1987
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2 January 1987 Chadian troops attack Libyans in Fada, capture the town and kill several hundred of the defenders.
3 January 1987 Paean for winds and percussion by Jacob Druckman (58) is performed for the first time, in Jones Hall, Houston.
4 January 1987 The government of the Philippines and Moslem rebels sign an agreement in Jidda, Saudi Arabia to end 14 years of war.
5 January 1987 French dockworkers settle a new contract and go back to work after a 26-day strike.
6 January 1987 China and Portugal agree on the return of Macau to China in 1999.
Charter 77 marks its tenth anniversary by holding a press conference in a Prague apartment with ten foreign reporters. Jiri Hajek and Vaclav Havel are not allowed to leave their homes to attend the event.
Workers at Electricité de France begin job actions that cause blackouts in the country over the next four days.
The One Hundredth Congress of the United States convenes in Washington. The opposition Democratic Party controls both houses.
7 January 1987 In a meeting between US and Costa Rican officials, a peace plan from President Óscar Arias Sánchez of Costa Rica is outlined.
8 January 1987 Viktor Chebrikov, head of USSR state security, announces that KGB officials were involved in the arrest of a Soviet journalist on a false charge. This is an unprecedented event.
9 January 1987 Iranian forces open a new offensive against Iraq around Basra, simultaneously firing long range missiles into Baghdad. They make some headway at a cost of 50,000 Iranian and 20,000 Iraqi casualties.
The White House releases the text of President Reagan’s intelligence finding of 17 January 1986. It includes a cover memo written by Oliver North which clearly indicates that this is a deal to free hostages in Lebanon.
Silver Ladders for orchestra by Joan Tower (48) is performed for the first time, in Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis.
10 January 1987 French railway and electrical workers begin returning to work.
Over the next twelve days, press reports in the United States reveal that the CIA had a much larger role in organizing and training the Nicaraguan conservative rebels than previously reported.
Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman no.1 for brass and percussion by Joan Tower (48) is performed for the first time, in Jones Hall, Houston.
13 January 1987 French reporter Roger Auque is kidnapped in Beirut.
Symphony with Chaconne op.48 for orchestra by Alexander Goehr (54) is performed for the first time, in Free Trade Hall, Manchester.
14 January 1987 Shanghai writer and Marxist theorist Wang Ruowang is expelled from the Communist Party for ties to a pro-democracy demonstration.
Ernest Saunders, chairman and chief executive of Guinness PLC, is sacked by the board of directors. Guinness has been charged with artificially raising its share price to help its takeover bid of Distillers Co.
A grand left-right coalition between Austria’s two largest parties is formed to rule the country under Chancellor Franz Vranitzky.
15 January 1987 The government of Afghanistan announces a cease-fire in the civil war.
Various native Canadian groups agree on the partition of the Northwest Territories.
Formazioni for orchestra by Luciano Berio (61) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.
16 January 1987 The Chinese government announces that Hu Yaobang has resigned as General Secretary of the Communist Party and has been replaced by Zhao Ziyang. The announcement says that Hu admitted to “mistakes.”
President León Febres Cordero of Ecuador and 30 military staff members are seized in Guyaquil by air force troops and held for twelve hours until the President agrees to release an imprisoned air force general.
17 January 1987 Quintet for flute and strings by Isang Yun (69) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio France, originating in Paris.
Psalm I for soprano, oboe, and piano by Ralph Shapey (65) is performed for the first time, at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
18 January 1987 Rudolf Cordes, a West German businessman, is kidnapped by Shia Moslem terrorists in Beirut.
Oracle II for soprano, oboe, and piano by Richard Wernick (53) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.
20 January 1987 British hostage negotiator Terry Waite is last seen in Beirut. He is believed to be abducted.
US Vice-President George Bush announces that CIA station chief William Buckley was killed by his abductors in Beirut.
Concerto for violin and orchestra no.2 by Isang Yun (69) is performed completely for the first time, in Stuttgart. This sees the premiere of the third movement entitled Adagio und Finale. See 8 July 1983 and 30 March 1984.
Two chamber works by Peter Maxwell Davies (52) are performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London conducted by the composer: Dowland: Farewell-A Fancye for alto flute, bass clarinet, viola, cello, piano, and marimba, and Winterfold for mezzo-soprano, alto flute, bass clarinet, guitar, piano, viola, cello, and percussion to words of Brown. This is the farewell concert of The Fires of London, organized in May of 1967 as the Pierrot Players by Davies and Harrison Birtwistle (52).
21 January 1987 Alfred Schmidt, a West German businessman, is kidnapped by Shia Moslem terrorists in Beirut.
22 January 1987 Philippine troops fire on leftist demonstrators in Manila killing 18 and wounding 96.
23 January 1987 The US Department of Defense announces that the arms sale to the CIA was deliberately underpriced so that it came below the $14,000,000 which would have required that Congress be informed. The arms were sent by the CIA to Iran.
Handmade Proverbs--Four Pop Songs for six male voices by Toru Takemitsu (56) to words of Takiguchi (tr. Lyons) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo.
24 January 1987 Gunmen abduct one Indian and three American teachers from the American College in Beirut.
Reporter Liu Binyan is expelled from the Chinese Communist Party for exposing party corruption.
25 January 1987 The ruling West German coalition of Chancellor Helmut Kohl is returned to power in Bundestag elections, with a reduced majority. Kohl’s conservative CDU/CSU parties lose 21 seats and the opposition Social Democrats lose seven seats. Those gaining are the liberal Free Democrats, up 12 and Greens, up 15.
Petites Esquisses d’oiseaux for piano by Olivier Messiaen (78) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre de la Ville, Paris.
Concerto no.2 for violin and computer by John Melby (45) is performed for the first time, in Louisville, Kentucky.
26 January 1987 Petites Esquisses d’oiseaux for piano by Olivier Messiaen (78) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre de la Ville, Paris. Also premiered is Jalons for chamber ensemble by Iannis Xenakis (64), conducted by Pierre Boulez (61).
27 January 1987 Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev addresses the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He calls for major political reforms and criticizes the economic failures of Leonid Brezhnev. He calls for the election of party officials by secret ballot from multiple candidates. The Czechoslovak leadership refuses to print Gorbachev’s remarks.
28 January 1987 500 Philippine rebels attack six sites in Manila and take over a broadcasting complex.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union votes to adopt the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev, allowing multi-candidate party elections, bringing more women and young people into the party, and to allowing citizens to take party officials to court.
The United States government bars travel to Lebanon by its citizens and orders all Americans in Lebanon to leave within 30 days.
African National Congress leader Oliver Tambo meets with US Secretary of State George Shulz in Washington. It is the first such meeting between these officials.
Into Darkness for chamber ensemble by Kevin Volans (37) is performed for the first time, in Purcell Room, London.
29 January 1987 When the United States bars former President Ferdinand Marcos from flying to Manila, the coup leaders give up.
30 January 1987 Tattoo by Iannis Xenakis (64) and Tattoo for orchestra by David Del Tredici (49) are performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
31 January 1987 British police raid the offices of the BBC in Glasgow attempting to find the sources for a program on Great Britain’s first secret spy satellite, Zircon.
2 February 1987 Philippine voters approve a new constitution.
In a special debate in the House of Commons, the British government denies any involvement in the raids on the BBC.
CIA director William Casey resigns.
4 February 1987 Armando Fernández Larios, former agent for the US-backed Chilean dictatorship, admits to helping to cover up the 1977 Washington murder of former Ambassador Orlando Letelier and his associate Ronni Moffitt. He will be sentenced to a prison term from 27 months to seven years.
The US Congress overrides President Reagan’s veto of the Clean Water Act.
5 February 1987 The Soviet government announces that since the US conducted a nuclear test two days ago, their unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing is over.
The Canadian government announces that henceforth, women will be allowed to take on combat roles in the military.
6 February 1987 A Federal appeals court rules that the Labor Department must require farmers to provide toilets and drinking water to migrant workers.
8 February 1987 A 60-day cease-fire between the Philippine government and leftist rebels ends.
Two Impromptus for piano by Ulysses Kay (70) is performed for the first time, at the Weill Recital Hall, New York.
9 February 1987 Former US National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane is hospitalized after taking an overdose of tranquilizers in an apparent suicide attempt.
Impression for chamber orchestra by Isang Yun (69) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.
10 February 1987 The USSR pardons and frees 140 political prisoners.
11 February 1987 The East German government announces that it will not follow Soviet reforms.
A portrait of William Schuman (76) by Aaron Shikler is unveiled at the Juilliard School, where he served as president from 1945-1962.
12 February 1987 The Soviet news agency Tass announces that Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak will be published in the USSR next year.
Three Wall Street investment bankers are arrested for insider trading.
13 February 1987 A fourth Wall Street investment banker, who informed on the three arrested yesterday, pleads guilty to insider trading.
