Date in year · 1989 · The 1980s

February 3, 1989

On February 3, 1989, after a stroke two weeks previously, South African President P. W. Botha resigns as leader of the National Party, but stays on as president for six more months. The year's #1 song was "Look Away" by Chicago. Jan Blokhuijsen, David Ngog, Christian Vietoris would arrive in the same year.

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1989

1980s

Featured · February 3, 1989

After a stroke two weeks previously, South African President P. W. Botha resigns as leader of the National Party, but stays on as president for six more months.

Stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functioning properly.

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Around 1989

The year in brief

1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1989th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 989th year of the 2nd millennium, the 89th year of the 20th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1980s decade.

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What happened

On February 3, 1989

1989 After a stroke two weeks previously, South African President P. W. Botha resigns as leader of the National Party, but stays on as president for six more months.

Death of a region of brain cells due to poor blood flow

Stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functioning properly.
1989 A military coup overthrows Alfredo Stroessner, dictator of Paraguay since 1954.

Military overthrow of Alfredo Stroessner

The 1989 Paraguayan coup d'état, also known as La Noche de la Candelaria, was a coup d'état that took place on 2–3 February 1989 in Asunción, Paraguay, led by General Andrés Rodríguez against the regime of long-time leader Alfredo Stroessner. The bloody overthrow which saw numerous soldiers killed in street fighting was sparked by a power struggle in the highest echelons of the government. Rodríguez's takeover spelled the end of El Stronato, Stroessner's thirty-four year long rule—at the time the longest in Latin America—and led to an array of reforms which abolished numerous draconian laws and led to the liberalization of Paraguay.