On this day

January 18, 1988

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

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Headlines from January 18, 1988

High Stakes In Nicaragua

By James Lemoyne, Special To the New York Times

LEAD: The Nicaraguan Government's last-minute offer Saturday to suspend its state of emergency and begin direct talks with the rebels opens a volatile period of political maneuvering, with high stakes that could determine the future course of not only the Sandinista revolution but also of Central America.

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VIKINGS LOSE BY 17-10 AS DRIVE STALLS

By Frank Litsky, Special To the New York Times

LEAD: The Redskins won the National Conference championship and a berth in the Super Bowl today, though they made it harder than it should have been. But in the last quarter, they stopped the Minnesota Vikings once on the 1-foot line and, with 52 seconds to go, stopped them near the end zone again to save a 17-10 victory.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of January 13, 1988, covering January 18, 1988.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Faith by George Michael

    Faith

    George Michael

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    9
  2. 2
    Album cover for Dirty Dancing by Soundtrack

    Dirty Dancing

    Soundtrack

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    18
  3. 3
    Album cover for Tiffany by Tiffany

    Tiffany

    Tiffany

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    17
  4. 4
    Album cover for Bad by Michael Jackson

    Bad

    Michael Jackson

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    17
  5. 5
    Album cover for Whitesnake by Whitesnake

    Whitesnake

    Whitesnake

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    40

Notable Births

Ronnie Day

1988Ronnie Day, American singer-songwriter[†]

Ronnie Day is an American songwriter from Redwood City, California.

Angelique Kerber

1988Angelique Kerber, German tennis player[†]

Angelique Kerber is a German former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 34 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 in 2016. Kerber won 14 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including three majors at the 2016 Australian Open, the 2016 US Open, and the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. She also won a silver medal in women's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

1988Anastasios Kissas, Greek footballer[†]

Anastasios Kissas is a Cypriot international footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Olympiakos Nicosia.

Ashleigh Murray

1988Ashleigh Murray, American actress and singer[†]

Ashleigh Murray is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her breakthrough role as Josie McCoy, the lead singer of the fictional band Josie and the Pussycats, on The CW television series Riverdale, which she starred in from 2017 to 2019. Murray reprised her role as Josie McCoy in the Riverdale spin-off series Katy Keene (2020) and returned to Riverdale as a guest star in 2021 and 2023. Murray has also starred in the films Deidra & Laney Rob a Train (2017) and Valley Girl (2020), as well as the television series Tom Swift (2022) and The Other Black Girl (2023).

Boy van Poppel

1988Boy van Poppel, Dutch cyclist[†]

Boy van Poppel is a Dutch former road racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2006 to 2024. He is the son of former cyclists Jean-Paul van Poppel and Leontine van der Lienden.

Historical Events

China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146

1988China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146 crashes near Chongqing Baishiyi Airport, killing all 98 passengers and 10 crew members.[†]

China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146 was a domestic flight from Beijing Capital International Airport to Chongqing Baishiyi Airport. On 18 January 1988, an Ilyushin Il-18 flying the route crashed near Longfengxinmin Village, Chongqing, China, with the loss of all 108 passengers and crew. The crash was caused by poor maintenance.

Historical Context for January 18, 1988

In 1988, the world population was approximately 5,141,992,542 people[†]