1991
This article is about the year 1991. For the number (and other uses), see
1991 (number).
1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar in the 20th century. It was the second year of the 1990s, and is usually considered the final year of the Cold War that had begun in the late 1940s. During the year, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics collapsed into fifteen sovereign republics. A U.N.-authorized coalition force from thirty-four nations fought against Iraq, which had invaded Kuwait in the previous year, 1990. The conflict would be called the Gulf War. The year 1991 was the 1991st year of the Common Era, the 991st year of the 2nd millennium, the 91st year of the 20th century and 2nd in the 1990s.
Events
January
February
- February 1 – A USAir Boeing 737-300, Flight 1493 collides with a SkyWest Airlines Fairchild Metroliner, Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport, killing 34.
- February 5 – A Michigan court bars Dr. Jack Kevorkian from assisting in suicides.
- February 7
- February 9 – Voters in Lithuania support independence.
- February 11 – UNPO, the Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization, forms in The Hague, Netherlands.
- February 13 – Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy an underground bunker in Baghdad, killing hundreds of Iraqis. United States military intelligence claims it was a military facility but Iraqi officials identify it as a bomb shelter.
- February 15 – The Visegrad Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
- February 18 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army explodes bombs in the early morning, at both Paddington station and Victoria station in London.
- February 22 – Gulf War: Iraq accepts a Russian-proposed cease fire agreement. The U.S. rejects the agreement, but says that retreating Iraqi forces will not be attacked if they leave Kuwait within 24 hours.
- February 23
- February 25 – Gulf War: Part of an Iraqi Scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 29 and injuring 99 U.S. soldiers. It is the single-most devastating attack on U.S. forces during that war.
- February 26 – Gulf War: On Baghdad radio, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announces the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Iraqi soldiers set fire to Kuwaiti oil fields as they retreat.
March
April
- April 1 – Comedy Central is launched in its current format.
- April 3 – Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.N. Security Council passes the Cease Fire Agreement, Resolution 687. The Resolution calls for the destruction or removal of all of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons, all stocks of agents and components, and all research, development, support and manufacturing facilities for ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 km and production facilities; and for an end to its support for international terrorism. Iraq accepts the terms of the resolution on April 6.
- April 4
- April 5 – Former Senator John Tower and 22 others are killed in an airplane crash in Brunswick, Georgia, United States.
- April 9 – The Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union.
- April 10
- April 14 – In the Netherlands, thieves steal 20 paintings worth $500 million from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Less than an hour later they are found in an abandoned car near the museum.
- April 15 – Inauguration of the EBRD.
- April 17 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for the first time ever, at 3,004.46.
- April 18 – Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq declares some of its chemical weapons and materials to the UN, as required by Resolution 687, and claims that it does not have a biological weapons program.
- April 22
- April 26 – 70 tornadoes break out in the central United States, killing 17. The most notable tornado of the day strikes Andover, Kansas.
- April 29 – A tropical cyclone hits Bangladesh, killing an estimated 138,000 people.
May
June
July
August
- August 4 – The Cruise Liner MTS Oceanos sinks off the coast of South Africa and all 571 passengers on board are safely evacuated.
- August 6 – Tim Berners-Lee announces the World Wide Web project and software on the alt.hypertext newsgroup.
- August 7 – Shapour Bakhtiar, former prime minister of Iran, is assassinated.
- August 8 – The Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built at the time, collapses.
- August 17 – Strathfield Massacre: In Sydney, Australia, taxi driver Wade Frankum shoots 7 people and injures 6 others before turning the gun on himself.
- August 19 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is put under house arrest while vacationing in the Crimea during a coup. The attempted coup, led by Vice President Gennady Yanayev and 7 hard-liners, collapses in less than 72 hours.
- August 20 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Estonia declares its independence from the Soviet Union, and more than 100,000 people rally outside the Soviet Union's parliament building protesting the coup that deposed President Mikhail Gorbachev.
- August 21 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Latvia declares its independence from the Soviet Union.
- August 23 – The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (or "Super Nintendo") is released in the United States.
- August 24 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Ukraine declares independence from Soviet Union.
- August 25
- August 27 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Moldova declares independence from the Soviet Union.
- August 29 – Maronite general Michel Aoun leaves Lebanon via a French ship into exile.
- August 30 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Azerbaijan declares independence from Soviet Union.
- August 31 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan declare independence from the Soviet Union.
