File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt
The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, also known as the August Coup,, "August Putsch". was a failed attempt by hardliners of the Soviet Union's Communist Party to forcibly seize control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev, who was Soviet ...
, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Philippines, making it the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century
The 20th (twentieth) century began on
January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...
; MTS Oceanos
MTS ''Oceanos'' was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when she suffered uncontrolled flooding. Her captain, Yiannis Avranas, and some of the crew were convicted of negligence for fleeing the ship without helping th ...
sinks off the coast of South Africa, but the crew notoriously abandons the vessel before the passengers are rescued; Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
: The Soviet flag is lowered from the Kremlin
The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...
for the last time and replaced with the flag of the Russian Federation; The United States and soon-to-be dissolved Soviet Union sign the START I
START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the reduction and the limitation of strategic offensive arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 De ...
Treaty; A tropical cyclone strikes
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
Bangladesh, killing nearly 140,000 people; Lauda Air Flight 004
Lauda Air Flight 004 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Vienna, Austria. On May 26, 1991, the Boeing 767-300ER operating the service crashed, following an uncommanded midair deployment of the thru ...
crashes after one of its thrust reversers
Thrust reversal, also called reverse thrust, is the temporary diversion of an aircraft engine's thrust for it to act against the forward travel of the aircraft, providing deceleration. Thrust reverser systems are featured on many jet aircraft to ...
activates during the flight; A United States-led coalition initiates Operation Desert Storm to remove Iraq and Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, 300x300px, thumb
rect 0 0 200 200 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt
The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, also known as the August Coup,, "August Putsch". was a failed attempt by hardliners of the Soviet Union's Communist Party to forcibly seize control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev, who was Soviet ...
rect 200 0 400 200 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo
The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines' Luzon Volcanic Arc was the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, behind only the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska. Eruptive activity began on April 2 as a series of ...
rect 400 0 600 200 MTS Oceanos
MTS ''Oceanos'' was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when she suffered uncontrolled flooding. Her captain, Yiannis Avranas, and some of the crew were convicted of negligence for fleeing the ship without helping th ...
rect 0 200 300 400 Operation Desert Storm
rect 300 200 600 400 Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
rect 0 400 200 600 Lauda Air Flight 004
Lauda Air Flight 004 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Vienna, Austria. On May 26, 1991, the Boeing 767-300ER operating the service crashed, following an uncommanded midair deployment of the thru ...
rect 200 400 400 600 1991 Bangladesh cyclone
The 1991 Bangladesh cyclone was among the deadliest tropical cyclones on record. Forming out of a large area of convection over the Bay of Bengal on April 24, the tropical cyclone initially developed gradually while meandering over the sout ...
rect 400 400 600 600 START I
START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the reduction and the limitation of strategic offensive arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 De ...
It was the final year of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
that had begun in
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
. During the year, the
Soviet Union collapsed, leaving fifteen sovereign republics and the
CIS
Cis or cis- may refer to:
Places
* Cis, Trentino, in Italy
* In Poland:
** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central
** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north
Math, science and biology
* cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...
in its place. In July 1991,
India abandoned its policies of
socialism and
autarky and began extensive
neoliberal
Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...
changes to its economy. This increased GDP, but also increased
economic inequality over the next two decades. A
UN-authorized
coalition force
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
from 34 nations fought against
Iraq, which had
invaded
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
and
annexed
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
Kuwait in the previous year,
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
. The conflict would be called the
Gulf War and would mark the beginning of a since-constant American military presence in the Middle East. The clash between
Serbia and the other
Yugoslav republics would lead into the beginning of the
Yugoslav Wars, which ran through the rest of the decade.
In the context of the
apartheid, the year after the liberation of political prisoner
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
, the Parliament of South Africa
repeals the Population Registration Act, 1950 overturning the racial classification of the population, a key component of apartheid.
The year 1991 saw the rise of a 10 years long
boost of the US domestic economy with the
Dow Jones Industrial Average remarkably closing in April at above 3,000 for the first time. This situation would only be cut short by the
Dot-com bubble of 2000–2002.
In August, the
World Wide Web, originally conceived during the previous year, was released outside
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...
to other research institutions starting in January 1991 and publicly announced in August, also establishing the first website ever, "info.cern.ch". This step was a key factor that lead to the mid-1990s public breakthrough of the internet, which would eventually accelerate the already ongoing
globalization around the globe.
In terms of
popular culture, during this year
alternative rock saw a new height of popularity when some of the earliest music exponents of the virtually unknown
grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
sound were released, including the influential ''
Nevermind'' album by Seattle-based band
Nirvana in September 1991. It was also in 1991 that
hip-hop music reached an unprecedented mainstream level of success.
Electronic music derivative forms were also starting to gain momentum and would define, alone with the previous scenes, the sound for most of the decade.
Events
January
*
January 1 –
Czechoslovakia becomes the second
Eastern European country to abandon its
command economy.
*
January 5 –
Georgian troops attack
Tskhinvali, the capital of
South Ossetia, starting the
1991–92 South Ossetia War.
*
January 7
Events Pre-1600
*49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting.
* 1325 – Alfonso IV ...
–
1991 Haitian coup d'état
The 1991 Haitian coup d'état took place on 29 September 1991, when President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, elected eight months earlier in the 1990–91 Haitian general election, was deposed by the Armed Forces of Haiti. Haitian military officers, p ...
: An attempted coup by the
Tonton Macoute, a paramilitary force under former dictator
Jean-Claude Duvalier, is thwarted in Haiti. On July 30, he is convicted by a jury of attempting to overthrow the country's first
democratically elected government
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...
.
*
January 9
Events Pre-1600
* 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.
*1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...
**
Gulf War:
U.S. Secretary of State James Baker meets with
Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz
Tariq Aziz ( ar, طارق عزيز , 28 April 1936 – 5 June 2015) was an Iraqi politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and a close advisor of President Saddam Hussein. Their association began in the 1950s wh ...
but fails to produce a plan for the withdrawal of
Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
** In
Sebokeng,
South Africa, gunmen open fire on mourners attending the funeral of an
African National Congress leader, killing 45 people.
*
January 12 – Gulf War: The
102nd U.S. Congress passes a
resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...
authorizing the use of
military force to expel
Iraqi forces from
Kuwait.
*
January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...
**Singing Revolution:
Soviet forces storm
Vilnius to stop
Lithuanian independence,
killing 14 civilians and injuring 702 more. In
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, a
series of confrontations between the
Latvian government and the
Soviet government take place in
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
.
*
January 15
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
* 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...
** Gulf War: The
UN deadline for the withdrawal of
Iraqi forces from
occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of
Operation Desert Storm.
**
Prime Minister of Cape Verde Pedro Pires resigns following
his party's loss in the
Cape Verdean parliamentary election, the first ever
multiparty election in an
African nation. Later on February 17,
António Mascarenhas Monteiro wins the
country's first multiparty presidential election since 1975.
*
January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
* 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...
– Gulf War:
Operation Desert Storm begins with air strikes against
Iraq.
*
January 17
**Gulf War: Iraq fires eight
Scud
A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second World, Second and Third World, Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporti ...
missiles into Israel.
Iraqi attacks continue with 15 people injured in
Tel Aviv on January 19 and 96 people injured in
Ramat Gan on January 22.
**
Harald V of Norway becomes the
king of Norway after the death of his father,
Olav V.
*
January 18 –
Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Ea ...
shuts down after 62 years of operations, citing financial problems. Later on December 4,
Pan American World Airways ceases its operations.
*
January 22
Events Pre-1600
* 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (''Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
* 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vi ...
– Gulf War: The
British Army SAS
SAS or Sas may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''SAS'' (novel series), a French book series by Gérard de Villiers
* ''Shimmer and Shine'', an American animated children's television series
* Southern All Stars, a Japanese rock ba ...
patrol,
Bravo Two Zero
Bravo Two Zero was the call sign of an eight-man British Army Special Air Service (SAS) patrol, deployed into Iraq during the First Gulf War in January 1991. According to Chris Ryan's account, the patrol was given the task of gathering intelli ...
, is deployed in Iraq.
*
January 24 – The
government of Papua New Guinea
The politics of Papua New Guinea takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic multi-party system, whereby the prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader ...
signs a peace agreement with
separatist leaders from
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island (Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. It was previously the main landmass in the German Empire-associated North Solomons. Its land area is ...
, ending
fighting
Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
that had gone on since
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
.
*
January 26 –
President Siad Barre
Mohamed Siad Barre ( so, Maxamed Siyaad Barre, Osmanya script: ; ar, محمد سياد بري; c. 1910 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali head of state and general who served as the 3rd president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 199 ...
is overthrown and
Somalia enters a civil war. Three days later,
Ali Mahdi Muhammad is inaugurated as the next president.
*
January 29
** In
South Africa,
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
of the
African National Congress and
Mangosuthu Buthelezi
Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi (born 27 August 1928) is a South African politician and Zulu traditional leader who is currently a Member of Parliament and the traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family. He was Chief Minister of the ...
of the
Inkatha Freedom Party agree to end violence between the two organizations.
** Gulf War: The first major ground engagement of the war, the
Battle of Khafji, begins. The battle lasts until February 1.
February
*
February 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
* 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
**
USAir Flight 1493
On the evening of February 1, 1991, USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737-300, collided with SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprop aircraft, upon landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Though air traff ...
collides with a
SkyWest Airlines
SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah, United States. SkyWest is paid to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. The ...
Fairchild Metroliner at
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
, killing 34 people.
** A 6.4
Hindu Kush earthquake causes severe damage in
northeast Afghanistan, leaving 848 dead and 200 injured.
*
February 7
**1991 Haitian coup d'état:
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
's first democratically elected president,
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in ...
, is sworn in. He is
ousted on September 30 and later
reinstated in 1994. In response to the coup and in an effort to encourage the coup leaders to
restore democracy, the
U.S. expands
trade sanctions on Haiti to include all goods except food and medicine on October 29.
** The
Provisional Irish Republican Army launches a
mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a
cabinet meeting
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countries ...
