The Maastricht Treaty enters into force, formally establishing the European Union and laying the groundwork for a single currency.
Bosnian Serb forces besiege Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for nearly four years, the longest siege of a capital city in modern warfare.
A series of ethnic conflicts and wars of independence accompany the break-up of Yugoslavia, killing an estimated 130,000–140,000 people and involving numerous war crimes.
The Supreme Soviet formally dissolves the USSR, a day after Gorbachev's resignation.
After capturing Srebrenica, Bosnian Serb forces kill more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys; international courts have ruled it a genocide.
A peace agreement negotiated in Dayton, United States, is formally signed in Paris, ending the Bosnian War.
The German Democratic Republic joins the Federal Republic of Germany, ending more than four decades of division.