
The
General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the
Kwajalein Atoll
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ) is part of the Marshall Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking re ...
in the
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
The territory consists of 29 c ...
had only 364 days, since its calendar advanced 24 hours to the
Eastern Hemisphere side of the
International Date Line, skipping
August 21
Events Pre-1600
* 959 – Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège.
*1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song War ...
, 1993.
Events
January
*
January 1
January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__
Events ...
**
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
ceases to exist, as the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
and
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
separate in the
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on December 31, 1992, was the Self-determination, self-determined Partition (politics), partition of the federal republic of Fifth Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovakia into the independent ...
.
** The
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
eliminates trade barriers and creates a European
single market.
**
International Radio and Television Organization ceases.
*
January 3
Events Pre-1600
*AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor.
* 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...
– In Moscow, Presidents
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
(United States) and
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...
(Russia) sign the
second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
*
January 5
Events Pre-1600
* 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
* 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French ...
** US$7.4 million is stolen from the
Brink's
The Brink's Company is an American Automated cash handling, cash handling company, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Its operations include cash-in-transit, ATM replenishment & maintenance, and cash management & payment services, such as va ...
Armored Car Depot in
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
, in the fifth largest robbery in U.S. history.
** , a
Liberia
Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
n-registered
oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk cargo, bulk transport of petroleum, oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quant ...
, runs aground off the Scottish island of
Mainland, Shetland
The Mainland is the main island of Shetland, Scotland. The island contains Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick, and is the centre of Shetland's ferry and air connections.
Geography
It has an area of , making it the third-largest Scottish island a ...
, causing a massive oil spill.
*
January 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will ...
**
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, (born 8 March 1930) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995.
A career diplomat and ...
is the first high-ranking British official to visit
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
since the
Falklands War
The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
.
**
January 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will ...
–
20 – The
Bombay riots take place in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
.
*
January 7
Events Pre-1600
*49 BC – The Senate of the Roman Republic, Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army, prompting the tribunes who support him to flee to where Caesar is waiting in Ravenna ...
– The
Fourth Republic of Ghana is inaugurated, with
Jerry Rawlings as president.
*
January 8
Events Pre-1600
* 307 – Emperor Huai of Jin, Sima Chi becomes emperor of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty in succession to his brother, Emperor Hui of Jin, Sima Zhong, despite a challenge from his other brother, Sima Ying.
* 871 ...
–
17 – The
Braer Storm of January 1993, the most intense
extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
on record for the northern Atlantic Ocean, occurs.
*
January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the ra ...
** The
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed.
**
Iraq disarmament crisis:
US, British and French aircraft attack Iraqi Surface to Air Missile sites in Southern Iraq.
*
January 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence.
* 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary.
1601–1900
* 1761 – The Third Battle of Panipat is fought in I ...
– The Polish ferry
sinks off the coast of
Rügen in the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
, killing 54 people.
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to '' Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surren ...
– Iraq disarmament crisis:
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
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
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, and the northern
Iraqi no-fly zones. U.S. forces fire approximately 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles at
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
factories linked to Iraq's illegal nuclear weapons program (→
January 1993 airstrikes on Iraq). Iraq then informs UNSCOM that it will be able to resume its flights.
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
* 1438 – The Co ...
– In
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, thousands protest against the murder of journalist
Uğur Mumcu.
*
January 25
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate.
* 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dyn ...
–
Social Democrat Poul Nyrup Rasmussen succeeds
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Poul Schlüter as
Prime Minister of Denmark
The prime minister of Denmark (, , ) is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Before the creation of the modern office, the kingdom did not init ...
.
*
January 26
Events Pre-1600
* 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
* 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
* 1564 – The Council of T ...
–
Václav Havel
Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...
is elected President of the Czech Republic.
*
January 30
Events Pre-1600
* 1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen.
* 1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom.
1601–1900
* 1607 – An es ...
– The
Red Line (later known as the B Line) officially begins service in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, becoming the first underground
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...
line to open in almost 70 years.
February

*
February 4
Events Pre–1600
* 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...
