The world in
What happened in 1990?
31 events across 9 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which East Germany joined West Germany, ending Germany's division. The key event was on 3 October when East German states acceded to West Germany, and Berlin was reunified, later becoming the capital.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Singing RevolutionThe Singing Revolution refers to the events from 1987 to 1991 that led to the restoration of independence for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania at the end of the Cold War. The term originated from spontaneous mass patriotic singing demonstrations on the nights of 10–11 June 1988 at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, and was coined a week later in an article by Estonian artist Heinz Valk. The Soviet Union had annexed the Baltics around 1940 and subsequently suppressed local languages, religions, and culture, carried out large-scale deportations and political repression.
Cold WarAfter World War II, the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union engaged in a nearly half-century-long political, economic, and military confrontation. Although the two superpowers never fought directly, they competed globally through proxy wars, an arms race, and the Space Race. The Cold War began in the late 1940s and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: U.S. Army photo Photo Credit: USAMHI / Public domain ↗
Signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSROn December 30, 1922, the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR was signed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, officially establishing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Plenipotentiary delegates from the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian Soviet republics signed the treaty, along with a declaration serving as its preamble. The treaty legally formalized the political union of the Soviet republics that had existed since 1919, creating a new federal government with centralized functions in Moscow. Legislative power was vested in the Congress of Soviets and the Central Executive Committee, while executive power lay with the Council of People's Commissars.
Signing of the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to GermanyOn 12 September 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, and the four occupying powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France—signed the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany (Two Plus Four Agreement) in Moscow. The treaty led the Four Powers to renounce their rights regarding Germany, allowing its reunification as a fully sovereign state the following year. The two German states also agreed to reconfirm the existing border with Poland, renouncing claims to former eastern territories.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Roland Dumas , Eduard Shevardnadze , Douglas Hurd , James Baker / Public domain ↗
- Creation of the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a global information system that operates over the Internet. It was created by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN between 1989 and 1993. It enables access to documents and other resources via hyperlinks, fundamentally changing how people share and access information.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- 1990 Bridge of Flowers demonstration
On 6 May 1990, a massive demonstration called the 'Bridge of Flowers' took place along the Prut River between Romania and the Moldavian SSR.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Signing of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
In 1990, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was signed in Paris. It imposed comprehensive limits on conventional military equipment across NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and mandated the destruction of excess weaponry. The treaty aimed to enhance European security and stability at the end of the Cold War.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
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Establishment of Jasmund National ParkGermany established the national park on 12 September 1990 on the Jasmund peninsula, Rügen island, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, covering about 30 km² to protect chalk cliffs and beech forests.
- Belgian UFO Wave
Between 1989 and 1990, Belgium experienced a series of triangular UFO sightings that lasted five months. Witnesses commonly reported rounded triangular shapes moving almost silently. It was the densest wave of UFO sightings in the country's history.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
West Asia
Gulf War breaks outIn 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, prompting a US-led coalition to intervene. After securing UN authorization, the coalition launched aerial and ground operations in 1991, forcing Iraq to withdraw.
Outbreak of the First Nagorno-Karabakh WarIn February 1988, armed conflict broke out in the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous enclave in southwestern Azerbaijan between the majority ethnic Armenians, backed by Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The conflict was triggered by the enclave's parliament voting for union with Armenia and a referendum favoring independence, while Azerbaijan sought to curb separatism. Amid the Soviet dissolution, the initially peaceful movement escalated into protracted, undeclared mountain warfare.
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Establishment of Beit Al QuranBeit Al Quran was established in 1990 in the Hoora district of Manama, Bahrain, as a multi-purpose complex dedicated to Islamic arts, comprising a museum, library, mosque, auditorium, and madrasa.
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1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquakeOn 21 June 1990, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Caspian region of northwestern Iran, near Rasht. The shock devastated an area of about 20,000 square kilometers, destroying hundreds of villages and leaving between 35,000 and 50,000 dead, around 60,000 injured, and half a million homeless. It ranks among the deadliest earthquakes in Iran's history.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: M. Mehrain, Dames and Moore. / Public domain ↗
South Lebanon conflict eruptsThe South Lebanon conflict erupted in 1985, with Israel and its allied South Lebanon Army fighting Hezbollah-led forces in Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon. Seen as an extension of the Lebanese Civil War, the conflict persisted until Israel's withdrawal in 2000.
