1987 in the United States

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Ronald Reagan
• Vice President: George H. W. Bush
• Chief Justice: William Rehnquist
• Speaker of the House of Representatives: Tip O'Neill , Jim Wright
• Senate Majority Leader: Bob Dole , Robert Byrd
• Congress: 99th, 100th

  Governors

Lieutenant governors

Events

January

• January 5 - President Ronald Reagan undergoes prostate surgery, causing speculation about his physical fitness to continue in office.
• January 22 - Pennsylvania State Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer commits suicide by shooting himself during a press conference. The incident was captured by news cameras and later broadcast on television.
• January 31 - The last Ohrbach's department store closes in New York City after 64 years of operation.

  February

• February 9 - Brownsville, Texas, is deluged with of rain in just two hours, and flooding in some parts of the city is worse than that caused by Hurricane Beulah in 1967.
• February 11 - The United States military detonates an atomic weapon at the Nevada Test Site.
• February 26 - Iran-Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes U.S. President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his National Security Council staff.

  March

• March 2 - American Motors Corporation is acquired by the Chrysler Corporation.
• March 4
• *U.S. President Ronald Reagan addresses the American people on the Iran-Contra Affair, acknowledging that his overtures to Iran had 'deteriorated' into an arms-for-hostages deal.
• *Jonathan Pollard is sentenced to life in prison on one count of espionage.
• March 18 - Woodstock of physics: The marathon session of the American Physical Society’s meeting features 51 presentations concerning the science of high-temperature superconductors.
• March 19 - In Charlotte, North Carolina, televangelist Jim Bakker, head of PTL Ministries, resigns after admitting an affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn.
• March 29 - World Wrestling Entertainment presents WrestleMania III in Pontiac, Michigan. Hulk Hogan retains the WWF World Heavyweight Championship defeating his former friend André The Giant.

  April

• Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of English rock band Queen, is diagnosed with AIDS. He dies four years later after making his diagnosis public.
• April 7 - Harold Washington is re-elected Mayor of Chicago.
• April 19 - The first short of "The Simpsons" is shown on The Tracey Ullman Show, marking the debut of the cartoon on television.
• April 27 - The United States Department of Justice declares incumbent Austrian president Kurt Waldheim an "undesirable alien".
• April 30 - NASCAR driver Bill Elliott sets the record for the all-time fastest lap at Talladega Superspeedway at.

  May

• May 8 - U.S. Senator Gary Hart drops out of the running for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, amid allegations of an extramarital affair with Donna Rice.
• May 17 - The USS Stark is hit by two Iraqi owned Exocet AM39 air-to-surface missiles, killing 37 sailors.
• May 21 - Andrew Wyeth, with his "Helga Pictures," becomes the first living American painter to have a one-man show of his work in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
• May 24 - Approximately 800,000 people gather for a walk to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.

June

• June 12 - During a visit to Berlin, Germany, U.S. President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.
• June 16 - Bernhard Goetz is exonerated on 12 of 13 counts by a jury in the case against him stemming from the 1984 shootings of four youths in a New York subway car.
• June 19
• *Teddy Seymour is officially designated the first black man to sail around the world, when he completes his solo sailing circumnavigation in Frederiksted, St. Croix, of the United States Virgin Islands.
• *Edwards v. Aguillard: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that a Louisiana law requiring that creation science be taught in public schools whenever evolution is taught is unconstitutional.
• June 28 - An accidental explosion at Hohenfels Training Area in West Germany kills 3 U.S. troopers.

  July

• July 1 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan nominates former Solicitor General Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. The nomination is later rejected by the Senate, the first and only nominee rejection to date.
• July 17 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 2,500 mark for the first time, at 2,510.04.

  August

• August 16 - Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes on takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan just West of Detroit killing all but one of the 156 people on board.
• August 19 - ABC News chief Middle East correspondent Charles Glass escapes his Hezbollah kidnappers in Beirut, Lebanon, after 62 days in captivity.
• August 31 - Michael Jackson releases his third solo album Bad.

