World Events 1989-1993

Date

Event

1989	The Chinese Army suppresses a prodemocracy celebration in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
1989	The Exxon Valdez tanker spills 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska.
1989	Four-star General Colin Powell is the first black to become chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff.
1989	The Berlin Wall, a barrier between East and West Berlin, is demolished.
1990	United States forces invade Panama and arrest Manuel Noriega on drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering charges.
1990	East and West Germany are reunified as the Federal Republic of Germany.
1990	The Americans with Disabilities Act becomes law, protecting disabled people from discrimination.
1991	South Africa officially ends apartheid by releasing African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela from prison and legalizing black African political organizations.
1991	Iraq is defeated in the Persian Gulf War.
1991	More than 110,000 people die when a tidal wave and a cyclone hit Bangladesh.
1991	The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) breaks into independent states, marking the end of the Cold War.
1991	The 12 members of the European Community sign the Maastricht Treaty, creating the European Union.
1992	After the acquittal of four white police officers charged with the videotaped beating of a black suspect, Rodney King, rioting erupts in south central Los Angeles.