.
** Gulf War: Ground troops cross the
Saudi Arabian border and enter Kuwait, thus starting the ground phase of the war.
*
February 11
Events Pre-1600
*660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...
– The
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) is formed in
The Hague, Netherlands.
*
February 13
Events Pre-1600
* 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
*1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
*1462 – The ...
– Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs"
destroy an underground bunker in Baghdad, killing hundreds of Iraqis.
US military intelligence
The Military Intelligence Corps is the intelligence branch of the United States Army. The primary mission of military intelligence in the United States Army is to provide timely, relevant, accurate, and synchronized intelligence and electronic ...
claims it was a military facility while Iraqi officials identify it as a
bomb shelter.
*
February 15
Events Pre-1600
* 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus
* 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
* 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberi ...
– The
Visegrád Group, establishing cooperation to move toward
free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of
Czechoslovakia,
Hungary, and
Poland.
*
February 16 – Singing Revolution: The
Council of Lithuania
The Council of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Taryba, german: Litauischer Staatsrat, pl, Rada Litewska), after July 11, 1918 the State Council of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Valstybės Taryba) was convened at the Vilnius Conference that took place betwe ...
declares the
independence of Lithuania, ending decades of
Soviet rule over the country.
*
February 18 – The
Provisional Irish Republican Army explodes
bombs in the early morning, at both
Paddington station and
Victoria station, in London.
*
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
–
President of Albania Ramiz Alia dismisses the government of
Prime Minister Adil Çarçani and appoints
Fatos Nano as the next prime minister in an effort to stem
pro-democracy protests.
*
February 22 – Gulf War:
Iraq accepts a Soviet-proposed cease fire agreement. The U.S. rejects the agreement, instead saying that retreating Iraqi forces will not be attacked if they leave Kuwait within 24 hours.
*
February 23
Events Pre-1600
* 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
* 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a ...
– In
Thailand, General
Sunthorn Kongsompong
Sunthorn Kongsompong ( th, สุนทร คงสมพงษ์, , ; 1 August 1931 – 2 August 1999) was the ''de facto'' head of government of Thailand from 1991 to 1992, after a military coup d'etat led by Sunthorn and General Suchinda Kr ...
deposes Prime Minister
Chatichai Choonhavan
Chatichai Choonhavan ( th, ชาติชาย ชุณหะวัณ, , ; 5 April 1920 – 6 May 1998) was a Thai army officer, diplomat and politician. From 1986 to 1991, he was the chairman of the Thai Nation Party and served as the Prim ...
in a
bloodless coup d'état.
*
February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
...
– Gulf War: Part of an Iraqi
Scud missile
A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the mis ...
hits an American military barracks in
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 29 U.S. soldiers and injuring 99 more. It is the single-most devastating attack on U.S. forces during the war.
*
February 26
Events Pre-1600
*747 BC – According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events.
* 364 – Valentinian I is p ...
– Gulf War: On
Baghdad radio, Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein announces the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Iraqi soldiers set
fire to Kuwaiti oil fields as they retreat; the fire lasts until November 7.
*
February 27
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
* 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
** Gulf War:
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Bush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
declares victory over Iraq and orders a cease-fire. U.S. troops
begin to leave the
Persian Gulf on March 10.
** In the
Bangladeshi general election, the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party wins 139 of 300 seats in the
Jatiyo Sangshad, leading BNP leader
Khaleda Zia to become the
president on March 19.
March
*
March 3
** Singing Revolution: Voters in
Estonia and
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
vote more than 3-to-1 in favor of independence from the
Soviet Union.
** The
first presidential election in the
history of São Tomé and Príncipe is won by
Miguel Trovoada.
**A video captures the beating of motorist
Rodney King by
Los Angeles police officers. Four
Los Angeles police officers are indicted on March 15 for the beating.
*
March 6 –
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
Chandra Shekhar resigns following a dispute with former Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...
, whose support had kept him in power.
*
March 9 –
Massive demonstrations are held against
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević (, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the president of Serbia within Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1997 (originally the Socialist Republic of Serbia, a constituent republic of ...
in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
; two people are killed and
tanks are deployed in the streets.
*
March 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: In the
Salvadoran legislative election, the
Nationalist Republican Alliance
The Nationalist Republican Alliance ( es, Alianza Republicana Nacionalista, ARENA) is a conservative, right-wing political party of El Salvador. It was founded on 30 September 1981 by retired Salvadoran Army Major Roberto D'Aubuisson. It defines ...
wins 39 of the 48 seats in the
legislative assembly.
*
March 13
** The
U.S. Department of Justice announces that
Exxon
ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...
has agreed to pay $1 billion for the clean-up of the
Exxon Valdez oil spill
The ''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989. ''Exxon Valdez'', an oil supertanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company bound for Long Beach, California struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef, west o ...
in
Alaska.
** The
Acid Rain Treaty of 1991 is signed between the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
and
Canadian governments.
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
**Gulf War:
Emir of Kuwait Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah returns to
Kuwait after seven months of exile in
Saudi Arabia.
**
The Troubles: After 16 years in prison for allegedly bombing a
public house in a
Provisional IRA attack, the "
Birmingham Six" are freed when a court determines that the police fabricated evidence.
*
March 15
**
Germany formally regains complete independence after the four
post-World War II occupying powers (
France, the
U.K., the
U.S., and the
U.S.S.R.
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
) relinquish all remaining rights to the country.
** The
U.S. and Albania resume diplomatic relations for the first time
since 1939.
*
March 17
** Dissolution of the Soviet Union: In
a national referendum, 77% of voters in the
Soviet Union vote in favor of keeping the 15
Soviet republics together; six Union Republics effectively boycott the referendum.
** In the
Finnish parliamentary election, the
Centre Party wins 55 of 200 seats in the
parliament, ending 25 years of dominance by the
Social Democratic Party of Finland
The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP, fi, Suomen sosialidemokraattinen puolue ; sv, Finlands socialdemokratiska parti), shortened to the Social Democrats ( fi, link=no, Sosiaalidemokraatit; sv, link=no, Socialdemokrater) and commonly kno ...
.
*
March 23 – The
Sierra Leone Civil War begins when the
Revolutionary United Front attempts a coup against the
Sierra Leone government.
*
March 24 – The
Beninese presidential election, Benin's first presidential election
since 1970, is won by
Nicéphore Soglo.
*
March 26
** In
Mali, military officers led by
Amadou Toumani Touré arrest
President Moussa Traoré and suspend the
constitution.
**
Argentina,
Brazil,
Uruguay and
Paraguay sign the
Treaty of Asunción, establishing
Mercosur.
*
March 31
Events Pre-1600
* 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian.
*1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at V ...
**
Albania holds its
first multi-party elections since
1923
Events
January–February
* January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory).
* January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
. The socialist ruling
Party of Labour of Albania
The Party of Labour of Albania ( sq, Partia e Punës e Shqipërisë, PPSh), sometimes referred to as the Albanian Workers' Party (AWP), was the ruling and sole legal party of Albania during the communist period (1945–1991). It was founded o ...
won a landslide victory with 169 of the 250 seats in the
parliament.
Dieter Nohlen
Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An expe ...
& Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p137
**Dissolution of the Soviet Union:
Georgia votes for independence from the
Soviet Union while on April 9, the
Supreme Council declares the independent
Republic of Georgia
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
.
April
*
April 2 –
Government-imposed prices increase double or triple the cost of
consumer goods in the Soviet Union.
*
April 3 –
Iraq disarmament crisis: The
UN Security Council passes
Resolution 687, which calls for the destruction or removal of all of
Iraq's chemical and biological weapons and a complete ban of
ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 km. It also calls for an end to Iraq's
support for international terrorism; it is accepted by Iraq three days later.
*
April 4
Events Pre-1600
* 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines.
* 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
* 611 – ...
**
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
John Heinz and six other people are killed when a
helicopter collides with their plane over
Merion
Merion Station, also known as Merion, is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It borders Philadelphia to its west and is one of the communities that make up the Philadelphia Main Line. Merion Station is part of Lower Me ...
,
Pennsylvania.
** Forty people
are taken hostage in
Sacramento, California; six gunmen and hostages are killed.
*
April 5
Events Pre-1600
* 823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I.
* 919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, sets out from Raqqada at the head of his a ...
** Former
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
John Tower and 22 others are killed in
an airplane crash in
Brunswick,
Georgia.
**
Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' leaves an observatory in Earths orbit to study
gamma rays before returning
on April 11. It is followed by
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', which studies instruments related to the
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively nicknamed the "''Star Wars'' program", was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons (intercontinental ballistic ...
from
April 29 to May 6.
Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' carries the
Spacelab into orbit
on June 5.
*
April 9 – The first
Soviet troops leave
Poland.
*
April 10
** A
South Atlantic tropical cyclone
South Atlantic tropical cyclones are unusual weather events that occur in the Southern Hemisphere. Strong wind shear, which disrupts the formation of cyclones, as well as a lack of weather disturbances favorable for development in the South Atl ...
develops in the
Southern Hemisphere off the coast of
Angola, the first of its kind to be documented by
weather satellites.
** The Italian ferry ''
Moby Prince
The ''Moby Prince'' disaster was a major maritime accident resulting in 140 deaths. It occurred in the late evening of Wednesday 10 April 1991, in the harbor of Livorno, Italy. It is the worst disaster in the Italian merchant navy since World ...
'' collides with an oil tanker in dense fog off
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
,
Italy, resulting in 140 deaths with one survivor.
*
April 12 – The
Warsaw Stock Exchange opens in
Poland.
*
April 14 – In the
Netherlands, thieves steal 20 paintings worth $500 million from the
Van Gogh Museum in
Amsterdam; they are found in an abandoned car near the museum less than an hour later.
*
April 15
** The
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially focus ...
(EBRD) is inaugurated.
** End of Apartheid: The
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...
lifts
economic sanctions on
South Africa.
*
April 16 –
18 –
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
begins the first ever visit of a
Soviet leader to Japan, but fails to resolve the
two countries' dispute over ownership of the
Kuril Islands.