– Members of the right-wing Austrian
Freedom Party of Austria split to form the
Liberal Forum in protest against the increasing nationalistic bent of the party.
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – The Siege of Baghdad ends with the surrender of the last Abbasid caliph to Hulegu Khan, a prince of the Mongol Empire.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bru ...
**
Lien Chan is named by
Lee Teng-hui to succeed
Hau Pei-tsun as
Premier of the Republic of China.
** ''
Mani pulite'' scandal: Italian legislator
Claudio Martelli resigns, followed by various politicians over the next two weeks.
*
February 14
It is observed in most countries as Valentine's Day.
Events Pre-1600
* 748 – Abbasid Revolution#Persian phase, Abbasid Revolution: The Kaysanites Shia#History, Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad ...
**
Glafcos Clerides defeats incumbent
George Vasiliou in the Cypriot presidential election.
**
Albert Zafy defeats
Didier Ratsiraka in the Madagascar presidential election.
*
February 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Fer ...
–
United Nations Security Council Resolution 808 is voted on, deciding that "an international tribunal shall be established" to prosecute violations of international law in
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
. The tribunal is established on
May 25
Events Pre-1600
* 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
* 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes ...
by
Resolution 827.
*
February 26
Events Pre-1600
* 747 BC – According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events.
* 320 – Chandragupta ...
–
World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the
World Trade Center explodes, killing six people and injuring over one thousand.
March
*
March 5
Events Pre-1600
* 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death.
* 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Easte ...
–
Macedonian Palair Flight 301, an
F-100 on a flight to
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
, crashes shortly after take-off from
Skopje
Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
, killing 83 of the 97 on board.
*
March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem '' Shahnameh''.
* 1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between ...
– The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. The Moon appears to be 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the year's other full moons. The next time these two events coincided was in 2008.
*
March 11
Events Pre-1600
* 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the veneration of icons in the Orthodox churches in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last Bishop of Prague (3 March 13 ...
–
Janet Reno is confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
and sworn in the next day, becoming the first female Attorney General of the United States.
*
March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of th ...
**
1993 Bombay bombings: Several bombs explode in
Bombay
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
, India, killing 257 and injuring hundreds more.
**
North Korea nuclear weapons program:
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
announces that it plans to withdraw from the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and refuses to allow inspectors access to nuclear sites, beginning the
1993-94 North Korean Nuclear Crisis.
*
March 13–
15 – The
Great Blizzard of 1993 strikes the eastern U.S., bringing record snowfall and other severe weather all the way from
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
to
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
; it reportedly kills 184 people.
*
March 13 –
1993 Australian federal election:
Paul Keating's
Labor government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
is re-elected with an increased majority, defeating the
Liberal/
National Coalition
A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces.
Formation
According to ''A G ...
led by
John Hewson.
*
March 17 – The
Kurdistan Workers' Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...
announces a unilateral
ceasefire in
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
.
*
March 24
** The Israeli
Knesset elects
Ezer Weizman as
President of Israel
The president of the State of Israel (, or ) is the head of state of Israel. The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet led by the Prime Minister of Israel, pr ...
.
** South Africa officially abandons its
nuclear weapons programme. President de Klerk announces that the country's six warheads had already been dismantled in
1989.
*
March 27
**
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as Chairman of the Central Mil ...
becomes
President of the People's Republic of China
The president of China, officially the president of the People's Republic of China, is the List of state representatives of the People's Republic of China, state representative of the China, People's Republic of China. On its own, it is a Fig ...
.
** Following a rash of
integrist murders (including those of foreigners),
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
breaks
diplomatic relations with Iran, accusing the country of interfering in its interior affairs.
**
Mahamane Ousmane is elected president of
Niger
Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
.
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Did ...
–
1993 French legislative election:
Rally for the Republic (Gaullist party) wins a majority and
Édouard Balladur becomes
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
.
*
March 29 – The
65th Academy Awards, hosted by
Billy Crystal, are held at the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, with ''
Unforgiven'' winning
Best Picture.
April
* April–May –
1993 Four Corners hantavirus outbreak: Thirteen people are killed by
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, mainly in the
Southwestern United States.
