March

• Six retired senior figures in the Romanian Communist Party, including Gheorghe Apostol and Silviu Brucan, write an open letter to Nicolae Ceaușescu.They call for the relaxation of Ceaușescu's demand for increased exports, the release of more food for internal consumption, the investment in new technology for the industries, the halt of a vastly expensive program of prestige projects of doubtful economic value and for the dictator to put an end to systematization.^[3]

April

• President Nicolae Ceaușescu announces that Romania had paid all of its external debt.^[3][4][5]
• 18 April – The localities of Aninoasa (Hunedoara County), Fundulea (Călărași County), Lehliu Gară (Călărași County), Mioveni (Argeș County) and Valea lui Mihai (Bihor County) are declared cities.

September

• 10 September - A Romanian cruiser carrying 179 people collides with a Bulgarian tugboat on the Danube, near Galați. Only 18 people are rescued from the cruiser.^[6]

November

• 20-25 November - The 14th party congress takes place.^[7]
• 23 November – During the XIV Congress of the RCP, first shift workers from Timișoara Mechanical Works try to organize a revolt against the communist regime. Their movement is quelled by the Securitate organs.
• 24 November – Nicolae Ceaușescu, the sole candidate for the communist party's leadership, is unanimously re-elected by the Central Committee^[8] as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party.^[9][10][11]

December

Bodies of protesters killed by Securitate officers in Cluj-Napoca

• 15 December - Demonstrators in Timișoara try perventing the arrest of Protestant clergyman László Tőkés.^[7]
• 16 December – The Romanian Revolution begins in Timișoara when rioters break into the Committee Building and cause extensive vandalism. Their attempts to set the buildings on fire are foiled by military units.
• 17 December - Nicolae Ceaușescu orders troops to fire on a crowd of protesters in Timișoara.^[12]
• 19 December - Parts of Romania are reported to be under virtual martial law by Reuter.^[13]
• 20 December – A general strike breaks out in all the factories in Timișoara. Timișoara is declared the first city free of communism in Romania.
• 21 December
  • A huge rally in Bucharest turns into chaos as firecrackers explode at the periphery of the gathering. Soldiers, tanks, APCs, USLA officers and Securitate officers dressed in civilian clothes crack on demonstrators, leaving casualties and significant material damage.
  • Peaceful demonstrators in Arad, Brăila, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Hunedoara, Sibiu and Timișoara are shot dead by Securitate officers.

Ion Iliescu at the Romanian Television.

• 22 December – Army units defect to the side of the demonstrators while the Ceaușescus flee and the Council of the National Salvation Front announces that it has overthrown the government.^[7]
• 23 December - The Ceaușescu spouses are reported to have been captured.^[14]

National Salvation Front Council press release about the execution of the Ceaușescu spouses.

• 25 December – Ceaușescu spouses are summarily judged and executed outside the military garrison in Târgoviște.^[15][16]
• 27 December – Petre Roman is appointed Prime Minister of the Government of Romania.
• 28 December – For the first time, after a long break, is held a meeting of the Board of Writers' Union of Romania. Is elected a provisional steering committee, the president being Mircea Dinescu.
• 29 December - The Socialist Republic of Romania is renamed as Romania (Romanian: România).^[17]

• 31 December – The Decree-Law no. 8 of 31 December 1989 issued by NSFC reintroduces the political pluralism in Romania.

January

• 5 January – Philip Herschkowitz, composer and musicologist (b. 1906)
• 6 January – Marcel Budală, accordionist (b. 1926)
• 10 January – Chris Avram, actor (b. 1931)
• 15 January – Surian Borali, footballer (b. 1960)
• 23 January – Nicolae Al. Rădulescu, geographer, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1905)

March

• 2 March – Liviu Cornel Babeș, electrician and painter (b. 1942)
• 6 March – Vasile Netea, writer and historian (b. 1912)
• 22 March – Ștefan Niculescu, lieutenant colonel in World War II (b. 1908)
• 25 March
  • Nina Behar, documentary filmmaker (b. 1930)
  • Radu-Eugeniu Gheorghiu, composer and instrumentist (b. 1915)
• 29 March – Nicolae Steinhardt Orthodox hermit and writer (b. 1912)

