This is a list of 1989 events that occurred in Romania.
Incumbents President: Nicolae Ceaușescu (until 22 December),Grosescu, R. (2004). The Political Regrouping of Romanian Nomenklatura during the 1989 Revolution. Romanian Journal of Society and Politics, 4(1), 97-123. Ion Iliescu (starting 26 December) Prime Minister: Constantin Dăscălescu (until 25 December), Petre Roman (starting 26 December)
Events March Six retired senior figures in the Romanian Communist Party, including Gheorghe Apostol and Silviu Brucan, write an open letter to Nicolae Ceaușescu. They call for the relaxation of Ceaușescu's demand for increased exports, the release of more food for internal consumption, the investment in new technology for the industries, the halt of a vastly expensive program of prestige projects of doubtful economic value and for the dictator to put an end to systematization.
April President Nicolae Ceaușescu announces that Romania had paid all of its external debt. 18 April – The localities of Aninoasa (Hunedoara County), Fundulea (Călărași County), Lehliu Gară (Călărași County), Mioveni (Argeș County) and Valea lui Mihai (Bihor County) are declared cities.
May The Italian football club AC Milan wins the 1989 European Cup final, beating Steaua București of Romania 4–0 in Barcelona.
September 10 September - A Romanian cruiser carrying 179 people collides with a Bulgarian tugboat on the Danube, near Galați. Only 18 people are rescued from the cruiser.
November 20–25 November - The 14th party congress takes place. 23 November – During the XIV Congress of the RCP, first shift workers from Timișoara Mechanical Works try to organize a revolt against the communist regime. Their movement is quelled by the Securitate organs. 24 November – Nicolae Ceaușescu, the sole candidate for the communist party's leadership, is unanimously re-elected by the Central Committee as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party.
December
15 December - Demonstrators in Timișoara try preventing the arrest of Protestant clergyman László Tőkés. 16 December – The Romanian Revolution begins in Timișoara when rioters break into the Committee Building and cause extensive vandalism. Their attempts to set the buildings on fire are foiled by military units. 17 December - Nicolae Ceaușescu orders troops to fire on a crowd of protesters in Timișoara. 19 December - Parts of Romania are reported to be under virtual martial law by Reuter. 20 December – A general strike breaks out in all the factories in Timișoara. Timișoara is declared the first city free of communism in Romania. 21 December A huge rally in Bucharest turns into chaos as firecrackers explode at the periphery of the gathering. Soldiers, tanks, APCs, officers and Securitate officers dressed in civilian clothes crack on demonstrators, leaving casualties and significant material damage. Peaceful demonstrators in Arad, Brăila, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Hunedoara, Sibiu and Timișoara are shot dead by Securitate officers.
22 December – Army units defect to the side of the demonstrators while the Ceaușescus flee and the Council of the National Salvation Front announces that it has overthrown the government. 23 December - The Ceaușescu spouses are reported to have been captured.
25 December – Trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu: The Ceaușescu spouses are summarily judged and executed outside the military garrison in Târgoviște. 27 December – Petre Roman is appointed Prime Minister of the Government of Romania. 28 December – For the first time, after a long break, is held a meeting of the Board of Writers' Union of Romania. Is elected a provisional steering committee, the president being Mircea Dinescu. 29 December - The Socialist Republic of Romania is renamed as Romania ().
