In 1987, "Walk Like an Egyptian" topped the charts, Three Men and a Baby packed theaters, a stamp cost 22¢, the average home went for about $127,200.
🎵 Top songs of 1987
"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The Bangles
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" — Whitney Houston
"Livin' on a Prayer" — Bon Jovi
🎬 In theaters
Three Men and a Baby
The Last Emperor
Dirty Dancing
What things cost in 1987
$0.89
Gallon of gas
22¢
Postage stamp
$3.91
Movie ticket
$2.28
Gallon of milk
$127,200
Average home
$13,400
New car
$26,061
Household income
A $0.89 gallon of gas in 1987 has the buying power of roughly $2.45 in 2024 dollars. A 22¢ stamp is around 60¢ today, and a $3.91 movie ticket is about $10.75.
The biggest moments of 1987
The Simpsons made their debut on April 19 as animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show.
The Black Monday stock market crash hit on October 19 — the Dow plunged 22.6%, the largest single-day percentage drop in U.S. history.
World population passed 5 billion in July, according to the United Nations.
"Baby Jessica" McClure was rescued after 58 hours trapped in a Texas well in October — the rescue was watched on live TV by millions.
A bottle of 1787 Château Lafite sold at Sotheby's for $156,450 — a record for any standard-size bottle of wine at the time.
Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January.
Toys, TV & trends of 1987
Crimped hair, neon clothes, and slap bracelets were everywhere.
Kids were obsessed with the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Mario Bros. games.
Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered on September 28 in first-run syndication.
The boombox and giant foam-padded headphones were peak teen accessories.
"Wall Street" hit theaters in December, defining the decade's "greed is good" ethos.
Tetris arrived in the West — a Soviet puzzle game that would soon become a global craze.
The music scene
1987 was the year MTV ruled. George Michael's Faith, U2's The Joshua Tree, and Whitney Houston's Whitney all dominated. Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet (released late 1986) was still riding high. The Bangles, Madonna, and Janet Jackson kept female-led pop on top of the charts.
At the movies
The Last Emperor swept the 1987 Academy Awards with 9 wins including Best Picture. Three Men and a Baby was the surprise box-office champion. Fatal Attraction was the most-talked-about film of the year. Dirty Dancing turned Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey into stars.
Cartoons kids loved
DuckTales (debuted September)
The Real Ghostbusters
ThunderCats
DuckTales premiered on September 18 and launched Disney's syndication empire. The Real Ghostbusters was in its second hit season. ThunderCats and He-Man continued in syndication. Saturday-morning cartoons were peaking in viewership and merchandise sales.
The world in 1987
World population passed 5 billion in July
U.S. President: Ronald Reagan
Black Monday stock market crash on October 19
On June 12, President Reagan delivered his famous "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
The U.S. and Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in Washington on December 8.
The First Intifada — a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza — began in December.
1987 birthday questions
How old is someone born in 1987?
Someone born in 1987 turns 39 in 2026 (38 if their birthday has not come round yet).
What was the number one song in 1987?
"Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles was among the biggest hits of 1987.
What movie came out in 1987?
Three Men and a Baby was one of the films packing theaters in 1987.
How much did gas cost in 1987?
A gallon of gas ran about $0.89 in 1987, and a postage stamp cost 22¢.
How much did a house cost in 1987?
The average home went for roughly $127,200 in 1987, against a typical household income of about $26,061.