Hubble Space Telescope launched during Space Shuttle Discovery mission.
Lech Walesa became the first president of Poland
South Africa's Nelson Mandela was freed
The World Wide Web is publicly debuted as an Internet service.
Eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines that killed 800 and the airlift of 14,000 Jews from Ethiopia by Israel.
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested
South Africa repealed its apartheid laws
Bill Clinton defeats President George H. W. Bush
Genocide in Bosnia
Riots in Los Angeles after the verdict in the Rodney King trial
Branch Davidians standoff and fire near Waco, Texas,
President Clinton signs 'Don't ask, don't tell' into law which prohibits openly gay or bisexual people from serving in the military.
New York's World Trade Center was bombed
North American Free Trade Agreement goes into effect.
Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa
The Channel Tunnel opened, connecting Britain and France
O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of the double murder of his ex-wife
President Bill Clinton is re-elected over Republican candidate Bob Dole in the presidential election
Lewinsky scandal:
Two teenage students murder 13 other students and teachers at Columbine High School. It sparked debates on gun control and bullying.
The USS Cole (DDG-76) is bombed in Yemeni waters, killing seventeen U.S. Navy sailors.
George W. Bush became president
Democrats gains narrow control of Senate after James Jeffords defects from the Republican Party.
No Child Left Behind Act education reform bill passed.
9/11
Anthrax attacks kill 5 and infect a further 17 through the U.S. Mail system.
American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in Queens, New York, killing 265.
The United States launches the invasion of Afghanistan marking the start of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The United States withdraws from Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
Republicans retake narrow control of the Senate following 2002 elections.
Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates upon re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere
In Iraq, deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is captured by U.S. special forces
The social networking website Facebook is launched.
Massachusetts becomes the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in compliance with a ruling from the state's Supreme Court ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health
Hurricane Katrina
Virginia Tech massacre
The Super Tuesday tornado outbreak
Pop icon Michael Jackson dies,
A series of tornadoes cause heavy damage in the South, Alabama
Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda and mastermind of the September 11 attacks, is killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan, by U.S. Navy SEALs.