Economy of USA
The US & Canada sign a free trade pack
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1988 in United States of America
Explore 53 historical events and records for United States of America in 1988.
Historical records for United States of America in 1988
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 53 unique records.
53Unique records
1 of 2Page
36Named events on this page
29Named people on this page
11Places on this page
January
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
March
Peace Initiative
Presents an initiative for Arab-Israeli negotiations and transitional Palestinian self-government.
Final United States Concert
Performs at Nassau Coliseum in what becomes his final concert in the United States.
April
Mayor Term Ends
Ends his two-year term as mayor and does not seek another term.
May
Atlantic Records Anniversary
Drums with Led Zeppelin members at Atlantic Records' anniversary concert.
Nuclear Power
The fourth meeting between Reagan & Gorbachev. INF Treaty ratification documents are exchanged between Russia & the USA
June
INF Treaty Enters Force
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty enters into force after ratification by the United States and Soviet Union.
Never Ending Tour
Begins the long-running Never Ending Tour.
Pluto Atmosphere
Airborne occultation measurements show gradual stellar dimming consistent with refraction through Pluto's extended atmosphere.
Pluto Atmosphere
A stellar occultation observed from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory provides the first direct detection of an atmosphere around Pluto.
Pluto Atmosphere
The Pluto occultation light curve reveals a clear upper atmosphere above an extinction layer with a sharp upper boundary.
July
World Record
Florence Griffith Joyner of USA sets 100m womans record (10.49)
October
Traveling Wilburys Vol 1
Releases Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 with the supergroup.
November
Death of John Carradine
Death of John Carradine
December
US-PLO Dialogue Opened
Shultz announces that the United States will open substantive dialogue with the PLO after Arafat clarifies his acceptance of key diplomatic conditions.
Other events (month unknown)
Academy Award
Winner of the Acadremy Award for Best Director, "Rain Man"
Accords of Geneva
Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the United States and Soviet Union serving as guarantors, sign an agreement settling the major differences between them known as the Geneva Accords
After the Shaw trial, Garrison wrote three books
After the Shaw trial, Garrison wrote three books on the Kennedy assassination, A Heritage of Stone (1970), The Star Spangled Contract, and the best-seller, On The Trail of The Assassins (1988)
Another Woman Film
In 1988, Woody Allen made Another Woman, a psychological drama starring Gena Rowlands as a woman confronting her choices.
Beetlejuice
Stars in Beetlejuice
Bird
Directs Bird, a biographical film about jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker.
Broadway the Hard Way
Releases Broadway the Hard Way, drawing on the 1988 tour and satirising contemporary American politics and public figures.
Cecil B DeMille Award
Receives the Golden Globe Cecil B DeMille Award for career contribution to entertainment.
Cocktail
Stars in the lighthearted drama Cocktail. Stars in Martin Scorseses The Color of Money along with Paul Newman
Colors
Directs Colors
Education
Obama enters Harvard Law School
Election
Manages George Bushs presidential election campaign
Emmy Award Night Court Actor
John Larroquette won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for portraying Dan Fielding in Night Court.
Gotham
Stars in Gotham
Grammy for Jazz from Hell
Wins the Grammy Award for Rock Instrumental Performance for Jazz from Hell.
Guitar
Releases Guitar, a double album assembled from improvised solos recorded during concerts in the early and mid-1980s.
Harvard
Appointed Editor of the Harvard Law Review
Human Rights Now!
Tours for Amnesty International on the Human Rights Now! benefit tour.
Metallica
..And Justice for All, the first studio album since Burtons death, was released, the album was a massive commercial success, reaching number 6 on The Billboard 200, their first album to reach the top 10
Metallica
..And Justice for All, the first studio album since Burtons death, was released, the album was a massive commercial success, reaching number 6 on The Billboard 200, their first album to reach the top 10
Metallica
..And Justice for All, the first studio album since Burtons death, was released, the album was a massive commercial success, reaching number 6 on The Billboard 200, their first album to reach the top 10
National Convention
Gives the keynote address at the Democrats national convention
Olympic Gold Medal
Winner of the long jump Olympic Gold Medal. Winner of the 100m Olympic Gold Medal
On the Trail of the Assassins
Garrison published On the Trail of the Assassins, presenting his view that Kennedy's murder resulted from a conspiracy involving intelligence-connected figures rather than Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.