* April–October –
Great Flood of 1993: The
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
and
Missouri River
The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...
s flood large portions of the American Midwest.
*
April 8 – The
Republic of Macedonia is admitted to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
under a provisional reference "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".
*
April 11 – Four hundred fifty prisoners
rioted at the
Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in
Lucasville, Ohio, and continued to do so for ten days, citing grievances related to prison conditions, as well as the forced vaccination of
Nation of Islam prisoners (for
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
) against their religious beliefs.
*
April 16 –
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
: the enclave of
Srebrenica is declared a UN-protected "safe area". Also members of the Jokeri unit of the
HVO entered the village of
Ahmići and killed 120 muslim residents.
*
April 19 –
Waco siege: 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 20 – The
Council for National Academic Awards
The Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) was the national degree-awarding authority in the United Kingdom from 1965 until its dissolution on 20 April 1993.
Background
The establishment followed the recommendation of the UK government Com ...
, the national degree-awarding authority in the United Kingdom, is officially dissolved.
**
Backstreet Boys were formed in
Orlando,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
.
*
April 21
Events Pre-1600
* 753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date).
* 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is mur ...
– The Supreme Court in
La Paz
La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...
,
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, sentences former dictator
Luis Garcia Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution.
*
April 23
** The
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
declares
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
a global emergency.
**
Eritrea
Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
ns vote overwhelmingly for independence from
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
in a
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
-monitored referendum, the
1993 Eritrean independence referendum.
*
April 26 –
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro appoints
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician, statesman and banker who was the President of Italy from 1999 to 2006 and the Prime Minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994.
A World War II veteran, C ...
Prime Minister of Italy
The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers (), is the head of government of the Italy, Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Co ...
.
*
April 27
**
Eritrea
Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
: Eritrean independence is declared verified by the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
.
**
1993 Yemeni parliamentary election: The
General People's Congress of Yemen wins a
plurality of 121 seats.
**
1993 Zambia national football team plane crash: All members of the
Zambia national football team die in a
plane crash off Libreville, Gabon en route to
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...
,
Senegal
Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
.
*
April 30 – Tennis player
Monica Seles
Monica Seles (born December 2, 1973) is a Serbian–American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...
– at this time the top-ranked player in women's tennis – is stabbed during a match at the
1993 Citizen Cup in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
May
*
May 1 –
Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa: During a
May Day rally,
President of Sri Lanka
The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...
Ranasinghe Premadasa is assassinated by a
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam suicide bomber.
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga succeeds Premadasa as the 3rd executive president of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
.
*
May 4 –
UNOSOM II assumes the
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
n duties of the dissolved
UNITAF.
*
May 9 –
Juan Carlos Wasmosy becomes the first democratically elected
President of Paraguay in nearly 40 years, after defeating
Domingo Laíno in the
1993 Paraguayan general election.
*
May 15 –
Niamh Kavanagh wins the
Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland with ''
In Your Eyes In Your Eyes may refer to:
Film
* ''In Your Eyes'', a 2004 film featuring Michael DeLorenzo
* In Your Eyes (2010 film), ''In Your Eyes'' (2010 film), a Philippine romantic drama
* In Your Eyes (2014 film), ''In Your Eyes'' (2014 film), a film writt ...
''.
*
May 16 – The
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...
elects Prime Minister
Süleyman Demirel as
President of Turkey
The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the ...
. After Demirel becomes president, the acting
Prime Minister of Turkey is
Erdal İnönü of
Social Democratic Populist Party for 40 days.
*
May 19 –
SAM Colombia Flight 501, a
Boeing 727-46,
crashed during its approach to
José María Córdova International Airport, Colombia, killing all 132 occupants onboard.
*
May 24
Events Pre-1600
* 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
* 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
* 1276 – Magnus ...
–
Eritrea
Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
gains independence from
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
.
*
May 25
Events Pre-1600
* 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
* 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes ...
– The
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars, war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to tr ...
is created in
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
.
*
May 28 – Eritrea and
Monaco gain entry to the United Nations.
