1991 CE

The Gulf War air campaign begins, as coalition forces launch an assault leading to victory over Iraq; the 1991 Soviet coup attempt and Dissolution of the Soviet Union bring an end to the Soviet Union and the Cold War; the Yugoslav Wars begin, including the Ten-Day War in Slovenia and the Croatian War of Independence; the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo becomes one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century; the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone kills over 100,000; START I is signed to reduce strategic nuclear weapons; the Santa Cruz massacre sees Indonesian forces kill protesters in East Timor; Operation Solomon evacuates thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel; and Freddie Mercury dies of AIDS.

In the 1990s, the 20th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • January 26 – President Siad Barre is overthrown, and Somalia enters a civil war. Three days later, Ali Mahdi Muhammad is inaugurated as the next president.source
  • January 29 – In South Africa, Nelson Mandela of the African National Congress and Mangosuthu Buthelezi of the Inkatha Freedom Party agree to end violence between the two organizations.source
  • January 29 - Siad Barre is succeeded by Ali Mahdi Muhammad as President of Somalia.Somaliasource
  • February 7 – 1991 Haitian coup d'état: Haiti's first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in. He is ousted on September 30 and later reinstated in 1994. In response to the coup and in an effort to encourage the coup leaders to restore democracy, the U.S. expands trade sanctions on Haiti to include all goods except food and medicine on October 29.source
  • February 15 – The Visegrád Group, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is established by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland.source
  • March 15 – Germany formally regains complete independence after the four post-World War II occupying powers (France, the U.K., the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.) relinquish all remaining rights to the country.source
  • March 26 – Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay sign the Treaty of Asunción, establishing Mercosur.source
  • March 31 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Georgia votes for independence from the Soviet Union while on April 9, the Supreme Council declares the independent Republic of Georgia.source
  • 26 April – Sadou Hayatou becomes Prime Minister.Cameroonsource
  • May 16 – Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress during a 13-day royal visit in Washington, D.C.source
  • May 18 – Somaliland secedes from Somalia; its independence is not recognised by the international community.source
  • May 19 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: In the Croatian independence referendum, voters in the Socialist Republic of Croatia vote to leave SFR Yugoslavia.source
  • 19 May – Democratic Rally won 20 of the 56 seats in the parliament following parliamentary elections. Voter turnout was 93%.Cyprussource
  • July 4 – The Constituent Assembly of Colombia proclaims a new constitution, allowing the President of Colombia César Gaviria to lift the country's seven-year-long state of siege.source
  • July 9 – End of Apartheid: The International Olympic Committee readmits South Africa to the Olympics. The following day, U.S. President Bush terminates 1986-enacted U.S. sanctions on South Africa.source
  • July 31 – The United States and the Soviet Union sign the START I treaty in Moscow limiting strategic nuclear weapons.United Statessource
  • September 4 – Sverdlovsk's name is restored to its pre-communist–era name Yekaterinburg. Two days later, Leningrad is renamed St. Petersburg.source
  • September 8 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: The Republic of Macedonia becomes independent, beginning a name dispute with Greece.source
  • October 13 – In the Bulgarian parliamentary election, the Union of Democratic Forces defeats the Bulgarian Socialist Party, leaving no remaining Communist governments in Eastern Europe.source
  • October 15 – The leaders of the Baltic States—Arnold Rüütel of Estonia, Anatolijs Gorbunovs of Latvia, and the Vytautas Landsbergis of Lithuania—sign the OSCE Final Act in Helsinki, Finland.source
  • October 15 – Clarence Thomas is confirmed as the new U.S. Supreme Court Justice following Thurgood Marshall's retirement.source
  • October 17 - The first ever presidential election is held in Armenia, the result was a victory for Levon Ter-Petrosyan.Armeniasource
  • October 18 – The Soviet Union restores its diplomatic relations with Israel, which have been suspended since the 1967 Six-Day War.source
  • October 23 – In Paris, the Vietnam-backed government of the state of Cambodia signs an agreement with the Khmer Rouge to end the civil war and bring the Khmer Rouge into power despite its role in the Cambodian genocide. The deal ends the Cambodian–Vietnamese War and results in the creation of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia.source
  • November 5 – China and Vietnam restore diplomatic relations after a 13-year rift which followed the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.source
  • December 1 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Ukrainians vote overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union in a referendum.source
  • 1 December – Presidential elections were held in the country.Burkina Fasosource
  • December 8 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: In the Białowieża Forest Nature Reserve in Belarus, the leaders of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine sign an agreement officially ending the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in its place.source
  • December 8 – In the Białowieża Forest Nature Reserve in Belarus, the leaders of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine sign an agreement officially ending the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in its place.Ukrainesource
  • December 12 – Ukraine becomes the first post-Soviet republic to decriminalize homosexuality.source
  • December 12 – The government of Nigeria moves the capital from Lagos to Abuja.source
  • December 21 — Alma-Ata Protocol signed by 11 of 15 former union republics except Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Georgia, declared USSR had effectively ceased to exist and established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).source
  • The country switches to multiparty elections following the adoption of a new constitution by the parliament.Gabonsource

