DEFIANT MOOD

By Robin Toner, Special To the New York Times

LEAD: Gary Hart, saying he was ''angry and defiant'' but finally overwhelmed by controversy, withdrew from the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination today, ending a four-year drive for the White House just five days after a public storm began over his private life.

National Desk1417 words
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KOCH SEEKS TO END TWO ENERGY TAXES

By Alan Finder

LEAD: Mayor Koch announced plans yesterday to eliminate two business taxes on energy use in an effort to make the cost of doing business in New York City more competitive with New Jersey and other states.

Metropolitan Desk890 words
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U.S. WALKS FINE LINE ON MIDEAST PLAN

By David K. Shipler, Special To the New York Times

LEAD: The Reagan Administration, eager for Middle East peace talks but wary of being drawn into Israeli domestic politics, has been put in an awkward position by Shimon Peres's determination to bring down the Government over the issue of an international conference.

Foreign Desk973 words
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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of May 6, 1987, covering May 9, 1987.

  1. 1
    Album cover for The Joshua Tree by U2

    The Joshua Tree

    U2

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    6
  2. 2
    Album cover for Licensed To Ill by Beastie Boys

    Licensed To Ill

    Beastie Boys

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    24
  3. 3
    Album cover for Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi

    Slippery When Wet

    Bon Jovi

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    35
  4. 4
    Album cover for Look What The Cat Dragged In by Poison

    Look What The Cat Dragged In

    Poison

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    41
  5. 5
    Album cover for Graceland by Paul Simon

    Graceland

    Paul Simon

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    35

Notable Births

Kevin Gameiro

1987Kevin Gameiro, French footballer[†]

Kevin Dominique Gameiro is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was a strong striker known for his clinical finishing, which compensated for his relatively light frame.

Notable Deaths

Obafemi Awolowo

1987Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (born 1909)[†]

Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo was a Nigerian politician who served as the first Premier of the Western region of Nigeria. He was known as one of the key figure towards Nigeria's independence movement from 1957 to 1960. Awolowo founded the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe Omo Oduduwa as well as the Premier of the Western Region under Nigeria's parliamentary system from 1952 to 1959. He was the official opposition leader in the federal parliament to the Balewa government from 1959 to 1963.

Historical Events

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055

1987LOT Flight 5055 Tadeusz Kościuszko crashes after takeoff in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board.[†]

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Warsaw to New York City. In the late-morning hours of 9 May 1987, the Ilyushin Il-62M operating the flight crashed in the Kabaty Woods nature reserve on the outskirts of Warsaw around 56 minutes after departure. All 183 passengers and crew on board were killed in the crash, making it the deadliest accident involving an Ilyushin Il-62, and the deadliest aviation disaster in Polish history.

Historical Context for May 9, 1987

In 1987, the world population was approximately 5,049,746,397 people[†]