*
April 17
Events Pre-1600
*1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
*1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan ...
– The
Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for the first time in history, at 3,004.46.
*
April 18 – Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq declares some of its
chemical weapons and materials to the UN, as required by
Resolution 687, and claims that it does not have a
biological weapons program.
*
April 19 –
George Carey is enthroned as
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, the spiritual leader of the worldwide
Anglican Communion.
*
April 22
**A 7.7
Limon earthquake strikes
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
and
Panama with a maximum Mercalli intensity, causing between 47 and 87 deaths and up to 759 injuries.
**In
Taiwan, the
Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion are abolished, having been in effect for 43 years.
*
April 23
Events Pre-1600
* 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
* 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southe ...
–
Prime Minister of Iceland Steingrímur Hermannsson resigns following
an inconclusive parliamentary election; he is succeeded by
Davíð Oddsson on April 30.
*
April 26
** A series of
55 tornadoes break out in the
central U.S., killing 21. The most notable tornado strikes
Andover
Andover may refer to:
Places Australia
* Andover, Tasmania
Canada
* Andover Parish, New Brunswick
* Perth-Andover, New Brunswick
United Kingdom
* Andover, Hampshire, England
** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station
United States
* Ando ...
,
Kansas.
**
Esko Aho at the age of 36 becomes the youngest-ever
Prime Minister of Finland.
*
April 29
** A
tropical cyclone hits
Bangladesh, killing an estimated 138,000 people.
** A 7.0
earthquake in
Racha
Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...
,
Georgia, kills 270 people and leaves 100,000 others homeless.
*
April 29 –
30 – In
Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...
, a bloodless coup ousts military ruler
Justin Lekhanya
General Justin Metsing Lekhanya (7 April 1938 – 20 January 2021) was the Minister of Defence and Chairman of the Military Council of Lesotho from 24 January 1986 to 2 May 1991.
Background
Born in Thaba-Tseka in 1938, Lekhanya completed his pri ...
, with Chairman of the Military Council
Elias Phisoana Ramaema Major-General Elias Phisoana Ramaema (10 November 1933 – 11 December 2015) was Chairman of the Military Council and Council of Ministers of Lesotho (Head of government) from 2 May 1991 to 2 April 1993.
Born at Mapoteng, Berea District, Ramaema ...
replacing him two days later.
May
*
May 1 – Angolan Civil War: The
MPLA and
UNITA agree to the
Bicesse Accords
The Bicesse Accords, also known as the Estoril Accords, laid out a transition to multi-party democracy in Angola under the supervision of the United Nations' UNAVEM II mission. President José Eduardo dos Santos of the MPLA and Jonas Savimbi of U ...
, which are formally signed on May 31 in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
.
[Wright, George. ''The Destruction of a Nation: United States' Policy Towards Angola Since 1945'', 1997. Page 159.]
*
May 6 – In the
U.S., ''
Time'' magazine publishes "
The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power
"The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" is an article, written in 1991 by U.S. investigative journalist Richard Behar, which is highly critical of Scientology.
It was first published by ''Time'' magazine on May 6, 1991, as an eight-page cover st ...
," an article highly critical of the
Scientology movement.
*
May 12 –
Nepal holds its first multiparty
legislative election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
since
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
.
*
May 15 –
Édith Cresson becomes France's first female
prime minister.
*
May 16
Events Pre-1600
* 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan.
*1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
* 1364 ...
–
Elizabeth II becomes the first
British monarch
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...
to address the
U.S. Congress during a 13-day royal visit in
Washington, D.C.
*
May 18
Events Pre-1600
* 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople.
* 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 4 ...
–
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
secedes from
Somalia; its independence is
not recognised by the
international community
The international community is an imprecise phrase used in geopolitics and international relations to refer to a broad group of people and governments of the world.
As a rhetorical term
Aside from its use as a general descriptor, the term is ...
.
*
May 19 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: In the
Croatian independence referendum
Croatia held an independence referendum on 19 May 1991, following the Croatian parliamentary elections of 1990 and the rise of ethnic tensions that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. With 83 percent turnout, voters approved the referendum, w ...
, voters in the
Socialist Republic of Croatia vote to leave
Yugoslavia.
*
May 21
**At
Sriperumbudur
Sriperumbudur is a town panchayat in the Kanchipuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 40 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Chennai on the National Highway 4 (India)(old numbering), National Highway 4 and i ...
, India, a suicide bomber attacks a political meeting,
killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...
and at least 14 others.
**Ethiopian Civil War:
Mengistu Haile Mariam, president of the
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) () was a socialist state that existed in Ethiopia and present day Eritrea from 1987 to 1991.
The PDRE was established in February 1987 as a Marxist-Leninist one-party state upon the adoption o ...
, flees
Ethiopia to
Zimbabwe, effectively bringing the
Ethiopian Civil War to an end.
*
May 22
Events Pre-1600
* 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu.
* 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.
* 11 ...
– Acting
Prime Minister of South Korea Ro Jai-bong
Ro Jai-bong (born February 8, 1936) is a South Korean politician. He served from December 1990 to May 1991 as the 22nd prime minister of South Korea
The prime minister of the Republic of Korea (PMOTROK or PMOSK; ) is the deputy head of gover ...
resigns in the wake of rioting following the beating to death of a student by police on April 26. He is succeeded by
Chung Won-shik
Chung Won-shik (5 August 1928 – 12 April 2020) was a South Korean politician, educator, soldier, and author. He was the 21st Prime Minister of South Korea.
Life
From 1951 to 1955, Chung served as an officer in the South Korean Army. Followi ...
two days later.
*
May 24
Events Pre-1600
* 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
* 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
* 1276 – Magnus La ...
– Following authorisation by
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir,
Operation Solomon
Operation Solomon ( he, מבצע שלמה, Mivtza Shlomo) was a covert Israeli military operation in May 24 to 25, 1991, to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Non-stop flights of 35 Israeli aircraft, including Israeli Air Force C-130s and El Al Bo ...
commences to airlift most of the remaining
Beta Israel
The Beta Israel ( he, בֵּיתֶא יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Bēteʾ Yīsrāʾēl''; gez, ቤተ እስራኤል, , modern ''Bēte 'Isrā'ēl'', EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "House of Israel" or "Community of Israel"), also known as Ethiopian Jews ...
community from
Ethiopia to Israel.
*
May 25 – The
Surinamese general election is won by the military-backed
New Front for Democracy and Development
The New Front for Democracy and Development ( nl, Nieuw Front voor Democratie en Ontwikkeling) was a social-democratic political alliance in Suriname.
At the legislative elections (25 May 2005), the alliance won 41.2% of the popular votes and 23 ...
.
[ Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p614 ]
*
May 26
Events Pre-1600
* 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe.
* 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire take ...
–
Lauda Air Boeing 767 crashes near
Bangkok,
Thailand, killing all 223 people on board.
*
May 28 – Ethiopian Civil War: The forces of the
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front seize the capital
Addis Ababa.
June
![Pinatubo91eruption clark air base](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Pinatubo91eruption_clark_air_base.jpg)
*
June 3 –
Mount Unzen in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
erupts, killing 46 people as a result of
pyroclastic flow.
*
June 4
**
Fatos Nano resigns as
Prime Minister of Albania following a nationwide strike.
President of Albania Ramiz Alia appoints
Ylli Bufi
Ylli Bufi (born 25 May 1948, Tirana) is an Albanian politician who served briefly as the 26th Prime Minister of Albania in 1991.
Career
Bufi is a chemical engineer. He was a member of the Albanian Parliament, and also a member of Socialist Par ...
as his successor.
** A large
solar flare triggers an anomalously large
aurora as far south as
Pennsylvania.
*
June 5
Events Pre-1600
*1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights.
*1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles II of Naples, Charles ...
**
President of Algeria Chadli Bendjedid dismisses
Prime Minister Mouloud Hamrouche
Mouloud Hamrouche ( ar, مولود حمروش) (born 3 January 1943 in Constantine, Algeria) was the head of government of Algeria from 5 September 1989 to 5 June 1991.
Biography
He was born in Constantine, Algeria. He was a leading member ...
following 11 days of protests against the government and replaces him with
Sid Ahmed Ghozali
Sid Ahmed Ghozali ( ar, سيد أحمد غزالي) (born 31 March 1937 in Maghnia, Algeria) is an Algerian politician who was the Prime Minister of Algeria from 1991 to 1992.
Early life
He was a member of the National Liberation Front party an ...
.
** End of Apartheid:
South Africa repeals the last legal foundations of
apartheid.
*
June 7 – Approximately
200,000 people attend a parade of 8,800 returning Persian Gulf War troops in
Washington, D.C
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
.
*
June 9 – A major collapse at the
Emaswati Colliery in
Swaziland
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
traps 26 miners 65 meters below the surface; they are rescued 30 hours later.
*
June 12
Events Pre-1600
* 910 – Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under King Louis the Child, using the famous feigned retreat tactic of the nomadic warriors.
* 1240 – At the instigation of Louis IX of Fr ...
**
Boris Yeltsin is elected
President of the
Russian SFSR; he officially begins his term on July 10.
** Sri Lankan Civil War:
Sri Lankan Army
ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம்
, image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
soldiers
kill 152 civilians in
Kokkadichcholai
Kokkadichcholai ( ta, கொக்கட்டிச்சோலை) is a village in Batticaloa District within the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.
Etymology
According to legend, the name of the village comes from the Kokkatti tree.
Geography ...
.
** The
Party of Labour of Albania
The Party of Labour of Albania ( sq, Partia e Punës e Shqipërisë, PPSh), sometimes referred to as the Albanian Workers' Party (AWP), was the ruling and sole legal party of Albania during the communist period (1945–1991). It was founded o ...
is dissolved and succeeded by the
Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania ( sq, Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë, PS or PSSh) is a social-democratic political party in Albania. It has been described as centre-left, to left-wing. It was founded on 13 June 1991. The PS is an associate of t ...
