Pulitzer Prize. (Jul. 7) The Three Tenors—
Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and José
Carreras—make their debut performance dur-
ing the 1990 FIFA World Cup soccer games in
Rome. The evening concert is broadcast live on
television and watched by millions of people
worldwide.
Popular culture:(Feb. 22) The duo Milli Vanilli
are named Best New Artist at the Grammy
Award ceremonies. The pair later return the
award after their producer reveals that they were
lip-synching their songs in videos and live perfor-
mances. (May 16) Jim Henson, the puppeteer
who created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and
other Muppets, dies of the flu. (Oct. 4)Beverly
Hills 90210, a prime-time drama series about
teenagers in the upscale community, premieres
on the Fox network.
Sports:(Mar. 28) President George H. W. Bush post-
humously awards the Congressional Gold Medal
to Jesse Owens, an African American track-and-
field athlete who won four gold medals in the
1936 Olympics. (May 24) The Edmonton Oilers
capture their fifth Stanley Cup when the hockey
team defeats the Boston Bruins. (Oct. 25) Evan-
der Holyfield defeats James “Buster” Douglas to
win the heavyweight boxing crown.
Crime:(Jan. 18) Marion Barry, the mayor of Wash-
ington, D.C., is arrested for drug possession in a
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting oper-
ation. (Mar. 18) In the largest art theft in U.S. his-
tory, thieves posing as police officers steal twelve
paintings, collectively worth between $200 and
$300 million, from the Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum in Boston. (Dec. 11) John Gotti, the boss
of New York City’s Gambino family, is arrested on
charges of murder, racketeering, extortion, loan-
sharking, and other offenses.
1991
International events:(Jan. 4) The United Nations
Security Council votes unanimously to condemn
Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. (Mar. 9)
Massive demonstrations against Serbian presi-
dent Slobodan Miloš evi 6 take place in Belgrade,
resulting in the deaths of two people. (May 21)
Former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi is as-
sassinated. (Jun. 12) Boris Yeltsin is the first
elected president of Russia, the largest of the for-
mer Soviet republics. (Jun. 17) In a step toward
dismantling apartheid, the South African parlia-
ment repeals the Population Registration Act,
which required racial classification of all South
Africans at birth. (Sept. 30) President Jean-
Bertrand Aristide is ousted from power in Haiti.
(Dec. 26) The Supreme Soviet meets and for-
mally dissolves the Soviet Union.
Government and politics: (Oct. 2) Arkansas gover-
nor Bill Clinton, a Democrat, announces his can-
didacy in the 1992 presidential race. (Oct. 15)
The U.S. Senate votes 52-48 to confirm Clarence
Thomas’s appointment to the Supreme Court de-
spite allegations of sexual harassment by Thomas’s
former aide Anita Hill. (Nov. 5) By an over-
whelming margin, white supremacist David Duke,
running as a Republican, loses the Louisiana
governor’s race to Democratic candidate Edwin
Edwards.
Military and war:(Jan. 12) The U.S. Congress adopts
a resolution authorizing the use of military force
to liberate Kuwait. (Jan. 17) Operation Desert
Storm begins with American air strikes against
Iraq. (Feb. 25) Part of an Iraqi Scud missile hits an
American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi
Arabia, killing twenty-nine and injuring ninety-
nine American soldiers—the single most devas-
tating attack on American forces during the Gulf
War. (Mar. 10) As the Gulf War winds down,
540,000 American troops begin to leave the Per-
sian Gulf.
Society:Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define Americais
published, in which sociologist James Davison
Hunter coins the term “culture wars” to describe
divisions between liberals and conservatives over
religion and racial issues. A new discussion about
women’s issues is generated by the publication of
Susan Faludi’s bookBacklash: The Undeclared War
Against American Women.
Business and economics:(Apr. 17) The Dow Jones
Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for the first
time ever, at 3,004.46.
Transportation and communications:The American
automobile industry is in decline, losing $8 billion,
while the Japanese-manufactured Honda Accord
is the best-selling car for the third consecutive
year. (Jan. 18) After sixty-two years in business,
Eastern Air Lines shuts down because of financial
difficulties.
Science and technology:(Aug. 6) Tim Berners-Lee
releases an article describing his idea for the1028 Time Line The Nineties in America