September
- September 2 – The United States recognizes the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
- September 3 – In Hamlet, North Carolina, a grease fire breaks out at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant, killing 25 people.
- September 5–September 7 – At the 35th Annual Tailhook Symposium in Las Vegas, 83 women and seven men are assaulted.
- September 5 – The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union self-dissolves, replaced by Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and State Council of the Soviet Union
- September 6
- September 8 – The Republic of Macedonia becomes independent.
- September 9 – Tajikistan declares its independence from the Soviet Union.
- September 17 – North Korea, South Korea, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations.
- September 19 – Ötzi the Iceman is found in the Alps.
- September 20–September 21 – In Sandy, Utah, several patients are held hostage and a nurse is killed in the Alta View Hospital hostage incident.
- September 21
- Armenia declares independence from the Soviet Union.
- The Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence of German tongue (Orden der Schwestern der Perpetuellen Indulgenz deutscher Zunge, "O.S.P.I.") is founded in Heidelberg by Erzmutter (Archmother) Johanna Indulgentia Tara Maria Benedicta O.S.P.I.
- AFL Grand Final: Hawthorn Hawks defeat West Coast Eagles by 53 points at Waverley Park, the final score 20.19.139 – 13.8.86.
- September 21–September 30 – Iraq disarmament crisis: IAEA inspectors discover files on Iraq's hidden nuclear weapons program. Iraqi officials confiscate documents from UN weapons inspectors, refusing to allow them to leave the site without turning over other documents. A 4-day standoff ensues. Iraq permits the team to leave with the documents after the UN Security Council threatens enforcement actions.
- September 22 – The Huntington Library makes the Dead Sea Scrolls available to the public for the first time.
- September 30
October
- October 3 – Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton announces he will seek the 1992 Democratic nomination for President of the United States.
- October 8 – The Croatian Parliament cuts all remaining ties with Yugoslavia.
- October 11
- In Russia, the KGB is replaced by the SVR.
- Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.N. Security Council passes Resolution 715, which demands that Iraq "accept unconditionally the inspectors and all other personnel designated by the Special Commission". Iraq rejects the resolution, calling it "unlawful."
- October 11–October 13 – The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate Clarence Thomas and former aide Anita Hill, who alleges that Thomas sexually harassed her while she worked for him.
- October 12 – Askar Akayev, previously chosen President of Kyrgyzstan by its Supreme Soviet, is confirmed president in an uncontested poll.
- October 14 – The Bulgarian right wing opposition celebrates the end of the rule of the Bulgarian Communist Party.
- October 15 – United States Senate votes 52–48 to confirm Judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court of the United States.
- October 16 – George Hennard guns down 24 people in Killeen, Texas before killing himself.
- October 20
- October 27
- October 28–November 4 – The 1991 Perfect Storm strikes the northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada, causing over $200 million of damage and resulting in 12 direct fatalities.
- October 29 – The American Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid.
- October 31–November 3 – The Halloween Blizzard hits the Upper Midwest of the United States, causing around $100 million of damage and killing 22.
November
December
Date unknown
Births
January–March
- January 2
- January 4 – Pascal Bodmer, German ski jumper
- January 8 – Hinoi Asuka, Japanese singer
- January 12 – Pixie Lott, British singer
- January 15 – Rubab Raza, Pakistani swimmer
- January 19 – Erin Sanders, American actress
- January 21 – Brittany Tiplady, Canadian actress
- January 28 – Calum Worthy, Canadian actor and musician
- February 5 – Alba Riquelme, Paraguayan model
- February 10 – Emma Roberts, American actress
- February 11 – Christofer Drew, American singer
- February 12 – Casey Abrams, American singer
- February 16
- February 17 – Bonnie Wright, British actress
- February 18 – Henry Surtees, British racing driver (d. 2009)
- February 24 – Emily DiDonato, American model
- February 28 – Sarah Bolger, Irish actress