June
*
June 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
* 1298 – Residents of Riga and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida.
* 1495 – A monk, John Cor, rec ...
** Large protests erupt against
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...
's regime in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
; opposition leader
Vuk Drašković and his wife Danica are arrested.
**
President of Guatemala
The president of Guatemala (), officially titled President of the Republic of Guatemala (), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a single four-year term. The position of President was created in 1839.
Selectio ...
Jorge Serrano Elías is forced to flee the country after an attempted
self-coup.
**
1993 Burundian presidential election: The first multiparty elections in Burundi since the country's independence lead to the election of
Melchior Ndadaye, leader of the
Front for Democracy in Burundi. The next day's
legislative election sees his party win with an overwhelming majority.
*
June 5
** The
National Assembly of Venezuela designates
Ramón José Velásquez as successor of suspended
President Carlos Andrés Pérez.
**
Attack on Pakistani military in Somalia: twenty-four
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
i troops in the
United Nations forces are killed in
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
,
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
.
*
June 6
Events Pre-1600
* 913 – Constantine VII, the eight-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointe ...
** Following the
Revolutionary Nationalist Movement's
victory
The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...
,
Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada becomes President of Bolivia.
**
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
holds its first direct
presidential elections,
Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat remains president.
*
June 8 –
Kurdish–Turkish conflict: the
PKK-declared
ceasefire ends in
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
.
*
June 11 – ''
Jurassic Park
''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...
'' releases in cinemas in the United States.
*
June 14 – Multipartyists win
a referendum on the future of the one-party system in
Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
.
*
June 18
Events Pre-1600
* 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China.
* 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
* 860 – Siege of Constantinople (860), Byzantine� ...
**
Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq refuses to allow
UNSCOM weapons inspectors to install remote-controlled monitoring cameras at two missile engine test stands.
**
KTTV launched
Good Day L.A.
*
June 22
Events Pre-1600
*217 BC – Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom.
*168 BC – Battle of Pydna: Roman Republic, Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Luciu ...
– Japan's
New Party Sakigake breaks away from the
Liberal Democratic Party.
*
June 24 – UK mathematician
Andrew Wiles wins worldwide fame after presenting his proof of
Fermat's Last Theorem
In number theory, Fermat's Last Theorem (sometimes called Fermat's conjecture, especially in older texts) states that no three positive number, positive integers , , and satisfy the equation for any integer value of greater than . The cases ...
, a problem that had been unsolved for more than three centuries.
*
June 25
**
Kim Campbell becomes the 19th, and first female,
Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
.
**
Tansu Çiller of
True Path Party forms the new government of
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.
**
Zoran Lilić
Zoran Lilić (Serbian Cyrillic: Зоран Лилић; born 27 August 1953) is a Serbian and former Yugoslav politician. He served as President of the National Assembly of Serbia in 1993, and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslav ...
succeeds
Dobrica Ćosić as
President of Yugoslavia.
** The
litas is introduced as the new currency of
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
.
**
Jacques Attali resigns as President of the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
*
June 26
Events Pre-1600
*4 AD, 4 – Augustus adopts Tiberius.
* 221 – Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar (title), Caesar.
* 363 – Roman emperor Julian (emperor), J ...
–
28 –
Typhoon Koryn causes massive damage to the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, China and
Macau
Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
.
*
June 27 – U.S. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
orders a
cruise missile attack on Iraqi intelligence headquarters in the
Al-Mansur
Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (; ; 714 – 6 October 775) usually known simply as by his laqab al-Manṣūr () was the second Abbasid caliph, reigning from 754 to 775 succeeding his brother al-Saffah (). He is known ...
District of
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
, in response to an Iraqi plot to assassinate former U.S. President
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
during his visit to Kuwait in mid-April.
*
June 29
Events Pre-1600
* 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of Wei.
* 1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi.
* 1170 – A major earthquake hits Syria, badly damagi ...
– The first
mobile phone call was made in
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, marking the launch of
mobile telephony services in the country by
Telestet (now NOVA).
July
*
July 5
**
Iraq disarmament crisis: UN inspection teams leave Iraq. Iraq then agrees to
UNSCOM demands and the inspection teams return.