  September

• September 11 - Pope John Paul II visits Columbia, South Carolina and the University of South Carolina.
• September 15-16 - Pope John Paul II visits Los Angeles where he visits Dodger Stadium for an interfaith meeting with leaders of other religions, performs a telecommunications conference for local youths, and meets with entertainment leaders at the Universal Amphitheatre.
• September 17
• *At a small rally in New York City's Harlem district, televangelist Pat Robertson announces his candidacy for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination.
• *The day after leaving Los Angeles, Pope John Paul II visits San Francisco, where he meets with several AIDS sufferers.
• September 25 - Varroa destructor, an invasive parasite, is found for the first time in the U.S.

  October

• October - The unemployment rate drops below 6% for the first time since 1979.
• October 1 - The 5.9 Whittier Narrows earthquake affected the Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII, killing eight and injuring 200.
• October 10 - The Reverend Jesse Jackson launches his second campaign for U.S. President.
• October 11 - The first National Coming Out Day is held in celebration of the second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
• October 14-16 - The United States is caught up in a drama that unfolds on television as a young child, Jessica McClure, falls down a well in Midland, Texas, and is later rescued.
• October 19
• *Black Monday: Stock market levels fall sharply on Wall Street and around the world.
• *U.S. warships destroy two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf
• October 23 - On a vote of 58–42, the United States Senate rejects President Ronald Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court.
• October 25 - 1987 World Series: The Minnesota Twins defeat the St. Louis Cardinals despite having the worst regular season win–loss ratio for a winner, a record they hold until 2006.
• October 26 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average goes down 156.83 points; at the time it is the second largest decrease ever.

  November

• November 6 - Florida rapist Tommy Lee Andrews is the first person to be convicted as a result of DNA fingerprinting: he is sentenced to 22 years in prison.
• November 18 - Iran-Contra affair: U.S. Senate and House panels release reports charging President Ronald Reagan with 'ultimate responsibility' for the affair.
• November 22 - The Max Headroom Incident: An unidentified person hijacks two television stations in Chicago, Illinois, and broadcasts video of them wearing a mask in the likeness of the character Max Headroom.
• November 23 - Frank Carlucci is sworn in as the new Secretary of Defense, succeeding Caspar Weinberger.

  December

• December - The unemployment rate drops to 5.7%, the lowest since July 1979.
• December 1 - NASA announces the names of four companies who were awarded contracts to help build Space Station Freedom: Boeing Aerospace, General Electric's Astro-Space Division, McDonnell Douglas, and the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell.
• December 2 - Hustler Magazine v. Falwell is argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• December 7 - Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 crashes near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 on board, after a disgruntled passenger shoots his ex-supervisor on the flight, then shoots both pilots and himself.
• December 8 - The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
• December 9 - Microsoft releases Windows 2.0.
• December 10 - A squirrel closes down the Nasdaq Stock Exchange when it burrows through a telephone line.
• December 22-December 28 - Ronald Gene Simmons goes on a 6-day killing spree in Russellville, Arkansas, killing his wife, children, and grandchildren as they arrived to celebrate the holidays at his home. On the 28th he went on a shooting spree, killing an additional woman and wounding 5 others before surrendering to police. The final death toll was 16. He was tried and eventually executed.
• December 29 - Prozac makes its debut in the United States.