31 December – The Decree-Law no. 8 of 31 December 1989 issued by NSFC reintroduces the political pluralism in Romania.
Births
14 January – Dima Trofim, singer and former member of Lala Band 28 January – Ruby, singer 29 January – Adriana Țăcălie, handball player 25 March – Andrei Leonte, singer and songwriter 12 April – Antonia Iacobescu, singer and model 18 May – Alexandru Chipciu, footballer (FC Steaua București) 27 May – Doru Bratu, footballer (FC Steaua București) 5 June – Roxana Cocoș, Olympic weightlifter 10 June – Alexandra Stan, singer 28 June – Bogdan Stancu, footballer (Gençlerbirliği S.K.) 15 September – Steliana Nistor, former artistic gymnast 3 November – Sore Mihalache, singer and former member of Lala Band 7 November – Jimmy Dub, singer 14 November Raluka, singer Vlad Chiricheș, footballer (Tottenham Hotspur F.C.) 22 November – Gabriel Torje, footballer (RCD Espanyol)
Deaths
January 5 January – Philip Herschkowitz, composer and musicologist (b. 1906) 6 January – , accordionist (b. 1926) 10 January – Chris Avram, actor (b. 1931) 15 January – , footballer (b. 1960) 23 January – , geographer, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1905)
March 2 March – Liviu Cornel Babeș, electrician and painter (b. 1942) 6 March – , writer and historian (b. 1912) 22 March – , lieutenant colonel in World War II (b. 1908) 25 March , documentary filmmaker (b. 1930) Radu-Eugeniu Gheorghiu, composer and instrumentist (b. 1915) 29 March – Nicolae Steinhardt, Orthodox hermit and writer (b. 1912)
April 2 April – , journalist and television producer (b. 1926) 8 April – Horia Demian, basketball player (b. 1942) 19 April – Iosif Keber, painter (b. 1897) 20 April Constantin Celăreanu, aviator in World War II (b. 1890) Doru Davidovici, aviator and writer (b. 1945) 23 April – Ioniță G. Andron, photographic artist, Greek Catholic theologian and lawyer (b. 1917)
May 2 or 3 May – , writer (b. 1960) 5 May – , popular music violinist (b. 1922) 11 May – , sculptor (b. 1922) 29 May – , film director (b. 1933)
June 2 June – , lăutar instrumentist (b. 1931) 20 June – , poet and political prisoner (b. 1914) 30 June , biologist, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1905) , politician (b. 1920)
July 6 July – Alexandru Pașcanu, composer (b. 1920) 7 July – Horia Stamatu, writer and journalist (b. 1912) 11 July – Horia Macellariu – counter admiral (b. 1894) 12 July – , agronomic engineer and agrotechnician, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1905) 25 July – – popular music singer (b. 1915)
August 30 August – Costin Murgescu, economist, jurist, journalist and diplomat (b. 1919) 31 August – , theatre and film critic (b. 1942)
September 17 September – Ion Dezideriu Sîrbu, philosopher and writer (b. 1919) 21 September – , actor (b. 1941) 29 September – , journalist, writer and anthologist (b. 1922)
October 7 October – Mircea Șeptilici, actor (b. 1912) 15 October – Paul Georgescu, literary critic and journalist (b. 1923)
November 1 November – Mihaela Runceanu, singer and vocal techniques teacher (b. 1955) 19 November – , actor (b. 1926) 25 November – , writer, sociologist and historian (b. 1913) 28 November Arsenie Boca, Romanian Orthodox monk, theologian and artist (b. 1910) Ion Popescu-Gopo, graphic artist and animator (b. 1923)
December
12 December – , chemist, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1910) 17 December Anton Breitenhofer, journalist, writer and politician (b. 1912) Gheorghe Vlădescu-Răcoasa, sociologist and politician (b. 1895) 18 December – , writer (b. 1899) 19 December – , writer (b. 1914) 20 December – , medical doctor, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1927) 22 December – Vasile Milea, politician and general officer (b. 1927)Flavius Cristian Marcau, "Revolution of 1989: Milea's Suicide", University of Târgu Jiu, Letter and Social Science Series, Issue 4, 2013, Retrieved February 27, 2016. 23 December , general officer (birth date unknown) , general officer (b. 1919) 25 December Nicolae Ceaușescu, leader of the Socialist Republic of Romania (b. 1918) Elena Ceaușescu, Nicolae Ceaușescu's wife (b. 1916) Florică Murariu, rugby union player (b. 1955) 27 December – , actor (b. 1922) 28 December Marin Ceaușescu, economist and diplomat (b. 1916) Hermann Oberth, inventor and pioneer of astronautics (b. 1894)
Full date unknown , stomatologist (b. 1907) , romance and tango singer (b. 1911)
References Citations
Bibliography