Conflict & Security

  • January 5 – Georgian troops attack Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, starting the 1991–92 South Ossetia War.source
  • January 9 – Gulf War: U.S. Secretary of State James Baker meets with Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz but fails to produce a plan for the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait.source
  • January 12 – Gulf War: The 102nd U.S. Congress passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait.source
  • January 15 – Gulf War: The UN deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.source
  • January 16 – Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins with air strikes against Iraq.source
  • January 16 - Operation Desert Storm (American) began.Kuwaitsource
  • 17 January - Operation Desert storm starts with the American led coalition forces sending hundreds of planes on to carry out around 400 bombing raids into Iraq.Iraqsource
  • January 26 – Somali Civil War started which would later turn into a war against Islamists.Somaliasource
  • February 18 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army explodes bombs in the early morning, at both Paddington station and Victoria station, in London.source
  • February 27 – Gulf War: U.S. President Bush declares victory over Iraq and orders a cease-fire. U.S. troops begin to leave the Persian Gulf on March 10.source
  • March 10 — 500,000-participants rally on Manezhnaya Square in Moscow. The main slogans of the action were the resignation of the President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, support for Boris Yeltsin, active participation in the all-Union referendum. Organizers: Democratic Russia, Moscow Association of Voters, Memorial Society.source
  • April 3 – Iraq disarmament crisis: The UN Security Council passes Resolution 687, which calls for the destruction or removal of all of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons and a complete ban of ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 km. It also calls for an end to Iraq's support for international terrorism; it is accepted by Iraq three days later.source
  • April 16–18 – General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev begins the first ever visit of a Soviet leader to Japan, but fails to resolve the two countries' dispute over ownership of the Kuril Islands.source
  • May 21 – Ethiopian Civil War: Mengistu Haile Mariam, president of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, flees Ethiopia to Zimbabwe, effectively bringing the Ethiopian Civil War to an end.source
  • May 21 – At Sriperumbudur, India, a suicide bomber from LTTE attacks a political meeting, killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and at least 14 others.source
  • June 12 – Sri Lankan civil war: Sri Lankan Army soldiers kill 152 civilians in Kokkadichcholai.source
  • June 20 – Harry Collinson, the planning officer for Derwentside District Council, is shot dead at Butsfield, County Durham, England, and the incident is caught on camera by a BBC regional news crew.source
  • June 28 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Comecon is dissolved in Moscow, Russia.source
  • 10 July–9 August – The First Battle of Elephant Pass took was fought between the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE over control of the Sri Lankan military base of Elephant Pass, which was of strategic importance as it connected to the northern mainland of Vanni with the Jaffna Peninsula.Sri Lankasource
  • July 31 – Singing Revolution: Soviet Special Purpose Police Unit forces (OMON) kill seven Lithuanian customs officials in Medininkai, the deadliest of the Soviet OMON assaults on Lithuanian border posts.source
  • August 19 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is put under house arrest while vacationing in Crimea during an attempted coup. Led by Vice President Gennady Yanayev and seven others, the coup collapses in less than 72 hours and is protested by over 100,000 people outside the parliament building. Gorbachev returns to Moscow three days later and arrests the coup leaders.source
  • August 25 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: Serbian forces begin an attack on the Croatian town of Vukovar.source
  • August 29 – Lebanon hostage crisis: Maronite general Michel Aoun leaves Lebanon on a French warship into exile.source
  • September 11 – Lebanon hostage crisis: Israel releases 51 Arab prisoners and the bodies of nine guerrillas, paving the way for the release of the last western hostages in Lebanon.source
  • September 21 – 30 – Iraq disarmament crisis: IAEA inspectors discover files on Iraq's hidden nuclear weapons program. Iraqi officials refuse to let them leave with the documents, prompting a standoff that continues until the UN Security Council threatens enforcement actions on Iraq.source
  • October 1 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: Forces of the Yugoslav People's Army surround Dubrovnik, beginning the Siege of Dubrovnik, which lasts until May 31, 1992.source
  • October 7 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: The Yugoslav Air Force bombs the office of Croatian President Franjo Tuđman, causing the Croatian Parliament to cut all remaining ties with Yugoslavia the following day.source
  • 30 October-1 November – The Madrid Conference of 1991 takes place over 3 days. Some consider the end of the conference to be the last day of the First Intifada while others consider 13 September 1993, the day the Oslo I Accord was signed, as the last day.Palestinesource
  • November 18 – Dissolution of Yugoslavia: The forces of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Serb paramilitaries take the Croatian town of Vukovar after the 87-day Battle of Vukovar. They kill more than 260 Croatian prisoners of war.source
  • 18 November - Three-month siege of Vukovar ends in surrender of Croatian troopsCroatiasource
  • November 20 – An Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 helicopter carrying a 19-member peacekeeping mission team is shot down by Armenian military forces in Khojavend District, Azerbaijan.source
  • November 27 - The US, UK and France call on the Libyan government to surrender the suspects for trial.Libyasource
  • 24–25 May – Operation Solomon is carried out, a large-scale airlift that evacuated approximately 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel within roughly 36 hours, as rebel forces close in on Addis Ababa.Israelsource

