Did the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown happen in 1989?

Yes. The Tiananmen Square protests (also known as the June Fourth Incident) and the Chinese government's military crackdown occurred in 1989.[1]

Student-led pro-democracy demonstrations began in mid-April 1989 in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square (and spread elsewhere), sparked by the death of reformist Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang. Protesters called for greater political freedom, free speech, anti-corruption measures, and democratic reforms. The movement grew to include hundreds of thousands (at peaks, over a million in the Beijing area), with hunger strikes and occupations of the square.[2]

Martial law was declared in May. On the night of June 3–4, 1989, the People’s Liberation Army cleared the square and surrounding areas with tanks and live fire, resulting in hundreds to thousands of deaths (exact numbers are disputed and never officially fully disclosed by China; government figures were low, while other estimates, including from diplomats, range much higher) and many arrests. The iconic “Tank Man” photo was taken on June 5.[3]

This is a well-documented historical event confirmed by contemporary reporting, archival records, survivor accounts, and sources such as History.com, Britannica, BBC, CNN, and AP. The Chinese government continues to heavily censor discussion of it domestically.