  Ongoing

• Cold War
• Iran–Contra affair

  Births

• January 1
• * Gia Coppola, film director, screenwriter, and actress
• *Meryl Davis, ice dancer
• *Ryan Perrilloux, American football player
• January 2
• * Shelley Hennig, actress
• * Lauren Storm, actress and acting coach
• January 5
• * Kristin Cavallari, actress
• * Jason Mitchell, actor
• January 6
• *Arin Hanson, Internet personality, comedian, voice actor, songwriter, rapper, animator and cartoonist
• *Ndamukong Suh, American football player
• January 7 - Lyndsy Fonseca, actress
• January 9 - Pablo Santos, Mexican actor
• January 12
• * Naya Rivera, actress and singer
• * Will Rothhaar, actor
• January 13
• * Max Van Ville, DJ, producer and actor
• January 15 - Barbara Blank, model and professional wrestler
• January 20
• * Evan Peters, actor
• * Pete Ploszek, actor
• January 22 - Ray Rice, American football player
• January 27 - Rucka Rucka Ali, rapper, singer, comedian, and YouTuber
• January 26 - Andrew J. Ferchland, actor
• January 27
• * Katy Rose, singer-songwriter
• * Hannah Teter, snowboarder
• January 28
• * Chelsea Brummet, actress and singer
• * Katie Nolan, sports personality and TV host
• January 29
• * Alex Avila, baseball player
• * Alex Murrel, singer and actress
• January 30 - Phil Lester, YouTube personality
• February 2 - Martin Spanjers, actor
• February 5
• * Darren Criss, actor
• * Donald Sanford, American-Israeli Olympic sprinter
• February 8 - Jessica Jerome, ski jumper
• February 14 - Joe Pichler, actor missing from 2006
• February 17
• * Danny Farquhar, baseball player
• * Tiquan Underwood, American football player
• February 21 - Ashley Greene, actress and model
• February 24 - Ulysses Cuadra, actor and voice actor
• February 25 - Natalie Dreyfuss, actress
• February 28 - Michelle Horn, actress
• March 1
• * Navarone Garibaldi, singer
• * Kesha, singer
• March 8 - Devon Graye, actor
• March 10
• * Ser'Darius Blain, actor
• * Martellus Bennett, American football player
• March 12 - Jessica Hardy, swimmer
• March 14 - Robert Clark, American-Canadian actor
• March 17 - Bryan Dechart, actor, voice actor, and Twitch streamer
• March 19
• * AJ Lee, wrestler
• * Josie Loren, actress
• March 20 - Zack Lively, actor
• March 22 - Ike Davis, baseball player
• March 24 - Josh Zeid, baseball player
• March 28
• * Kagney Linn Karter, pornographic actress
• * Mary Kate Wiles, actress
• * Jonathan Van Ness, hairdresser and media personality
• April 6 - Hilary Rhoda, model
• April 7 - Jack Johnson, actor
• April 10
• * Jesse McCartney, actor and singer
• * Jamie Renée Smith, actress
• April 11 - Michelle Phan, make-up demonstrator
• April 12
• * Brooklyn Decker, fashion model and actress
• * Mike Manning, actor
• * Ilana Glazer, comedian, writer and actress
• * Brendon Urie, lead singer of Panic! At The Disco and stage actor
• April 13 - Genevieve Angelson, television actress
• April 16
• * Richard Bleier, baseball player
• * Neil Haskell, actor and dancer
• April 19 - Courtland Mead, actor
• April 20 - John Patrick Amedori, actor and musician
• April 21 - Ryan Adams, baseball player
• April 26 - Jessica Lee Rose, actress
• April 29 - Alicia Morton, actress and singer
• May 1 - Glen Coffee, American football player
• May 2 - Pat McAfee, American football player
• May 5 - Ian Michael Smith, actor
• May 7
• * Aidy Bryant, actress and comedian
• * Maya Erskine, actress
• May 10 - Eileen April Boylan, actress
• May 11
• * Justin King, American football player
• * Louis Murphy, American football player
• May 13
• * Misha Gabriel, dancer
• * Candice King, actress, singer and songwriter
• * Hunter Parrish, actor and singer
• May 15
• * Michael Brantley, baseball player
• * Brian Dozier, baseball player
• May 28 - Jessica Rothe, actress
• May 29 - Alessandra Torresani, actress
• May 31
• * Curtis Williams, actor
• * Shaun Fleming, actor and musician
• * Meredith Hagner, actress
• June 2 - Caitlin Mallory, American-Estonian ice dancer
• June 3 - Lalaine, actress
• June 4 - Tori Praver, model and swimwear designer
• June 9 - Rheagan Wallace, actress
• June 14
• * Cameron Russell, model
• * Ross A. McGinnis, soldier, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
• June 16
• * Kelly Blatz, actor and singer
• * Diana DeGarmo, singer and Broadway actress