Exploration & Expansion

  • 9 March – The official establishment of Straits Exchange Foundation in Taipei.Taiwansource
  • 10 June – Pol Espargaró, motorcycle racerSpainsource
  • Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa CatalinaColombiasource
  • 1 August – The Lot 10 Kuala Lumpur shopping complex officially opened.Malaysiasource
  • September 19 – Ötzi the Iceman is found in the Alps.source
  • September 22 – The Huntington Library makes the Dead Sea Scrolls available to the public for the first time.source
  • 24 November – The Keppel-Brani causeway is officially opened, making it the first road link between Singapore and an island.Singaporesource
  • École Internationale Les Alizés opened in PraiaCape Verdesource
  • The Iriadamant group established itself in Kittilä.Finlandsource
  • 1991 – Pakistan launches "Pakistan Antarctic Programme" and sends an expedition of scientists to Antarctica.Pakistansource

Religion & Belief

  • 5 February – Pedro Arrupe, priest (born 1907)Spainsource
  • 7 February – André-Joseph Léonard appointed Bishop of Namur by Pope John Paul IIBelgiumsource
  • March 30 – French woman and supercentenarian Jeanne Calment surpasses the final age achieved by Easter Wiggins (1874–1990) of 116 years, 36 days and becomes the oldest verified person in history.source
  • April 19 – George Carey is enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion.source
  • 10–13 May – Pope John Paul II visits Portugal. The Pope visited Lisbon, Fátima, the Azores and Funchal.Portugalsource
  • September 5 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union self-dissolves, being replaced by Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and State Council of the Soviet Union.source
  • 12-21 October: Pope John Paul II makes a ten-day visit to Brazil.Brazilsource
  • 1 November – Jean Dupong is appointed President of the Council of State.Luxembourgsource
  • November 2 – Bartholomew I is enthroned as Patriarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, thus becoming the new spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox worldwide.source
  • 16 December – United Nations General Assembly Resolution 4686 revokes UN General Assembly Resolution 3379, which had equated Zionism with a form of racism. Israel had made revocation of resolution 3379 a condition for Israel's participation in the Madrid Peace Conference of 1991.Israelsource
  • Yang di-Pertuan Agong: Sultan Azlan ShahMalaysiasource
  • 1991 – Retirement of the famed International Pakistani hockey player, Zahid Shareef.Pakistansource

