In 1989, "Look Away" topped the charts, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade packed theaters, a stamp cost 25¢, the average home went for about $120,000.
🎵 Top songs of 1989
"Look Away" — Chicago
"My Prerogative" — Bobby Brown
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" — Poison
🎬 In theaters
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Batman
The Little Mermaid
What things cost in 1989
$1.00
Gallon of gas
25¢
Postage stamp
$3.99
Movie ticket
$2.50
Gallon of milk
$120,000
Average home
$14,372
New car
$28,910
Household income
A $1.00 gallon of gas in 1989 has the buying power of roughly $2.55 in 2024 dollars. A 25¢ stamp is around 63¢ today, and a $3.99 movie ticket is about $10.10.
The biggest moments of 1989
The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, as joyful crowds climbed atop it and began chipping away at the Cold War's most famous symbol.
Batmania swept the country as Tim Burton's Batman filled theaters and bat-logo shirts filled school hallways.
The Simpsons premiered as a primetime series in December 1989, beginning a television run like no other.
Voyager 2 flew past Neptune in August, sending home humanity's first close-up pictures of the blue giant and its moon Triton.
A little sitcom pilot called The Seinfeld Chronicles aired quietly in July 1989 — the modest start of one of TV's biggest shows ever.
Wayne Gretzky passed Gordie Howe to become hockey's all-time leading scorer in October, fittingly against his old Edmonton team.
Toys, TV & trends of 1989
Nintendo's Game Boy arrived in America in 1989, and kids everywhere became hooked on its pack-in game, Tetris.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures flew off toy shelves as Turtle Power took over playgrounds.
Slap bracelets began snapping onto wrists everywhere, kicking off one of the great classroom fads.
Saved by the Bell premiered in August 1989, and Saturday mornings at Bayside High became a weekend ritual.
The Sega Genesis arrived in America with 16-bit graphics that made it the cool new challenger on the block.
Polly Pocket compacts debuted, hiding entire tiny worlds inside a case that fit in your hand.
The music scene
Teen pop ruled 1989: New Kids on the Block's Hangin' Tough turned arenas into scream-fests, and Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl kept churning out No. 1 singles. Madonna's "Like a Prayer" arrived with so much buzz that Pepsi built an ad campaign around it. And in February, the Grammys handed out the first-ever award for Best Rap Performance — DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince won for "Parents Just Don't Understand," though they skipped the show because the new category wasn't televised.
At the movies
Beyond the blockbusters, 1989 was the year the American indie film came of age: Steven Soderbergh's sex, lies, and videotape won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and proved a tiny Sundance movie could become a national hit. Field of Dreams and Dead Poets Society had audiences openly crying in theaters. Come Oscar night the following spring, Driving Miss Daisy took Best Picture and Jessica Tandy became the oldest Best Actress winner ever at 80.
Cartoons kids loved
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
DuckTales
The Simpsons
Two things changed animation forever in 1989: The Simpsons proved a cartoon could anchor primetime for grown-ups and kids alike, and The Little Mermaid — with its Broadway-style songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman — kicked off the Disney Renaissance. Suddenly animation wasn't an afterthought; it was where some of the most exciting storytelling on any screen was happening.
The world in 1989
World population: about 5.2 billion
U.S. President: George H. W. Bush
The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, paving the way for the reunification of Germany.
Poland's Solidarity movement swept the country's first partly free elections in June, cracking open the Eastern Bloc months before the Wall fell.
Hungary opened its border with Austria, snipping the first hole in the Iron Curtain and letting thousands of East Germans travel west.
Czechoslovakia's peaceful Velvet Revolution ended one-party rule, and playwright Václav Havel became president by year's end.
1989 birthday questions
How old is someone born in 1989?
Someone born in 1989 turns 37 in 2026 (36 if their birthday has not come round yet).
What was the number one song in 1989?
"Look Away" by Chicago was among the biggest hits of 1989.
What movie came out in 1989?
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was one of the films packing theaters in 1989.
How much did gas cost in 1989?
A gallon of gas ran about $1.00 in 1989, and a postage stamp cost 25¢.
How much did a house cost in 1989?
The average home went for roughly $120,000 in 1989, against a typical household income of about $28,910.