, marking the end of
communist rule in Albania.
*
June 15
** In the Philippines,
Mount Pinatubo erupts in the
second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century; the final death toll exceeds 800. This eruption caused a global cooling of the world by around 0.4°C.
** The
Indian general elections end; the
Indian National Congress wins the most seats but fails to secure a majority. Six days later, Congress leader
P. V. Narasimha Rao
Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was an Indian lawyer, statesman and politician who served as the 9th prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He is known for introducing various liberal reforms to Indi ...
becomes
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
.
*
June 16 –
Father's Day Bank Massacre
The Father's Day Bank Massacre was a bank robbery and shooting that took place on Sunday, June 16, 1991, at the United Bank Tower (now the Wells Fargo Center) in Denver, Colorado. The perpetrator killed four unarmed bank guards and held up six te ...
: Four
security guard
A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...
s are shot to death during a
bank robbery at the United Bank Tower in
Denver,
Colorado, United States. The person subsequently charged with the crime was acquitted, and the case remains unsolved.
*
June 17
Events Pre-1600
* 653 – Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism.
* 1242 – Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were bur ...
** End of Apartheid: The
South African Parliament repeals the
Population Registration Act
The Population Registration Act of 1950 required that each inhabitant of South Africa be classified and registered in accordance with their racial characteristics as part of the system of apartheid.
Social rights, political rights, educational ...
, which had required
racial classification of all South Africans at birth.
**
President of Turkey Turgut Özal appoints
Mesut Yılmaz as
Prime Minister following
Yıldırım Akbulut's resignation. Yılmaz forms a new government on June 23, which lasts until November when it is replaced by the government of
Süleyman Demirel
Süleyman Sami Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously served as the ...
.
[''Türkiye'nin 75 Yılı'', Tempo yayıncılık, İstanbul, 1998]
*
June 20
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius' battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory.
* 1180 – First Battle of Uji, starting ...
– In
West Germany, the
Bundestag votes to move the capital from
Bonn to
Berlin.
*
June 23
Events Pre-1600
* 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
* 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
* 1280 – The Spanish Re ...
–
28 – Iraq disarmament crisis: UN inspection teams attempt to intercept Iraqi vehicles carrying nuclear related equipment. Iraqi soldiers fire warning shots in the air to prevent inspectors from approaching the vehicles.
*
June 25 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia:
Croatia and
Slovenia declare their independence from
Yugoslavia.
*
June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
– Dissolution of the Soviet Union:
Comecon is dissolved in
Moscow,
Russia.
July
*
July 1
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor.
* 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...
** In the
U.S., telephone services go down in
Washington, D.C.,
Pittsburgh,
Los Angeles, and
San Francisco as a result of a software bug, affecting nearly twelve million customers.
** The
Warsaw Pact is officially dissolved in
Prague,
Czechoslovakia.
** The world's first
GSM telephone call is made in
Finland.
*
July 7 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: The
Brioni Agreement
The Brioni Agreement, also known as the Brioni Declaration ( hr, Brijunska deklaracija, sr, Brionska deklaracija, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Брионска декларација, sl, Brionska deklaracija), is a document signed by representativ ...
ends the
Ten-Day War in
Slovenia.
*
July 4 –
President of Colombia César Gaviria lifts the country's 7-year-long
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
.
*
July 9
Events Pre-1600
*118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome.
* 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...
** End of Apartheid: The
International Olympic Committee readmits South Africa to the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
. The next day,
U.S. President Bush terminates
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
-enacted United States sanctions, U.S. sanctions on South Africa–United States relations, South Africa.
** Iran–Contra affair: Alan Fiers agrees to plead guilty to two charges of lying to the
U.S. Congress. Later on September 16, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, D.C. Judge Gerhard Gesell issues a ruling clearing Colonel, Col. Oliver North of all charges.
* July 11
** A Solar eclipse of July 11, 1991, solar eclipse of record totality occurs in the Northern hemisphere. It is seen by 20 million people in Hawaii, Mexico, and Colombia.
**Nigeria Airways Flight 2120, a Douglas DC-8 operated by Canadian airline Nolisair, catches fire and crashes soon after takeoff from Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia, killing all 261 people on board.
* July 15 – Chemical Bank and Manufacturers Hanover Corporation amalgamate, becoming the List of bank mergers in the United States, largest bank merger in history.
* July 16 – President of the Soviet Union, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, Gorbachev arrives in London to ask for aid from the leaders of the G7.
* July 18 – The governments of Mauritania and Senegal sign a treaty ending the Mauritania–Senegal Border War, which had been fought since 1989.
* July 22
** US Boxing, U.S. boxer Mike Tyson is arrested and charged with the rape of Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington three days earlier, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
** American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested after the remains of eleven men and boys are found in his Milwaukee apartment.
* July 24 – Finance Minister of India Manmohan Singh announces a new industrial policy, marking the start of economic liberalisation in India.
* July 25 – British astronomers announce they have found what appears to be an extrasolar planet.
* July 29 – In New York City, a grand jury indicts Bank of Credit and Commerce International of the largest bank fraud in history, accusing the bank of defrauding depositors of US$5 billion.
* July 31
**
U.S. President Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet President Gorbachev sign
START I
START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the reduction and the limitation of strategic offensive arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 De ...
in
Moscow,
Soviet Union.
** Singing Revolution: OMON, Soviet Special Purpose Police Unit (OMON) forces kill seven Lithuanian customs officials in Medininkai, the deadliest of the Soviet OMON assaults on Lithuanian border posts.
August
* August 1 – Israel agrees to participate in the Madrid Conference of 1991, which opens on October 30.
* August 4 – The cruise liner ''
MTS Oceanos
MTS ''Oceanos'' was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when she suffered uncontrolled flooding. Her captain, Yiannis Avranas, and some of the crew were convicted of negligence for fleeing the ship without helping th ...
'' sinks off the Cape of Good Hope, coast of South Africa, leading to the rescue of all 571 passengers on board by South African Air Force, SAAF helicopters.
* August 6 – Tim Berners-Lee announces the
World Wide Web project and software on the alt.hypertext newsgroup. The first website, "info.cern.ch", is created.
* August 7 – Former Iranian Prime Minister of Iran, prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar is assassinated in the Parisian suburb of Suresnes.
* August 8 – The Warsaw radio mast, the tallest structure in the world at the time, collapses.
* August 17 – The remains of the Prussian king, Prussian King Frederick II of Prussia, Frederick the Great are re-interred in Potsdam, Germany.
* August 17 – August 20, 20 – Hurricane Bob hits North Carolina and New England, killing 17 people and causing US$1.5 billion in damage.
* August 19 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: President of the Soviet Union, Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
is put under house arrest while vacationing in Crimea during 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, an attempted coup. Led by List of heads of state of the Soviet Union, Vice President Gennady Yanayev and seven others, the coup collapses in less than 72 hours and is protested by over 100,000 people outside the White House (Moscow), parliament building. He returns to
Moscow three days later and arrests the coup leaders.
* August 20 – Singing Revolution: Estonia declares independence from the Soviet Union, followed by
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
the next day.
* August 22 – Singing Revolution: Iceland becomes the first nation to recognize the independence of the Baltic states. It is followed by the United States, U.S. on September 2 and the
Soviet Union on September 6.
*August 23 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Russia restores the Flag of Russia, white-blue-red tricolour as its national flag.
* August 24 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Ukraine declares independence, followed by Belarus the next day, from the Soviet Union.
* August 25
** Dissolution of Yugoslavia: Battle of Vukovar, Serbian forces begin an attack on the
Croatian town of Vukovar.
** Linus Torvalds posts messages to the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix, regarding the new operating system kernel he had developed, called Linux.
**Michael Schumacher, regarded as one of the greatest History of Formula One, Formula One drivers in history, makes his Formula One debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, Belgian Grand Prix.
* August 29 – Lebanon Hostage Crisis: Maronites, Maronite general Michel Aoun leaves Lebanon via a French ship into exile.
* August 30 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Moldova declares independence from the Soviet Union, followed by Azerbaijan.
* August 31 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan declare their independence; Tajikistan follows suit on September 9.
September
* September 3 – In Hamlet, North Carolina, Hamlet, North Carolina, Hamlet chicken processing plant fire, a grease fire breaks out at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant, killing 25 people.
* September 4 – Sverdlovsk, Russia, Sverdlovsk's name is restored to its De-Communisation, pre-communist–era name Yekaterinburg. Two days later, Leningrad is renamed St. Petersburg.
* September 5 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union self-dissolves, being replaced by Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and State Council of the Soviet Union.
* September 8 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: The North Macedonia, Republic of Macedonia becomes independent, beginning a Macedonia naming dispute, name dispute with Greece–North Macedonia relations, Greece.
* September 11
**Lebanon Hostage Crisis: Israel releases Palestinian prisoners of Israel, 51 Arab prisoners and the bodies of nine guerrillas, paving the way for the release of the last Lebanon hostage crisis, western hostages in Lebanon.
**The
Soviet Union announces plans to withdraw Cuba–Soviet Union relations, military and economic aid to Cuba.
* September 15 – In the 1991 Swedish general election, Swedish general election, the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Social Democrats suffer their worst election results in 60 years, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson.
* September 17 – North Korea, South Korea, Estonia,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands, and Federated States of Micronesia, Micronesia join the
UN.
* September 19 – Ötzi, Ötzi the Iceman is found in the Alps.
* September 21 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Armenia declares independence from the Soviet Union. Nearly a month later on October 27, Turkmenistan declares its independence. Kazakhstan follows suit on December 16.
* September 21 – September 30, 30 – Iraq disarmament crisis: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA inspectors discover files on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, Iraq's hidden nuclear weapons program. Iraqi officials refuse to let them leave with the documents, prompting a standoff that continues until the U.N. Security Council, UN Security Council threatens enforcement actions on Iraq.
* September 22 – The Huntington Library makes the Dead Sea Scrolls available to the public for the first time.