• * Abby Elliott, actress and comedian
• June 17 - Kendrick Lamar, rapper
• June 18 - Melanie Iglesias, model and actress
• June 25
• * Brian Canter, bull rider
• * Mark Titus, author and pod-caster
• * Scott Terra, actor
• July 3
• * Chris Hunter, actor
• * Chad Broskey, actor
• July 11
• * Cristina Vee, voice actress
• * A. J. Locascio, actor, voice actor, film director and film producer
• July 14 - Drew Fortier, musician, songwriter, filmmaker and actor
• July 16 - AnnaLynne McCord, actress and model
• July 28 - John Stevens, singer
• August 15 - Ryan D'Imperio, American football player
• August 24 - Jon Scheyer, basketball player
• August 25 - Blake Lively, actress
• September 7 - Evan Rachel Wood, actress, model and musician
• September 8 - Ray Fisher, actor
• September 9 - Clayton Snyder, actor
• September 10
• * Paul Goldschmidt, baseball player
• * Alex Saxon, actor
• September 14 - Chad Duell, actor
• September 16
• * Daren Kagasoff, actor
• * Travis Wall, actor
• * Anthony Padilla, YouTube personality, co-founder of Smosh
• September 19 - Danielle Panabaker, actress
• September 20
• * Jack Lawless, musician
• * Sarah Natochenny, actress and voice actress
• September 22 - Teyonah Parris, actress
• September 23 - Skylar Astin, actor, model and singer
• September 24
• * Brit Morgan, film and television actress
• * Grey Damon, actor
• * Spencer Treat Clark, actor
• September 28 - Hilary Duff, actress and singer
• September 29 - David Del Rio, actor
• October 1
• * Matthew Daddario, actor
• * Stuart Lafferty, actor
• * Jason McElwain, athlete
• October 2
• * Christopher Larkin, actor
• * Phil Kessel, ice hockey forward
• * Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., stock car driver
• October 6 - Samuel, American musician
• October 18 - Zac Efron, actor
• October 24 - Charlie White, ice dancer
• November 1 - Bruce Irvin, American football player
• November 3 -
• * Ty Lawson, basketball player
• * Colin Kaepernick, American football player
• * Kyle Seager, baseball player
• * Elizabeth Smart, kidnap victim, activist and contributor to ABC News
• November 5 - Kevin Jonas, actor, singer and songwriter
• November 7 - Rachele Brooke Smith, actress and dancer
• November 8 - Samantha Droke, actress
• November 20 - Amelia Rose Blaire, actress
• November 23
• * Ryan Lane, actor
• * Snooki, television personality
• November 30 - Ian Hecox, YouTube personality, co-founder of Smosh
• December 2 - Teairra Marí, singer
• December 3 - Michael Angarano, actor
• December 4
• * Dree Hemingway, model and actress
• * Orlando Brown, actor and rapper
• December 6 - Jack DeSena, actor and voice actor
• December 7 - Aaron Carter, actor, singer
• December 8 - Aria Curzon, actress
• December 11 - Clifton Geathers, American football player
• December 15 - Josh Norman, American football player
• December 16 - Hallee Hirsh, actress
• December 25 - Demaryius Thomas, American football player
• December 28
• * Taylor Ball, actor
• * Thomas Dekker, actor
• * Adam Gregory, actor
• December 29 - Katie Blair, actress, model and beauty queen
• December 31 - Javaris Crittenton, basketball player

  Deaths

• January 15 - Ray Bolger, actor, singer and dancer, Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz
• January 22 - R. Budd Dwyer, 30th State Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• February - Lou Darvas, artist and cartoonist
• February 5 - E. Michael Burke, sports executive, naval officer and CIA agent
• February 22 - Andy Warhol, leading figure in the visual art movement pop art,
• February 24 - Jim Connors, radio personality
• March 3 - Danny Kaye, singer, actor, and comedian
• March 21 - Dean Paul Martin, actor,
• May - John Pierotti, cartoonist
• May 5 - Phil Woolpert, basketball coach
• May 13 - Richard Ellmann, literary critic and biographer
• June 25 - Boudleaux Bryant, American songwriter
• August 24 - Bayard Rustin, African American civil rights activist
• October 12 - Alf Landon, 1936 Republican presidential nominee
• October 18 - Pete Carpenter, musician and arranger
• November 22 - W. Haydon Burns, 35th Governor of Florida
• December 1 - James Baldwin, author and civil rights activist
• December 4 - Arnold Lobel, children's book author
• December 4 - Rouben Mamoulian, film and theatre director
• December 5 - Molly O'Day, country singer