14 February 1987 Two works by Arnold Bax (†33) are heard for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Radio 3: Nympholept for piano composed in 1912, and In the Night for piano composed in 1914. The recording was made 17 September 1986.
15 February 1987 Moslem militias begin battling for control of West Beirut.
Ce-A-Ge-E for piano and harmonizer by Mauricio Kagel (55) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR 3 by the composer.
Acrostic Song for soprano and ten instruments by David Del Tredici (49), to words of Carroll, is performed for the first time, in St. Clemens Church, New York.
16 February 1987 The West German Flick scandal ends in a Bonn court with former Economics Minister Otto Lambsdorff and two others found guilty of tax evasion but exonerated on corruption charges. The three are fined.
17 February 1987 In Irish general elections, the opposition Fianna Fail party defeats the government of Prime Minister Garrett FitzGerald but fails to win a majority. Fianna Fail will form a minority government.
Tashi for clarinet, two violins, viola, cello, and piano by Lukas Foss (64) is performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center, Washington the composer at the piano.
19 February 1987 India and Pakistan complete the withdrawal of 150,000 troops from their border.
Syria imposes a truce in West Beirut.
The United States lifts sanctions against Poland.
20 February 1987 Jewish dissident Iosif Z. Begun is freed by Soviet authorities.
The Brazilian government suspends interest payments on its foreign debt. Many see this as a threat to the worldwide financial system.
Magma for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (34) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.
Symphonic Fantasia nos.7&8 by Otto Luening (86) are performed for the first time, in New York.
21 February 1987 French police arrest four leaders of the terrorist group Direct Action in a farmhouse east of Orléans.
Walzer 2 “Drängender Walzer” for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (34) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.
22 February 1987 Thousands of Syrian troops enter West Beirut to stop fighting between rival Moslem militias.
Andy Warhol dies in New York of a heart attack after gall bladder surgery, at the age of 58.
A Medley of Nursery Rhymes and Conundrums op.33c for mezzo-soprano and piano by Robin Holloway (43) is performed for the first time, at Caius College, Cambridge the composer at the keyboard.
23 February 1987 The Soviet Writers Union completes the rehabilitation of Boris Pasternak.
Iosif Z. Begun, a Jewish dissident, is freed and arrives in Moscow.
24 February 1987 Working in Chile, Canadian astronomer Ian Shelton confirms a supernova of a billion suns expanding at the rate of 15,000 km per second.
26 February 1987 After frequent appeals to the United States to follow its lead in a testing moratorium, the USSR conducts an underground nuclear test in Kazakhstan.
The report of the Tower Commission is released. It is a strong indictment of the handling of the Iran-Contra Affair by the Reagan Administration. “Primary responsibility for the chaos” is put on Chief of Staff Donald Regan. National Security Advisors Robert McFarlane and John Poindexter are charged with not informing or actively misleading the cabinet. CIA Director William Casey is charged with not controlling the National Security Council or informing the President. Secretary of State George Shulz and Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger “distanced themselves from the march of events.” Oliver North misused the NSC in providing a private network for funding the Contras.
27 February 1987 The Yugoslav government announces that all wages will be rolled back to the level of 1 January. This prompts a wave of protest strikes throughout the country.
White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan resigns and is replaced by former Senator Howard Baker.
28 February 1987 Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev calls for an agreement on eliminating medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe not linked to the US Strategic Defense Initiative. The proposal takes the western powers by surprise.
A court in Paris convicts Lebanese national Georges Ibrahim Abdallah for killing an American and an Israeli diplomat in 1982.
Airs and Graces for violin by Jonathan Lloyd (38) is performed for the first time, in the Purcell Room, London.
Sonata a cinque for bass trombone, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by George Perle (71) is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.
Varied Trio for violin, piano, percussion, harp, and bells by Lou Harrison (69) is performed for the first time, in Hertz Hall, Berkeley, California.
2 March 1987 The Dream of the Infinite Rooms for cello, orchestra, and electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (52) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.
3 March 1987 Italy’s longest serving post-war Prime Minister, Bettino Craxi, resigns.
4 March 1987 7,000 Syrian troops with tanks evict Moslem gunmen from West Beirut ending factional fighting there.
Federal Judge W. Brevard Hand rules in Mobile, Alabama that 40 textbooks used in the state’s public schools promote the “religion” of “secular humanism” and thus violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment. He orders them removed.
National Amusements Inc. wins a bidding war for Viacom International Inc. They will buy Viacom for $3,400,000,000.
In a nationally televised address, US President Reagan accepts full responsibility for the Iran-Contra debacle. He admits that he was trading arms for hostages. He concludes that “it was a mistake.”
Postcards for mezzo-soprano and lute by Robert Erickson (69) to his own words is performed for the first time, at the University of California at San Diego.
5 March 1987 An earthquake centered 75 km northeast of Quito, Ecuador kills over 1,000 people.
6 March 1987 Nicaraguan Contra leader Adolfo Calero admits that $200,000 went to the Contras through a Swiss bank account controlled by Oliver North.
7 March 1987 Five Pieces for Solo Piano by Leon Kirchner (68) is performed for the first time, in Boston.
9 March 1987 Chrysler Corporation agrees to buy American Motors for $1,500,000,000.
10 March 1987 Charles James Haughey of Fianna Fail replaces Garret FitzGerald of Fine Gael as Prime Minister of Ireland.
Awake, Thou Wintry Earth for clarinet and violin by William Schuman (76) is performed for the first time, in New York.
11 March 1987 Five members of the Jazz Section of the Union of Czechoslovak Musicians are convicted in a Prague court on charges of unofficial commercial activity but are given relatively light sentences.
Black railway workers in the Johannesburg area go on strike.
13 March 1987 30 members of Charter 77 meet at the grave of Jan Patocka on the tenth anniversary of his death. There is no police interference.
Swimming to Cambodia, a film with music by Laurie Anderson (39), is shown for the first time, in New York.
Fourth Symphony for medium voice and orchestra by William Bolcom (48) to words of Roethke is performed for the first time.
16 March 1987 In Finnish parliamentary elections, the Social Democrats remain the largest party but strong gains are seen by the center-right National Coalition Party.
19 March 1987 Well-known Christian broadcaster Jim Bakker resigns as head of his PTL Club in South Carolina after his extra-marital affair, and the blackmail he paid to cover it up, are made public.
20 March 1987 In response to three weeks of protest strikes over a wage-freeze, the Yugoslav government announces an emergency price freeze.
An Italian air force general is killed by communist terrorists as he rides through Rome.
The United States government approves the first drug to fight AIDS, AZT.
Ikon of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne for chorus by John Tavener (43) to words of Mother Thekla is performed for the first time, in Durham Cathedral.
21 March 1987 The Bulgarian government grants the British fast food chain Wimpy International the right to open 20 restaurants.
Ragtime (wohltemperiert) for orchestra by Paul Hindemith (†23) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, 66 years after it was composed.
22 March 1987 Chadian forces ambush two Libyan columns south of Wadi Doum, killing 800 Libyans. They then march north and capture the Wadi and its airstrip.
Televangelist Oral Roberts announces that if $8,000,000 is not raised for medical scholarships at Oral Roberts University, God will call him home.
Diversions for piano by Irving Fine (†24) is performed for the first time, in New York, 28 years after he completed it.
24 March 1987 Afghan government planes attack three Pakistani border towns killing 85 people.
25 March 1987 Two works for soprano and eight players by Sofia Gubaidulina (55) is performed for the first time, in Cologne: Hommage à T.S. Eliot and Ein Walzerspass nach Johann Strauss.
26 March 1987 An agreement is initialed in Beijing between China and Portugal which will return Macau to China on 20 January 1999.
Almost a month of strikes comes to an end in Yugoslavia.
Eugen Jochum dies in Munich at the age of 84.
Not for You for voice and piano by Witold Lutoslawski (74) to words of Illakowicz is performed for the first time, in Kraków. Also premiered is Were You but a Dream? for voice and piano by Krzysztof Penderecki (53) to words of Przerwy-Tetmajer.
27 March 1987 Chadian troops capture Faya-Largeau without opposition from Libya.
Song of Cherubim for chorus by Krzysztof Penderecki (53) to Old Slavonic words is performed for the first time, in Washington.
28 March 1987 Images for two pianos and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (47) is performed for the first time, in Washington.
29 March 1987 Hatian voters approve a new constitution.
30 March 1987 A painting of Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh is auctioned in London for $39,000,000.
Die Hamletmaschine, a Musiktheater by Wolfgang Rihm (35) to his own words after Müller, is performed for the first time, in the Nationaltheater, Mannheim.
Twelve New Etudes for Piano by William Bolcom (48) is performed completely for the first time, at Temple University in Philadelphia. It will win the Pulitzer Prize. See 41 March 1988.
31 March 1987 Salvadoran rebels raid military headquarters in El Paraiso killing, by official count, 69 government soldiers and a US advisor.