April

• 2 April – Tudor Vornicu, journalist and television producer (b. 1926)
• 8 April – Horia Demian, basketball player (b. 1942)
• 19 April – Iosif Keber, painter (b. 1897)
• 20 April – Doru Davidovici, aviator and writer (b. 1945)
• 23 April – Ioniță G. Andron, photographic artist, Greek Catholic theologian and lawyer (b. 1917)

May

• 2 or 3 May – Roland Kirsch, writer (b. 1960)
• 5 May – Alexandru Țitruș, popular music violinist (b. 1922)
• 11 May – Naum Corcescu, sculptor (b. 1922)
• 29 May – Adrian Petringenaru , film director (b. 1933)

June

• 2 June – Grigore Kiazim, lautar instrumentist (b. 1931)
• 20 June – Traian Dorz – poet and political prisoner (b. 1914)
• 30 June
  • Vasile Petre Jitariu, biologist, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1905)
  • Petre Lupu, politician (b. 1920)

July

• 6 July – Alexandru Pașcanu, composer (b. 1920)
• 7 July – Horia Stamatu, writer and journalist (b. 1912)
• 11 July – Horia Macellariu – counter admiral (b. 1894)
• 25 July – Emil Gavriș – popular music singer (b. 1915)

August

• 30 August – Costin Murgescu, economist, jurist, journalist and diplomat (b. 1919)
• 31 August – Dinu Kivu, theatre and film critic (b. 1942)

September

• 17 September – Ion D. Sîrbu, philosopher and writer (b. 1919)
• 29 September – Alexandru Cosmescu, journalist, writer and anthologist (b. 1922)

October

• 15 October – Paul Georgescu, literary critic and journalist (b. 1923)

November

• 1 November – Mihaela Runceanu, singer and vocal techniques teacher (b. 1955)
• 19 November – Zoltán Vadász, actor (b. 1926)
• 25 November – György Bözödi, writer, sociologist and historian (b. 1913)
• 28 November
  • Arsenie Boca, Romanian Orthodox monk, theologian and artist (b. 1910)
  • Ion Popescu-Gopo, graphic artist and animator (b. 1923)

December

Nicolae Ceaușescu

Hermann Oberth

• 12 December – Ioan Zugrăvescu, chemist, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1910)
• 17 December
  • Anton Breitenhofer, journalist, writer and politician (b. 1912)
  • Gheorghe Vlădescu-Răcoasa, sociologist and politician (b. 1895)
• 18 December – Franz Liebhard, writer (b. 1899)
• 19 December – Alexandru Mitru, writer (b. 1914)
• 20 December – Ioan Moraru, medical doctor, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1927)
• 22 December – Vasile Milea, politician and general officer (b. 1927)^[19]
• 23 December
  • Velicu Mihalea, general officer (birth date unknown)
  • Constantin Nuță, general officer (birth date unknown)
• 25 December
  • Nicolae Ceaușescu, leader of the Socialist Republic of Romania (b. 1918)^[20]
  • Elena Ceaușescu, Nicolae Ceaușescu's wife (b. 1916)
  • Florică Murariu, rugby union player (b. 1955)
• 27 December – Horia Căciulescu, actor (b. 1922)
• 28 December
  • Marin Ceaușescu, economist and diplomat (b. 1916)
  • Hermann Oberth, inventor and pioneer of astronautics (b. 1894)

Full date unknown

• Nuni Anestin, actor (b. 1941)
• Constantin Celăreanu, aviator in World War II (b. 1890)
• Grigore Osipov-Sinești, stomatologist (b. 1907)
• Irimie Staicu, agronomic engineer and agrotechnician, member of the Romanian Academy (b. 1905)
• Nicu Stoenescu, romance and tango singer (b. 1911)
• Mircea Șeptilici, actor (b. 1912)

Citations

Bibliography