Pilgrim Stampede Kills 1,400
A tragic incident occurred on July 3, 1990, when a deadly stampede happened in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca towards Mina and the Plains of Arafat in Saudi Arabia. The disaster resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,400 pilgrims who were participating in the annual Hajj pilgrimage. This incident remains one of the deadliest […]
China Releases Tiananmen Square Prisoners
On this day in 1990, China released 211 prisoners who had been arrested during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. These protests, primarily led by students advocating for democratic reforms, economic change, and freedom of the press, were violently suppressed on June 4, 1989. The release of these prisoners was a significant albeit partial response […]
Thieves Steal $500 Million Worth of Art from Boston Museum
On this day in 1990, in what was one of the largest art thefts in history, two thieves disguised as police officers stole 13 pieces of artwork worth an estimated $500 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. Among the stolen treasures were works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Degas, and despite extensive […]
Nelson Mandela is Released from Prison
A triumph in the fight against apartheid took place on February 11th, 1990, as Nelson Mandela, the iconic South African anti-apartheid leader, was released from Victor Verster Prison after 27 years of imprisonment.
Tim Berners-Lee Publishes a Formal Proposal for the World Wide Web
Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, published a formal proposal for the World Wide Web on November 12th, 1990. This groundbreaking concept revolutionized information sharing and communication, leading to the internet as we know it today.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the USSR, receives Nobel Peace Prize for his work in making his country more open and reducing Cold War tensions.
Germany Reunified
Germany was reunified after 45 years of division, symbolizing the end of the Cold War era and the fall of the Berlin Wall.