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Signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act
It was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. The ADA is one of America's biggest pieces of civil rights legislation. It prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life such as to get a job, to purchase goods and services, and to participate in State and local government programs and services. -
Confirmation of Clarence Thomas to the US Supreme Court
President George H. W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court of the United States to replace Thurgood Marshall, who had announced his retirement. As the confirmation hearings for Thomas’ Supreme Court nomination got underway, he evaded controversy over his conservative views on issues such as abortion by refusing to state a clear political position. He was then accused of sexual harassment. -
Magic Johnson’s HIV Announcement
After a physical before the 1991–92 NBA season, Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. In a press conference held on November 7, 1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately. It was very surprising because he was one of the best basketball players in the world at the time. -
Hurricane Andrew
It was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in mid-to-late August 1992. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida until Hurricane Irma surpassed it 25 years later. It was the strongest in decades until it was surpassed by Katrina in 2005. Andrew caused major damage in South Florida, where the storm came as a Category 5 hurricane, with sustained wind speeds as high as 165 mph. -
Entrance of US Soldiers in Somalia / Blackhawk Down
This battle was fought on 3–4 October 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, between forces of the United States and Somali armies loyal to the president to be Mohamed Farrah Aidid. During the operation, two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were shot down by RPGs and three others were damaged. Some of the wounded survivors were able to evacuate to the compound, but others remained near the crash sites and were isolated. An urban battle then followed and continued throughout the night. -
Signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was a controversial trade pact signed in 1992 that eventually eliminated most tariffs and other trade barriers on products and services passing between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The pact effectively created free-trade among the three largest countries of North America. -
Million Man March
Million Man March, political demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 16, 1995, to promote African American unity and family values. Estimates of the number of marchers, most of whom were African American men, ranged from 400,000 to nearly 1.1 million, ranking it among the largest gatherings of its kind in American history. -
Explosion of TWA Flight 800
TWA flight 800 was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near New York at about 8:31 p.m. 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport on a scheduled international passenger flight to Rome, with a stopover in Paris. All 230 people on board died in the third-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history. -
Murder of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a gay American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie on the night of October 6, 1998. He was taken by rescuers to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days later from severe head injuries. Suspects Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were arrested shortly after the attack and charged with first-degree murder following Shepard's death. -
Beginning of NATO bombing in Yugoslavia
NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) during the Kosovo War was air strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999. The bombings continued until an agreement was reached that led to the withdrawal of Yugoslav armed forces from Kosovo, and the establishment of a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.