Economy & Finance

  • 11 January – The National Science and Technology Board is formed to enhance R&D activities in Singapore.Singaporesource
  • 18 January – The establishment of Mongolian Stock Exchange.Mongoliasource
  • 1 April: Economic Minister Domingo Cavallo establishes the Argentine peso's 1:1 peg to the U.S. dollar to control inflation.Argentinasource
  • April 2 – Economy of the Soviet Union: Government-imposed price increases double or triple the cost of consumer goods in the Soviet Union.source
  • April 12 – The Warsaw Stock Exchange opens in Poland.source
  • April 15 – End of Apartheid: The European Economic Community lifts economic sanctions on South Africa.source
  • 30 April – A sharp raise in government controlled commodity pricesTurkeysource
  • June 28 – SM Megamall is opened as the third SM Supermall in the Philippines.Philippinessource
  • July 15 – Chemical Bank and Manufacturers Hanover Corporation amalgamate, becoming the largest bank merger in history.source
  • July 24 – Finance Minister of India Manmohan Singh announces a new industrial policy, marking the start of economic liberalisation in India.source
  • July 29 – In New York City, a grand jury indicts Bank of Credit and Commerce International of the largest bank fraud in history, accusing the bank of defrauding depositors of US$5 billion.source
  • August 14 – NTT Docomo was founded.Japansource
  • September 15 – In the Swedish general election, the Social Democrats suffer their worst election results in 60 years, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson.source
  • October 3 – Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Foley announces the closure of the House Bank by the end of the year after revelations that House members have written numerous bad checks.source
  • November 4–5 – End of Apartheid: The African National Congress leads a general strike, demanding representation in the government and an end to the value-added tax.source
  • November 26 – Michael Jackson releases Dangerous, selling 5 million copies in the first week.source
  • 23 December - Croatian dinar introduced.Croatiasource
  • The Naranjeros de Álamo are founded.Mexicosource

Technology & Infrastructure

  • February 20 – Python, a programming language created by Guido van Rossum, Is released.source
  • 11 April – Thiago Alcântara, footballerSpainsource
  • April 17 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for the first time in history, at 3,004.46.source
  • May – Eritrean Airlines was founded.Eritreasource
  • 6 June – The Civil Defence Academy starts construction. When completed in 1995, the S$63 million complex spanning nine-hectares will train Singapore Civil Defence Force officers, as well as offer computer simulations.Singaporesource
  • July 1 – The world's first GSM telephone call is made in Finland.source
  • July 1 – In the U.S., telephone services go down in Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and San Francisco as a result of a software bug, affecting nearly 12 million customers.source
  • 1 July – The maiden flight of EVA Air.Taiwansource
  • August 6 – Tim Berners-Lee, an English computer scientist working at CERN, announces the World Wide Web project and software on the alt.hypertext newsgroup. The first website, "info.cern.ch", is created.source
  • August 25 – Linus Torvalds posts messages to the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix, regarding the new operating system kernel he has developed, called Linux.source
  • October – RTL broadcasts the first ever daily news programme in Luxembourgish.Luxembourgsource
  • November 9 – The British JET fusion reactor generates 1.5 MW output power.source
  • 9 December – SBS Television, a major nationwide television station, starts official regular broadcasting service.South Koreasource
  • December 19 – Skarnsund Bridge opens in Norway, becoming the world's longest cable-stayed bridge for two years with a span of 530 m.source
  • The first TVyNovelas Awards Colombia are held.Colombiasource
  • The Namibia Press Association was renamed to the Namibia Press Agency.Namibiasource

