1st » Pope John Paul II beatifies Edith Stein, a Jewish-born Carmelites called Carmelite nun who was gassed in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz concentration camp known as Auschwitz.
3rd » A crash by Bobby Allison at the Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama fencing at the start-finish line would lead NASCAR to develop the restrictor plate for the following season both at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega.
5th » Iran–Contra affair: start of Congress of the United States or Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
8th » The Loughgall Ambush: The Special Air Service or SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
9th » An LOT Polish Airlines Ilyushin Il-62 named Ilyushin IL-62M, 'Tadeusz Kościuszko' (SP-LBG), LOT Flight 5055 or crashes after takeoff in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board.
11th » Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
11th » In Baltimore, Maryland, the first heart–lung transplant takes place. The surgery is performed by Dr. Bruce Reitz of the Stanford University School of Medicine.
15th » The Soviet Union launches the Polyus (spacecraft) known as Polyus prototype orbital weapons platform. It fails to reach orbit.
17th » An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet USS Stark incident fires two missiles into the U.S. Navy warship USS Stark FFG-31 6, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.
22nd » First ever 1987 Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand Rugby Union New Zealand playing Italy national rugby union team Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
28th » 19-year-old West Germany known as West German pilot Mathias Rust evades Soviet Union air defenses and lands a private plane in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia. He is immediately detained and will not be released until August 3, 1988.