Timeline

1988

Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

Mar

07

Arts & Entertainment

Writers Guild of America strike begins

After rejecting what the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said was a final offer, representatives of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) called a strike for all the union’s members to begin at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on March 7, 1988.

1988 Writers Guild Strike in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA - 1988: The striking Writers Guild form a picket line along Beverly Blvd sits at a bus stop outside the 1988 Los Angeles, California studios of CBS. The writers went out on strike distrupting most television and film production in 1988 before settling after 6 months. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Dec

21

Natural Disasters & Environment

Pan Am Flight 103 explodes over Scotland

On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York explodes in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members aboard, as well as 11 Lockerbie residents on the ground. A bomb hidden inside an audio cassette player detonated in the cargo area when the plane was at an altitude of 31,000 feet. The disaster, which became the subject of Britain’s largest criminal investigation, was believed to be an attack against the United States. One hundred eighty nine of the victims were American.

Lockerbie Bombing

December 1988: Some of the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 after it crashed onto the town of Lockerbie in Scotland, on 21st December 1988. The Boeing 747 'Clipper Maid of the Seas' was destroyed en route from Heathrow to JFK Airport in New York, when a bomb was detonated in its forward cargo hold. All 259 people on board were killed, as well as 11 people in the town of Lockerbie. (Photo by Bryn Colton/Getty Images)

Getty Images

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.