Date in year · 1988 · The 1980s

August 20, 1988

On August 20, 1988, "Black Saturday" of the Yellowstone fire in Yellowstone National Park The year's #1 song was "Faith" by George Michael. Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez, Chris Heston would arrive in the same year.

Events

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Births

3

Deaths

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Year

1988

1980s

Around 1988

The year in brief

1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1988th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 988th year of the 2nd millennium, the 88th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1980s decade.

Read the full year of 1988 →

What happened

On August 20, 1988

  1. 1988 "Black Saturday" of the Yellowstone fire in Yellowstone National Park

    Natural event in Yellowstone National Park, United States

    The Yellowstone fires of 1988 collectively formed the largest wildfire in the recorded history of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Starting as many smaller individual fires, the flames quickly spread out of control due to drought conditions and increasing winds, combining into several large conflagrations which burned for several months. The fires almost destroyed two major visitor destinations and, on September 8, 1988, the entire park was closed to all non-emergency personnel for the first time in its history.

  2. 1988 Iran–Iraq War: A ceasefire is agreed after almost eight years of war.

    1980–1988 armed conflict in West Asia

    The Iran–Iraq War began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September 1980. After eight years of conflict, both countries accepted a ceasefire deal brokered by the United Nations, which became effective in August 1988. The war caused around 500,000 deaths, making it the deadliest conventional war ever fought between regular armies of developing countries.

  3. 1988 The Troubles: Eight British soldiers are killed and 28 wounded when their bus is hit by an IRA roadside bomb in Ballygawley, County Tyrone.

    1960s–1998 conflict in Northern Ireland

    The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles mostly took place in Northern Ireland, at times violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe.

Arrivals

Born on August 20, 1988

Jerryd Bayless 1988– American basketball player (born 1988)
Sarah R 1988– American filmmaker (born 1988)
José Zamora 1988– Spanish footballer

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1988

The class of 1988

Others born in 1988

Brook Lopez 1988– American basketball player
Robin Lopez 1988– American basketball player
Chris Heston 1988– American baseball pitcher
Kareem Jackson 1988– American football player
Haley Joel Osment 1988– American actor
Jan-Phillip Tadsen 1988– German politician

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