Timeline December 1987

Events in December 1987 16

• 1901 – 1987 Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) Died 10 December 1987, aged 86 Heifetz was a Russian-born American violinist widely regarded as one of the greatest of the twentieth century. His technical precision set a standard against which later violinists were measured. He died in Los Angeles.
• 1924 – 1987 James Baldwin (1924-1987) Died 1 December 1987, aged 63 Baldwin was an American novelist and essayist whose work, including Go Tell It on the Mountain and The Fire Next Time, explored race, sexuality and identity in twentieth-century America. He lived much of his later life in France. He died of stomach cancer in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
• 1978 – 1987 Rehabilitation and Rise Rehabilitated after Mao's death and gradually rose through government agencies, demonstrating the economic expertise that had been suppressed for two decades.
• 1984 – 1987 Optimus Prime — The Transformers Voiced Optimus Prime, the heroic leader of the Autobots, in the original Transformers animated series. He based the character's voice on that of his brother Larry, a Marine who served in Vietnam. Before auditioning, Larry told him: 'Don't be a tough hero — be strong enough to be gentle.' The voice became one of the most recognisable in pop culture history.
• 1985 – 1987 Early Modelling Career Built her early career in Paris and Milan, working with photographers who would help define the supermodel era including Peter Lindbergh and Herb Ritts.
• 1987 1987: Nelson Piquet Williams Piquet won his third title with Williams, beating teammate Nigel Mansell in a bitter intra-team rivalry.
• 1987 Norwegian Wood Published Norwegian Wood, a realistic, melancholy love story set in 1960s Tokyo. It became a massive cultural phenomenon, selling over four million copies in Japan within months and making Murakami one of the most famous people in the country. Overwhelmed by the attention, he would soon leave Japan.
• 1987 Predator Created the Predator's signature clicking sounds for the film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. He based the sound on the noise of breaking bubbles from an upside-down horseshoe crab he had encountered on a beach in Massachusetts.
• 1987 Right to Die Received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in Television Film for her dramatic role in Right to Die.
• 1987 The Lion and the Cobra Released her debut album The Lion and the Cobra, which included the hit single Mandinka and won her critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination.
• 1987 Trio with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris Released Trio, a collaborative album with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. The album won the Grammy for Best Country Performance by Duo or Group and was certified quadruple platinum.
• 1987 World Sailing Champion Won a World Championship in sailing in the class 8mR (Eight Metre) in 1987, among multiple European and world championship medals over his career.
• 1987 United States and Soviet Union sign the INF Treaty Reagan and Gorbachev agree to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in Washington. It was the first arms control agreement to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons. The treaty marked a major thaw in Cold War relations.
• 1987 First Intifada begins in Gaza and the West Bank Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation erupts after a traffic accident A Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation began in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, triggered by a traffic accident that killed four Palestinians. The uprising spread rapidly across the Gaza Strip and West Bank, involving strikes, boycotts and street protests. It lasted into the early 1990s and reshaped the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• 1987 – present Hikaru Nakamura American grandmaster and streamer Hikaru Nakamura became one of the world's strongest blitz and rapid chess players and helped popularize online chess worldwide.
• 1987 Prozac approved by the FDA Fluoxetine becomes the first widely prescribed SSRI antidepressant The US Food and Drug Administration approved fluoxetine, marketed as Prozac, for the treatment of depression. It was the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor to reach mass use and transformed the treatment of depression and anxiety. Prozac became one of the best-selling and most culturally discussed drugs of the following decade.