1993
1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003).
Events
January
- January 1 - The Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Slovakia and the Czech Republic separate in the so-called Velvet Divorce.
- January 3 - In Moscow, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
- January 5 - Washington State executes Westley Allan Dodd by hanging (the first legal hanging in America since 1965).
- January 9 - Jean-Claude Romand kills his family and tries to burn himself inside his home in France.
- January 14 - The Polish ferry Jan Heweliusz sinks off the coast of Rügen in the Baltic Sea, killing 54 people.
- January 15 - Salvatore Riina, the Mafia boss known as 'The Beast', is arrested in Palermo, Sicily after 23 years as a fugitive.
- January 18 - For the first time, the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday is officially observed in all 50 U.S. states.
- January 19 - IBM announces a $4.97 billion loss for 1992 (the largest single-year corporate loss in United States history).
- January 19 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq refuses to allow UNSCOM inspectors to use its own aircraft to fly into Iraq, and begins military operations in the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait, and the northern Iraqi no-fly zones. U.S. forces fire approximately 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Baghdad factories linked to Iraq's illegal nuclear weapons program. Iraq then informs UNSCOM that it will be able to resume its flights.
- January 20 - Bill Clinton succeeds George H.W. Bush as the 42nd President of the United States of America.
- January 25 - Catherine Callbeck becomes Premier of Prince Edward Island, becoming the first elected female premier in Canada (Rita Johnston was Canada's first unelected female Premier).
- January 25 - Mir Aimal Kasi fires a rifle and kills 2 employees outside CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
- January 26 - Václav Havel is elected President of the Czech Republic.
- January 31 - The Buffalo Bills become the first team to lose 3 consecutive Super Bowls, as they are defeated by the Dallas Cowboys, 52-17, in Super Bowl XXVII
February
- February 5 - U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Family and Medical Leave Act.
- February 8 - General Motors sues NBC, after Dateline NBC allegedly rigged 2 crashes showing that some GM pickups can easily catch fire if hit in certain places. NBC settles the lawsuit the following day.
- February 11 - Janet Reno is selected by President Clinton as U.S. Attorney General.
- February 12 - James Bulger, 2, disappears from the Strand Shopping Centre in Liverpool.
- February 14 - James Bulger's body is found on a disused railway in Liverpool, 2 days after he went missing.
- February 17 - A ferry sinks in Haiti, killing approximately 1,215 out of 1,500 passengers.
- February 22 - Two 11-year-old boys are charged with the murder of Jamie Bulger.
- February 23 - Actor Gary Coleman wins a $1,280,000 lawsuit against his parents.
- February 24 - Yukihiro Matsumoto creates the Ruby programming language.
- February 24 - Bobby Moore, former England football captain who played in the 1966 World Cup winning team, dies aged 51 after a 2-year battle against bowel cancer.
- February 26 - World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center goes off, killing 6 and injuring over 1,000.
- February 28 - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, with a warrant to arrest leader David Koresh on federal firearms violations. Four agents and 5 Davidians die in the raid and a 51-day standoff begins.
March
April
- April - The Kuwaiti government claims to uncover an Iraqi assassination plot against former U.S. President George H.W. Bush shortly after his visit to Kuwait. Two Iraqi nationals, caught with smuggled hashish and alcohol inside Kuwait, confess to driving a car-bomb into Kuwait on behalf of the Iraqi Intelligence Service. [1]
- April 6 - A nuclear accident occurs at Tomsk 7 in Russia.
- April 6 -The HMS Richmond is launched by the Royal Navy.
- April 7 - The attack submarine ex-Queenfish is recycled as part of the Ship-Submarine recycling program.
- April 10 -ANC activist Chris Hani is assassinated in South Africa.
- April 18- Joseph Wallace, 3, is killed by his mother in their Chicago apartment.
- April 19- A 51-day stand-off at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, ends with a fire that kills 76 people, including David Koresh.
- April 22 - In Washington, DC, the Holocaust Memorial Museum is dedicated.
- April 22 -Stephen Lawrence is murdered in London, UK.
- April 23 - The WHO declares tuberculosis a Global Emergency.
- April 27 - All members of the Zambia national football team lose their lives in a plane crash off Libreville, Gabon in route to Dakar, Senegal to play a qualifiying match against Senegal at the 1994 FIFA World Cup (the most tragic incident to date in African football history).
- April 30 - The World Wide Web is born at CERN.
May
June
- June 5 - 24 Pakistani soldiers and 75 Somalis kill a lot of black people in a fierce battle in Mogadishu.
- June 6 - Mongolia holds its first direct presidential elections.
- June 8 - In Paris, Christian Didier breaks into the home of Rene Bousquet, banker and former Vichy France administrator, and shoots him dead.
- June 9 - The Los Angeles Police Department raids the home of Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.
- June 9 - The Montreal Canadiens win their 24th Stanley Cup.
- June 14 - Mulitpartyists win a referendum on the future of the one-party system in Malawi.
- June 14 - Tansu Ciller becomes prime minister of Turkey.
