What Happened in 1988 | The Year I Was Born

1988: The Year I Arrived

I enjoy looking back at history to understand how we got here. The best way to keep the past from repeating itself is to learn from it. Sometimes that curiosity takes me to the year I was born. I’ve always wondered what was happening around me as I entered the world. 1988 feels like it landed right at the edge of a shift.

Looking back, the world still felt tense, carrying cracks from earlier decades. Big moments were unfolding quietly, even as everyday life stayed very analog.

A few snapshots from 1988

• The Cold War was slowly moving toward its end after decades of rivalry and standoff.
• George H. W. Bush was elected president, promising steadiness after the Reagan years.
• The early ideas that would shape the internet were forming, even if few people noticed.
• Home computers were becoming more common, but most life still happened offline.
• Movies, music, and TV required waiting, which made new releases feel like real events.

What that year shaped

Being born in 1988 meant growing up during a transition. Childhood felt slower and less crowded. Information didn’t chase you. You had to go looking for it.

Most kids today wouldn’t recognize the experience of waiting for a song to play on the radio. They also wouldn’t know what it was like going to the library to finish a school paper. Shows aired once a week. There wasn’t any binge-watching. And that’s not even the tip of the iceberg.

I’m grateful I experienced that time as a child because it taught me patience. If you missed something, you missed it. If you wanted to learn more, you had to ask someone or go to the library.

As technology sped up, people adapted. Still, those early years left a mark. I notice it in how I like things clear, simple, and intentional. I still write in a notebook with a pen, in cursive. Most of those things are slowly being phased out in favor of digital alternatives.

A small nostalgia corner

• Movie: Die Hard (Yes! this is a Christmas movie)
• Song: “Faith” by George Michael
• TV show: The Wonder Years

Looking back at 1988 reminds me how much has changed and how much still matters.

If you were born that year, or even a different one, what stands out when you look back?