1995 World Events

January 4: The 104th Congress of the United States convenes. For the first time since 1953, Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

January 6: A chemical fire at an apartment complex in Manilla, Philippines leads police to uncover a mass-terrorist bomb plot. The trail leads back to mastermind Ramzi Yousef.

January 9: Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov completes breaks the space endurance record after completing 366 days living on board the Mir space station.

January 17: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake strikes Kobe, Japan. 6434 people are killed.

January 24: At the O.J. Simpson murder trial, the prosecution delivers its opening statement.

January 29: The San Francisco 49ers defeat the San Diego Chargers 49 to 26 in Super Bowl XXIX.

January 31: President Bill Clinton extends a $20 billion load to Mexico to prevent its economic collapse.

February 9: Astronaut Bernard Harris becomes the first African American to walk in space on STS-63.

February 19: Nascar racing driver Sterling Marlin wins the 1995 Daytona 500.

February 21: Balloonist Steve Fossett complete the first solo crossing of the Pacific Ocean. He land in Saskatchewan, Canada.

February 23: The Dow Jones Industrial average closes at 4303.33. It is the first time for the Dow to break the 4000 mark.

March 14: NASA astronaut Norm Thagard becomes the first American to ride on a Russian Rocket into space.

March 22: Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to Earth after a record setting 438 days in space.

March 27: The movie "Forest Gump" wins the oscar for best picture at the Academy Awards. Actor Tom Hanks takes home the oscar for best actor.

April 19: A domestic terrorist bomb rips off the front of the Edward P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The blast kills 168 people including 19 children. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols are arrested for the crime.

April 24: A Unibomber bomb kills lobbyist Gilbert Murry in Sacramento, California.

May 27: Actor Christopher Reeve best know for his portrayal of Superman is paralyzed from the neck down after falling from a horse.

May 28: Racing driver Jacques Villeneuve wins the 79th running of the Indianapolis 500.

June 2: The F-16 of U.S. Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady is shot down while on patrol of the no fly zone over Bosnia-Herzogovina.

June 8: Downed Air Force pilot Captain Scott O'Grady is rescued by U.S. Marines in Bosnia-Herzogovina.

June 20: The Houston Rockets defeat the Orlando Magic in game 4 to claim the 1995 NBA Championship 4 games to none.

June 24: In game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals, the New Jersey Devils defeat the Detroit Redwings. New Jersey claims the cup 4 games to 0.

June 29: The space shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian space station Mir. It is the first time since 1975 that spacecraft from the two countries have docked.

July 17: The Nasdaq Composite Index closes above 1000 for the first time.

July 21: The adult education group Fun Ed hosts a lecture and reception with Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell. For my personal account of these events, follow the Fun Ed link.

August 24: The Microsoft corporation releases Windows 95.

October 1: In the World Trade Center bombing trial, ten people are convicted.

October 3: O.J. Simpson is found not guilty in the murder trial of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.

October 28: The Atlanta Braves defeat the Cleveland Indians in game 6 to win the 1995 World Series 4 games to 2.

November 17: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 5023.55. It is the first time the average closes above 5000.

November 28: President Bill Clinton signs the highway bill that ends the federally mandated 55 MPH speed limit.

December 4: My friend Tom Celentano and I met with several astronauts at the Johnson Space Center. For my account of these meetings follow the Carl Meade link.

December 7: The Galileo probe enters in Jupiter's atmosphere and returns back valuable scientific data.