Der mündliche Verrat, a Hörspiel version of La trahison orale by Mauricio Kagel (55), is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR 3. See 27 October 1983.
1 April 1987 The privatization of the Japanese National Railways is completed.
Oral Roberts announces that $8,000,000 has been raised and God has refrained from calling him home.
2 April 1987 Symphonie Concertante for orchestra by Ralph Shapey (66) is performed for the first time, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.
3 April 1987 Inquietus op.66 for orchestra by Robin Holloway (43) is performed for the first time, at Friends’ House, London.
Now sleeps the crimson petal for tenor, horn, and strings by Benjamin Britten (†10) to words of Tennyson, is performed for the first time, in London, 44 years after it was composed.
I Hear the Water Dreaming for flute and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (56) is performed for the first time, in Circle Theatre, Indianapolis.
4 April 1987 Whoe’er She Be for treble voices and piano by Leslie Bassett (64) to words of Crashaw is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
5 April 1987 Haikai for gamelan by John Cage (74) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.
Concerto for violin and orchestra by Philip Glass (50) is performed for the first time.
6 April 1987 Fantasy for violin and piano by Ralph Shapey (66) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York.
8 April 1987 In Balance for harp by Isang Yun (69) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.
Movement for String Quartet by Kevin Volans (37) is performed for the first time, at Durban Art Gallery.
9 April 1987 At the beginning of a three-day triumphal visit, Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife stroll through the streets of Prague cheered by thousands of Czechs.
Exxon Corp. announces it has completed the sale of its holdings in South Africa.
10 April 1987 Kontraste, two pieces for violin by Isang Yun (69) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.
A Celebration of Some 100x150 Notes for orchestra by Elliott Carter (78) is performed for the first time, at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, Houston. See 5 October 1989.
12 April 1987 Homer: Three Scenes from The Illiad for chorus, flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, piano, and three strings by Ned Rorem (63) is performed for the first time, at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
14 April 1987 In a meeting with US Secretary of State George Shulz in the Kremlin, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev offers to eliminate intermediate nuclear missiles in Europe.
16 April 1987 The United States Commerce Department announces that inventors may patent new life forms.
John Harbison (48) is awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his The Flight Into Egypt. See 21 November 1986.
17 April 1987 After stopping six vehicles in the Trincomalee District, Tamil separatists kill 127 Sinhalas and injure 60.
18 April 1987 Amintore Fanfani replaces Bettino Craxi as Prime Minister of Italy.
20 April 1987 15 Sinhalas are killed by Tamil separatists in the Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka.
Six Marimbas by Steve Reich (50) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
21 April 1987 A bomb goes off in Colombo, Sri Lanka killing 105 people, injuring 200.
22 April 1987 Six striking railway workers are shot to death by authorities in Johannesburg and Germiston, South Africa. Police attack the headquarters of the Congress of South African Trade Unions and arrest hundreds.
23 April 1987 East German leader Erich Honecker rejects Gorbachev-style reforms for his country.
Chrysler Corp. buys Nuova Automobili F. Lamborghini.
A retired librarian goes on a shooting spree in a shopping mall in Palm Bay, Florida. He kills six people before being subdued by police.
24 April 1987 Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for chorus by John Tavener (43) is performed for the first time, in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge.
Song Without Words for piano by Otto Luening (86) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo.
Concertante no.1 for trumpet and ten players by Ralph Shapey (66) is performed for the first time, in Mandel Hall of the University of Chicago.
25 April 1987 South African commandos raid Livingstone, Zambia killing four people and injuring another. South Africa claims the dead are terrorists. Local Zambians claim they had nothing to do with the African National Congress.
The Provisional IRA explodes a car bomb on the main road from Dublin to Belfast, one kilometer inside Northern Ireland. They kill a prominent Northern Ireland judge and his wife and injure seven other people.
In parliamentary elections in Iceland, the ruling center-right coalition loses its majority.
Caminantes...Ayacucho for alto, bass flute, organ, two choirs, orchestra, and electronic instruments by Luigi Nono (63) to words of Bruno is performed for the first time, in Munich.
The electroacoustic version of Vertigo for electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (52) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco. See 3 May 1986.
27 April 1987 Egypt orders the closure of PLO offices in Cairo after the Palestine National Council criticizes the Camp David Accords.
The United States government bars Austrian President Kurt Waldheim from entering the country because he participated in Nazi war crimes.
Epilogue from “Peer Gynt” for chorus and orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (52) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.
For the Time Being: Advent for chorus and narrator by Thea Musgrave (58) to words of Auden is performed for the first time, in St. John’s Smith Square, London.
28 April 1987 The ten-day-old Italian government of Amintore Fanfani loses a vote of confidence. President Francesco Cossiga calls for early elections in June.
President Mário Soares of Portugal dissolves Parliament and calls early elections for July.
American development worker Benjamin Linder and two Nicaraguans are killed when conservative rebels attack a work crew at La Camaleona in Jinotega Province.
My Vistula, Grey Vistula op.46 for chorus by Henryk Górecki (53) is performed for the first time, in Poznan. Also premiered is his Broad Waters op.39 for chorus.
Veni Creator for chorus by Krzysztof Penderecki (53) is performed for the first time, in Madrid.
29 April 1987 Conservative fundraiser Carl Channell pleads guilty to conspiracy for raising tax-exempt funds to arm the Nicaraguan Contras. He implicates Oliver North in the scheme.
For Us: Happy Birthday To You! for four cellos by Mauricio Kagel (55) is performed for the first time, in the Alter Wartesaal, Cologne. See 30 March 1990.
Suite in C for piano by George Perle (71) is performed for the first time, in Washington.
Version 2 of Algorithms III for nine instruments and tape by Lejaren Hiller (62) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo.
30 April 1987 Harri Hermanni Holkeri of the National Coalition Party replaces Tasito Kalevi Sorsa as Prime Minister of Finland at the head of the first conservative-led government since World War II.
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the ten provincial premiers agree on a constitutional formula designed to bring Quebec into the Canadian constitution, at Meech Lake, Quebec.
For Stefan Wolpe for chorus and two vibraphones by Morton Feldman (61) is performed for the first time, at the University of Wisconsin.
1 May 1987 Anti-government demonstrations disrupt May Day celebrations in Poland.
Endless Parade for trumpet, vibraphone, and string orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (52) is performed for the first time, in Zürich.
2 May 1987 Organ Fantasy op.65 by Robin Holloway (43) is performed for the first time, at Eton College.
High Flight for chorus and piano by Samuel Adler (59) is performed for the first time, in New York.
3 May 1987 Symphony no.4 “Choral Odes” by Mikis Theodorakis (61) to words of Aschylos-Evmenides and Evripides-Phoenisses, is performed for the first time, in Athens.
5 May 1987 Over 500,000 black workers in South Africa stay home to protest the white-only election scheduled for tomorrow.
Hearings by a joint Congressional Committee investigating the Iran-Contra Affair begin. Retired Major General Richard Secord testifies that about $3,500,000 of the arms sales to Iran was sent to the conservative rebels in Nicaragua. He says Oliver North and Robert McFarlane were both aware of all his activities and approved them.
An amnesty program for immigrants illegally in the United States goes into effect. Thousands go to offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service around the country.
6 May 1987 Former CIA Director William Casey dies of pneumonia in Glen Cove, New York.
Richard Miller, a conservative fundraiser, pleads guilty to conspiracy, admitting that he funneled money into Oliver North’s Swiss bank account.
Whites-only parliamentary elections in South Africa see gains for the far-right Conservative Party and losses for the moderate Progressive Party. The Nationalist Party retains power with a slightly increased majority. About 1,500,000 black workers join the strike begun yesterday.
8 May 1987 Eight IRA bombers are killed by British troops after they blow up a police station in Loughgall, County Armagh.
Concerto for Viola: Do Not Go Gentle by Richard Wernick (53) is performed for the first time.
11 May 1987 Philippine voters elect a new legislature dominated by Aquino supporters.
Former National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane testifies before the Iran-Contra Committee that King Fahd of Saudi Arabia doubled his contribution for the conservative rebels in Nicaragua to $2,000,000 after meeting with President Reagan in 1985. When McFarlane told the president of this, Reagan was grateful but not surprised.
13 May 1987 Trio Sonata for chamber orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (52) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
Symphony no.2 by John Harbison (48) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.
14 May 1987 Former National Security staff member Gaston Sigur testifies to the Iran-Contra committee that he personally solicited $2,000,000 from the government of Taiwan for the conservative rebels in Nicaragua, at the request of Oliver North. Robert Owen testifies that he brought envelopes full of cash from Oliver North’s office to representatives of the Contras in Washington, at a time when aid to the Contras was banned by law. He said he was helped by State Department official Johnathan Miller. Miller, currently an assistant to the President, resigns today.
Serenade in G for string septet op.64 by Robin Holloway (43) is performed for the first time, at the University of Keele, Great Britain. See 1 December 1988.