Science & Discovery

  • February 6 – A Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker is involved in an accident over Saudi Arabia when two engines on the left wing detach from the aircraft. The pilots manage to execute an emergency landing saving all four crew members on board. The aircraft is later repaired and returned to service.source
  • February – The Rettig Report is released.Chilesource
  • 2 March – SES launches its second satellite, Astra 1B.Luxembourgsource
  • April 5 – Space Shuttle Atlantis leaves an observatory in Earth's orbit to study gamma rays before returning on April 11. It is followed by Space Shuttle Discovery, which studies instruments related to the Strategic Defense Initiative from April 29 to May 6. Space Shuttle Columbia carries the Spacelab into orbit on June 5.source
  • April 10 – A South Atlantic tropical cyclone develops in the Southern Hemisphere off the coast of Angola, the first of its kind to be documented by weather satellites.source
  • 13 May – Underwater World opens its doors.Singaporesource
  • June 4 – A large solar flare triggers an unusually large aurora as far south as Pennsylvania.source
  • June 23 – Sonic the Hedgehog is released by Sega for the Sega Genesis to compete with Nintendo's Mario franchise.source
  • 1 July – Lucas Vázquez, footballerSpainsource
  • July 11 – A solar eclipse of record totality occurs in the Northern hemisphere and is witnessed by hundreds of millions of people in Hawaii, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.source
  • 11 July – Solar eclipse of July 11, 1991Colombiasource
  • August – The Vision 2020 (Wawasan 2020) programme was launched.Malaysiasource
  • 22 September - Portuguese Grand PrixPortugalsource
  • October 15 – The Oh-My-God particle, the highest energy cosmic ray ever recorded, is detected.source
  • October 29 – NASA's Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid.source
  • The FIL Award is awarded for the first time, the recipient is Chilean author Nicanor Parra.Mexicosource

Health & Medicine

  • 20 April – 1991 Categoría Primera B season.Colombiasource
  • 3 June – The first National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) replacement exercise takes place in MacPherson Community Club in a programme spanning three years. The programme replaces the existing laminated NRICs to credit-card sized ones with features for higher security. It will also indicate blood types for use in emergencies.Singaporesource
  • June 28 – The Population Registration Act in terms of which South Africans were classified into racial groups is repealed.South Africasource
  • 6 July – Lale Aytaman was appointed as the Muğla Province governor. She was the first female governorTurkeysource
  • 2 October – The Punjab subordinate judiciary service tribunal act is passed.Pakistansource
  • 13 October – Diego Domínguez, Spanish actor and singerSpainsource
  • 2 November - An IRA bomb explodes in Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, killing two British Army soldiers and injuring 11 other people.Northern Irelandsource
  • November 6 – The CPSU and its republic-level division, the Communist Party of the Russian SFSR, are banned in the Russian SFSR by presidential decree.source
  • Chile national football team 1991Chilesource

