In the U.S., commemorative stamps of Elvis Presley go on sale January 8, which would have been his 58th birthday.

Czechoslovakia splits into two new countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City kills 6 people and injures over 1,000, escalating fear of terrorism on American soil.

Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, a movie about the Holocaust, is released to critical acclaim. The film will win the Oscar for Best Picture of 1993.

The Holocaust Memorial Museum is dedicated in Washington, D.C.

Federal agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) raid the ranch of a Branch Davidian sect in Waco, Texas, beginning a 51-day standoff. The crisis ends when federal agents storm the compound of the Davidians. Within hours, their compound becomes engulfed in flames, killing dozens inside.

Queen Elizabeth II announces that Buckingham Palace will be opened to tourists in order to raise money to repair Windsor Castle, damaged by a fire the previous year.

In Italy, Florence's Uffizi Gallery is bombed, damaging part of the palace and numerous works of art.

U.S. President Bill Clinton institutes the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy for gays in the military.

In Cambodia,the monarchy is re-established and Sihanouk becomes king 38 years after he originally renounced the throne.

Twelve American soldiers are killed and others are missing when they come under attack in Somalia.

Thousands of Muscovites protest against Russia's government as hard-line opponents of President Boris Yeltsin occupy the parliament building. The rebellion is put down the next day.

Two researchers at George Washington University announce that they have successfully cloned nonviable human embryos.

The Maastricht Treaty officially forms the European Union, building on the previous coalition known as the European Economic Community (EEC).

The Hubble Space telescope is repaired, and its flawed primary mirror replaced.