- Yemeni unification
On 22 May 1990, the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) united to form the Republic of Yemen, ending the division of Yemen.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Black JanuaryIn January 1990, under a state of emergency during the Soviet Union’s breakup, Soviet forces entered Baku and carried out a forceful crackdown, triggering fierce clashes with Azerbaijanis. Remembered as Black January (or Black Saturday), it is widely regarded as a massacre and marked a sharp escalation of tensions between Soviet authorities and Azerbaijani society.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Post of Azerbaijan / Public domain ↗
South Asia
Outbreak of the Cambodian–Vietnamese WarIn December 1978, Vietnam launched a large-scale invasion of Cambodia, toppling the Khmer Rouge regime, which marked the outbreak of the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. Border clashes had occurred in preceding years. The war was part of the Third Indochina War and intertwined with the Sino-Soviet split in the Cold War.
Establishment of Manas National ParkManas National Park was established in 1990 in the Himalayan foothills of Assam, India. Bordering the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan, it is renowned for its rich biodiversity and endangered wildlife, having earlier been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: Pankaj from Bangalore, India / CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
- 1990 People's Movement in Nepal
In 1990, a multiparty people's movement in Nepal ended absolute monarchy, established constitutional monarchy, and eliminated the Panchayat system.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Sub-Saharan Africa
Beginning of the South African Border WarIn 1966, the South African Border War broke out across Namibia, Zambia, and Angola. It was fought between the South African Defence Force and the People's Liberation Army of Namibia, the armed wing of SWAPO. The conflict, closely tied to the Angolan Civil War, became one of Africa's largest wars since World War II.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: No machine-readable author provided. Ceresnet assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 2.5 ↗
Establishment of the Sangha TrinationalThe Sangha Trinational was established at the tripoint of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the Republic of the Congo, encompassing tropical rainforests, wetlands, and natural clearings. The protected area links three contiguous national parks, aiming to preserve the humid tropical forest ecosystem and its exceptional biodiversity in Central Africa.
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Establishment of Dzanga-Ndoki National ParkIn 1990, the Central African Republic established Dzanga-Ndoki National Park at its southwestern extremity to protect the region's rich forest ecosystem and rare wildlife. Covering over 1,000 square kilometres and divided into two non-continuous sectors, Dzanga and Ndoki, the park provides critical habitat for species such as the western lowland gorilla and African forest elephant.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Massa B (2020) Revision of the Afrotropical genus Leiodontocercus (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) with a de / CC0 ↗
Oceania
Establishment of the University of CanberraIn 1990, the University of Canberra was established as one of Australia's new universities from the 1990s. Its main campus is located in the northern Canberra suburb of Bruce, near Belconnen Town Centre and the Australian Institute of Sport, contributing to the growth of higher education in the region.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: 1717 at en.wikipedia / Public domain ↗
Establishment of Springbrook National ParkSpringbrook National Park was established in 1990 in Queensland, Australia. Covering about 6,197 hectares, it lies on the McPherson Range around 100 kilometres south of Brisbane and is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.
Central & South America
Nicaraguan RevolutionThe Nicaraguan Revolution was a revolutionary movement in Nicaragua from 1961 to 1990, led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front, aiming to overthrow the Somoza family dictatorship and, after its success in 1979, to carry out social and economic reforms.
- Existence of Universidad del Desarrollo
University of Development is a private university in Chile, with its main campus in Santiago and a secondary campus in Concepción.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North Africa
Outbreak of the Western Sahara WarIn 1975, after Spain withdrew from Western Sahara, Morocco and Mauritania took over administration under the Madrid Accords, leading to armed conflict with the Polisario Front. Morocco organized the Green March, with tens of thousands of citizens and around 20,000 troops entering Western Sahara, meeting resistance from the Polisario Front. Fighting was minor at first but evolved into a prolonged guerrilla war. The Polisario Front fought both Morocco and Mauritania, seeking independence. Mauritania withdrew in 1979, but the war persisted until a 1991 ceasefire.
Dar Menebhi Palace opens as Marrakech MuseumThe Marrakech Museum is housed in a historic palace in the old city center, originally known as Dar El Menebhi, featuring a large Moorish-style courtyard. The museum presents a collection of historic art objects and contemporary art from Morocco, and serves as a venue for cultural activities.
East Asia
- Launch of Reform and Opening-up
After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in December 1978, China began implementing a policy centered on economic reform, known as 'reform and opening-up'. Proposed under Deng Xiaoping's leadership, it aimed to introduce market mechanisms and expand foreign economic exchanges.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North America
Human Genome Project draft publishedIn 1990, the Human Genome Project released its first draft of the human genome. Led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and other institutions, the project aimed to map all human genes, ushering in the genomic era in life sciences.
Around 1990
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Beginning of the Digital Revolution
- Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque
- Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
- Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station
- Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins
- Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins
- Construction of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in 'The Centre of Heaven and Earth'
- Establishment of the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains