Stop for a minute and let’s go back in time. Let’s travel back to 1989. Where were you? What were you doing? What were you planning and hoping for?
It may take you some time to remember; but for Mark Wallace, our president and CEO, the memories are vivid. That was the year he took leadership of our organization and started living out his destiny to make Texas Children’s one of the best hospitals in the nation.
In celebration of that year, we thought it would be fun to flash back and relive what was going on in the world. Reading these fun facts might trigger a few memories of your own.
Memorable events of 1989
- The Berlin Wall came down
- The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize
- Toyota launched its luxury brand – Lexus
- The World Wide Web was born
- The Nintendo “Game Boy” personal gaming device came out
The cost of living in 1989
- Average income per year – $27,450.00
- Average monthly rent – $420.00
- 1 gallon of gas – 97 cents
- US Postage Stamps – 25 cents
Most popular movies of 1989
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
- Coming To America
- Good Morning Vietnam
- Crocodile Dundee II
- Big
- Three Men and a Baby
- Die Hard
- Cocktail
- Moonstruck
- Beetlejuice
Most popular television shows of 1989
- The Cosby Show
- Roseanne
- Cheers
- A Different World
- America’s Funniest Home Videos
- The Golden Girls
- 60 Minutes
- The Wonder Years
- Empty Nest
Top 10 Songs of 1989 (Billboard Hot 100)
- Look Away – Chicago
- Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Poison
- Straight Up – Paula Abdul
- Miss You Much – Janet Jackson
- Cold Hearted – Paula Abdul
- Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
- Girl You Know It’s True – Milli Vanilli
- Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird – Will To Power
- Giving You the Best That I Got – Anita Baker
Quotes/Sayings that entered pop culture in 1989
- “If you build it, they will come.” – Field of Dreams
- “I’ll have what she’s having.” – When Harry Met Sally
- “This is your brain. And this is your brain on drugs. Any questions?” – Partnership for a Drug Free America commercial
It was a busy year and these are just a few snapshots of what happened. Did you enjoy your trip down memory lane? To learn what was going on at Texas Children’s in 1989 and all the ways we’ve grown since, check out the special microsite honoring Mr. Wallace at https://www.markawallace30years.org/
Make sure to visit the Guest Book and post a note of congratulations!