On this day

December 11, 1988

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

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Headlines from December 11, 1988

C.I.A. Chief Finds Gorbachev A Mixed Blessing for Agency

By Stephen Engelberg, Special To the New York Times

LEAD: William H. Webster, the Director of Central Intelligence, says that Mikhail S. Gorbachev poses a challenging paradox for the thousands of officials who collect and analyze information on the Soviet Union, traditionally viewed as the most difficult target in the espionage business, The Soviet leader's policies of openness have given the Central Intelligence Agency unparalleled opportunities to gather intelligence by both open and clandestine means.

National Desk1260 words

Sideline Sympathy

By Unknown Author

LEAD: When Frank Layden walked away from his coaching job with the Utah Jazz on Friday, no one understood his decision more than the people who walk the same sideline, game after fretful game.

Sports Desk309 words

POSTING: Town Houses on the Block; Ossining Auction

By Thomas L. Waite

LEAD: The bicycle race did not quite work out for Kathy Americo and her husband, Sal. Oh, it was smashing success for Ossining and a grand celebration of the village's 175th anniversary that drew 75 racers on a hot July afternoon. But the Americos's prize offers of discounts on two of the 82 Liberty Knoll town houses - 70 built, the rest under construction or planned - were ignored by the winners.

Real Estate Desk353 words

American Relief Planes Sent

By Unknown Author

LEAD: Three planes left with supplies for Armenia in the first American Government relief effort accepted by Moscow since the 1940's. Page 16.

Foreign Desk44 words

'I CAN'T STAND YOUR BOOKS': A WRITER GOES HOME

By Mary Gordon

LEAD: A friend of mine who is intensely interested in the fulfillment of immigrant fantasies recently asked me if my family was proud of me. I was able to say with perfect frankness that they were not, that, except for my mother, one cousin and one aunt, they considered me an embarrassment or a lost soul.

Book Review Desk3518 words

Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of December 7, 1988, covering December 11, 1988.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Rattle And Hum (Soundtrack) by U2

    Rattle And Hum (Soundtrack)

    U2

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    7
  2. 2
    Album cover for Giving You The Best That I Got by Anita Baker

    Giving You The Best That I Got

    Anita Baker

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    6
  3. 3
    Album cover for Cocktail by Soundtrack

    Cocktail

    Soundtrack

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    18
  4. 4
    Album cover for Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses

    Appetite For Destruction

    Guns N' Roses

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    68
  5. 5
    Album cover for New Jersey by Bon Jovi

    New Jersey

    Bon Jovi

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    10

Notable Births

Tim Southee

1988Tim Southee, New Zealand cricketer[โ€ ]

Timothy Grant Southee, is a former New Zealand international cricketer who has captained New Zealand cricket team in all formats of the game. He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and a hard-hitting lower order batsman. The third New Zealand bowler to take 300 Test wickets, he was one of the country's youngest cricketers, debuting at the age of 19 in February 2008. On his Test debut against England he took 5 wickets and made 77 off 40 balls in the second innings. He plays for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy and Super Smash as well as Northland in the Hawke Cup. He was named as New Zealand's captain for the first T20I against West Indies in place of Kane Williamson, who was rested for that game. The Blackcaps won that match by 47 runs. Southee was a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2019โ€“2021 ICC World Test Championship. Southee's Test batting strike rate of 82.68 is the third highest among batsmen with a minimum of 2000 careeer runs. He was also a part of the New Zealand squads to finish as runners-up in two Cricket World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019.

Historical Events

Soviet Air Forces

1988A Soviet Air Force Il-76 aircraft crashes while participating in the Armenian earthquake relief, killing 78 people.[โ€ ]

The Soviet Air Forces were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces were formed from components of the Imperial Russian Air Service in 1917, and faced their greatest test during World War II. The groups were also involved in the Korean War, and dissolved along with the Soviet Union itself in 1991โ€“92. Former Soviet Air Forces' assets were subsequently divided into several air forces of former Soviet republics, including the new Russian Air Force. The "March of the Pilots" was its marching song.

Historical Context for December 11, 1988

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