- March 11 – Qian Lin, Chinese singer
- March 15 – Kie Kitano, Japanese actress
- March 22 – Colton Harris-Moore, American criminal and former fugitive known as the "Barefoot Bandit"
- March 26 – Jack Watts, Australian rules footballer
April–June
- April 3 – Hayley Kiyoko, American singer and actress
- April 7 – Michelle Monkhouse, Canadian fashion model (d. 2011)
- April 10 – Amanda Michalka, American singer and actress
- April 15 – Daiki Arioka, Japanese singer (Hey! Say! JUMP)
- May 21 – Sarah Ramos, American actress
- May 23 – Lena Meyer-Landrut, German singer
- May 24 – Erika Umeda, Japanese singer
- May 26 – Julianna Rose Mauriello, American stage actress
- June 4 – Jordan Hinson, American actress
- June 16 – Joe McElderry, British singer & model
- June 18 – Willa Holland, American model and actress
- June 19 – Pontus Ekhem, Swedish hockey player
- June 28 – Seohyun, South Korean singer (Girls' Generation)
- June 30 – Kaho, Japanese actress
July–September
- July 5 – Jason Dolley, American actor
- July 6 – Victoire Thivisol, French actress
- July 9 – Mitchel Musso, American actor, singer
- July 10 – Atsuko Maeda, Japanese singer
- July 11 – Natalie Evans, American actress
- July 12 – Erik Per Sullivan, American actor
- July 20 – William Tomlin, British actor
- July 28 – Rina Aizawa, Japanese actress
- July 30 – Diana Vickers, English singer-songwriter
- August 6 – Jiao Liuyang, Chinese swimmer
- August 16 – Evanna Lynch, Irish actress
- August 17 – Qory Sandioriva, Putri Indonesia 2009
- August 21 – Tess Gaerthé, Dutch singer and actress
- August 22 – Brayden Schenn, Canadian ice hockey player
- August 28 – Kyle Massey, American actor
- September 5 – Skandar Keynes, British actor
- September 6 – Ashli Amari Adams, American actress
- September 17 – Ryo Ishikawa, Japanese golfer
- September 23 – Melanie Oudin, American tennis player
October–December
- October 2 – Emma Maree Urquhart, Scottish novelist and artist
- October 4 – Nicolai Kielstrup, Danish singer
- October 6 – Roshon Fegan, American actor and musician
- October 10 – Gabriella Cilmi, Australian singer-songwriter
- October 23 – Sophie Oda, Japanese American actress
- October 30 – Paulina Olszynski, American actress
- November 6 – Camila Finn, Brazilian model
- November 13 – Devon Bostick, Canadian actor
- November 15 – Shailene Woodley, American actress
- November 22 – Saki Shimizu, Japanese singer
- December 1 – Sun Yang, Chinese swimmer
- December 3 – Masahiro Usui, Japanese actor
- December 9
- December 12 – Daniel Magder, Canadian actor
- December 13 – Jay Greenberg, American music composer
- December 19 – Declan Galbraith, English singer
Deaths
January
February
March
- March 1 – Edwin H. Land, inventor of the Polaroid instant camera (b. 1909)
- March 2 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer (b. 1928)
- March 3
- March 7 – Cool Papa Bell, American baseball player (b. 1903)
- March 12 – Ragnar Granit, Finnish neuroscientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1900)
- March 14
- March 15 – George Sherman, American film director (b. 1908)
- March 18 – Vilma Bánky, Hungarian-born actress (b. 1898)
- March 20 – Conor Clapton, Son of Guitarist Eric Clapton (b. 1986)
- March 21 – Leo Fender, Greek-American instrument maker (b. 1909)
- March 24 – Maudie Edwards, English actress (b. 1906)
- March 25 – Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Roman Catholic bishop who fought for Catholic Tradition (b. 1905)
- March 27 – Aldo Ray, American actor (b. 1926)
- March 29 – Lee Atwater, American Presidential advisor (b. 1951)
April
May
June
- June 1 – David Ruffin, American singer (b. 1941)
- June 2 – Hailu Yimenu, Ethiopian politician, former Prime Minister
- June 3
- June 5
- June 6 – Stan Getz, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1927)
- June 9 – Claudio Arrau, Chilean-born pianist (b. 1903)
- June 11 – Cromwell Everson, South African composer (b. 1925)
- June 14 – Peggy Ashcroft, British actress (b. 1907)
- June 15 – Arthur Lewis, British economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
- June 17 – Pierre Jamet, French harpist (b. 1893)
- June 18
- June 19 – Jean Arthur, American actress (b. 1900)
- June 27 – Molly Geertsema, Dutch liberal politician, former leader of the VVD party (b. 1918)
- June 28 – Hans Nüsslein, German tennis player (b. 1910)
- June 29 – Henri Lefebvre, French sociologist and philosopher (b. 1901)
July
- July 1 – Michael Landon, American actor (b. 1936)
- July 2 – Lee Remick, American actress (b. 1935)
- July 4 – Victor Chang, Australian physician (b. 1936)