Crime & Justice

  • March 3 – A video captures the beating of motorist Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers. Four Los Angeles police officers are indicted on March 15 for the beating.source
  • March 14 – The Troubles: After 16 years in prison for allegedly bombing an English public house in a Provisional IRA attack, the "Birmingham Six" are freed when a court determines that their conviction was unsafe and unsatisfactory.source
  • 18 April - The first of the Hausjärvi Gravel Pit Murders is discovered.Finlandsource
  • 4 May – Filipina domestic worker Delia Maga and her 4-year-old charge, Nicholas Huang are found murdered in their flat. Flor Contemplacion was subsequently tried for the murders and found guilty.Singaporesource
  • June 16 – Father's Day bank massacre: Four security guards are shot to death during a bank robbery at the United Bank Tower in Denver, Colorado, United States. The former police officer subsequently charged with the crime is acquitted, and the case remains unsolved.source
  • July 9 – Iran–Contra affair: Alan Fiers agrees to plead guilty to two charges of lying to the U.S. Congress. Later on September 16, D.C. Judge Gerhard Gesell issues a ruling clearing Col. Oliver North of all charges.source
  • July 22 – U.S. boxer Mike Tyson is arrested and charged with the rape, three days earlier, of Desiree Washington, a Miss Black America contestant, in Indianapolis, Indiana.source
  • 14 August - Kim Hak-sun's first public testimony, shedding light on the abuse of Japanese "military comfort women"South Koreasource
  • September 24 – Lebanon hostage crisis: Lebanese kidnappers release Jackie Mann after more than two years of captivity.source
  • 24 September – Oriol Romeu, footballerSpainsource
  • September 29 – Salvadoran Civil War: An army colonel of the Atlácatl Battalion is found guilty of the 1989 murders of six Jesuits.source
  • October 21 – Lebanon hostage crisis: Jesse Turner, a mathematics professor who has been held hostage for more than four years, is released.source
  • November 18 – Lebanon hostage crisis: Kidnappers in Lebanon set Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite and academic Thomas Sutherland free.source
  • 24 November – 1991 North Korean local electionsNorth Koreasource
  • December 4 – John Leonard Orr, one of the most prolific serial arsonists of the 20th century, is arrested in California.source
  • 10 December – Alirio Pedraza, an attorney who investigated human rights abuses and had disappeared the year prior, is honored by Human Rights Watch “to commend [his] dedication to justice and to highlight [his] plight” as apart from their annual selection of human rights advocates.Colombiasource
  • 12 December – Supreme Court of Justice, Department of Military, declares not guilty the former members of the Political Executive Committee of the Romanian Communist Party.Romaniasource
  • Handball club RK Partizan Bjelovar renamed RK Bjelovar.Croatiasource

Disasters & Accidents

  • January 18 – Eastern Air Lines shuts down after 62 years of operations, citing financial problems. Later on December 4, Pan American World Airways ceases its operations.source
  • February 1 – USAir Flight 1493 collides with a SkyWest Airlines Fairchild Metroliner at Los Angeles International Airport, killing 34 people.source
  • 14 February – Culemborg fireworks disasterNetherlandssource
  • March 13 – The U.S. Department of Justice announces that Exxon has agreed to pay $1 billion for the clean-up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.source
  • March 14 – Escondida in Chile's Atacama Desert –which is to become the world's most productive copper mine– is officially inaugurated.source
  • 26 March – Four Pakistanis hijack Singapore Airlines Flight 117 and demand the release of Pakistan Peoples Party members from Pakistani jails.Singaporesource
  • April 10 – The Italian ferry Moby Prince collides with an oil tanker in dense fog off Livorno, Italy, resulting in 140 deaths with one survivor.source
  • 7 May – The Bright Sparklers Fireworks Factory at Sungai Buloh, Selangor caught fire and caused a huge explosion that killed 29 and injured 83 people. It was Malaysia's worst industrial disaster to date.Malaysiasource
  • May 26 – Lauda Air Boeing 767 crashes near Bangkok, Thailand, killing all 223 people on board.source
  • June 9 – A major collapse at the Emaswati Colliery in Swaziland traps 26 miners 65 meters below the surface; they are rescued 30 hours later.source
  • July 11 – Nigeria Airways Flight 2120, a Douglas DC-8 operated by Canadian airline Nolisair, catches fire and crashes soon after takeoff from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 261 people on board.source
  • August 4 – The cruise liner MTS Oceanos sinks off the coast of South Africa, leading to the rescue of all 571 passengers on board by SAAF helicopters.source
  • August 8 – The Warsaw radio mast, the tallest structure in the world at the time, collapses.source
  • 28 August – 52 deaths in an international bus (Iran-Liiban) accident in Ağrı ProvinceTurkeysource
  • September 3 – In Hamlet, North Carolina, a grease fire breaks out at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant, killing 25 people.source
  • 26 September – September 1991 Mineriad: The Jiu Valley miners return to Victory Square. Here take place negotiations with doors closed, between representatives of the miners and the country's leadership. The ensuing resignation of the second Petre Roman cabinet is announced at 12:30pm from the balcony of Victoria Palace. In the evening, the miners try to break into the headquarters of the Romanian Television. Here take place scenes of violence and vandalism.Romaniasource
  • October 20 – A large suburban firestorm centered in Oakland Hills, California, kills 25 people and injures 150 others.source
  • November 13 - The United Kingdom and the United States charge two Libyan men with the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing.Libyasource
  • November 14 – American and British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan intelligence officials in connection with the downing of the Pan Am Flight 103 over Britain in 1988.source
  • December 4 – Pan Am is officially dissolved after 64 years of operationsource
  • December 15 – The Egyptian ferry MV Salem Express sinks in the Red Sea, killing more than 450 people.source
  • A train travelling from Karachi to Lahore hits a parked freight train at Ghotki, killing over 100 of the 800 passengers.Pakistansource
  • See List of Spanish films of 1991Spainsource