* September 24 – Lebanon Hostage Crisis: Lebanese kidnappers release Jackie Mann after more than two years of captivity.
* September 25 – Salvadoran Civil War: Representatives of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front reach an agreement with President of El Salvador Alfredo Cristiani, setting the stage for the end of the war.
* September 27 – U.S President George H. W. Bush announces unilateral reductions in short-range nuclear weapons and calls off 24-hour alerts for long-range bombers. The
Soviet Union responds with similar unilateral reductions on October 5.
* September 29 – Salvadoran Civil War: An army colonel of the Atlácatl Battalion is found guilty of the 1989 murders of Jesuits in El Salvador, 1989 murders of six Jesuits.
October
* October 1 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: Forces of the Yugoslav People's Army Croatian War of Independence, surround Dubrovnik, beginning the Siege of Dubrovnik, which lasts until May 31, 1992.
* October 3 – Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Foley announces the House banking scandal, closure of the House Bank by the end of the year after revelations that House members have written numerous bad checks.
*October 4 – Carl Bildt succeeds Ingvar Carlsson as Prime Minister of Sweden.
* October 6 – Mikhail Gorbachev, President Gorbachev condemns antisemitism in the Soviet Union in a statement read on the 50th anniversary of the Babi Yar, Babi Yar massacres, which saw the death of History of the Jews in Ukraine, 35,000 Jews in Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukraine during Eastern Front (World War II), WWII.
* October 7 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: The Yugoslav Air Force bombs the office of President of Croatia, Croatian President Franjo Tuđman, causing the Croatian Parliament to cut all remaining ties with Yugoslavia the next day.
* October 11
** In the
Russian SFSR, the KGB is replaced by the Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia), SVR, with the KGB officially ending operations on November 6.
** Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.N. Security Council, UN Security Council passes United Nations Security Council Resolution 715, Resolution 715, demanding that Iraq "accept unconditionally the inspectors and all other personnel designated by the United Nations Special Commission, Special Commission." Iraq rejects the resolution, calling it "unlawful".
* October 12 – Askar Akayev is confirmed as the first president of Kyrgyzstan in an uncontested poll.
* October 13 – In the 1991 Bulgarian parliamentary election, Bulgarian parliamentary election, the Union of Democratic Forces (Bulgaria), Union of Democratic Forces defeats the Bulgarian Socialist Party, leaving no remaining Communist governments in
Eastern Europe.
Dieter Nohlen
Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An expe ...
& Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p369
* October 15
** Clarence Thomas is confirmed as the new U.S. Supreme Court Justice following Thurgood Marshall's retirement.
** The leaders of the Baltic States, Arnold Rüütel of Estonia, Anatolijs Gorbunovs of
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
and the Vytautas Landsbergis of Lithuania, signed the OSCE Final Act in Helsinki, Finland.
* October 18 – The
Soviet Union restores its Israel–Russia relations, diplomatic relations with Israel, which had been suspended since the Six-Day War, 1967 Six-Day War.
* October 20
** The Harare Declaration is signed in Harare,
Zimbabwe, laying down the Commonwealth of Nations membership criteria.
** A Oakland firestorm of 1991, large suburban firestorm centered in Oakland Hills, Oakland, California, Oakland Hills, California, kills 25 people and injures 150 others.
** A 6.8 Moment magnitude scale, M
w 1991 Uttarkashi earthquake, earthquake strikes Uttarkashi district, Uttarkashi,
India, killing at least 768 people and destroying thousands of homes.
* October 21 – Lebanon Hostage Crisis: Jesse Turner, a mathematics professor who has been held hostage for more than four years, is released.
* October 23 – In Paris, the Vietnam-backed government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, state of Cambodia signs an agreement with the Khmer Rouge to end Cambodian Civil War, the civil war and bring the Khmer Rouge into power despite its role in the Cambodian genocide. The deal ends the Cambodian–Vietnamese War and results in the creation of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia.
* October 27 – The first 1991 Polish parliamentary election, free parliamentary elections in
Poland since 1928 Polish legislative election, 1928 are held.
* October 28 – November 4 – The 1991 Perfect Storm strikes the northeastern United States, northeastern U.S. coast and Atlantic Canada, causing over US$200 million of damage and resulting in 12 direct fatalities.
* October 29 – NASA's Galileo (spacecraft), Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid.
* October 31 – November 3 – The 1991 Halloween blizzard, Halloween blizzard hits the Upper Midwest, U.S. Upper Midwest, killing 22 people and causing US$100 million in damage.
November
![Vukovar-watertower-after-war](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Vukovar-watertower-after-war.jpg)
* November 4 – November 5, 5 – End of Apartheid: The
African National Congress leads a general strike, demanding representation in Government of South Africa, the government and an end to the value-added tax.
* November 5 – China and Vietnam restore China–Vietnam relations, diplomatic relations after a 13-year rift which followed the Sino-Vietnamese War, 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.
* November 6 – The Communist Party of the Soviet Union, CPSU and its republic-level division, the Communist Party of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Communist Party of the Russian SFSR, are banned in the Russian SFSR by Ukase, presidential decree.
* November 7 – The first report on carbon nanotubes is published by Sumio Iijima in ''Nature (journal), Nature''.
* November 9 – The British Joint European Torus, JET fusion reactor generates 1.5 MW output power.
* November 14
**American government, American and Government of the United Kingdom, British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan Intelligence Service, Libyan intelligence officials in connection with the downing of the Pan Am Flight 103.
** House of Norodom, Cambodian Prince Norodom Sihanouk returns to Phnom Penh after 13 years of exile.
** Lebanon Hostage Crisis: Kidnappers in Lebanon set Anglican Communion, Anglican Church envoys Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland (academic), Thomas Sutherland free.
* November 18
** Dissolution of Yugoslavia: The forces of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Serb paramilitaries take the
Croatian town of Vukovar after the 87-day Battle of Vukovar. They Vukovar massacre, kill more than 260 Croatian prisoners of war.
** An Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 helicopter carrying a 19-member peacekeeping mission team is 1991 Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdown, shot down by Armenian military, Armenian military forces in Khojavend District, Khojavend district, Azerbaijan.
* November 21 – The 1991 United Nations Secretary-General selection, UN Security Council recommends Prime Minister of Egypt, Egypt's deputy prime minister Boutros Boutros-Ghali to be the next Secretary-General of the United Nations, Secretary-General of the UN.
* November 23 – Members of the Communist Party of Great Britain vote to dissolve the party and found the think-tank Democratic Left (UK), Democratic Left in its place.
* November 24 – Queen (band), Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies in London from AIDS induced pneumonia. In an unrelated incident, Kiss (band), Kiss drummer Eric Carr dies from heart cancer.
* November 26 – The National Assembly (Azerbaijan), National Assembly of Azerbaijan Law on Abolishment of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, abolishes the autonomous status of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and renames several cities to their Azerbaijani language, Azeri names.
* November 27 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: The
UN Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution opening the way to the establishment of United Nations Protection Force, peacekeeping operations in Yugoslavia.
December
* December 1 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Ukraine, Ukrainians vote overwhelmingly for Ukrainian Independence Day, independence from the Soviet Union in a 1991 Ukrainian independence referendum, referendum.
* December 4
** Lebanon Hostage Crisis: Journalist Terry A. Anderson is released after seven years of captivity as a hostage in Beirut – the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.
**John Leonard Orr, one of the most prolific serial arsonists of the 20th century, is arrested in California.
* December 8 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: In the Białowieża Forest Nature Reserve in Belarus, the leaders of
Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine sign Belovezha Accords, an agreement officially ending the
Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in its place.
* December 11 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia:
Croatian forces Paulin Dvor massacre, kill 18 Serbs and one Hungarian in the village of Paulin Dvor, Croatia.
* December 12
** The government of Nigeria moves the capital from Lagos to Abuja.
**Ukraine becomes the first Post-Soviet states, post-Soviet republic to LGBT rights by country or territory, decriminalize homosexuality.
* December 15 – The Egyptian ferry sinks in the Red Sea, killing more than 450 people.
* December 16 – The United Nations General Assembly, UN General Assembly adopts United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/86, UN General Assembly Resolution 46/86, repealing a United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379, previous resolution adopted in 1975 which had ruled that Zionism is a form of racism.
* December 19
**Paul Keating defeats Bob Hawke in a Australian Labor Party, Labor Party December 1991 Australian Labor Party leadership spill, leadership ballot and consequently becomes the Prime Minister of Australia; he is sworn in the following day.
** Skarnsund Bridge opens in Norway, becoming the world's longest cable-stayed bridge for two years with a span of .
* December 21 – The North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NAC-C) meets for the first time.
* December 22 – Armed opposition groups launch a 1991–92 Georgian coup d'état, military coup against President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia.
* December 24 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Russian SFSR
President Boris Yeltsin sends a letter to UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, declaring that
Russia will be the succeeding country to the collapsing Soviet Union in the United Nations.
* December 25
** Dissolution of the Soviet Union:
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
resigns as president of the Soviet Union, from which most republics have already seceded, anticipating the dissolving of the History of the Soviet Union, 69-year-old state.
** The
Russian SFSR officially renames itself the ''Russia, Russian Federation''.
* December 26 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, Supreme Soviet meets for the last time, formally dissolves the
Soviet Union, and adjourns ''Adjournment sine die, sine die'', ending the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. All remaining Soviet institutions eventually cease operation on December 31.
Births
January
![Pixie Lott 2014 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Pixie_Lott_2014_%28cropped%29.jpg)
* January 3 – Goo Hara, South Korean singer and actress (d. 2019)
*
January 7
Events Pre-1600
*49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting.
* 1325 – Alfonso IV ...
** Eden Hazard, Belgian football player
** Caster Semenya, South African athlete
*
January 9
Events Pre-1600
* 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.
*1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...
– Álvaro Soler, Spanish-German singer
*
January 12 – Pixie Lott, British singer
*
January 15
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
* 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...
