Cowlings flee from police in his white Ford
Bronco. The televised chase winds up at Simp-
son’s home, where he surrenders to police offi-
cers on charges that he murdered his former wife
and Goldman.1995
International events:(Feb. 13) A United Nations tri-
bunal on human rights violations in the Balkans
charges twenty-one Bosnian Serb commanders
with genocide and crimes against humanity.
(Mar. 24) For the first time in twenty-six years,
British soldiers are not patrolling the streets of
Belfast, Northern Ireland. (May 7) Jacques
Chirac is elected president of France. (Nov. 4) Is-
raeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated
in Tel Aviv. (Nov. 10) Nigerian playwright and en-
vironmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight
other members of the Movement for the Survival
of the Ogoni People are hanged by Nigerian gov-
ernment forces.
Government and politics:(Mar. 16) Mississippi for-
mally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment, 130
years after the amendment abolishing slavery was
officially added to the U.S. Constitution. (Apr. 7)
Republicans in the House of Representatives pass
most of the provisions of their Contract with Amer-
ica, which, among other things, calls for smaller
government, lower taxes, and welfare reform.
(Oct. 30) Proponents of a separate Quebec nar-
rowly lose a referendum calling for a mandate to
negotiate the province’s independence from Can-
ada. (Nov. 14) After a budget standoff between
congressional Democrats and Republicans, the
federal government is forced to temporarily close
national parks and museums and to operate most
government offices with only a minimal staff.
Military and war:(Mar. 3) The United Nations ends
its peacekeeping mission in Somalia. (May 11)
Meeting in New York City, more than 170 nations
extend the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in-
definitely and unconditionally. (Jul. 11) Bosnian
Serbs march into Srebrenica, resulting in the
murder of large numbers of Bosniak men and
boys in the Srebrenica massacre. (Aug. 4) Cro-
atian military forces, with assistance from the
army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
launch Operation Storm against Serbian forces
in Krajina. As a result, Bosnian Serbs are forced to
withdraw to central Bosnia and Herzegovina.
(Aug. 7) The United Nations negotiates a cease-
fire to end Operation Storm. (Aug. 30) The
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) be-
gins bombing Serb artillery positions in Bosnia
and Herzegovina, a campaign that will continue
into October. Simultaneously, the army of the Re-
public of Bosnia and Herzegovina begins a mili-
tary offensive against the Serbian army. (Nov. 21)
A peace agreement is reached to end the Bosnian
War. (Dec. 14) The Dayton Peace Agreement is
signed in Paris, bringing an end to the war in
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Society:(Mar. 6) Scott Amedure appears on an epi-
sode of theJenny Jones Showand tells television
viewers he has a crush on a heterosexual friend,
Jonathan Schmitz. Several days later, Schmitz kills
Amedure for “outing” him. On May 7, 1999, a jury
finds the show and its distributor, Warner Bros., li-
able for Amedure’s death because the program
purposely deceived Schmitz into appearing on
the episode about same-sex crushes. (Jul. 5) Con-
gress passes the Child Protection and Obscenity
Enforcement Act, requiring that producers of
pornography maintain records of all models who
are filmed or photographed and that all models
be at least eighteen years old. (Oct. 16) The Mil-
lion Man March is held in Washington, D.C. Na-
tion of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan organized
the event in order to encourage more African
Americans to vote and to participate in voluntary
and community activities.
Business and economics:(Feb. 23) The Dow Jones
Industrial Average closes at 4,003.33, the first
time the average closes at more than 4,000. (July)
Amazon.com, which was founded as an online
bookstore in 1994, begins service to customers.
(Sept. 4) eBay, an online shopping and auction
Web site, is founded. (Nov. 21) The stock market
continues its dramatic rise, as the Dow Jones Indus-
trial Average for the first time closes above 5,000—
the second millennium mark in a single year.
Transportation and communications:(Feb. 27) The
largest airport in the United States opens in Den-
ver, replacing the city’s old Stapleton Airport.
(Nov. 28) President Clinton signs the National
Highway System Designation Act, which ends the
federal fifty-five-mile-per-hour speed limit.
Science and technology:(Feb. 15) The FBI arrests
computer hacker Kevin Mitnick and charges him
with breaking into some of the United States’1034 Time Line The Nineties in America