Two works by Lou Harrison are performed for the first time, at Mills College in Oakland on the composer’s 70th birthday: Ariadne, a dance for flute and percussion, and Concerto for piano with Javanese gamelan.
15 May 1987 Lazar Mojsov replaces Sinan Hasani as President of Yugoslavia.
US President Reagan reverses earlier statements and admits that he was briefed regularly on aid to the Contras and that “it was my idea to begin with.”
16 May 1987 Dance Fantasy for orchestra by George Perle (72) is performed for the first time, in Houston.
17 May 1987 An Iraqi warplane fires a missile at the guided missile frigate USS Stark in waters 135 km north of Bahrain. 37 American sailors are killed.
Wim Wenders’ film Der Himmel über Berlin is shown for the first time, at the Cannes Film Festival.
Philemon and Baukis for violin and Javanese gamelan by Lou Harrison (70) is performed for the first time, in All Saints Episcopal Church, Watsonville, California.
19 May 1987 The Australian government orders the closure of the Libyan embassy in Canberra for spreading terrorism and revolt in the south Pacific.
US President Reagan exonerates Saddam Hussein in the Stark incident saying that “Iran was the real villain.”
The Reagan administration announces agreement with Kuwait for the reregistration of eleven Kuwaiti tankers to the US so they might be protected by US warships.
21 May 1987 The Iran-Contra committee hears testimony from three wealthy Americans that they were directly solicited for money for the Contras by Oliver North and Carl Channell.
23 May 1987 The USSR officially ends commercial whaling, recalling the Antarctic fleet. They also ends the jamming of the Voice of America.
25 May 1987 Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Romania and is received coldly by the government.
26 May 1987 Dialogue on the Tides of Time, for violin, cello, and orchestra by Robert Ward (69) is performed for the first time, in Duke Chapel, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina the composer conducting.
28 May 1987 A British diplomat is arrested and beaten by Iranian authorities in Teheran. Britain claims it is in retaliation for the arrest of an Iranian diplomat in Manchester on shoplifting charges.
Aria op.59, an operatic scene for tuba, piano, tam-tam, and bass drum by Henryk Górecki (53), is performed for the first time, in Salzburg.
29 May 1987 19-year-old Hamburg resident Mathias Rust pilots a Cessna 172 from Helsinki, across 600 km of Soviet airspace and lands it within meters of the Kremlin. After conversing with onlookers for a while, Rust is arrested.
In secret testimony before the Iran-Contra committee, former CIA station chief Joe Fernandez says that his superiors were aware of his activities helping Oliver North to resupply the Nicaraguan Contras.
30 May 1987 In emergency session, the Soviet Politburo sacks Defense Minister Sergey Sokolov and the commander of air defenses over the Mathias Rust incident.
The first commercial compact disc video is announced by North American Philips Company.
31 May 1987 Suite for Horn by Otto Luening (86) is performed for the first time, in New York.
1 June 1987 Lebanese Prime Minister Rashid Karami is killed by a bomb in his helicopter during a flight from Beirut to Tripoli.
After a month of deciding, the West German government conditionally accepts the Soviet proposal to remove medium range missiles from Europe.
2 June 1987 Tamil rebels kill 40 bus passengers near Maha Oya, Sri Lanka.
Andrés Segovia dies of a heart attack in Madrid, aged 94 years.
Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams tells the Iran-Contra committee that he misled an earlier investigation by telling them “we’re not…in the fundraising business” even though he personally solicited $10,000,000 for the Contras from the Sultan of Brunei. Abrams also admitted he lied when he said no one in the government new of the private resupply efforts.
3 June 1987 Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the ten provincial premieres sign the final, amended draft of the Meech Lake agreement of constitutional changes, in Ottawa.
4 June 1987 In retaliation for the actions of 28 May, Britain closes the Iranian consulate in Manchester and expels the diplomats there.
Compresenze for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
Initiale for brass by Pierre Boulez (62) is performed for the first time, in Houston the composer conducting. See 20 November 1992.
6 June 1987 When East German police prevent rock fans from hearing West Berlin rock concerts over the wall, thousands of young East Germans begin four days of battles with police. They chant the name of Gorbachev.
The Vanity of Words for voice and electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (52) to words of Kundera is performed for the first time, in Bourges.
8 June 1987 Pope John Paul II begins his third visit to Poland.
President Raúl Alfonsín signs a bill which legalizes divorce in Argentina.
Oliver North’s former secretary, Fawn Hall, testifies before the Iran-Contra committee, describing how she altered memos previously sent by North, and telling about the “shredding party” held last 21 November. She then tells how she smuggled sensitive documents out of the National Security Council concealed in her clothing.
9 June 1987 After Fawn Hall testifies before the Iran-Contra committee that she altered memos, shredded documents and smuggled sensitive materials out of the NSC, she defends her actions by saying “Sometimes you have to go above written law.”
10 June 1987 Riots break out in Seoul as police battle demonstrators after Roh Tae Woo is named successor to President Chun Doo Hwan. A blanket of tear gas covers downtown Seoul.
President PW Botha of South Africa extends the yearlong state of emergency for another year.
Quasi una sonata for violin and chamber orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (52) is performed for the first time, in Milan.
11 June 1987 Elections in Great Britain give a third consecutive victory for Prime Minister Thatcher’s Conservative Party, but with a reduced majority.
Fanfare for CUBE for brass quintet by Witold Lutoslawski (74) is performed for the first time, at a ceremony at the University of Cambridge wherein he receives an honorary doctorate.
Segmente 85-91 for flute, bass clarinet, and cello by Gottfried Michael Koenig (60) is performed for the first time, in Piverno.
A Cantata for Hope for vocal soloists, chorus, and chamber orchestra by David Diamond (71) to words of Wiesel, is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street YMCA, New York.
12 June 1987 In Bangui, Central African Republic, former Emperor Jean-Bedel Bokassa is sentenced to death for 20 murders.
Pope John Paul II gives an open air mass before 1,000,000 people in Gdansk. Many display Solidarity banners.
For Samuel Beckett for chamber ensemble by Morton Feldman (61) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.
Stratified Essay, an installation by John Cage (74), opens at the Karlskirche, Kassel.
13 June 1987 Sikh terrorists kill 26 people in Punjab and New Delhi.
15 June 1987 Elections in Italy ending today see gains for Christian Democrats and Socialists and losses for the Communists. The results seem to ensure a continuation of the current five-party coalition.
String Quartet no.1 op.2 by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.
16 June 1987 In response to Soviet proposals, The US suggests the global elimination of intermediate range nuclear missiles.
Citicorp, the largest bank in the US, announces it will completely pull out of South Africa by July.
Bernhard Goetz, who shot four young men trying to rob him on a New York subway, is acquitted in a New York court on twelve of thirteen counts against him, including attempted murders and assault. He is found guilty of carrying a loaded, unlicensed weapon in a public place.
17 June 1987 An American television reporter is kidnapped in Beirut.
Central Park Reel for violin and piano by Lukas Foss (64) is performed for the first time, in Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore.
Stanley Kubrick’s film Full Metal Jacket is shown for the first time, in Beverly Hills, California.
18 June 1987 Tens of thousands of anti-government students and middle class citizens gain control of downtown Seoul for several hours.
The Vietnamese national assembly removes Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and President Truong Chinh and replaces them with Pham Hung and Vo Chi Cong respectively.
After several tit-for-tat expulsions, Iran and Great Britain are left with one diplomat in each other’s capital.
19 June 1987 The United States Supreme Court rules that states may not require the teaching of Creationism.
Five former Puerto Rico police officers are sentenced for the 1978 murders of two independence advocates.
Sakuntala for tenor and orchestra by Frederick Delius (†53) to words of Drachmann is performed for the first time, at the University of York 98 years after it was composed.
20 June 1987 Guitar Sonata by Peter Maxwell Davies (52) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, Kirkwall, Orkney.
21 June 1987 76 of the 52,000 Communist Party of the Soviet Union elections held today include more than one candidate.
New York Counterpoint for clarinet and ensemble by Steve Reich (50) is performed for the first time, at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
22 June 1987 Fred Astaire dies in Los Angeles at the age of 88.
24 June 1987 South Korean opposition leader Kim Dae Jung is released from detention.
25 June 1987 In his most detailed explanation of perestroika to date, Soviet leader Mikahail Gorbachev calls for a “radical reorganization of economic management” in his country.
Károly Németh replaces Pál Losonczi as Chairman of the Presidential Council of Hungary. Károly Grósz replaces Györgi Lázár as Prime Minister.
26 June 1987 Anti-government demonstrations in Korea begin to die down.
Three Poems of Beaudelaire for chorus by Ned Rorem (63) is performed for the first time, in Aldeburgh.
27 June 1987 Symphony no.3 for chamber orchestra by Jonathan Lloyd (38) is performed for the first time, in Bracknell, Great Britain.
