December 20, 1989

By the winter of 1989, Bush was in the White House and the federal minimum wage stood at $3.35/hr — the United States and Soviet Union declared a new era of cooperation at the Malta Summit, with Bush and Gorbachev agreeing on arms reduction and expanded trade ties as the Cold War visibly wound down. On television, "The Cosby Show" remained the most-watched program in the country, while Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise were drawing steady crowds to "Rain Man," which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. The Oakland Athletics had claimed the World Series title that fall, and in December, the six-member International Trans-Antarctica Expedition became the first team in history to cross the Antarctic continent on foot, completing the journey after traveling roughly 3,700 miles by ski.