– Darya Klishina, Russian long jumper
*
January 17
** Trevor Bauer, American baseball player
** Willa Fitzgerald, American actress
* January 19 – Erin Sanders, American actress
* January 20 – Jolyon Palmer, British racing driver, motorsport commentator and columnist
* January 21 – Craig Roberts, Welsh actor, writer and director
* January 23 – Steve Birnbaum, American footballer
* January 28 – Calum Worthy, Canadian actor and musician
*
January 29 – Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, British aristocrat, billionaire and businessman
February
![Malese Jow at WonderCon 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Malese_Jow_at_WonderCon_2014.jpg)
* February 4 – Mathew Leckie, Australian footballer
* February 6
** Maxi Iglesias, Spanish actor and model
** Aleksandar Katai, Serbian footballer
* February 8
** Genzebe Dibaba, Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner
** Wahbi Khazri, Tunisian footballer
* February 10 – Emma Roberts, American actress and singer
* February 14
** Raquel Calderón Argandoña, Chilean actress, singer, and lawyer
** Karol G, Colombian reggaeton singer and songwriter
* February 17
** Ed Sheeran, English singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actor
** Bonnie Wright, English actress, film director, screenwriter, model, and producer
*
February 18
** Malese Jow, American actress and singer
** Henry Surtees, British racing driver (d. 2009)
*
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
– Hidilyn Diaz, Filipina Olympic weightlifter and airwoman
* February 21
** Riyad Mahrez, French-Algerian footballer
** Solar (singer), Solar, South Korean singer and actress
** Joe Alwyn, English actor
*
February 22 – Robin Stjernberg, Swedish pop singer
*
February 26
Events Pre-1600
*747 BC – According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events.
* 364 – Valentinian I is p ...
– CL (singer), CL, South Korean singer and dancer
* February 28 – Sarah Bolger, Irish actress
March
![FRA-ARG (10) (cropped 2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/FRA-ARG_%2810%29_%28cropped_2%29.jpg)
*
March 3 – Park Cho-rong, South Korean singer and actress
* March 4 – Aoi Nakamura, Japanese actor
* March 5 – Ramiro Funes Mori, Argentine footballer
*
March 6 – Tyler, The Creator, American rapper
* March 8 – Devon Werkheiser, American actor, singer, and musician
* March 11
** Linlin, Chinese singer
** Poonam Pandey, Indian Bollywood actress
*
March 13 – Luan Santana, Brazilian singer
* March 16 – Wolfgang Van Halen, American musician
* March 21 – Antoine Griezmann, French footballer
*
March 23 – Madelyn Deutch, American actress, director, musician and writer
* March 28 – Derek Carr, American football player
* March 29
** Irene (singer), Irene, South Korean singer, rapper, television host, and model She grew up in Buk-gu, Daegu, Buk-gu.
** N'Golo Kanté, French footballer
** Hayley McFarland, American actress
April
![AJ Michalka - portrait 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/AJ_Michalka_-_portrait_2019.jpg)
*
April 3 – Hayley Kiyoko, American singer and actress
*
April 4
Events Pre-1600
* 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines.
* 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
* 611 – ...
– Jamie Lynn Spears, American singer and actress
*
April 5
Events Pre-1600
* 823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I.
* 919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, sets out from Raqqada at the head of his a ...
– Yassine Bounou, Moroccan football player
* April 7 – Anne-Marie, English singer
*
April 9 – Gai Assulin, Israeli footballer
*
April 10 – AJ Michalka, American actress, voice actress, singer and musician
* April 11
** Thiago Alcântara, Spanish footballer
** James Magnussen, Australian swimmer
*
April 15
** Javier Fernández (figure skater), Javier Fernandez, Spanish figure skater
** Anastasia Vinnikova, Belarusian singer
* April 20 – Luke Kuechly, American football player
* April 25 – Alex Shibutani, American ice dancer
May
* May 2
** Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean idol singer and actor
** Ilya Zakharov, Russian diver
* May 3 – Carlo Acutis, English-born Italian Catholic computer programmer, beatified (d. 2006)
* May 5 – Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer
* May 8 – Laura Chimaras, Venezuelan actress
* May 9 – Majlinda Kelmendi, Kosovan judoka
*
May 22
Events Pre-1600
* 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu.
* 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.
* 11 ...
** Sophia Abrahão, Brazilian actress
** Suho, South Korean singer, actor, and model
* May 23 – Lena Meyer-Landrut, German singer
*
May 24
Events Pre-1600
* 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
* 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
* 1276 – Magnus La ...
– Erika Umeda, Japanese singer
*
May 25 – Derrick Williams (basketball), Derrick Williams, American basketball player
* May 27 – Beauden Barrett, New Zealand rugby union player
*
May 28 – Alexandre Lacazette, French footballer
* May 29 – Tan Zhongyi, Chinese chess player
* May 31 – Azealia Banks, American singer
June
![Christa Theret Cabourg 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Christa_Theret_Cabourg_2016.jpg)
* June 1 – Zazie Beetz, German-American actress
*
June 3 – Natasha Dupeyrón, Mexican actress and singer
*
June 4 – Ben Stokes, English international cricketer
*
June 7
** Emily Ratajkowski, American model and actress
** Olivia Rogowska, Australian tennis player
* June 10 – Pol Espargaró, Spanish motorcycle racer
* June 14
** André Carrillo, Peruvian footballer
** Kostas Manolas, Greek footballer
** Jesy Nelson, English singer
*
June 16
** Siya Kolisi, South African rugby union player
** Joe McElderry, British singer and model
** Tameka Yallop, Australian footballer
*
June 17
Events Pre-1600
* 653 – Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism.
* 1242 – Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were bur ...
– Staz Nair, British actor and singer
* June 18 – Willa Holland, American model and actress
* June 19 – Neta Rivkin, Israeli rhythmic gymnast
*
June 20
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius' battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory.
* 1180 – First Battle of Uji, starting ...
– Kalidou Koulibaly, French-Senegalese footballer
* June 21 – J. C. Greyling, Namibian rugby union player
*
June 23
Events Pre-1600
* 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
* 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
* 1280 – The Spanish Re ...
** Katie Armiger, American singer
** Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, Tunisian footballer
* June 24 – Max Ehrich, American actor, singer, and dancer
*
June 25
** Christa Théret, French actress
** Victor Wanyama, Kenyan footballer
*
June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
** Kevin De Bruyne, Belgian footballer
** Kang Min-hyuk, South Korean drummer, actor, and singer
** Seohyun, South Korean singer and actress
* June 29
** Kawhi Leonard, American basketball player
** Suk Hyun-jun, South Korean footballer
July
![Alexandra Shipp by Gage Skidmore 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Alexandra_Shipp_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg)
* July 2
** Kim Go-eun, South Korean actress
** Burna Boy, Nigerian singer, rapper and songwriter
* July 3 – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russian tennis player
* July 5 – Jason Dolley, American actor and musician
*
July 7 – Alesso, Swedish DJ and music producer
* July 8 – Virgil van Dijk, Dutch footballer
*
July 9
Events Pre-1600
*118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome.
* 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...
– Mitchel Musso, American actor, musician and singer
* July 10 – Atsuko Maeda, Japanese singer and actress
* July 12 – James Rodríguez, Colombian footballer
* July 13 – Seppe Smits, Belgian snowboarder
* July 15
** Derrick Favors, American basketball player
** Evgeny Tishchenko, Russian heavyweight boxer
* July 16 – Alexandra Shipp, American actress
* July 21 – Sara Sampaio, Portuguese model
* July 22 – Tomi Juric, Australian footballer
* July 23
** Lauren Mitchell, Australian artistic gymnast
** Kianoush Rostami, Iranian weightlifter
* July 24 – Emily Bett Rickards, Canadian actress
* July 25 – Amanda Kurtović, Norwegian handball player
* July 30 – Daria Kondakova, Russian rhythmic gymnast
* July 31 – Filipa Azevedo, Portuguese singer
August
![Dylan O'Brien by Gage Skidmore 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Dylan_O%27Brien_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg)
* August 3 – Ismail Juma, Tanzanian long-distance runner (d. 2017)
* August 5 – Brooke Marie Bridges, American actress
* August 6
** Irina Kulikova, Russian fashion model
** Jiao Liuyang, Chinese swimmer
* August 7 – Mike Trout, American baseball player
* August 8 – Joël Matip, German footballer
* August 9
** Alexa Bliss, American professional wrestler
** Hansika Motwani, Indian actress
* August 10 – Pratyusha Banerjee, Indian television actress (d. 2016)
* August 11 – Estelle Nze Minko, French handball player
* August 12 – Lakeith Stanfield, American actor and rapper
* August 16
** Evanna Lynch, Irish actress
** Young Thug, American hip hop artist
* August 18 – Brianna Rollins-McNeal, American track and field athlete
* August 20 – Cory Joseph, Canadian basketball player
* August 23 – Jennifer Abel, Canadian diver
* August 26 – Dylan O'Brien, American actor
September
![Run This Town cast - Mena Massoud (33463322988)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Run_This_Town_cast_-_Mena_Massoud_%2833463322988%29.jpg)
* September 4
** Adrien Bart, French sprint canoeist
** Carter Jenkins, American actor
* September 9
** Kelsey Chow, American actress
** Oscar (footballer, born 1991), Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior, Brazilian footballer
** Lauren Daigle, American singer and songwriter
** Hunter Hayes, American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist
* September 11
** Jordan Ayew, Ghanaian footballer
** Kygo, Norwegian DJ and record producer
* September 12 – Thomas Meunier, Belgian footballer
* September 13 – Ksenia Afanasyeva, Russian artistic gymnast
* September 14 – Nana (entertainer), Nana, South Korean singer, actress, and model
* September 15 – Alex Florea, Romanian singer
* September 16 – Marlon Teixeira, Brazilian model
* September 17
** Minako Kotobuki, Japanese actress and singer
** Mena Massoud, Canadian actor
** Sanne Wevers, Dutch gymnast
* September 22 – Khairul Anuar Mohamad, Malaysian archer
* September 23 – Key (singer), Key, Korean singer
* September 25
**Emmy Clarke, American actress
**Alexander Rossi, American race car driver
* September 27