- July 5
- July 6 – Anton Yugov, Bulgarian Communist politician, former Prime Minister (b. 1904)
- July 8 – James Franciscus, American actor (b. 1934)
- July 16 – Robert Motherwell, American painter (b. 1915)
- July 18 – André Cools, Belgian Socialist politician (b. 1927)
- July 24 – Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-born Yiddish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- July 25 – Lazar Kaganovich, Soviet politician, former member of the CPSU Politburo and Deputy Prime Minister (b. 1893)
- July 27 – John Friedrich, German-Australian engineer and conman (b. 1950)
- July 29 – Christian de Castries, French general (b. 1902)
August
- August 1 – Chris Short, American baseball pitcher (b. 1937)
- August 3 – Ali Sabri, Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1920)
- August 4 – Yevgeny Dragunov, Russian weapons designer (b. 1920)
- August 5
- August 6
- August 7 – Billy T. James New Zealand comedian (b. 1948)
- August 8 – James Irwin, American astronaut (b. 1930)
- August 11 – J. D. McDuffie, American race car driver (b. 1938)
- August 13 – James Roosevelt, American businessman and politician (b. 1907)
- August 14 – Richard A. Snelling, Governor of Vermont (b. 1927)
- August 16 – Luigi Zampa, Italian film-maker (b. 1905)
- August 17 – Terence Kilmartin, Irish journalist and translator (b. 1922)
- August 22
- August 24 – Sergey Akhromeyev, Russian marshall, former Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces (b. 1923)
- August 25 – Niven Busch, American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1903)
- August 30
September
- September 2 – Alfonso García Robles, Mexican diplomat and politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1911)
- September 3 – Frank Capra, Italian-born film director (b. 1897)
- September 4
- September 7 – Edwin McMillan, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
- September 8
- September 10
- September 12 – Bruce Matthews, Canadian Army officer and businessman (b. 1909)
- September 13 – Joe Pasternak, Hungarian-born film director (b. 1901)
- September 14– Russell Lynes, American art historian, photographer, author (b. 1910)
- September 15 – John Hoyt, American actor (b. 1905)
- September 17
- September 22 – Tino Casal, Spanish pop singer (b. 1950)
- September 24 – Dr. Seuss, American author (b. 1904)
- September 25
- September 28 – Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1926)
October
- October 2, – Demetrios I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 1914)
- October 5 – Martin Ennals, British human rights activist. (b. 1927)
- October 6 – Igor Talkov, Russian singer, poet and composer (b. 1956)
- October 11 – Redd Foxx, American comedian and actor (b. 1922)
- October 12
- October 13
- October 17 – Tennessee Ernie Ford, American singer (b. 1919)
- October 24 – Gene Roddenberry, American television producer (b. 1921)
- October 25 – John Stratton, English actor (b. 1925)
- October 28 – Sylvia Fine, American lyricist (b. 1913)
- October 29 – Mario Scelba, Italian politician, former Prime Minister and president of the European Parliament (b. 1901)
- October 31 – Joseph Papp, American theater producer (b. 1921)
November
- November 2 – Irwin Allen, American film and television producer (b. 1916)
- November 5
- November 6 – Gene Tierney, American actress (b. 1920)
- November 9 – Yves Montand, French actor and singer (b. 1921)
- November 14 – Tony Richardson, English film and theater director (b. 1928)
- November 18 – Gustáv Husák, Czechoslovak politician, former President of the Republic (b. 1913)
- November 21 – Daniel Mann, American film director (b. 1912)
- November 23 – Klaus Kinski, German actor (b. 1926)
- November 24
- November 25 – Nimeño II, French bullfighter (b. 1954)
- November 26 – Bob Johnson, American ice hockey coach (b. 1931)
- November 29
December
- December 1 – George Stigler, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- December 6 – Richard Stone, British economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- December 9 – Berenice Abbott, American photographer (b. 1898)
- December 10
- December 11
- December 12 – Eleanor Boardman, American actress (b. 1898)
- December 15
- December 18 – George Abecassis, English race car driver (b. 1913)
- December 19 – Paul Maxwell, Canadian actor (b. 1921)
- December 22 – Ernst Krenek, Austrian-American composer (b. 1900)
- December 27 – Hervé Guibert, French writer and photographer (b. 1955)
- December 28 – Cassandra Harris, Australian actress (b. 1941)
Nobel Prizes
References