Cooperstown Fanfare for two trumpets and two trombones by William Schuman (76) is performed for the first time, in Cooperstown, New York.
The Golden Echo I for horn and tape by Thea Musgrave (59) is performed for the first time, in Provo, Utah.
28 June 1987 Sonata no.1 and Sonata no.2 for violin and piano by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (†23) are performed for the first time, in Munich 60 years after they were composed.
The first public performance of Study for Player Piano no.23 by Conlon Nancarrow (74) takes place in Amsterdam.
29 June 1987 Two Imitations of Baudelaire op.47 for chorus by Alexander Goehr (54) to words of Robert Lowell is performed for the first time, in St. John’s, Smith Square, London.
30 June 1987 5,000 demonstrators attack the US embassy in Panama City.
Bosko Krunic replaces Milanko Renovica as President of the Presidium of the League of Yugoslav Communists.
1 July 1987 South Korean President Chun Doo Hwan accepts the direct election of the next president.
The Single European Act goes into effect among the twelve EEC members. It aims for a single market by 1993 and greater political union between the members.
3 July 1987 Farmer’s Curst Wife for chorus by Samuel Adler (59) is performed for the first time.
4 July 1987 Klaus Barbie is convicted of crimes against humanity in Lyon. While he was chief of the Lyon Gestapo he oversaw the deportation of 842 people resulting in 370 deaths. He is sentenced to life in prison.
Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello for those instruments by Morton Feldman (61) is performed for the first time, in Middelburg.
5 July 1987 Eis thanaton, a ritual for soprano, bass, and two chamber groups by John Tavener (43) to words of Kalvos, is performed for the first time, in Cheltenham.
6 July 1987 Two days of attacks by Sikh separatists on buses in India result in 72 deaths and 50 injuries.
Configurations for piano by Leslie Bassett (64) is performed for the first time, in San Jose, California.
7 July 1987 President Arturo Delvalle of Panama bans mass demonstrations.
Oliver North begins six days of testimony before a Congressional Committee under cover of immunity. He reveals his direction of and his complicity in the Iran-Contra scandal. He admits shredding incriminating documents.
8 July 1987 Thorsteinn Palsson replaces Steingrimur Hermannsson as Prime Minister of Iceland.
Oliver North admits to the Iran-Contra committee that he diverted funds from the Iran arms sale for his personal use.
9 July 1987 Hundreds of thousands of Koreans demonstrate in Seoul to honor a student killed during a street demonstration. 2,335 former political prisoners, including Kim Dae Jung, are given amnesty and their political rights restored.
10 July 1987 Hundreds of anti-government demonstrators are arrested in Panama.
Fanfare for Will for brass by Harrison Birtwistle (52) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London conducted by the composer.
11 July 1987 The Australian Labor Party of Prime Minister Bob Hawke wins its third straight national elections with a slightly increased majority.
12 July 1987 Soviet diplomats visit Israel for the first time since 1967.
14 July 1987 Taiwan ends 38 years of martial law. Opposition parties are now legal.
Two car bombs go off in Karachi, killing 72 people and injuring 300. The attackers are unknown.
15 July 1987 Rear Admiral John Poindexter, former National Security Advisor, tells the Iran-Contra Committee that he never told President Reagan of the diversion of money from the Iran arms sale to the Nicaraguan Contras. He says he wanted to “provide some future deniability for the President.” He also says that he saw Reagan sign the November 1985 finding authorizing the trading of arms for hostages, something Reagan denies. Poindexter destroyed the finding when the scandal became public.
16 July 1987 A US military helicopter crashes in El Salvador. Six people are killed, one injured.
“Drachenkampf” and “Argument” from Donnerstag aus Licht by Karlheinz Stockhausen (58) are performed for the first time, in St. Paul de Vence.
17 July 1987 France breaks relations with Iran over a bombing suspect taking refuge in the Iranian embassy in Paris.
Concerto no.1 for piano and computer by John Melby (45) is performed for the first time, at Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts.
18 July 1987 Anti-government rebels kill 386 civilians and injure 76 others in Homoine, Mozambique.
Iranian authorities surround the French embassy in Teheran.
19 July 1987 In Portuguese parliamentary elections, the Social Democratic Party of Prime Minister Anníbal Cavaco Silva wins the first majority since the restoration of democracy in 1974.
Totus Tuus op.60 for chorus by Henryk Górecki (53) to words of Boguslawska is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.
Signets, hommage à Maurice Ravel for piano by Betsy Jolas (60) is performed for the first time, in Montpellier, France.
Te Deum for chorus, two trumpets, two trombones, and organ by Ned Rorem (63) to the Book of Common Prayer is performed for the first time, in Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis.
20 July 1987 Danse for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Montpellier.
22 July 1987 Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev says that his country agrees to the worldwide elimination of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
The US Navy begins to escort newly US-flagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Persian Gulf.
23 July 1987 200 people are killed, 100 injured in a battle between wealthy landowners and land reform advocates in Jean-Rebel, Haiti.
Secretary of State George Shulz testifies before the Iran-Contra committee that the affair created “guerrilla warfare” within the White House and that former officials Casey, McFarlane, and Poindexter had lied to him to keep the plan going.
String Quartet no.2 by Sofia Gubaidulina (55) is performed for the first time, in Kuhmo, Finland.
24 July 1987 The reflagged Kuwaiti tanker Bridgeton strikes a mine 200 km from Kuwait. No one is injured but the ship takes on water.
An Arab terrorist hijacks an Air Afrique plane between Bangui and Paris and forces it to land in Geneva. While the plane is being refueled, he kills a French passenger and is then subdued by the plane’s crew.
25 July 1987 Ramaswamy Iyer Venkataraman replaces Zail Singh as President of India.
Signals from Heaven I: Day Signal for brass by Toru Takemitsu (56) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo.
26 July 1987 The government of Panama shuts down three newspapers.
27 July 1987 The first Congress under the new democratic Philippine constitution opens in Manila.
Retired Panamanian Colonel Roberto Díaz Herrera is arrested for accusing General Noriega of serious crimes. He and 45 others are taken in a gunfight.
A two-day general strike begins today paralyzing Panamanian cities.
Arbos for eight brass and percussion by Arvo Pärt (51) is performed for the first time, in Aptos, California.
28 July 1987 In a speech to a plenum of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Todor Zhivkov calls for political and economic reforms including less party interference in the government and economy.
29 July 1987 India and Sri Lanka sign an accord in Colombo to stop the Tamil insurgency in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers refuse to abide by the agreement.
Six former officials of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are sentenced for their part in the 1986 disaster. Three are given terms of ten years in a labor camp. The other three are given prison terms of from two to five years.
Giovanni Goria replaces Amintore Fanfani as Prime Minister of Italy at the head of a continuing five-party coalition.
Haitian police fire into a crowd in Port-au-Prince protesting the Tontons Macoutes. Eight people are killed, 15 injured.
30 July 1987 3,000 Indian peacekeeping troops land on the Jaffna Peninsula.
31 July 1987 Iranian pilgrims shout political epithets and turn violent during the annual pilgrimage in Mecca. Iranians trample other pilgrims and battle police. 402 people are killed, 649 taken to hospital.
Adagio and Rondo for horn and orchestra by Robin Holloway (43) is performed for the first time, at Cambridge.
1 August 1987 MTV Europe begins broadcasting.
New Fanfares for brass by George Perle (72) is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts.
2 August 1987 à R. for piano by Iannis Xenakis (65) is performed for the first time, in Montpellier.
3 August 1987 A joint Congressional committee ends the Iran-Contra hearings.
Montags-Gruß no.55, an excerpt of Montag aus Licht by Karlheinz Stockhausen (58), is performed for the first time, in Siena. See 7 May 1988.
4 August 1987 The Republican controlled Federal Communication Commission eliminates the fairness doctrine.
5 August 1987 Pursuant to the agreement with India, the Sri Lankan government grants amnesty to 5,400 Tamils imprisoned or sought as political offenders.
6 August 1987 The results of a vote by members of Britain’s Social Democratic Party show a majority in favor of merging with the Liberal Party.
In view of the France-Iran embassy standoff, the French government orders all oil companies operating in France to stop importing Iranian crude.
The Greatest Show for over 100 singers, actors, and carnival performers by R. Murray Schafer (54) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Peterborough, Ontario.
7 August 1987 The presidents of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua sign a preliminary peace agreement in Guatemala City. Each nation must end restrictions on dissent, decree political amnesty, end press censorship, and agree to elections under international supervision. These are principles set forth by President Óscar Arias Sánchez of Costa Rica.
8 August 1987 Chadians complete the recapture of the Aouzou Strip from Libyans.
9 August 1987 Hundreds of thousands of black miners in South Africa (gold and coal) begin a strike for better wages and benefits.
Leonard Bernstein (68) is presented with the Edward MacDowell Medal in Peterborough, New Hampshire. The speech is delivered by Ned Rorem (63).
