1989 in Romania

← 1988 1987 1986 1989 in Romania → 1990 1991 1992
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	Other events of 1989 History of Romania Timeline of Romanian history Years in Romania

This is a list of 1989 events that occurred in Romania.

Incumbents[]

• President: Nicolae Ceaușescu (until 22 December), Ion Iliescu (starting 22 December)
• Prime Minister: Constantin Dăscălescu (until 28 December), Petre Roman (starting 29 December)

Events[]

March[]

• The letter of the Six is promulgated by several prominent Romanian Communist Party members led by Silviu Brucan, criticizing the policies of the Ceaușescu regime from a reform Communist perspective. The dictator promptly orders the arrest and interrogation of all the signatories.

April[]

• 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.

November[]

• 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 – Despite the events in neighboring countries, Nicolae Ceaușescu is unanimously re-elected as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party.

December[]

• 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.
• 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, USLA 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 – After a week of bloody demonstrations, Ion Iliescu takes over as president of Romania, ending the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, who flees his palace in a helicopter to escape inevitable execution after the palace is invaded by rioters. The Romanian troops, who the day before had followed Ceaușescu's orders to attack the demonstrators, change sides and join the uprising.
• 25 December – Ceaușescu spouses are summarily judged and executed outside the military garrison in Târgoviște.^[1][2]
• 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.
• 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 – , singer
• 29 January – Adriana Țăcălie, handball player
• 25 March – , 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.)
• 3 November – , singer and former member of Lala Band
• 7 November – , singer
• 14 November
  • , 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)
  • , 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 – , painter (b. 1897)
• 20 April – Doru Davidovici, aviator and writer (b. 1945)
• 23 April – , 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 – , lautar 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)
• 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 – , philosopher and writer (b. 1919)
• 29 September – , journalist, writer and anthologist (b. 1922)

October[]

• 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)
• 23 December
  • , general officer (birth date unknown)
  • , general officer (birth date unknown)
• 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[]

• , actor (b. 1941)
• , aviator in World War II (b. 1890)
• , stomatologist (b. 1907)
• , agronomic engineer and agrotechnician, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1905)
• , romance and tango singer (b. 1911)
• , actor (b. 1912)

References[]