- June 18 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq refuses to allow UNSCOM weapons inspectors to install remote-controlled monitoring cameras at 2 missile engine test stands.
- June 20 - Japanese Earthquake: A 7.5 earthquake hits Japan, killing 385 people.
- June 22 - Japan's New Party Sakigake breaks away from the Liberal Democratic Party.
- June 22 - A Unabomber bomb injures Charles Epstein in Tiburon, California.
- June 23 - In Manassas, Virginia, Lorena Bobbitt cuts off the penis of her husband John Wayne Bobbitt.
- June 24 - A Unabomber bomb injures computer scientist David Gelernter at Yale University.
- June 24 - Andrew Wiles wins worldwide fame after presenting his solution for Fermat's Last Theorem, a problem that has been unsolved for more than 3 centuries.
- June 25 - Kim Campbell becomes the 19th and first female Prime Minister of Canada.
- June 25 - Litas is introduced in Lithuania.
- June 27 - U.S. President Bill Clinton orders a cruise missile attack on Iraqi intelligence headquarters in the Al-Mansur District of Baghdad, in response to the attempted assassination of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush during his visit to Kuwait in mid-April.
- June 27 - In Bad Kleinen, Germany, GSG 9 troopers arrest terrorists Birgit Hogefeld and Wolfgang Grams.
July
August
September
October
Tanks bombard the Russian parliament in October 1993
November
- November 1 - The Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the European Union.
- November 4 - Jean Chrétien becomes the 20th Prime Minister of Canada.
- November 9 - Bosnian Croat forces destroy the Stari most, or Old Bridge of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, by tank fire.
- November 11 - Microsoft releases Windows 3.11 for Workgroups to manufacturing.
- November 12 - The inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship is held in Denver, Colorado.
- November 17 - A teacher and 10 children, all from Hagley RC High School near Birmingham, are killed in a minibus crash on the M40 in Warwickshire.
- November 18 - In South Africa, 21 political parties approve a new constitution.
- November 20 - Savings and Loan scandal: The United States Senate Ethics Committee issues a stern censure of California senator Alan Cranston for his dealings with savings-and-loan executive Charles Keating.
- November 20 - An Avioimpex Yak 42D crashes near Ohrid, Macedonia. The aircraft was on a flight from Geneva, Switzerland to Skopje, but had been diverted to Ohrid due to poor weather conditions at the Skopje airport. On landing the aircraft crashed into Mount Trojani near Ohrid. All 8 crew members and 115 of the 116 passengers are killed.
- November 24 - In the United Kingdom, 11-year-olds Robert Thompson and Jon Venables are convicted of the child murder of 2-year-old James Bulger of Liverpool. They are sentenced to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, with a recommendation from the trial judge at Preston Crown Court that they be kept in secure accommodation for 'very, very many years to come'.
- November 28 - The Observer reveals a channel of communications has existed between the IRA and the British government, despite the government's persistent denials.
- November 30 - U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (the Brady Bill) into law.
December
Unknown dates
Births
- January 18 - Morgan York, American actress
- January 26 - Cameron Bright, Canadian actor
- January 30 - Christina Kirkman, American actress
- February 7 - David Dorfman, American actor
- February 9 - Parimarjan Negi, chess prodigy from India
- February 19 - Victoria Justice, American actress
- February 26 - Taylor Dooley, American actress
- March 4 - Jenna Boyd, American actress
- March 17 - Julia Winter, Swedish actress
- March 28 - Naoki Takeshi, Japanese actor
- May 24 - Oliver Davis, American actor
- May 25 - The Dilley sextuplets
- June 4 - Christian Mowatt, British noble
- June 7 - Jordan Fry, American actor
- June 9 - Danielle Chuchran, American actress
- June 10 - Hugh Alexander Carnegie, British noble
- June 25 - Barney Clark, British actor
- July 8 - Zach Tyler Eisen, American actor
- July 26 - Taylor Momsen, American actress
- August 2 - Ryan and Kyle Pepi, American twin actors
- August 11 - Alyson Stoner, American actress and dancer
- August 12 - Imani Hakim, American actress
- August 16 - Cameron Monaghan, American actor
- September 1 - Ilona Mitrecey, French singer
- September 9 - Charlie Stewart, American actor
- September 12 - Jacob and Zachary Handy, American twin actors
- October 8 - Angus T. Jones, American actor
- October 19 - Henry Mountbatten, Earl of Medina, British noble
- December 6 - Elián González, Cuban refugee
- December 8 - AnnaSophia Robb, American actress
- December 10 - Rachel Trachtenburg, American musician
Deaths
January-February
- January 6 - Dizzy Gillespie, American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (b.1917)
- January 20 - Audrey Hepburn, Belgian actress (b. 1929)
- January 27 - André the Giant, French professional wrestler (b. 1946)
- February 5 - Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American writer, producer, and director (b. 1909)
