July 31, 1989
A Big Mac cost $1.95 that summer of 1989, and the Dow Jones sat at 2,753 — just weeks after President Bush called for a Mars mission and a permanent Moon base, signaling that American ambitions in space were far from finished. On movie screens, "Lethal Weapon 2" was pulling in crowds as the summer's top box office draw, while on the radio, Simply Red's "If You Don't Know Me By Now" held the number one spot. That June, Japan launched the world's first high-definition television test broadcasts, a demonstration of analogue HDTV that pointed toward a fundamental change in how people would eventually watch the world around them.
On the cover
Magazine Covers — July 31, 1989
NY Times Headlines — Week of July 31, 1989
U.S. Asks Soviets And Arabs To Aid In Saving Captives
Senators, At Odds With House, Pass Pentagon Budget
Congress And Administration Set A Compromise On Savings Rescue
Iran'S President Offers U.S. Help In Hostage Crisis
World Events — July 1989
Time Person of the Year — 1989
On the radio
Billboard Charts — July 31, 1989
Grammy Awards
On the bookshelf
On the television
Nielsen Top 10 — 1988–89 Season
Emmy Winners — 1989
At the movies
Box Office & Oscar Winners — July 31, 1989
Ebert 4-Star Films — July 31, 1989
On the field
Sports Champions — July 31, 1989
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