| |
|
1991 |
| January 4th |
 |
The
UN Security Council voted unanimously and condemned Israel's
treatment of the Palestinians. |
|
| January 11th |
|
Soviet Union troops stormed the Lithuanian capital Vilnius to
stop Lithuanian independence. |
|
| January 12th |
|
The U.S. Congress passed a resolution which authorised the use
of military force to liberate Kuwait from the invading Iraqi
forces. |
|
| January 13th |
|
Soviet Union troops assaulted the Vilnius TV tower in Lithuania
and killed 14 unarmed civilians and injured many more. |
|
| January 14th |
|
Three leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)
guerilla group were targeted and assassinated in Tunis. |
|
| January 15th |
|
The
United Nations Security Council resolution for the use of force
if Iraq had not withdrawn their forces by 15th January, was
ignored by Saddam Hussein. |
|
| January 16th |
|
Present
George Bush Snr. announced the United States attack on Iraq
in The Gulf War. 'Desert Shield' became 'Desert Storm' as the
Allies forced Iraq from Kuwait. |
|
| January 17th |
|
Operation Desert Storm began. The Allied air strikes against
Iraq began and Iraq launched 8 Scud missiles into the state
of Israel. |
|
| February
7th |
|
In London the IRA (Irish Republican Army) launched a surprise
mortar attack on the British Prime Minister's residence, 10
Downing Street, during a cabinet meeting. |
|
| February
9th |
|
The
populace in Lithuania voted for independence from the Soviet
Union. |
|
| February
15th |
|
Leaders of the former communist countries Czechoslovakia, Hungary
and Poland signed 'The Visegrad Agreement', which established
the mutual cooperation to move toward a free-market system. |
|
| February
18th |
|
The
Irish nationalist terror group, the IRA, exploded bombs at two
of London's main train stations, Paddington station and at Victoria
station. |
|
| February
22nd |
|
The Allies rejected a Russian proposal for a cease fire against
Iraqi forces. But the Aliies agreed not to attack retreating
Iraqi forces only if Iraqi forces leave Kuwait within 24 hours.
Iraq ignored the option. |
|
| February
23rd |
|
The
ground war stage of 'Desert Storm' began as Allied troops crossed
the Saudi Arabian border and advanced into the desert and also
entered Kuwait. |
|
| February
25th |
|
An American military barracks was hit by an Iraqi Scud missile
in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The attack killed 29 and injuring
99 US servicemen. |
|
| February
26th |
|
Retreating Iraqi soldiers ignited the Kuwaiti oil fields as
the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announced on Baghdad radio the
withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. |
|
| February
27th |
|
The Allies liberated Kuwait. President Bush announced that Kuwait
had been liberated by the Coalition forces. |
|
| March 3rd |
|
Rodney King was stopped and beaten by officers of the Los Angeles
police department. The incident was captured on amateur video,
and was seen on TV around the world by a shocked public. |
|
| March 3rd |
|
The people of the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia followed
Lithuania's example and voted for independence of the Soviet
Union. |
|
| March 4th |
|
A most primitive form of the 'World Wide Web' was put online. |
|
| March 13th |
|
Exxon agreed to pay $1 billion for the clean-up of the Exxon
Valdez oil disaster in Alaska. |
|
| March 14th |
|
The 'Birmingham Six' were released after spending 16 years in
prison accused of being members of the IRA and bombing a pub
in the British city of Birmingham. The court determined that
the evidence was fabricated by the police. |
|
| March 15th |
|
The four LAPD officers captured on film beating Rodney King
were indicted to stand trial. |
|
| March - April. |
|
The Shi'ite revolt in Iraq was crushed by Saddam Hussien's Republican
Guard in the south, while Iraqi forces suppressed uprisings
in northern Iraq, which created a humanitarian disaster as refugees
fled for the borders of Turkey and Iran. |
|
| April. |
|
President
Bush Snr. received highest approval ratings of any sitting President
since Harry Truman at the close of World War II. |
|
| June 12th |
|
In
the Russian election Boris Yeltsin was voted in, and became
the new President of the Russian Federation. |
|
| June 17th |
|
The intention to dismantle Apartheid was announced as the South
African Parliament repealed the Population Registration Act. |
|
| June 25th |
|
Both Croatia and Slovenia split and declared their independence
from Yugoslavia, originally created in 1948. The civil war in
the former Yugoslavia erupted. |
|
| June. |
|
The
Soviet Union completed the withdrawal of its troops from Czechoslovakia
and Hungary in Eastern Europe. |
|
| July. |
|
Nelson
Mandela, released from prison after 27 years the previous year,
was elected unopposed as President of the ANC (African National
Congress). |
|
| July 1st |
|
The
Warsaw Pact was officially disbanded by member states at a meeting
in Prague. |
|
| July 31st |
|
START
I Treaty on disarmament between the United States and the Soviet
Union was signed in Moscow by President Bush Snr. and Soviet
President Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow. |
|
| July 10th |
|
The new President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin,