10 August 1987 After a de facto 25-day cessation of hostilities, Iraq resumes the war against Iran with air strikes on Iranian industrial targets.
Ode of Ronsard for voice and piano by Arthur Berger (75) is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts.
11 August 1987 Great Britain and France reverse their previous policy and dispatch minesweepers to the Persian Gulf.
Nostalghia: In Memory of Andrei Tarkowskij for violin and string orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (56) is performed for the first time, in Edinburgh.
12 August 1987 78 black union leaders meeting in Klerksdorp are arrested by South African authorities.
14 August 1987 Vincent Persichetti dies at his home in Philadelphia of lung cancer, aged 72 years, two months, and eight days.
The Clays’ Quintet for trumpet, horn, mandolin, harp, and percussion by Lou Harrison (70) is performed for the first time, in New York.
Five Fold Five for woodwind quintet and piano by William Bolcom (49) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York.
15 August 1987 The New Zealand Labour Party of Prime Minister David Lange wins parliamentary elections. They will hold the same advantage as in the previous parliament.
The UAE supply ship Anita strikes a mine in the Gulf of Oman and sinks. One person is killed, five are missing.
Hezbollah terrorists detonate a massive explosion at the gas liquefaction plant of the Arabian-American Oil Company at Ras al-Juaimah, Saudi Arabia.
17 August 1987 93-year-old Rudolf Hess, the last inmate at Spandau Prison, kills himself.
Carlos Drummond de Andrade dies in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 84.
18 August 1987 Sri Lankan President Junius Jayewardene narrowly escapes death in a hand grenade attack on the floor of Parliament in Colombo. One person is killed, 15 injured.
American reporter Charles Glass escapes his captors in Lebanon.
19 August 1987 After weeks of nationwide labor unrest in South Korea, Hyundai Group, at the insistence of the government, agrees to recognize the workers’ new independent union.
Michael Ryan kills 16 people and injures 14 others before killing himself in Hungerford. It is the worst mass shooting incident in British history.
Censored transcripts of a CIA agent’s closed testimony before the Iran-Contra committee are made public. They outline a Reagan administration plan for South Africa to provide funds for the arming and training of Contra rebels. In return, the US would provide intelligence for South Africa’s allies in Angola.
21 August 1987 In a meeting with President José Napoléon Duarte of El Salvador, the conservative rebels in Nicaragua accept the regional peace plan.
Kassandra: Oresteia II for amplified baritone, a 20-string psaltery and percussion by Iannis Xenakis (65) to words of Aeschylus is performed for the first time, in Gibellina, Italy.
22 August 1987 String Quartet no.3 by Sofia Gubaidulina (55) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh.
Many Years for baritone and chorus by John Tavener (43) to words of the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex.
Two works by Charles Koechlin (†36) are performed for the first time, in Adam’s Mark Hotel, St. Louis: Pastorale op.75bis for flute, clarinet and piano, 66 years after it was composed and Pièce de flûte op.218, 39 years after it was composed.
23 August 1987 On the 48th anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact, thousands of citizens of the Baltic states march to demand independence.
Streichtrio in zwölf Stationen by Ernst Krenek is performed for the first time, in Ossiach, Austria, on the composer’s 87th birthday.
26 August 1987 Tanjug, the official Yugoslav news agency, reveals that Agrokomerc, one of the largest government industries, issued unsecured promissory notes to at least 57 banks.
A federal appeals court in Atlanta overturns a lower court ruling upholding an Alabama ban on 44 textbooks because they promote the religion of secular humanism.
28 August 1987 Mutinous soldiers attack government installations in Manila reaching to within 275 meters of the Presidential Palace. Rebels take Cebu City and Camp Aguinaldo military base.
Libyan forces reconquer Aouzou, Chad, the main town in the Aouzou Strip.
John Huston dies in Middletown, Rhode Island at the age of 81.
Hamburger Hill, a film with music by Philip Glass (50), is released in the United States.
29 August 1987 The revolt in the Philippines is put down by loyal troops.
After a 45-day lull, Iraq bombs Iranian oil installations in the Persian Gulf.
Splitter, an orchestral sketch after Oedipus by Wolfgang Rihm (35), is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
30 August 1987 250,000 black miners in South Africa vote to end their strike without the wage increases they sought.
31 August 1987 Ruling and opposition parties in South Korea agree to direct elections of a new president.
1 September 1987 Beginning today, smoking is banned in all public buildings in Belgium.
3 September 1987 Morton Feldman dies in Buffalo, of pancreatic cancer, aged 61 years, seven months, and 22 days.
4 September 1987 An Iranian missile lands on the southern coast of Kuwait.
5 September 1987 Kuwait expels five Iranian diplomats after the events of yesterday.
6 September 1987 Chadian troops cross into Libya and destroy the Matan as Sarra air base, 100 km over the border.
By a slim margin, Turkish voters allow 200 banned politicians to return to political life.
Les Hoquets du Gardien de la Lune for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (53) after Machaut (†610) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
7 September 1987 Erich Honecker becomes the first East German leader to visit West Germany when he lands in Bonn.
Fikret Abdic, the head of the disgraced Yugoslav Agrokomerc industry, is arrested on fraud charges.
French forces shoot down a Libyan warplane trying to attack the Chadian capital of Ndjamena.
West German engineer Alfred Schmidt is freed by his captors in Lebanon.
8 September 1987 Parliamentary elections in Denmark result in losses for the four-party center-right coalition of Prime Minister Poul Schlüter. Nevertheless, Schlüter will form a new government.
9 September 1987 As part of the festivities in Los Angeles to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday, John Cage (75) reads his valedictory speech from his 1928 high school graduation, Other People Think.
10 September 1987 Mengistu Haile Mariam, Chairman of the Military Council, becomes President of Ethiopia.
Pope John Paul II lands in Miami at the beginning of a ten-day, nine-city tour of the US.
Miserere op.44 for chorus by Henryk Górecki (53) is performed for the first time, in St. Stanislaus Church, Wloclawek. The work was composed in remembrance of the Bydgoszcz incident. See 19 March 1981.
11 September 1987 President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia negotiates a cease-fire between Chad and Libya.
12 September 1987 Vice President Hamdija Pozderac of Yugoslavia resigns after admitting he had been aware of the dealings of Agrokomerc.
13 September 1987 The Yugoslav League of Communists expels 42 members for their part in the Agrokomerc scandal.
14 September 1987 Signals from Heaven II: Night Signal for brass by Toru Takemitsu (56) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.
16 September 1987 Albania establishes diplomatic relations with West Germany and Yugoslavia.
A treaty to freeze the production of chlorofluorocarbons is signed by 24 countries in Montreal.
Matinée en Provence for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Maurice Ravel (†49) is performed for the first time, in Turin. It was a required preliminary choral work for Ravel’s Prix de Rome attempt of 1903.
17 September 1987 Symphony no.5 for baritone and orchestra by Isang Yun to words of Sachs is performed for the first time, in Berlin on the composer’s 70th birthday.
Tracées for large orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (65) is performed for the first time, in Paris.
American Love Songs for chorus by Ned Rorem (63) to words of Kuchak is performed for the first time, in Scottish Rite Auditorium, Los Angeles.
18 September 1987 President Reagan announces that the USSR and the US have agreed to ban medium-range nuclear missiles.
19 September 1987 Sofia Gubaidulina (55) departs Moscow for her first visit to the United States.
20 September 1987 The Nicaraguan government announces that the opposition daily La Prensa may begin publishing again, without censorship.
21 September 1987 A British-registered tanker is attacked by Iranian forces and set afire near Farsi Island. One crew member is killed, 33 injured.
A US helicopter attacks an Iranian ship laying mines in the Persian Gulf 80 km northeast of Bahrain. US naval forces then seize the ship. Three Iranians are killed, two are missing and presumed dead. Four are wounded. The remaining 26 in the crew are taken into custody.
23 September 1987 Robert Louis (Bob) Fosse dies in Washington at the age of 60.
27 September 1987 27 people are arrested in Tibetan protests against Chinese occupation.
Galliard for chamber orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (49) is performed for the first time, at Cleveland State University, Cleveland. Also given its first complete performance is the Narrative in Two Movements for cello and 14 instruments by Ross Lee Finney (80).
29 September 1987 Harrison Birtwistle (53) wins Grawemeyer Award at the University of Louisville for his opera The Mask of Orpheus. The award brings him $150,000.
1 October 1987 A crowd in Lhasa protesting Chinese rule stones and burns a police station. Nine people are killed.
La Prensa, a Nicaraguan daily, is allowed to publish after 451 days.
2 October 1987 Fantasy for clarinet and wind ensemble by Leslie Bassett (64) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
3 October 1987 Jean Anouilh dies in Lausanne at the age of 77.
The Reagan Administration makes demands of Nicaragua beyond the 7 August peace accord.
The US and Canada reach agreement to eliminate all tariffs between them over the next ten years.
