In 1989, the world entered a new era. This episode explores the fall of the Berlin Wall, citizen protests across Eastern Europe, the rise of Solidarity in Poland, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu in Romania. It also covers the Tiananmen protests in China, the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Exxon Valdez environmental disaster, the first proposal for the World Wide Web, the launch of the Game Boy, and the pop culture that closed the 1980s. A year of falling walls, suppressed hopes, new technologies, and the beginning of another world.

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In 1988, the world seemed to be preparing for a much larger transformation. This episode explores Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms, the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Seoul Olympic Games, and Ben Johnson’s doping scandal. It also covers the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, the ceasefire between Iran and Iraq, the downing of Iran Air Flight 655, the Armenia earthquake, Chile’s plebiscite, Benazir Bhutto’s rise in Pakistan, the creation of the IPCC, and the Morris worm. A year full of signals before the historic turning point of 1989.

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In 1987, the world began to rearrange itself through treaties, scandals, and new forms of global culture. This episode explores the signing of the INF Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union, a key sign of Cold War détente, alongside the Iran-Contra affair and the political crisis of trust it created. It also covers Black Monday and the global stock market crash, the First Intifada, the rise of MTV, international pop music, the cinema of the era, Nintendo, and the expansion of home entertainment. A year of agreements, financial fragility, political tension, and global sounds.

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