** Electrochemist
Faiza Al-Kharafi is appointed rector (president) of
Kuwait University, the first woman to head a major university in the Middle East.
*
July 7–
9 – The
19th G7 summit is held in Tokyo, Japan.
*
July 8 –
Monsoonal floods in South Asia begin, going on to kill more than three thousand people over the next month.
*
July 7 –
Hurricane Calvin lands in Mexico. It is the second Pacific hurricane on record to land in Mexico in July and kills 34.
*
July 12 – The 7.7
Hokkaidō earthquake affects northern Japan with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe'') and triggers a devastating
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
that kills 230 on the small island of
Okushiri, Hokkaido.
*
July 19 –
1993 Japanese general election: The loss of majority of the Liberal Democratic Party results in a coalition taking power.
*
July 25 – In a
terrorist attack
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...
members of the
Azanian People's Liberation Army open fire on a congregation inside
St James Church in
Kenilworth, Cape Town, killing eleven and injuring fifty.
*
July 26
**
Miguel Indurain wins the
1993 Tour de France
The 1993 Tour de France was the 80th edition of the Tour de France, taking place between July 3-25, 1993. It consisted of 20 stages, over a distance of .
The winner of the previous two years, Miguel Induráin, successfully defended his title. Th ...
.
**
Asiana Airlines Flight 733 crashes into Mt. Ungeo in
Haenam, South Korea; 68 are killed.
*
July 29 – The
Israeli Supreme Court acquits accused
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
death camp guard
John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free.
August
* August – The
European Exchange Rate Mechanism margin was expanded to 15% to accommodate
speculation against the
French franc and other currencies.
* August 3 -- The premiere of the pilot episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers beginning the Power Rangers franchise
*
August 5 – The discovery of the
Tel Dan Stele, the first archaeological confirmation of the existence of the
Davidic line
The Davidic line refers to the descendants of David, who established the House of David ( ) in the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. In Judaism, the lineage is based on texts from the Hebrew Bible ...
, announced.
*
August 9 – King
Albert II of Belgium is sworn into office nine days after the death of his brother, King
Baudouin I.
*
August 13
Events Pre-1600
* 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes.
* 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas.
* 554 &ndash ...
– More than 130 die in the
collapse of Royal Plaza Hotel at
Nakhon Ratchasima in
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
's worst hotel disaster.
*
August 21
Events Pre-1600
* 959 – Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège.
*1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song War ...
–
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
loses radio contact with the
Mars Observer orbiter 3 days before the spacecraft is scheduled to enter orbit around
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
.
*
August 28
**
Ong Teng Cheong becomes the first
President of Singapore elected by the population.
**The first ''
Power Rangers'' series, ''
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' (an adaptation of ''
Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger''),
premieres in the United States.
*
August 31 – Russia completes removing its troops from
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
.
September
*
September 13
**
1993 Norwegian parliamentary election: The Labour Party wins a plurality of the seats and Prime Minister
Gro Harlem Brundtland retains office.
**
Oslo I Accord: Following initially secret talks from earlier in the year,
PLO leader
Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...
and
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
i prime minister
Yitzhak Rabin shake hands in Washington, D.C. after signing a peace accord.
*
September 15–
21 –
Hurricane Gert crosses from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through Central America and Mexico.
*
September 17 – Russian troops withdraw from Poland.
*
September 19 –
1993 Polish parliamentary election: A coalition of the
Democratic Left Alliance and the
Polish People's Party led by
Waldemar Pawlak comes into power.
*
September 22 –
Big Bayou Canot train disaster: A bridge collapses while the Amtrak ''
Sunset Limited'' is in the process of crossing it, killing 47 people.
*
September 23 – The
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
selects
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, Australia, to host the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
.
*
September 24 – The
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
n monarchy is restored, with
Norodom Sihanouk as king.
*
September 26
** The first mission in
Biosphere 2 ends after two years.
**
PoSAT-1 (the first Portuguese satellite) is launched on board French rocket
Ariane 4.