Climate & Environment

  • February 1 – A 6.4 Mb Hindu Kush earthquake causes severe damage in northeast Afghanistan, leaving 848 dead and 200 injured.source
  • March 31 – Albania holds its first multi-party elections since 1923. The socialist ruling Party of Labour of Albania won a landslide victory with 169 of the 250 seats in the parliament.source
  • March – The 1991 Malaysian haze affected Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley.Malaysiasource
  • April 22 – A 7.7 Mw Limon earthquake strikes Costa Rica and Panama with a maximum Mercalli intensity, causing between 47 and 87 deaths and up to 759 injuries.source
  • April 26 – A series of 55 tornadoes break out in the central U.S., killing 21. The most notable tornado strikes Andover, Kansas.source
  • April 29 – A 7.0 Mw earthquake in Racha, Georgia, kills 270 people and leaves 100,000 others homeless.source
  • April 29 – A tropical cyclone hits Bangladesh, killing an estimated 138,000 people.source
  • 29 April – 1991 Bangladesh cyclone kills more than 138,000.Bangladeshsource
  • June 3 – Mount Unzen in Japan erupts, killing 46 people as a result of pyroclastic flow.source
  • June 15 – In the Philippines, Mount Pinatubo erupts in the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century; the final death toll exceeds 800. The eruption causes a global cooling of around 0.4 °C.source
  • June 15 – Mount Pinatubo erupts, the peak of series of major explosions on June 12–16, in what will be the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century; volcano's alert level has been raised to the highest, June 9; Typhoon Yunya further worsens lahar flows and ashfalls causing collapse of roofs on structures that contribute to about 350 of 847 deaths. The eruption costs US$700-million in total damages.Philippinessource
  • 2 August – Two areas in Singapore, namely the Central and Changi areas are gazetted as Tree Conservation Areas.Singaporesource
  • August 17–20 – Hurricane Bob hits North Carolina and New England, killing 17 people and causing US$1.5 billion in damage.source
  • September 16–19: Tropical Storm Ignacio (1991).Mexicosource
  • 30 September: A tornado destroys parts of Itu, a city in southeastern Brazil, killing 16 and leaving 176 injured.Brazilsource
  • October 20 – A 6.8 M w earthquake strikes Uttarkashi, India, killing at least 768 people and destroying thousands of homes.source
  • October 28–November 4 – The 1991 Perfect Storm strikes the northeastern U.S. coast and Atlantic Canada, causing over US$200 million of damage and resulting in 12 direct fatalities.source
  • October 31–November 3 – The Halloween blizzard hits the U.S. Upper Midwest, killing 22 people and causing US$100 million in damage.source
  • November 5 – Tropical Storm Thelma causes flash floods in the Philippine city of Ormoc, killing more than 4,900 people.source
  • 19 November – 1991 Chocó earthquake.Colombiasource
  • List of number-one singles of 1991 (Finland)Finlandsource

