1991 World Events

January 11: The Soviet Union sends troops into Vilnius to attempt to stop Lithuanian independence.

January 12: A resolution is passed by the U.S. Congress that authorizes the use of force to liberate Kuwait.

January 16: Air strikes against Iraq mark the start of Operation Desert Storm.

January 17: Israel is struck by seven scud missiles fired from Iraq.

January 27: The New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills 20 to 19 in Super Bowl XXV.

February 5: Doctor Jack Kevorkian is ordered by a Michigan court to stop assisting suicides.

February 13: Two laser guided bombs destroy an underground bunker in Iraq. Hundreds of Iraqis are reported to have killed.

February 17: Nascar racing driver Ernie Irvin wins the Daytona 500.

February 25: An Iraqi scud missile strikes a U.S. military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. 29 soldiers are killed and 99 are injured.

February 26: Iraqi dictator Sadaam Hussein announces on Baghdad radio the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. As the Iraqi troops leave they set fire to the Kuwaiti oil fields.

March 3: Los Angeles police officers beat Rodney King and the beating is captured on video.

March 3: Estonia and Latvia vote for independence from the Soviet Union.

March 4: Iraq releases 10 prisoners of war including 6 Americans, 3 British, and 1 Italian.

March 15: Germany regains complete independence for the first time since World War II. All rights are relinquished by France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

March 25: The movie "Dances with Wolves" wins the oscar for best picture at the Academy Awards.

April 3: The Persian Gulf War comes to an end with a cease fire. Coalition forces led by the United States are victorious over Sadaam Hussein and Iraq.

April 5: A plane crash near Brunswick, Georgia claims the lives of 23 people. Victims of the crash include Former U.S. Senator John Tower and astronaut Sonny Carter.

April 9: The Republic of Georgia declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

April 15: A party is held at the Johnson Space Center to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the first space shuttle mission. My girlfriend Mary, her 8 year old son, and I attended the party. For my personal account of this event, please follow the STS-1 Tenth link.

April 17: The Dow Jones Industrial average closes above 3000 for the first time. It closes at 3004.46.

April 26: The central United States is struck by sever weather as 70 tornadoes break out. 17 people are killed.

May 16: "Muppet Vision 3D" opens at Disney World MGM Studios.

May 26: Rajiv Ghandi, the former Prime Minister of India is assassinated in Madras, India.

May 26: Racing driver Rick Mears wins the 75th running of the Indianapolis 500.

June 12: Boris Yeltsin is elected as the President of Russia.

June 12: Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 to capture the NBA championship.

June 17: Deceased U.S. President Zachary Taylor is exhumed in Louisville, Kentucky to investigate whether or not he was poisoned by arsenic. No traces of arsenic were found.

June 25: Croatia and Serbia declare their independence from Yugoslavia.

June 27: A black tie gala is held to to kick off the Soviet Space Exhibit in Fort Worth, Texas. For my first hand account of this gala please follow the Soviet Space Link.

July 1: The Warsaw Pact mutual defense treaty of the Soviet block of nations is dissolved.

August 19: The President of the Soviet Union is placed under house arrest while vacationing in Crimea during a coup. The attempted coup collapses within 72 hours.

August 20: Estonia declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

August 21: Latvia declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

August 24: The Ukraine declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

August 25: Racing driver Michael Schumacher competes in Formula One for the first time at the Belgian Grand Prix.

August 26: Moldovia declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

August 31: Krgyzstan and Uzbekistan declare their independence from the Soviet Union.

September 2: The United States recognizes the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

September 6: The Soviet Union recognizes the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

September 6: The name of Russia's second largest city is restored to St. Petersburg. It had been renamed to Leningrad since 1924.

September 8: The Republic of Macedonia becomes independent.

September 21: Armenia declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

October 14: Communist Party rule ends in Bulgaria.

October 27: Turkmenistan declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

October 27: The Minnesota Twins defeat the Atlanta Braves 4 games to 3 to win the 1991 World Series.

October 29: NASA's interplanetary Galileo probe makes its closet approach to asteroid Gaspra. Galileo becomes the first probe to investigate an asteroid.

November 6: The Soviet security agency KGB officially ceases all operations.

November 7: The last oil fire remaining from the Gulf War is put out in Kuwait.

November 7: Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Magic Johnson announces that he is HIV positive.

November 15: The United States indicts two Libyans for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

December 1: In a referendum, voters in the Ukraine approve of independence from the Soviet Union.

December 8: The leaders of the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian republics meet and issue a declaration to dissolve the Soviet Union and replace it with the Commonwealth of Independent States. President Gorbachev protests this action and calls it a constitutional coup.

December 12: Russia ceases to be a part of the Soviet Union.

December 25: Realizing that he power was gone Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigns. The Soviet flag flies over the Kremlin for the last day.

December 26: The Supreme Soviet dissolves itself. The Russian flag replaces the Soviet flag over the Kremlin.

December 31: The Soviet Union ceases to exist after 73 years.