*
September 27 –
War in Abkhazia:
Fall of Sukhumi –
Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Ambrosis dze Shevardnadze ( ka, ედუარდ ამბროსის ძე შევარდნაძე; 25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Soviet and Georgian politician and diplomat who governed Georgia (country), Georgi ...
accuses Russia of passive complicity.
*
September 30 –
Latur earthquake: A 6.2 earthquake occurs in the vicinity of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
, India having a maximum
Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''), killing 9,748 and injuring 30,000.
October
*
October 3–
4–
Battle of Mogadishu: The U.S. Army conducts
Operation Gothic Serpent in the city of
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
, Somalia, deploying Task Force Ranger. Two U.S. Army
UH-60 Blackhawks are shot down and the operation leaves over 1,000 Somalians dead and over 74 Americans wounded in action, 18 killed and 1 captured.
*
October 4 – The
Russian constitutional crisis culminates with Russian military and security forces, using tanks and clearing the
White House of Russia Parliament building by force, quashing a mass uprising against President
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...
.
*
October 5 – China performs a
nuclear test, ending a worldwide ''de facto''
moratorium.
*
October 9 – The South Korean ferry ''
Seohae'' capsizes off
Pusan, South Korea; 292 are killed.
*
October 11–
28 – The
UNMIH
The United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) was a peacekeeping operation carried out by the United Nations between September 1993 and June 1996. The Mission was reestablished (''MINUSTAH'') in April 2004, after a 2004 Haitian coup d'état, rebell ...
is prevented from entering
Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
by its military-led regime. On
October 18,
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
economic sanctions (abolished in August) are reinstated. U.S. President Bill Clinton sends 6 American warships to enforce them.
*
October 13
**
1993 Greek legislative election:
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou (, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek academic and economist who founded the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and served three terms as Prime minister of Greece, prime minister of Third Hellenic Repu ...
begins his second term as
Prime Minister of Greece
The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic (), usually referred to as the prime minister of Greece (), is the head of government of the Greece, Hellenic Republic and the leader of the Cabinet of Greece, Greek Cabinet.
The officeholder's of ...
.
** The fifth summit of the
Francophonie opens in
Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
.
** The
1993 Finisterre earthquakes in Papua New Guinea kill at least 60 due to landslides.
*
October 19 –
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...
becomes the Prime Minister of Pakistan for the second time.
*
October 21 – A coup in
Burundi
Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...
results in the death of president
Melchior Ndadaye and sparks the
Burundi Civil War.
*
October 25 –
1993 Canadian federal election:
Jean Chrétien and his
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
defeat the governing
Progressive Conservative Party, which falls to a historic low of two seats.
*
October 27–
31 – The Southland Firestorm, formed of more than fourteen separate fires in Southern California burning simultaneously, burns more than 700 homes and 160,000 acres. Two of these fire are the
Laguna Fire which burned more than 16,000 acres (6,500 hectares), destroyed hundreds of homes and caused $528 million in damage in
Orange County, California
Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...
, and the
Kinneloa Fire in
Los Angeles County, California which caused a fatality.
November
*
November 1 – The
Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
.
*
November 4 –
Jean Chrétien becomes the 20th
Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
.
*
November 5 – The
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...
passes the
Railways Act 1993, setting out the procedures for
privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the Rail transport in Great Britain, railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, the process was largely compl ...
.
*
November 9 –
Bosnian Croat forces destroy the ''
Stari Most'', or Old Bridge of
Mostar,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
, by tank fire.
*
November 12 –
London Convention: Marine dumping of
radioactive waste
Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. It is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, nuclear decommissioning, rare-earth mining, and nuclear ...
is outlawed.
*
November 14 – In
a status referendum, residents of
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
vote by a slim margin to maintain
Commonwealth status.
*
November 17–
22 – The
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) passes the legislative houses in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
* November 17
** In Nigeria, General
Sani Abacha ousts the government of
Ernest Shonekan in a military coup.
** The first meeting of the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit opens in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
.
*
November 20 – An Avioimpex
Yakovlev Yak-42D crashes into Mount Trojani near
Ohrid,
Macedonia. All 8 crew members and 115 of the 116 passengers are killed.
