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.
The German Democratic Republic joins the Federal Republic of Germany, ending more than four decades of division.
Bosnian Serb forces besiege Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for nearly four years, the longest siege of a capital city in modern warfare.
Tim Berners-Lee submits "Information Management: A Proposal" at CERN, the origin of the World Wide Web.
East Germany opens its border and crowds cross the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the Cold War's end.
Peaceful protests in Czechoslovakia bring an end to Communist rule; Václav Havel is elected president.