Konzert for piano and eight instruments by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.
Three Occasional Pieces for piano by John Harbison (48) are performed for the first time, in Kresge Auditorium of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
4 October 1987 The US General Accounting Office reports that the Reagan administration broke the law when it used federal funds for a propaganda campaign to gain support for the Nicaraguan contras.
Oedipus, a Musiktheater by Wolfgang Rihm (35) to his own words after Sophocles, Nietzsche, and Müller, is performed for the first time, in the Deutschetheater, Berlin.
In memoriam for soprano, baritone, and nine players by Ralph Shapey (66) is performed for the first time, in Mandel Hall of the University of Chicago.
5 October 1987 Chinese police occupy Jokhang Cathedral, the center of religious life in Tibet.
My Land, My People, a Korean cantata for soloists, chorus, and orchestra by Isang Yun (70) to words of various Korean authors, is performed for the first time, in Pyongyang.
Decouvrir la subversion: Hommage à Edmond Jabes for alto, bass, reciter, tuba, horn, flute, and electronic instruments by Luigi Nono (63) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre National de Chaillot, Paris.
7 October 1987 Claiming that the Central American peace agreement does not satisfy his needs, US President Reagan says he will seek $270,000,000 for the Nicaraguan rebels.
String Quartet no.3 by Brian Ferneyhough (44) is performed for the first time, in Paris over the airwaves of Radio France.
The Four Sections for orchestra by Steve Reich (51) is performed for the first time, in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.
8 October 1987 United States helicopters sink an Iranian patrol boat in the Persian Gulf. Two others are captured.
9 October 1987 Campagne di Ravello for orchestra by John Corigliano (49) is performed for the first time, in Chicago to celebrate the 75th birthday of Sir Georg Solti.
10 October 1987 The Polish government announces economic reforms including a mixed economy.
¡Qué buen caminito! for guitar by Joaquín Rodrigo (85) is performed for the first time, in Seville.
11 October 1987 Uwe Barschel, former Premier of Schleswig-Hostein, is found dead in a hotel room in Geneva. He was involved in a scandal involving dirty tricks in the last state election.
Jaime Pardo Leal, President of the Patriotic Union Party in Colombia, is shot to death near Bogotá. Rioting subsequently breaks out in the capital.
13 October 1987 An Iranian missile lands near a school near Baghdad killing 32 people and injuring 218 others, nearly all students.
President Oscar Arías Sanchez of Costa Rica is named as the recipient of the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize.
Rioting and looting again breaks out during a funeral procession for Jamie Pardo Leal, killed two days ago.
Musica Ptolemica for brass quintet by Richard Wernick (53) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.
15 October 1987 Right-wing Renamo rebels kill 53 civilians in an attack north of Maputo, Mozambique.
Songs of Sea and Sky for clarinet and piano by Peter Sculthorpe (58) is performed for the first time, in Sprague Memorial Hall, Yale University.
Speaking in Washington, President José Napoléon Duarte of El Salvador says US aid to the Nicaraguan contras should be suspended until January at the earliest.
16 October 1987 An American-flagged Kuwaiti tanker is struck by an Iranian missile. 18 people are injured.
The Dow Jones Average loses 108.36 points. The Average has lost 450 points from its August highs.
Symphony no.6 by George Rochberg (69) is performed for the first time, in Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh.
17 October 1987 Post-Prae-Ludium no.1: Donau for tuba and electronic instruments by Luigi Nono (63) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.
18 October 1987 Swiss voters return the governing centrist coalition to power.
Three works by Wolfgang Rihm (35) are performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen: Klangbeschreibung I for three orchestral groups; Klangbeschreibung II “Innere Grenze” for four solo voices, five brass, and six percussionists to words of Nietzsche, and Klangbeschreibung III for orchestra.
19 October 1987 The Hong Kong stock market drops 11%. Trading is suspended for a week.
United States Navy ships destroy an Iranian oil rig in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for the attack of 16 October.
Jacqueline Du Pre dies in London at the age of 42.
The Belgian government of Prime Minister Wilfried Martens resigns over language issues.
The London stock market sees a record decline.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 508.32 (22.6%) the largest one-day drop since 1914.
20 October 1987 The Tokyo stock market drops a record 15%.
Stock prices drop 29.3% in Sydney.
The London stock market drops a record 21%.
The Mexico City stock exchange loses 30% over the last two days.
Irish Rhapsody no.3 by Charles Villiers Stanford (†63) is performed for the first time, in Belfast, 74 years after it was composed.
On the eve of her 38th birthday, Shulamit Ran undergoes surgery to remove a brain tumor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The operation is successful but full recovery will take a year.
21 October 1987 During a meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Moscow Party Chief Boris Yeltsin criticizes General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev for introducing reforms too slowly.
President José Azcona Hoyo of Honduras requests that US aid to the Contras be suspended.
22 October 1987 An Iranian missile hits the main offshore oil terminal in Kuwait. Three people are injured and the facility is seriously damaged.
Protokoll-ein Traum for six cellos by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Graz.
Nixon in China, an opera by John Adams (40) to words of Goodman, is performed for the first time, in Houston.
23 October 1987 The Commerzbank index (Frankfurt) ends the week 11.2% down.
The CAC General index (Paris) ends the week 9.3% down.
The Toronto stock exchange ends the week down 14.4%.
24 October 1987 A bomb explodes in the Kuwait office of Pan American World Airways. No one is injured.
The AFL-CIO readmits the Teamsters Union 30 years after it was expelled.
Double Visions for band by Samuel Adler (59) is performed for the first time.
25 October 1987 Indian forces occupy Jaffna after two weeks of fighting Tamil separatists.
26 October 1987 As the Hong Kong stock market reopens after a week, stocks immediately drop by one-third.
US President Reagan announces a total ban on oil imports from Iran.
27 October 1987 Monologues of Mary, Queen of Scots for soprano and orchestra by Thea Musgrave (59) to her own words after Elguera is performed for the first time, in Stirling.
28 October 1987 South Korean diplomat Do Chae Sung is freed by his kidnappers in Beirut after almost two years in captivity. A ransom of at least $1,000,000 was paid.
Concerto for organ and orchestra by Karel Husa (66) is performed by for the first time, at the Cleveland Museum of Art, conducted by the composer. It was commissioned by Case Western Reserve University to commemorate the centennial of the Michelson-Morley experiment. Edward Morley was an accomplished amateur organist. See 12 July 1887.
29 October 1987 Three off-duty French embassy guards are shot to death by gunmen in East Beirut.
The Chilean government bans Marxist groups and provides penalties for news organizations reporting the opinions of Marxists.
Right-wing Renamo rebels kill 278 civilians in attacks north of Maputo, Mozambique.
The Light for orchestra by Philip Glass (50) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.
30 October 1987 Unbenannt II for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo.
1 November 1987 Deng Xiaopeng resigns from the Politburo and Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
2 November 1987 Prime Minister Zhao Ziyang is elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of China.
4 November 1987 Le Figaro publishes a secret report of the inspector general of the French military outlining illegal arms sales to Iran by the previous government from 1983-1986. President Mitterand reportedly was informed of the sales. The report also says the French company Luchaire paid “commissions” to French officials for the sales. It becomes known as “L’affair Luchaire.”
Over the last week, 78 Chilean actors, directors, and playwrights received death threats.
5 November 1987 The South African government releases ANC leader Govan Mbeki after 23 years in prison.
Electric Counterpoint for electric guitar and tape by Steve Reich (51) is performed for the first time, in the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York. See 24 February 1990.
Steven Sondheim’s Into the Woods opens on Broadway.
6 November 1987 Noboru Takeshita replaces Yasuhiro Nakasone as Prime Minister of Japan.
Adagio for strings by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Tauberbischofsheim.
String Quartet no.3 by Charles Wuorinen (49) is performed for the first time, in the Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.
Frammenti for organ by Karel Husa (66) is performed for the first time, at Northwestern University. The piece is made up of fragments from Husa’s Concerto for organ. See 28 October 1987.
7 November 1987 Prime Minister Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia leads the overthrow of President Habib Bourguiba, naming himself President and Hedi Baccouche as Prime Minister.
Spring Concertino for oboe and chamber orchestra by William Bolcom (49) is performed for the first time.
Lyric Intermezzo for piano by George Perle (72) is performed for the first time, in Seattle. See 8 November 1987.
8 November 1987 The Provisional IRA explodes a bomb at a war memorial ceremony in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. Eleven people are killed, over 60 injured.
Duetto concertante for oboe/english horn, cello, and orchestra by Isang Yun (70) is performed for the first time, in Rotweil.
Chaconne for guitar and tape by Lukas Foss (65) is performed for the first time, in New York.
Lyric Intermezzo for 15 players by George Perle (72) is performed for the first time, in Seattle. See 7 November 1987.
