The year 1994 (MCMXCIV) of the Gregorian Calendar began and ended on a Saturday.
During the year, Nelson Mandela became the President of South Africa and the Vance-Owen Peace Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina was revealed. Ethnic cleansing was rife in Rwanda in what became called the "Rwandan genocide." Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty to end a state of war that had existed since 1948.
The Whitewater real estate/loan scandal investigation began, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis dies at the age of 65. The car ferry MS Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea, killing 852 people. Kurt Cobain, lead singer of grunge band Nirvana committed suicide.
The US hosted the FIFA World Cup, which ended when Brazil beat Italy on penalties in the final. Nancy Kerrigan was attacked, under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband. The 1994 Winter Olympics were held in Lillehammer, Norway. George Foreman became the oldest world heavyweight boxing champion at the age of 45, winning the WBA and IBF belts. Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna died at age 34 in an accident during the San Marino Grand Prix.
Fred and Rose West were arrested in Gloucester, UK and charged with the rape and murder of at least 12 women. The first female priests were ordained in the Church of England. The Channel Tunnel, connecting England and France opened.
Famous Births
Famous Deaths
- Feb. 26: Bill Hicks - Comedian
- Mar. 04: John Candy - Uncle Buck
- Apr. 05: Kurt Cobain - Musician
- Apr. 22: Richard Nixon - 37th American President
- May 10: John Wayne Gacy - Serial Killer
- May 19: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
- Jun. 12: Nicole Brown Simpson
- Jul. 08: Kim Il-sung - North Korea Leader
- Jul. 09: Bill Mosienko - Chicago Blackhawks
Chart Toppers
- Jan. 01: Mariah Carey - Hero
- Jan. 22: Adams/Stewart/Sting - All for Love
- Feb. 12: Celine Dion - The Power of Love
- Mar. 12: Ace of Base - The Sign
- Apr. 09: R. Kelly - Bump N' Grind
- May. 07: Ace of Base - The Sign
- May 21: All-4-One - I Swear
- Aug. 06: Lisa Loeb - Stay
- Aug. 27: Boyz II Men - I'll Make Love to You
- Dec. 03: Boyz II Men - On Bended Knee
- Dec. 17: Ini Kamoze - Here Comes the Hotstepper
- Dec. 31: Boyz II Men - On Bended Knee Billboard: Historical Billboard Charts
Top Movies
- Forrest Gump - Tom Hanks
- The Lion King - Jonathan Taylor Thomas
- True Lies - Arnold Schwarzenegger
- The Santa Clause - Tim Allen
- The Flintstones - John Goodman
- Dumb and Dumber - Jim Carrey
- Clear and Present Danger - Harrison Ford
- Speed - Keanu Reeves
- The Mask - Jim Carrey
- Pulp Fiction - John TravoltaBox Office Mojo: Top Grossing Films of 1994
67th Academy Awards
- Presented: March 27, 1995
- Best Picture: Forrest Gump
- Lead Actor: Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump
- Lead Actress: Jessica Lange in Blue Sky
- Best Director: Robert Zemeckis for Forrest Gump
- Best Documentary: Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision directed by Freida Lee Mock
Championship Teams
- Stanley Cup - NHL: New York Rangers
- World Series - MLB: Cancelled
- Super Bowl - NFL: Dallas Cowboys
- NBA Finals - NBA: Houston Rockets
Top Athletes
- NHL MVP - Sergei Fedorov , DET
- NFL MVP - Steve Young, SF
- NBA MVP - Hakeem Olajuwon, HOU
- MLB: AL MVP - Frank Thomas, CHW
- MLB: NL MVP - Jeff Bagwell , HOU
Nobel Laureates
1994 Timeline
January 6 1994
January 6: Nancy Kerrigan is attacked the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, Michigan. It would be later revealed that it was her figure skating rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband who planned the attack.
January 17 1994
January 17: 60 people were killed and over $30 Billion in damages as a 6.7 earthquake hits Los Angeles, California.
January 1994
- January 1: The North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico goes into effect.
- January 4: With Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House, the 104th congress convened and with the first Republican majority since Dwight D. Eisenhower was President.
- January 14: Bill Clinton strikes a deal with Russian president Boris Yeltsin to dismantle the Ukraine nuclear arsenal.
February 1994
- February 12: The Scream by Edvard Munch was stolen from the National Art Museum in Oslo, Norway, it was recovered three months later.
March 23 1994
March 23: Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings broke Gordie Howe's NHL career record with his 802nd goal.
March 1994
- March 7: The Supreme Court ruled that parodies that poke fun at an original work can be considered "fair use" that doesn't require permission from the copyright holder.
- March 12: The Church of England ordained its first female priests.
- March 25: American troops completed their withdrawal from Somalia.
April 7 1994
April 7: Civil war erupted in Rwanda, a day after a plane crash claimed the lives of the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi.
April 1994
May 1994
- May 2: Nelson Mandela wins South Africa's first democratic election.
- May 4: Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat reached agreement in Cairo on the first stage of Palestinian self-rule.
- May 10: At the end of Apartheid, Nelson Mandela becomes the first black President of South Africa.
- May 10: Notorious Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy is executed by Lethal Injection in Illinois.
June 14 1994
1994: For the first time in 54 years the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup.
June 1994
- June 30: Tonya Harding was banned by the U.S. Figure Skating Association for her role in an attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan.
October 1994
- October 1: National Hockey League owners begin a 103 day long lockout, resulting in a shortened.
- October 5: 48 Members of the cult Apocalyptical Order of the Solar Temple commit mass suicide outside of Geneva, Switzerland.
- October 26: The World watched as Bill Clinton stood as a witness to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan formally made peace during a ceremony in at the Jordan - Israel border.
- October 27: The United States becomes the 2nd highest nation in regards to prison incarceration rate after exceeding 1 Million prisoners. Most prisoners are victims of the War on Drugs.
December 1994
- December 30: A Planned Parenthood abortion clinic outside Boston is attacked by a gunman, two woman were killed.
