On this day

February 2, 1989

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

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Headlines from February 2, 1989

Avoiding Heat On Pay Increase

By Unknown Author

LEAD: The current dispute jover a pay raise for members of Congress is only the latest example of Washington's reliance on extra-constitutional mechanisms to protect elected officials from disapproving constituents. Scholars call it ''blame avoidance.''

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Chrysler And Hyundai Plan Venture

By Doron P. Levin, Special To the New York Times

LEAD: The Chrysler Corporation and the Hyundai Motor Company of South Korea have reached a preliminary agreement under which Chrysler's 1,400 Jeep-Eagle dealers will begin selling a version of Hyundai's compact car, the Sonata, in 1991.

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BUSH BACKS PLAN TO ENHANCE ROLE OF SECURITY STAFF

By Bernard Weinraub, Special To the New York Times

LEAD: President Bush has approved a revamping of the foreign policy machinery under which the White House national security adviser and his staff will be at the center of decision making, Administration officials said today.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of February 1, 1989, covering February 2, 1989.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Don't Be Cruel by Bobby Brown

    Don't Be Cruel

    Bobby Brown

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    29
  2. 2
    Album cover for Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses

    Appetite For Destruction

    Guns N' Roses

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    76
  3. 3
    Album cover for Traveling Wilburys by Traveling Wilburys

    Traveling Wilburys

    Traveling Wilburys

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    13
  4. 4
    Album cover for Open Up And Say...Ahh! by Poison

    Open Up And Say...Ahh!

    Poison

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    38
  5. 5
    Album cover for G N' R Lies by Guns N' Roses

    G N' R Lies

    Guns N' Roses

    Last week
    7
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    8

Notable Births

Harrison Smith

1989Harrison Smith, American football player[†]

Harrison Smith is an American professional football safety for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft with the 29th overall pick.

Southside (record producer)

1989Southside, American record producer[†]

Joshua Howard Luellen, known professionally as Southside, is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter. Based in Atlanta, he is recognized in the music industry for his aggressive, trap-infused production work for prominent hip hop artists. After meeting hometown rapper Waka Flocka Flame, Luellen signed with his record label Brick Squad Monopoly—an imprint of Gucci Mane's 1017 Records—as in-house talent in 2010. Luellen and labelmate, fellow producer Lex Luger established the production team 808 Mafia that same year; it was credited on several commercially successful releases throughout the remaining decade.

Notable Deaths

Ondrej Nepela

1989Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (born 1951)[†]

Ondrej Nepela was a Slovak figure skater who represented Czechoslovakia. He was the 1972 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion (1971–1973), and a five-time European champion (1969–1973). Later in his career, he performed professionally and became a coach.

Arnold Nordmeyer

1989Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (born 1901)[†]

Sir Arnold Henry Nordmeyer was a New Zealand politician and Presbyterian minister. As a member of Parliament (MP) he played a crucial role in the Labour Party, serving from 1935 to 1969. He served as minister of finance (1957–1960) and later as leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition (1963–1965). Although he was a prominent statesman, Nordmeyer never ascended to the role of prime minister.

Historical Events

Soviet–Afghan War

1989Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.[†]

The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Afghan military fight against the rebelling Afghan mujahideen, aided by Pakistan. While they were backed by various countries and organizations, the majority of the mujahideen's support came from Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Iran, and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, in addition to a large influx of foreign fighters known as the Afghan Arabs. American and British involvement on the side of the mujahideen escalated the Cold War, ending a short period of relaxed Soviet Union–United States relations. Combat took place throughout the 1980s, mostly in the Afghan countryside, as most of the country's cities remained under Soviet control. The conflict resulted in the deaths of one to three million Afghans, while millions more fled from the country as refugees; most externally displaced Afghans sought refuge in Pakistan and in Iran. Between 6.5 and 11.5% of Afghanistan's erstwhile population of 13.5 million people is estimated to have been killed over the course of the Soviet–Afghan War. The decade-long confrontation between the mujahideen and the Soviet and Afghan militaries inflicted grave destruction throughout Afghanistan and has also been cited by scholars as a significant factor that contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991; it is for this reason that the conflict is sometimes referred to as "the Soviet Union's Vietnam" in retrospective analyses.

Historical Context for February 2, 1989

In 1989, the world population was approximately 5,234,431,732 people[†]