9 November 1987 A bomb explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka injures 75 people.
10 November 1987 Virtuoso Alice for piano by David Del Tredici (50) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
11 November 1987 The Communist Party of the Soviet Union removes Boris Yeltsin from his post as head of the Moscow party.
South Africa admits that its forces have been in Angola and have fought Cubans and Soviets.
Irises by Vincent Van Gogh is bought at auction for $53,900,000.
12 November 1987 A fire started by a homeless East German refugee causes considerable damage to the Frankfurt Opera House. Damage is estimated at DM3,500,000. The premiere of John Cage’s (75) Europeras I&II, scheduled for three days from now, must be postponed. See 12 December 1987.
Little Quartet no.2 for string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (53) is performed for the first time, at St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York.
13 November 1987 Suite for Baroque Flute by Otto Luening (87) is performed for the first time, at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York.
Engram for winds by Jacob Druckman (59) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
14 November 1987 Concerto for cello and orchestra by George Perle (72) is performed for the first time, in New York, 21 years after it was composed.
The Eleventh Commandment: “No, thou shalt not Xerox® Music” for chorus and piano or organ by Richard Wernick (53) is performed for the first time, at Ithaca College, New York.
15 November 1987 Power and food shortages send workers in Brasov, Romania on strike. They ransack city hall and Communist Party headquarters. The demonstrations are violently suppressed by the military.
The Yugoslav government imposes price hikes and wage freezes, to remain in effect until next June.
Three movements from the Mass for Saint Cecilia’s Day for chorus, harp, and optional organ by Lou Harrison (70) are performed for the first time, at California State University, Sacramento. See 18 November 1988.
16 November 1987 French President François Mitterand says that he was informed of the Luchaire arms sales but that he ordered his Defense Minister to look into it.
17 November 1987 XAS for saxophone quartet by Iannis Xenakis (65) is performed for the first time, in Lille.
18 November 1987 Japan Air Lines is officially denationalized.
The special Iran-Contra Committee of the US Congress issues its final report saying that President Reagan failed in his constitutional responsibilities in the Iran-Contra scandal and that his policies in Iran and Central America depended on “secrecy, deception, and disdain for the law.”
CBS Inc. agrees to sell CBS Records to Sony Corp. for $2,000,000,000.
20 November 1987 Tapis for string quintet by Isang Yun (70) is performed for the first time, in Mannheim.
String Quartet no.2 by John Harbison (48) is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.
21 November 1987 Leftist leader Ruben Zamora returns to El Salvador under the terms of the Central American peace agreement.
Organ2/ASLSP for organ by John Cage (75) is performed for the first time, in Metz.
The Characteristics Man for actors, singers, chorus, orchestra, and tape by R. Murray Schafer (54) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Toronto.
22 November 1987 President José Napoléon Duarte of El Salvador blames conservative leader Roberto D’Aubuisson for the murder of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero in 1980.
Dithyrambi for chorus and instruments by Carl Orff (†5) to words of Schiller is performed for the first time, in Munich.
24 November 1987 Li Peng replaces Zhao Ziyang as Prime Minister of China.
25 November 1987 An Arab flies a hang glider from Lebanon into an army camp in Israel, kills six Israelis and injures seven others before being killed by Israeli soldiers.
26 November 1987 Instant Huddersfield by Henry Brant (74) is performed for the first time, in Huddersfield, Great Britain.
27 November 1987 President Hossein Mohammed Ershad of Bangladesh declares a state of emergency after two weeks of anti-government unrest.
Two French journalists are freed by Iranian-backed terrorists in Beirut.
28 November 1987 Right wing Renamo rebels kill 42 civilians in attacks north of Maputo, Mozambique.
No hay caminos, hay que caminar...Andrej Tarkovskij for seven choruses and orchestra by Luigi Nono (63) is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo.
String Quartet no.2 by Charles Koechlin (†36) is performed for the first time, in the Glockenhaus, Lüneburg, 72 years after it was composed.
29 November 1987 French authorities release Wahid Gordji, wanted in connection with bombings in Paris and taking refuge in the Iranian embassy in Paris. He is exchanged in Karachi for Paul Torri, consul in the besieged French mission in Teheran. The 40 Iranian diplomats in Paris and eight French in Teheran are thereupon freed, thus ending the embassy standoff begun last July.
The first free elections in Haiti in 30 years are cancelled by the government after terrorist acts at polling places by supporters of deposed President Jean-Claude Duvalier. 34 people are killed, 70 injured. The United States suspends all humanitarian aid to Haiti.
The Motherland Party of Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Ozal easily wins reelection in parliamentary voting.
Et exspecto for bayan by Sofia Gubaidulina (56) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
Pendant l’attente for voice and piano by Albert Roussel (†50) to words of Catulle Mendès is performed for the first time, in Saint-Étienne, France, about 88 years after it was composed.
30 November 1987 Mohammed Najibullah becomes President of the Republic of Afghanistan.
A government-sponsored referendum on radical economic changes in Poland is defeated. Although more than two-thirds of those voting are in favor, a majority of those eligible to vote is required, and only 68% of the electorate votes.
James Baldwin dies in St. Paul de Vence, France at the age of 63.
2 December 1987 VALIS, an opera by Tod Machover (34) to his own words after Dick, is performed for the first time, at Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris conducted by the composer.
4 December 1987 Let Us Rejoice for female chorus and handbells by Samuel Adler (59) is performed for the first time, in New York.
Nativity: A Canticle for the Child, an opera-oratorio by Norman Dello Joio (74) to words of Gibson, is performed for the first time, in the Midland Music Center, Midland, Michigan.
6 December 1987 Amidst widespread strikes and anti-government protests, President Hossain Mohammed Ershad of Bangladesh dissolves Parliament.
In memoriam Vincent Persichetti for winds, brass, and percussion by Jacob Druckman (59) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
8 December 1987 In Washington, Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev and US President Reagan sign the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty abolishing intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
Acclamation for chorus by John Tavener (43) is performed for the first time, for the arrival of His All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios I at Canterbury Cathedral.
9 December 1987 A wave unrest and protest begins in the Gaza Strip against Israeli security forces, largely by youths wielding stones and gasoline bombs.
Symphony (Vertigo) for orchestra and electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (53) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.
10 December 1987 Jascha Heifetz dies in Los Angeles at the age of 86.
11 December 1987 A bomb presumably planted by Basque separatists, explodes at a Civil Guard barracks in Zaragoza. Eleven people are killed, 34 injured.
String Quartet no.2 “Hunting:Gathering” by Kevin Volans (38) is performed for the first time, in Herbst Theatre, San Francisco.
12 December 1987 Europeras I&II by John Cage (75) are performed for the first time, at the Frankfurt Schauspielhaus. The critics are generally positive if confused. The audience is not pleased.
13 December 1987 The center-right coalition of Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens is returned to power in national elections, but with a reduced majority.
14 December 1987 Border fighting breaks out between Uganda and Kenya. Kenya expels the Ugandan ambassador.
15 December 1987 Construction of the Channel Tunnel begins.
16 December 1987 Roh Tae Woo, the candidate of the governing Democratic Justice Party, wins presidential elections in South Korea with 37% of the vote.
In a massive trial of 452 alleged mafia members in Palermo, 338 are convicted. 19 are sentenced to life in prison.
Michael Deaver, former deputy chief of staff to President Reagan, is found guilty on three counts of perjury in federal court in Washington. He lied to a federal grand jury about his lobbying activities.
17 December 1987 The General Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party Gustáv Husák resigns but keeps the office of President. He is replaced by Milos Jakes.
18 December 1987 Encouraged by Moslem clerics, Arab youths pour out of mosques in Gaza after Friday prayers and go on a rampage of rioting and attacks on Israeli troops.
Witold Lutoslawski (74) receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Belfast.
19 December 1987 Rock throwing Arabs attack Israeli banks in Jerusalem.
20 December 1987 An estimated 1,600 people are killed when a ferry collides with a tanker in the Tablas Strait, 175 km south of Manila.
21 December 1987 Twenty people are dead after 13 days of clashes between Israeli troops and Arab mobs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Arabs in Israel stage a general strike.
A jury in New York convicts three white teenagers of manslaughter and other charges for the death of a black man during a racial attack in the Howard Beach section of the city last December.
Magnum Mysterium for brass quintet by John Harbison (49) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.
22 December 1987 Peace talks in the Dominican Republic between the Nicaraguan government and conservative rebels break down.
God Is with Us for male voice, chorus, and organ by John Tavener (43) to words of the Greek Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, in Winchester Cathedral.
26 December 1987 Catalan separatists hurl hand grenades into a USO club in Barcelona. A US sailor is killed, nine are wounded.
29 December 1987 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Viktorovich Romanenko returns to Earth after setting a record of 326.5 days in space.
31 December 1987 Prime Minister Robert Gabriel Mugabe of Zimbabwe takes on the post of Executive President.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
24 January 2012
Last Updated (Tuesday, 24 January 2012 07:49)