On this day
Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
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LEAD: When the talk turns to songs and litling tunes that set the toes to tapping, it's time to remember the composer who set the standard by which standards are judged. The songwriter Rupert Holmes pays homage to Irving Berlin and his incomparable influence on his profession. Page 14.
LEAD: THERE were lines out the door in Manhattan, as poor souls from the outlying boroughs, deprived of cable television, tried to cram into bars and restaurants, where dual screens carried the defeats of the Knicks and the Devils.
LEAD: No one claims to have seen Michael Jordan walk on water, though some basketball fans are convinced he could if he put his mind to it. Many, however, believe they have actually seen Michael Jordan walk on air. Often. In a number of cities in America. With his size-13 sneakers. This they would testify to in a court of law.
LEAD: The advertisements these days are proclaiming it ''the most honored film in 25 years,'' and indeed, Bernardo Bertolucci's new movie, ''The Last Emperor,'' which won nine Oscars at last month's Academy Awards ceremonies, does dazzle the eye. The film, in telling the life story of Henry Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, the last, quivering twig on the Manchu Dynasty's venerable tree, is distinguished by its gorgeous re-creation of the lacquered, ceremonious interior of the Forbidden City, where Pu Yi was virtually imprisoned for 12 years after the tottering dynasty crumbled into nothingness in 1912.
Music on My Birthday
The Top 50 albums for the chart week of May 4, 1988, covering May 8, 1988.
Soundtrack
George Michael
Soundtrack
Terence Trent D'Arby
Michael Jackson
1988Trisha Paytas, American media personality[†]
Trisha Paytas is an American media personality. Her content consists of a wide variety of genres including lifestyle-oriented vlogs, music videos, and mukbangs. As of July 2022, she has accumulated roughly 5 million subscribers and almost 1 billion lifetime views on YouTube.
1988Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (born 1907)[†]
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His plots often posed provocative situations which challenged conventional social mores. His work continues to have an influence on the science-fiction genre, and on modern culture more generally.
1988A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history".[†]
Illinois Bell Telephone Company, LLC is the Bell Operating Company serving Illinois. It is owned by AT&T through AT&T Teleholdings, formerly Ameritech.
In 1988, the world population was approximately 5,141,992,542 people[†]