Born in 1987
Turns 39 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1987
1987 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $51.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $51.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $51.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $51.50
Front Page: New Zealand edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1987 · New Zealand
A little history to go with their gift.
Dirty Dancing arrived in cinemas as Kylie Minogue released her first single, “The Loco-Motion.” New Zealand’s netball team won a third world title in Glasgow. The year’s records move from dance and pop to an international sporting triumph.
What happened in 1987?
New Zealand wins the first Rugby World Cup
New Zealand beat France 29–9 in Auckland to win the inaugural men’s Rugby World Cup.
Wall Street suffers the Black Monday crash
On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 22.6 percent, its largest one-day percentage fall.
The United States and Soviet Union sign the INF Treaty
President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in Washington on December 8, 1987.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library · Arms Control Association
A new star appears in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Observers in the Southern Hemisphere first saw Supernova 1987A on February 24, 1987, in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration · European Southern Observatory
Firsts and new ideas
CompuServe dates its GIF specification to June 1987
CompuServe’s Graphics Interchange Format specification is dated June 15, 1987. The U.K. National Archives format registry records the same release date for GIF 87a.
IBM introduces its Personal System/2 family
IBM unveiled its Personal System/2 computer family in the United States on April 2, 1987, with new designs for its PC line.
Number ones and music in 1987
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
“Funky Town” tops New Zealand's 1987 singles chart
New Zealand's 1987 End of Year Top 50 Singles placed “Funky Town” by Pseudo Echo at No. 1.
Kendrick Lamar is born in Compton
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California, on June 17, 1987.
Biography.com · Routledge; Anthony B. Pinn and Christopher M. Driscoll, editors
Prices and everyday money in 1987
New Zealand figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol (annual avg.) | $0.88 | litre MBIE via Figure.NZ |
| Average ordinary time hourly earnings, males | $12.38 | NZ dollars per hour New Zealand Royal Commission on Social Policy; archived by National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past |
| Standard domestic letter postage | $0.40 | one standard domestic letter The Kiwi, New Zealand Society of Great Britain |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1987 turns 39 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
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