** Simona Halep, Romanian tennis player
** Islam Makhachev, Russian professional mixed martial artist
October
![Princess Mako and Princess Kako at the Tokyo Imperial Palace (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Princess_Mako_and_Princess_Kako_at_the_Tokyo_Imperial_Palace_%28cropped%29.jpg)
* October 1 – Gus Kenworthy, British-American Olympic freestyle skier, actor, and YouTuber
* October 2 – Roberto Firmino, Brazilian footballer
* October 4 – Leigh-Anne Pinnock, English singer and songwriter
* October 6 – Roshon Fegan, American actor, rapper, and dancer
* October 7
** Nicole Jung, Korean-American singer in Glendale, California
** Lay Zhang, Chinese singer, actor, dancer, and producer
* October 10
** Gabriella Cilmi, Australian singer
** Lali Espósito, Argentine actress, singer, dancer, and model
** Mariana Pajón, Colombian cyclist
** Xherdan Shaqiri, Swiss footballer
* October 11 – Toby Fox, American video game developer and video game composer
* October 16
** Phan Thi Ha Thanh, Vietnamese artistic gymnast
** Jedward (John and Edward Grimes), Irish twin pop singers
* October 17 – Brenda Asnicar, Argentine actress and singer
* October 18 – Tyler Posey, American actor and musician
* October 21 – Artur Aleksanyan, Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler
* October 23
** Emil Forsberg, Swedish footballer
** Princess Mako of Akishino, Japanese princess
* October 26 – Amala Paul, Indian film actress
* October 30
** Artemi Panarin, Russian ice hockey player
** Tomáš Satoranský, Czech basketball player
November
![Shailene Woodley March 18, 2014 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Shailene_Woodley_March_18%2C_2014_%28cropped%29.jpg)
* November 1
** Jiang Yuyuan, Chinese gymnast
** Anthony Ramos (actor), Anthony Ramos, American actor, singer and songwriter
* November 4
** Olta Boka, Albanian singer
** Bee Vang, American actor
* November 6 – Camila Finn, Brazilian model
* November 11 – Christa B. Allen, American actress
* November 12 – Takatoshi Abe, Japanese track and field athlete
* November 13 – Devon Bostick, Canadian actor
* November 15 – Shailene Woodley, American actress, producer, and activist
* November 16 – Park Hyung-sik, South Korean singer, dancer and actor
* November 20 – Kim Se-yong, South Korean singer and actor
* November 21
** Almaz Ayana, Ethiopian long-distance runner
** Dmitry Martynov, Russian actor
* November 23 – Christian Cueva, Peruvian footballer
* November 24 – Baghdad Bounedjah, Algerian footballer
* November 27 – Himanshi Khurana, Indian model, actress and singer
* November 29 – Becky James, Welsh racing cyclist
December
![Louis Tomlinson November 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Louis_Tomlinson_November_2014.jpg)
* December 1 – Sun Yang, Chinese swimmer
* December 2
** Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian freestyle skier
** Brandon Knight (basketball), Brandon Knight, American basketball player
** Charlie Puth, American singer
* December 4 – Hayley Arceneaux, American physician assistant and astronaut
* December 6
** Milica Mandić, Serbian taekwondo athlete
** CoCo Vandeweghe, American tennis player
* December 9
** Choi Min-ho, South Korean rapper and TV host
** Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, Belgian prince
* December 10 – Kiki Bertens, Dutch tennis player
* December 11 – Anna Bergendahl, Swedish singer
* December 15 – Eunice Cho, Korean-American actress
* December 19
** Jorge Blanco (musician), Jorge Blanco, Mexican musician, singer, dancer, and actor
** Sumire Uesaka, Japanese voice actress and singer
* December 20
** Jorginho (footballer, born December 1991), Jorginho, Brazilian-Italian footballer
** Jillian Rose Reed, American actress
* December 22 – DaBaby, American rapper
* December 24 – Louis Tomlinson, British singer
* December 26
** Andritany Ardhiyasa, Indonesian footballer
** Eden Sher, American actress
* December 27 – Chloe Bridges, American actress
* December 28 – Belime, Lebanese-born singer
* December 30 – Camila Giorgi, Italian tennis player
Deaths
January
![Olav V of Norway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Olav_V_of_Norway.jpg)
* January 2 – Renato Rascel, Italian actor and singer (b. 1912)
* January 4
** Poon Lim, Chinese sailor (b. 1918)
** Richard Maibaum, American film producer, playwright and screenwriter (b. 1909)
*
January 5 – Vasko Popa, Yugoslavian poet (b. 1922)
* January 8 – Steve Clark, English guitarist (b. 1960)
* January 11 – Carl David Anderson, American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
*
January 12
** Keye Luke, Chinese-born actor (b. 1904)
** Vasco Pratolini, Italian writer (b. 1913)
* January 14 – Salah Khalaf, Palestinian officer (b. 1933)
*
January 17 – King Olav V of Norway (b. 1903)
* January 19 – John Russell (actor), John Russell, American actor (b. 1921)
*
January 22
Events Pre-1600
* 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (''Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
* 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vi ...
– Kenas Aroi, Nauruan politician (b. 1942)
* January 25
** Lilian Bond, English actress (b. 1908)
** Frank Soo, English footballer and manager (b. 1914)
* January 28 – Red Grange, American football player (Chicago Bears) and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (b. 1903)
*
January 29 – Yasushi Inoue, Japanese historian (b. 1907)
* January 30
** John Bardeen, American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
** John McIntire, American actor (b. 1907)
February
![Margot Fonteyn - 1960s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Margot_Fonteyn_-_1960s.jpg)
*
February 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
* 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
– Carol Dempster, American actress (b. 1901)
* February 3 – Nancy Kulp, American actress (b. 1921)
* February 5
** Pedro Arrupe, Spanish priest (b. 1907)
** Dean Jagger, American actor (b. 1903)
* February 6
** Salvador Luria, Italian-born American Nobel biologist (b. 1912)
** Danny Thomas, American singer, comedian, and actor (b. 1912)
** María Zambrano, Spanish essayist and philosopher (b. 1904)
*
February 13
Events Pre-1600
* 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
*1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
*1462 – The ...
– Arno Breker, German sculptor (b. 1900)
* February 14 – John A. McCone, American politician, 6th Director of Central Intelligence (b. 1902)
* February 21
** John Sherman Cooper, American politician (b. 1901)
** Margot Fonteyn, English ballet dancer (b. 1919)
* February 24 – Jean Rogers, American actress (b. 1916)
*
February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
...
– Sverre Hansen (athlete), Sverre Hansen, Norwegian long jumper (b. 1899)
March
![John Kerr 1965](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/John_Kerr_1965.jpg)
* March 1 – Edwin H. Land, inventor of the Polaroid instant camera (b. 1909)
* March 2 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer (b. 1928)
*
March 3 – William Penney, Baron Penney, British nuclear physicist (b. 1909)
* March 12 – Ragnar Granit, Finnish neuroscientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1900)
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
** Howard Ashman, American lyricist (b. 1950)
** Doc Pomus, American composer (b. 1925)
*
March 15 – Robin Hill (biochemist), Robin Hill, British plant biochemist (b. 1899)
* March 18 – Vilma Bánky, Hungarian-born actress (b. 1901)
* March 21 – Leo Fender, American instrument maker (b. 1909)
*
March 23 – Elisaveta Bagriana, Bulgarian poet, Nobel Prize in Literature (b. 1893)
*
March 24 – John Kerr (governor-general), Sir John Kerr, Governor-General of Australia (b. 1914)
* March 25 – Marcel Lefebvre, French Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1905)
* March 27 – Aldo Ray, American actor (b. 1926)
* March 29 – Lee Atwater, American political consultant and strategist (b. 1951)
April
![Steve Marriott (Humble Pie)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Steve_Marriott_%28Humble_Pie%29.jpg)
* April 1
** Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1894)
** Paulo Muwanga, Ugandan military officer and statesman, 3rd Prime Minister of Uganda and 6th President of Uganda (b. 1921)
*
April 3 – Graham Greene, English novelist (b. 1904)
*
April 4
Events Pre-1600
* 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines.
* 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
* 611 – ...
– Max Frisch, Swiss writer (b. 1911)
*
April 5
Events Pre-1600
* 823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I.
* 919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, sets out from Raqqada at the head of his a ...
** Sonny Carter, American astronaut (b.
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
)
**
John Tower, American politician (b. 1925)
** William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle, former Governor-General of Australia (b. 1909)
* April 8
** Dead (musician), Dead, black metal vocalist (b. 1969)
*
April 9 – Forrest Towns, American Olympic athlete (b. 1914)
*
April 10
** Kevin Peter Hall, American actor (b. 1955)
** Natalie Schafer, American actress (b. 1900)
*
April 14 – Dhalia, Indonesian actress (b. 1925)
*
April 16 – David Lean, English film director (b. 1908)
* April 20
** Steve Marriott, English musician (b.
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
)
** Don Siegel, American film director (b. 1912)
** Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal, Mongolian Communist leader, former Party General Secretary, Prime Minister of Mongolia (b. 1916)
*
April 23
Events Pre-1600
* 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
* 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southe ...
– Johnny Thunders, American guitarist, singer and songwriter (b. 1952)
*
April 26 – Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
* April 27 – Robert Velter, French cartoonist (b. 1909)
May
![Rajiv Gandhi (1987)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Rajiv_Gandhi_%281987%29.jpg)
*
May 1
** Cesare Merzagora, Italian politician (b. 1898)
** Richard Thorpe, American film director (b. 1896)
* May 3 – Jerzy Kosiński, Polish-American writer (b. 1933)
* May 4 – Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Egyptian singer and composer (b. 1902)
*
May 6 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, British actor (b. 1903)
* May 8
** Jean Langlais, French composer and organist (b. 1907)
** Rudolf Serkin, Austrian pianist (b. 1903)
* May 14 – Jiang Qing, Chinese radical revolutionary, widow of Mao Zedong (b. 1914)
*
May 15
** Shintaro Abe, Japanese politician (b. 1924)
** Ronald Lacey, English actor (b. 1935)
*
May 21
** Lino Brocka, Filipino film director (b. 1939)
**
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...
