The Persian Gulf War begins as the United States and its allies begin bombing Iraq and Kuwait on January 17. Operation Desert Storm begins February 24, with an invasion of Iraq and Kuwait under the leadership of General Norman Schwarzkopf. Iraq accepts the terms of a cease fire shortly thereafter.

Neil Simon's play Lost in Yonkers premieres; the play will win Simon a Pulitzer Prize.

In South Africa, the remaining laws for apartheid are repealed.

New Hampshire high school teacher Pam Smart is convicted of murder after she seduces a student and persuades him to kill her husband.

The Warsaw Pact is officially dissolved.

The Dow Jones tops 3000 for the first time, hitting 3004.46 on April 17th.

In South Africa, Winnie Mandela is sentenced to six years in prison for her participation in the kidnapping and beating of three young men and the death of a fourth.

Slovenia and Croatia declare their independence from Yugoslavia, and are soon followed by Bosnia, Hercegovina, and Macedonia. Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic objects, and the intervention of the militia escalates into civil war.

Jeffrey Dahmer, who allegedly drugged, raped, and cannibalized his 17 victims, is arrested by Milwaukee police.

The U.S. Senate approves the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court despite allegations by Anita Hill of sexual harassment. Thomas becomes the second African American to serve on the court.

The USSR officially ends, as the Baltic republics declare their independence and the Communist party is stripped of its power. The Commonwealth of Independent States becomes a loose federation of most former Soviet republics, and Boris Yeltsin becomes president of the newly reconstituted Russia.

United Nations peacekeeping forces enter South Korea to end civil war and oversee elections.

The United States and the Soviet Union agree to cut back long-range nuclear weapons by over 30% by 1999.