Culture & Society

  • February 11 – The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) is formed in The Hague, Netherlands.source
  • April 14 – In the Netherlands, thieves steal 20 paintings worth $500 million from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam; they are found in an abandoned car near the museum less than an hour later.source
  • 29 April – 3 May – A UNESCO seminar was held in Windhoek, where the Windhoek Declaration for the Development of a Free, Independent and Pluralistic Press was made.Namibiasource
  • May 6 – In the U.S., Time magazine publishes "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power," an article highly critical of the Scientology movement.source
  • 1st - Republic day celebrations held across the country.Ghanasource
  • August 11 – Nickelodeon introduces its series of Nicktoons, with Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show set three air premieres.source
  • August 17 – The remains of the Prussian King Frederick the Great are re-interred in Potsdam, Germany.source
  • August 25 – Michael Schumacher, regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in history, makes his Formula One debut at the Belgian Grand Prix.source
  • September 17 – Home Improvement premieres on ABC.source
  • 20 September – 1 October – The All-Africa Games are held in Cairo.Egyptsource
  • October 3–November 2 – The 1991 Rugby World Cup takes place in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and France and is won by Australia who beat England in the final.source
  • 18 October – Al-Azhar University – Gaza opens in Gaza City with a two-story building and 725 students enrolled in two faculties.Palestinesource
  • November 7 – The first report on carbon nanotubes is published by Sumio Iijima in Nature.source
  • November 14 – Cambodian Prince Norodom Sihanouk returns to Phnom Penh after 13 years of exile.source
  • December 16 – The UN General Assembly adopts UN General Assembly Resolution 46/86, repealing a previous resolution adopted in 1975 which had ruled that Zionism is a form of racism.source
  • Doual'art, a nonprofit arts organisation and research centre is established in Douala.Cameroonsource
  • 1991 European Figure Skating ChampionshipsFinlandsource
  • The University of Babylon is established.Iraqsource
  • The South Asian Games are held in Colombo.Sri Lankasource

Births

  • 5 March — Daniil Trifonov, Concert Pianistsource
  • 28 May – Marie Fegue, weightlifterCameroonsource
  • 17 September – Mena Massoud, Egyptian-born Canadian actorEgyptsource
  • 31 December – Oleksandr Piskunov, Ukrainian actorUkrainesource

Deaths

  • January 5 – Several officials were killed in a mortar shelling in Kaaraan neighborhood of Mogadishu, including former minister Haji Muse Boqor, Sheikh Mohamed Faruur, Hashi Weheliye Moalim and Mohamed Said Gentleman.Somaliasource
  • February 21 – Margot Fonteyn, 71, English ballerina, ovarian cancer.source
  • March 9 – Massive demonstrations are held against Slobodan Milošević in Belgrade; two people are killed, and tanks are deployed in the streets.source
  • April 4 – U.S. Senator John Heinz and six other people are killed when a helicopter collides with their plane over Merion, Pennsylvania.source
  • April 4 – Max Frisch, 79, Swiss playwright and novelist, colorectal cancer.source
  • April 5 – Former U.S. Senator John Tower and 22 others are killed in an airplane crash in Brunswick, Georgia.source
  • May 14 – Jiang Qing, 77, Chinese actress and politician, widow of Mao Zedong, suicide by hanging.source
  • May 21 – Rajiv Gandhi, 46, Indian politician, prime minister (1984–1989), suicide bombing.source
  • 3 August – Ali Sabri, politician (born 1920)Egyptsource
  • August 7 – Former Iranian prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar is assassinated in the Parisian suburb of Suresnes.source
  • September 24 – Dr. Seuss, 87, American children's author (The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Green Eggs and Ham), cancer.source
  • September 28 – Miles Davis, 65, American jazz musician, intracerebral hemorrhage.source
  • October 6 – President Gorbachev condemns antisemitism in the Soviet Union in a statement read on the 50th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacres, which saw the death of 35,000 Jews in Ukraine during WWII.source
  • October 6 – Soviet President Gorbachev condemns antisemitism in the Soviet Union in a statement read on the 50th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacres, which saw the death of 35,000 Jews in the country during WWII.Ukrainesource
  • October 12 — Arkady Strugatsky, writer (born 1925)source
  • October 16 – Luby's shooting: 23 people are killed at a Luby's restaurant in Killeen, Texas after George Hennard drives his truck through the establishment and begins firing at diners. It becomes the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history and wouldn't be surpassed until the Virginia Tech shooting.source
  • November 24 – Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies in London from AIDS induced pneumonia. In an unrelated incident, Kiss drummer Eric Carr dies from heart cancer.source
  • November 24 – Freddie Mercury, 45, British singer (Queen) and songwriter ("Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Are the Champions"), AIDS.source