- February 5 - Tip Tipping, American actor and stuntman (parachuting accident) (b. 1958)
- February 6 - Arthur Ashe, American tennis player and activist (b. 1943)
- February 11 - Robert W. Holley, American biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1922)
- February 18 - Jacqueline Hill, British actress (b. 1929)
- February 18 - Kerry Von Erich, American professional wrestler (suicide) (b. 1960)
- February 20 - Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer (b. 1916)
- February 24 - Bobby Moore, English footballer (b. 1941)
- February 27 - Lillian Gish, American actress (b. 1893)
- February 28 - Ruby Keeler, Canadian actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1910)
March-April
- March 8 - Billy Eckstine, American musician (b. 1914)
- March 11 - Adolph "Dino Bravo" Bresciano, Italian-born professional wrestler (b. 1949)
- March 17 - Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)
- March 20 - Polykarp Kusch, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- March 24 - John Hersey, American author (b. 1914)
- March 31 - Brandon Lee, American actor (b. 1965)
- April 1 - Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (b. 1954)
- April 3 - Pinky Lee, American children's television host (b. 1907)
- April 5 - Divya Bharti, Indian actress (b. 1974)
- April 8 - Marian Anderson, American contralto (b. 1897)
- April 13 - Wallace Stegner, American writer (car accident) (b. 1909)
- April 15 - Robert Westall, British author (b. 1929)
- April 17 - Turgut Ozal, Turkish president and prime minister (b. 1927)
- April 30 - Tommy Caton, English footballer (b. 1962)
May-June
- May 1 - Pierre Bérégovoy, Prime Minister of France (b. 1925)
- May 8 - Avram Davidson, American writer (b. 1923)
- May 14 - Patrick Haemers, Belgian criminal (b. 1953)
- May 27 - Werner Stocker, German actor (b. 1955)
- June 5 - Conway Twitty, Country music singer (b. 1933)
- June 7 - Drazen Petrovic, Croatian basketball player (b. 1964)
- June 9 - Alexis Smith, Canadian actress (b. 1921)
- June 13 - Deke Slayton, astronaut (b. 1924)
- June 15 - John Connally, Governor of Texas (b. 1917)
- June 19 - William Golding, English writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- June 24 - Archie Williams, American athlete (b. 1915)
- June 26 - William H. Riker, American political scientist (b. 1920)
- June 28 - G.G. Allin, American singer and bandleader (b. 1956)
- June 28 - Boris Christoff, Bulgarian bass (b. 1914)
- June 29 - Héctor Lavoe, Puerto Rican singer (b. 1946)
- June 30 - George "Spanky" McFarland, American actor (b. 1928)
July-September
- July 3 - Don Drysdale, baseball player (b. 1936)
- July 3 - Curly Joe DeRita, American comedian (b. 1909)
- July 13 - Davey Allison, American race car driver (helicopter crash) (b. 1961)
- July 28 - Reggie Lewis, American basketball player (heart ailment) (b. 1965)
- July 31 - King Baudouin I of Belgium (b. 1930)
- August 6 - Tex Hughson, baseball player (b. 1916)
- August 10 - Øystein Aarseth, Norwegian musician (Mayhem) (b. 1968)
- September 4 - Hervé Villechaize, French-Born Actor (b. 1943)
- September 9 - Helen O'Connell, American singer (b. 1920)
- September 11 - Erich Leinsdorf, Austrian conductor (b. 1912)
- September 22 - Maurice Abravanel, Greek-born conductor (b. 1903)
- September 27 - Jimmy Doolittle, American general (b. 1896)
October-December
- October 5 - Jim Holton, Scottish footballer (b. 1951)
- October 11 - Jess Thomas, American tenor (b. 1927)
- October 12 - Tofik Bakhramov, Russian footballer (b. 1926)
- October 25 - Danny Chan, Hong Kong singer (b. 1958)
- October 25 - Vincent Price, American actor (b. 1911)
- October 31 - Federico Fellini, Italian film director (b. 1911)
- October 31 - River Phoenix, American actor (drug overdose) (b. 1970)
- November 1 - Severo Ochoa, Spanish–born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1905)
- November 6 - Michael Vernon, Australian consumer activist (b.1932)
- November 12 - H. R. Haldeman, American Watergate scandal figure (b. 1926)
- November 21 - Bill Bixby, American actor (b. 1934)
- November 22 - Anthony Burgess, English author (b. 1917)
- December 1 - Ray Gillen, American singer (b. 1961)
- December 2 - Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord (b. 1940)
- December 3 - Lewis Thomas, American physician and essayist (b. 1913)
- December 4 - Frank Zappa, American guitarist and composer (b. 1940)
- December 5 - Doug Hopkins, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1961)
- December 7 - Wolfgang Paul, German physicist, Noble Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- December 9 - Danny Blanchflower, Irish footballer and football manager (b. 1926)
- December 13 - Vanessa Duriès, French novelist (b. 1972)
- December 29 - Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Soviet Armenian actor (b. 1930)
- December 31 - Zviad Gamsakhurdia, first President of Georgia (b. 1939)
Unknown dates
- Arna Mer-Khamis / Care and Learning, ORAP (The Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress) / Sithembiso Nyoni, Vandana Shiva, Mary and Carrie Dann
Ship events
Categories
1993