*
November 28 – ''
The Observer'' reveals that a channel of communications has existed between the
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
and the British government, despite the government's persistent denials.
*
November 30
** An agreement establishing the Permanent Tripartite Commission for East African Co-operation is signed.
** U.S. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
signs the
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act.
December
*
December 2
** ''
STS-61
STS-61 was NASA's first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, and the fifth flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, Space Shuttle ''Endeavour''. The mission launched on December 2, 1993, from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The missi ...
'':
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
launches the Space Shuttle ''
Endeavour'' on a mission to repair an optical flaw in the
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...
.
**
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
n drug lord
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed the "King of Cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthie ...
is gunned down by police.
*
December 5
**
Omar Bongo is re-elected as
President of Gabon in the country's first multiparty elections.
**
Rafael Caldera Rodríguez is elected President of Venezuela for the second time, succeeding interim president
Ramón José Velásquez.
*
December 7
** In
Garden City, New York, six people are murdered and 19 injured in the
Long Island Rail Road massacre, a racially motivated mass shooting perpetrated by Colin Ferguson, a black Jamaican immigrant.
** The 32-member Transitional Executive Committee holds its first meeting in
Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
, marking the first meeting of an official government body in South Africa with Black members.
**
President of Ivory Coast Félix Houphouët-Boigny dies at 88, the oldest African head of state. He is succeeded four days later by
Henri Konan Bédié.
*
December 8 – U.S. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
signs into law the
North American Free Trade Agreement.
*
December 10 –
id Software
id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...
releases the first-person shooter game ''
Doom''.
*
December 11
** One of the three blocks of the Highland Towers near
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
collapses, killing 48.
**
1993 Chilean presidential election:
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is elected with 58% of the vote.
*
December 13
** Former
Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
Kim Campbell resigns as leader of the
Progressive Conservative Party and is succeeded as leader by
Jean Charest.
** The
Majilis of
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
approves the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty and agrees to dismantle the more than 100 missiles left on its territory by the fall of the USSR.
*
December 15
Events Pre-1600
* 533 – Vandalic War: Byzantine Empire, Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Tricamarum.
* 687 – Pope Sergius I is elected as a compromise between antipopes P ...
– The
Uruguay Round of
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks reach a successful conclusion after seven years.
*
December 17 –
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
's
Supreme Court rules that former President
Fernando Collor de Mello may not hold elected office again until 2000 due to
political corruption
Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influen ...
.
*
December 20
** The
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
votes to appoint a
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
** The first corrected images from the
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...
are taken.
*
December 21
** The
Hungarian Parliament elects
Péter Boross Prime Minister of Hungary
The prime minister of Hungary () is the head of government of Hungary. The prime minister and the government of Hungary, Cabinet are collectively accountability, accountable for their policies and actions to the National Assembly (Hungary), Par ...
following the death of
József Antall on December 12.
** Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki's
VeggieTales is first released.
*
December 30
** The
Congress Party gains a parliamentary majority in India after the defection of 10
Janata Dal party lawmakers.
** Representatives of
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
and the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
sign the
Fundamental Agreement Between the Holy See and the State of Israel, preparing for the establishment of
diplomatic relations.
**
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
passes a measure allowing President
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) served as the 50th president of Argentina for ten years, from 1989 to 1999. He identified as Peronism, Peronist, serving as President of the Justicialist Party for 13 years (from 1990 to 200 ...
and all future presidents to run for a second consecutive term. It also shortens presidential terms to four years and removes the requirement for the president to be
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
.
Births and deaths
Nobel Prizes
*
Chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
–
Kary Mullis,
Michael Smith
*
Economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
–
Robert W. Fogel,
Douglass North
*
Literature
Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
–
Toni Morrison
*
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...
–
Nelson Mandela and
F. W. de Klerk
*
Physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
–
Russell Alan Hulse,
Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr.
*
Physiology or Medicine –
Richard J. Roberts,
Phillip Allen Sharp
References
Sources
*
*
*
{{Events by month links