began his 5-year term as the first elected president of Russia. |
|
| July 22nd |
|
The infamous homosexual serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was caught
and arrested when the remains of his victims (11 men and boys)
were found in his apartment in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. |
|
| August 6th |
|
Tim Berners-Lee released files which described his idea for
the 'World Wide Web'. |
|
| August 8th |
|
The western hostage John McCarthy kidnapped by Shi'ite Muslims
and held in Lebanon, Britain's longest-held hostage in Lebanon,
was set free after more than five years in captivity by the
group Islamic Jihad. |
|
| August 18th |
|
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was put under arrest at his
dacha while on holiday in the Crimea. The putsch is led by high
ranking hard-liners. |
|
| August 21st |
|
The
Baltic state of Latvia declared its independence from the Soviet
Union. |
|
| August 20th |
|
In
Estonia 100,000 people protest on the streets against the coup
that deposed President Gorbachev. Estonia declared its independence
from the Soviet Union. |
|
| August 24th |
|
On
his return to Moscow President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as
leader of the Soviet Communist Party, and disbanded the Central
Committee. |
|
| August 24th |
|
Ukraine declared independence from Soviet Union. |
|
| September
28th |
|
The legendary American jazz musician Miles Davis died. |
|
| August 31st |
|
Kyrgyzstan declared independence from the Soviet Union. |
|
| August 31st |
|
Uzbekistan declared independence from the Soviet Union. |
|
| September
2nd |
|
The United States recognised the independence of the Baltic
states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. |
|
| September
5th |
|
The Fall of Communism in the Soviet Union. |
|
| September
6th |
|
The Soviet Union recognised the independence of the Baltic States. |
|
| September
6th |
|
The Russian city of Leningrad was renamed to its original name
of 'St. Petersburg', which was changed in 1924. |
|
| September
8th |
|
The Republic of Macedonia became independent. |
|
| September
21st |
|
Armenia declared independence from the Soviet Union. |
|
| October 2nd |
|
In the United States, William J. Clinton, the Arkansas Governor,
announced he would seek the nomination of the Democratic Party
for the 1992 election for President of the United States. |
|
| October 8th |
|
The Croatian Parliament cut all remaining ties with Yugoslavia. |
|
| October 11th |
|
In Moscow, Russia, the KGB (Soviet Secret Police) was replaced
by the new SVR. |
|
| October 14th |
|
The people of Bulgaria celebrated the end of the rule in their
country of the communist party. |
|
| October 24th |
|
The American television producer Gene Roddenberry died. Roddenberry
was the creator of the cult TV series 'Star Trek'. |
|
| October 27th |
|
The first free parliamentary elections were held in Poland. |
|
| November
5th |
|
The publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell died. His body was found
floating in the sea. It was believed he had fallen off his yacht. |
|
| November
7th |
|
The last oil fire well was extinguished in Kuwait, originally
ignited by Iraqi troops when they retreated. |
|
| November
14th |
|
Two
Libyan intelligence officials were accused by the American and
British authorities in connection with the 'Lockerbie bombing',
the destruction of the Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scotish town
of Lockerbie in 1988. |
|
| November
18th |
|
The western hostages, Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite and
Thomas Sutherland, kidnapped by Shi'ite Muslims and held in
Lebanon were finally released. |
|
| November
18th |
|
Serbian troops took Vukovar after a siege of 87 days. |
|
| November
23rd |
|
Freddie Mercury, lead singer of rock band 'Queen', died of AIDS. |
|
| November
27th |
|
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to
the establishment of peacekeeping operations in Yugoslavia. |
|
| November
29th |
|
The Yugoslavian Army began to withdraw from the city of Zagreb. |
|
| December
1st |
|
Ukrainian electorate voted for a referendum for total independence
from the Soviet Union. |
|
| December
4th |
|
In Beirut, Lebanon, American hostage, journalist Terry Anderson,
was released after seven years of being held by his Shi'ite
kidnappers. |
|
| December
8th |
|
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was established
at a meeting of the leaders of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine
at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Reserve in Belarus. The
signed agreement signalled the end the Soviet Union. |
|
| December
10th |
|
The
Maastricht Treaty was signed, in Maastricht, Holland. Countires
of the European Community will become the European Union when
the treaty takes effect on the 1st November 1993. |
|
| December
25th |
|
In Russia, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev resigned as the President
of the Soviet Union. |
|
| December
26th |
|
The
Supreme Soviet met and officially dissolved the Soviet Union. |
|
| December
31st |
|
The
Soviet Union officially ceased to exist as an entity, and was
resigned to the history books. |
|
| |
|
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