, 6th
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
(b. 1944)
*
May 22
Events Pre-1600
* 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu.
* 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.
* 11 ...
** Derrick Henry Lehmer, American mathematician (b. 1905)
** Stan Mortensen, English footballer (b. 1921)
* May 23
** Jean Van Houtte, Belgian politician, 38th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1907)
** Wilhelm Kempff, German pianist (b. 1895)
*
May 24
Events Pre-1600
* 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
* 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
* 1276 – Magnus La ...
– Gene Clark, American singer (b. 1944)
* May 29 – Coral Browne, Australian actress (b. 1913)
* May 31 – Angus Wilson, English novelist (b. 1913)
June
![Jean Arthur - Smith](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Jean_Arthur_-_Smith.JPG)
* June 1 – David Ruffin, American singer (b. 1941)
* June 2 – Hailu Yimenu, Ethiopian politician, acting Prime Minister of Ethiopia
*
June 3 – Eva Le Gallienne, English-born actress (b. 1899)
* June 6 – Stan Getz, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1927)
*
June 9 – Claudio Arrau, Chilean-born pianist (b. 1903)
* June 14 – Peggy Ashcroft, British actress (b. 1907)
*
June 15
** Happy Chandler, 2nd commissioner of Major League Baseball (b. 1898)
** W. Arthur Lewis, Saint Lucian economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
* June 18 – Joan Caulfield, American actress (b. 1922)
* June 19 – Jean Arthur, American actress (b. 1900)
* June 24 – Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter (b. 1899)
*
June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
– Hans Nüsslein, German tennis player (b. 1910)
* June 29 – Henri Lefebvre, French sociologist and philosopher (b. 1901)
July
![Lee Ann Remick, London, 1974](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Lee_Ann_Remick%2C_London%2C_1974.jpg)
*
July 1
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor.
* 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...
– Michael Landon, American actor, writer, director, and producer (b. 1936)
* July 2 – Lee Remick, American actress (b. 1935)
* July 5 – Mildred Dunnock, American actress (b. 1901)
* July 6
** Mudashiru Lawal, Nigerian footballer (b. 1954)
** Anton Yugov, Bulgarian Communist politician, 35th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1904)
* July 8 – James Franciscus, American actor (b. 1934)
* July 11 – Mokhtar Dahari, Malaysian footballer (b. 1953)
* July 12 – Hitoshi Igarashi, Japanese interpreter (b.
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
)
* July 15 – Roger Revelle, American scientist and scholar (b. 1909)
* July 16 – Robert Motherwell, American painter (b. 1915)
* July 18 – Ambrus Nagy, Hungarian fencer and Olympic silver medalist (1956) (b. 1927)
* July 24 – Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-born Yiddish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
* July 25 – Lazar Kaganovich, Soviet politician, former member of the CPSU Politburo and Deputy Prime Minister (b. 1893)
* July 27 – Pierre Brunet (figure skater), Pierre Brunet, French figure skater (b. 1902)
* July 29 – Christian de Castries, French general (b. 1902)
August
![Jim Irwin Apollo 15 LMP](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Jim_Irwin_Apollo_15_LMP.jpg)
* August 3 – Ali Sabri, Egyptian politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1920)
* August 4 – Yevgeny Dragunov, Russian weapons designer (b. 1920)
* August 5
** Paul Brown, American football coach (b. 1908)
** Soichiro Honda, Japanese engineer and industrialist (b. 1917)
* August 6
** Shapour Bakhtiar, Iranian politician, 45th Prime Minister of Iran (b. 1915)
** Harry Reasoner, American journalist and newscaster (b. 1923)
* August 8
** James Irwin, American astronaut (b. 1930)
** Ivan Kozhedub, Soviet aviator (b. 1920)
* August 13 – James Roosevelt, American businessman, Marine, activist, and politician (b. 1907)
* August 16 – Luigi Zampa, Italian film-maker (b. 1905)
* August 22
** Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian-born American actress (b. 1924)
** Boris Pugo, Latvian communist politician, Soviet minister of the Interior (b. 1937)
* August 23 – Florence B. Seibert, American biochemist (b. 1897)
* August 24 – Sergey Akhromeyev, Marshall of the Soviet Union, Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces (b. 1923)
* August 30
** Cyril Knowles, English footballer and manager (b. 1944)
** Jean Tinguely, Swiss painter and sculptor (b. 1925)
September
![Miles Davis by Palumbo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Miles_Davis_by_Palumbo.jpg)
* September 2 – Alfonso García Robles, Mexican diplomat and politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1911)
* September 3
** Frank Capra, Italian-born American film director (b. 1897)
** Daniel Prenn, Russian-born German, Polish, and British tennis player (b. 1904)
* September 4 – Tom Tryon, American actor and writer (b. 1926)
* September 7 – Edwin McMillan, American chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
* September 8
** Alex North, American film composer (b. 1910)
** Brad Davis (actor), Brad Davis, American actor (b. 1949)
* September 10 – Jack Crawford (tennis), Jack Crawford, Australian tennis champion (b. 1908)
* September 13 – Joe Pasternak, Hungarian-born film director (b. 1901)
* September 17 – Zino Francescatti, French violinist (b. 1902)
* September 24 – Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), American author (b. 1904)
* September 25
** Klaus Barbie, German Gestapo leader in Lyon (b. 1913)
** Viviane Romance, French actress (b. 1912)
* September 27 – Oona O'Neill, English actress (b. 1925)
* September 28 – Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (b. 1926)
October
![Gene Roddenberry crop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Gene_Roddenberry_crop.jpg)
* October 2 – Patriarch Demetrios I of Constantinople (b. 1914)
* October 6 – Igor Talkov, Russian singer, poet, and composer (b. 1956)
* October 7 – Natalia Ginzburg, Italian author (b. 1916)
* October 9 – Roy Black (singer), Roy Black, German schlager actor and singer (b. 1943)
* October 11 – Redd Foxx, American comedian and actor (b. 1922)
* October 12
** Aline MacMahon, American actress (b. 1899)
** Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Arkady Strugatsky, Soviet-Russian sci-fi author (b. 1925)
** Regis Toomey, American actor (b. 1898)
* October 13 – Daniel Oduber Quirós, Costa Rican politician, 37th President of Costa Rica (b. 1921)
* October 16 – Ole Beich, Danish musician (b. 1955)
* October 17 – Tennessee Ernie Ford, American singer (b. 1919)
* October 24 – Gene Roddenberry, American television producer (b. 1921)
* October 25 – Bill Graham (promoter), Bill Graham, American promoter (b. 1931)
* October 27
** Howard Kingsbury, American Olympic rower – Men's eights (b. 1904)
** Andrzej Panufnik, Polish musician and composer (b. 1914)
* October 29 – Mario Scelba, Italian politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Italy and President of the European Parliament (b. 1901)
November
![Freddie Mercury performing in New Haven, CT, November 1977](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Freddie_Mercury_performing_in_New_Haven%2C_CT%2C_November_1977.jpg)
* November 2
** Irwin Allen, American film and television producer (b. 1916)
** Mort Shuman, American singer, pianist and songwriter (b. 1938)
* November 5
** Fred MacMurray, American actor (b. 1908)
** Robert Maxwell, Slovakian-born media entrepreneur (b. 1923)
* November 6 – Gene Tierney, American actress (b. 1920)
* November 7 – Tom of Finland, Finnish artist (b. 1920)
* November 9 – Yves Montand, French actor and singer (b. 1921)
* November 10 – Eva Bosáková, Czechoslovakian artistic gymnast (b. 1931)
* November 13 – Paul-Émile Léger, Canadian cardinal (b. 1904)
* November 14 – Tony Richardson, English film and theater director (b. 1928)
* November 17 – Adrian Quist, Australian tennis player (b. 1913)
* November 18 – Gustáv Husák, Czechoslovak politician, 9th President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1913)
* November 19 – Reggie Nalder, Austrian actor (b. 1907)
* November 21 – Daniel Mann, American film director (b. 1912)
* November 23 – Klaus Kinski, German actor (b. 1926)
* November 24
** Eric Carr, American drummer (b. 1950)
** Freddie Mercury, British lead singer and pianist (b. 1946)
* November 25 – Eleanor Audley, American actress (b. 1905)
* November 26 – Ed Heinemann, American aircraft designer (b. 1908)
* November 29
** Ralph Bellamy, American actor (b. 1904)
** Nasirdin Isanov, 1st Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan (b. 1943)
** Frank Yerby, African American historical novelist (b. 1916)
December
![Franco Maria Malfatti](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Franco_Maria_Malfatti.jpg)
* December 1
** Pat O'Callaghan, Irish athlete (b. 1906)
** George Stigler, American economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
* December 6 – Richard Stone, Sir Richard Stone, British economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
* December 7 – Gordon Pirie, English athlete (b. 1931)
* December 8 – Buck Clayton, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1911)
* December 9 – Berenice Abbott, American photographer (b. 1898)
* December 10 – Franco Maria Malfatti, Italian politician (b. 1927)
* December 11 – Artur Lundkvist, Swedish author (b. 1906)
* December 12 – Eleanor Boardman, American actress (b. 1898)
* December 15 – Vasily Zaitsev (sniper), Vasily Zaytsev, Russian World War II hero (b. 1915)
* December 18 – George Abecassis, English racing driver (b. 1913)
* December 20 – Walter Chiari, Italian actor (b. 1924)
* December 22 – Ernst Krenek, Austrian-American composer (b. 1900)
* December 27 – Hervé Guibert, French writer and photographer (b. 1955)
* December 28 – Cassandra Harris, Australian actress (b. 1948)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Richard R. Ernst
* Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Economics – Ronald Coase
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Nadine Gordimer
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – Aung San Suu Kyi
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – Erwin Neher, Bert Sakmann
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1991
1991,