Did the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown happen in 1989?

Yes, the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown occurred in 1989. Student-led demonstrations centered in Beijing's Tiananmen Square began in April 1989, calling for political reform, greater freedoms, and an end to government corruption. The protests grew to include hundreds of thousands of participants over several weeks.

The Chinese government declared martial law and, on the night of June 3–4, 1989, sent in military troops and tanks to clear the square and surrounding areas, resulting in a violent crackdown. Estimates of the death toll vary widely, ranging from several hundred to possibly thousands, as the Chinese government has never released official figures and has restricted independent investigation into the events.