>What happened in 1994 Major News Stories include Northridge Earthquake San Fernando Valley, Channel Tunnel opens, Michael Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley, Nelson Mandella becomes president of South Africa, Estonia sinks in the Baltic sea, First Satellite Digital Television Service Launched, Civil War in Rwanda. After many years the English Channel is opened joining England to France for the first time, this year also marks the 50th Anniversary of the Allied landings in France and the beginning of the end of the Second World War. Tensions start over Inspection of Nuclear Plants in North Korea. Rover in the UK is purchased by BMW. In the US the First Genetically Engineered Tomatoes become available and the use and sale of GM Foods is approved
Tonya Harding wins the national Figure Skating championship title but is stripped of her title following an attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan.
More Information and Timeline for the attack on Nancy Kerrigan.
Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was suddenly attacked in Detroit, Michigan on January 6, 1994 after her skating practice. She was hit in the right knee but, fortunately, it was not fractured. It was going to be nearly impossible for Kerrigan to complete the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which were held during this week. Four men, including the ex-husband of Kerrigan's rival, Tonya Harding, were later sentenced to prison for the assault. Harding denied involvement.
Netscape Navigator released quickly becoming market leader for browsing the web.
More Information for Netscape Navigator.
The full version of Netscape Navigator was released during December of 1994 and it was considered the first commercially successful web browser. It quickly became the leading web browser in the market and was offered for free to non-commercial users such as schools and non-profit organizations. Netscape Navigator’s popularity eventually declined during the late 1990s as Microsoft continued to improve and promote their own Internet Explorer web browser. Netscape eventually released their code under an open-source license where it was used for the creation of Mozilla Firefox. Support for it ended in 2008.
1. South Africa holds its first multi-racial elections after the end of apartheid during April News Events.
2. The election was conducted by the Independent Electoral Commission, which later became a permanent part of South African elections after 1996 .
3. The African National Congress party won a majority of the votes with about 62 percent.
4. The party leader was anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, who was appointed president the following month.
5. There was nearly 87 percent turnout with over 19 million ballots cast.
NASA’s STS-62 mission took place during March. The Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center with a crew of five. The Crew included John H. Casper, Andrew M. Allen, Pierre J. Thuot, Charles D. Gemar, and Marsha S. Ivins. The crew conducted several experiments during The mission including growing crystals in microgravity. The mission lasted nearly 14 days and its landing was documented for a Discovery Channel special about the Space Shuttle Program.
Brazil Wins 1994 World Cup in United States
More Information and Timeline for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup for soccer begins on June 17th, 1994 and lasts until July 17th. It is held in the United States for the first time in the competition’s history and matches take place in nine different cities across the country. The cities include Pasadena, Pontiac, Stanford, East Rutherford, Chicago, Dallas, Foxborough, Orlando, and Washington, D.C. There were a total of 52 games held throughout the tournament and at the end of it Brazil defeated Italy to win the title. The USA World Cup was recorded as one of the highest attended in history, and it was thought to have influenced a surge in the popularity of soccer in the United States, especially since the United States Team made it to the round of 16 for the first time since 1930.
Sweden and Norway vote on whether or not to join the European Union.
More Information for Sweden and Norway in the European Union.
Citizens in both Sweden and Norway voted on whether or not to join the European Union during November of 1994. The two Scandinavian countries held public referendums on the issue only one month after their neighbor Finland did the same. In Sweden, the vote came out to fifty-two percent in favor of joining the EU with an eighty-three percent voter turnout. While in Norway, fifty-two percent of voters stated they were against joining the EU with an eighty-nine percent voter turnout.
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 2.61%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 3834
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 8.50%
Average Cost of new house $119,050.00
Average Income per year $37,070.00
Average Monthly Rent $533.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas $1.09
Movie Ticket $4.08
Average cost of new car $12,350.00
Loaf of Bread $1.59
Dozen Eggs 86 cents
Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling
Average House Price 68,032
Gallon of Petrol 2.52
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 2.4%
Interest Rates Year End Bank of England 6.13%
FTSE 100 Average 3250
Intermittent Civil War in Rwanda between Majority Hutus and minority Tutsis after assassination of President estimates of 1/2 million people killed in civil wars
ANC triumphs in first Multiracial elections and on May 10 Nelson Mandella becomes president of South Africa
Channel Tunnel opened on May 6th between England and France
Serbia continues attacks on Bosnia
Haiti invaded by US democracy restored
In France celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of the Allied landings ( the start of the ending of the second world war )
First Genetically Engineered Tomatoes Available use of GM Foods in US approved
Northridge Earthquake, magnitude 6.7, hits the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles
German luxury car manufacturer BMW announces the purchase of Rover from British Aerospace
48 members of the Order of the Solar Tradition Cult commit suicide to escape the hypocrisies and oppression of this world.
OJ Simpson flees police in his white ford bronco
Major League Baseball Players Association begin 232 day strike causing 1994 season to be cancelled
Orange County, Calif. files for bankruptcy protection
PLO leader Yasser Arafat returns to Palestine after 27 years in exile
North Korea Tensions over inspections of Nuclear Plants
The Seongsu suspension bridge over the Han River in Seoul collapses killing 32.
Estonian Ferry Estonia sinks in the Baltic sea off the coast of Finland over 900 dead
The Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro is destroyed during a fire of the coast of Somalia
Russian President Boris Yeltsin orders tanks and troops into the rebel region of Chechnya to restore order
The New UK Lottery Introduced with an estimated jackpot of £7m
New Sunday Trading Laws allows shops in Britain to open legally on Sundays
Frederick West serial killer together with his wife Rosemary West, was responsible for the murder of at least twelve young women
Tornado outbreak occurs in Southeastern United States
The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull
Ayrton Senna of Brazil, age 34, is tragically killed during the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy
Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty ending state of war that has existed between the nations since 1948.
The Irish Republican Army announces a "complete cessation of military operations"
The United Nations Peace Keeping Force Withdraws From Somalia following attacks by militia
The Whitewater scandal investigation begins
The North American Free Trade Agreement ( Making The Largest Trading Bloc of Countries In The World ) United States, Canada and Mexico.
Norwegian voters Vote No To Joining The European Union
A New Outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus begins on May 9th in Zaire which continues in 1995 ( highest case fatality rates of any human pathogenic virus, roughly 90%. )
Violent wildfires destroy 286,000 acres in Montana.
Eurostar rail service carrying passengers between London, Paris and Brussels is launched
Brazil Wins 1994 World Cup in United States
The Winter Olympic Games are held in Lillehammer, Norway
Worlds First Satellite Digital Television Service Launched
Netscape Navigator released quickly becoming market leader for browsing the web
Java programming language first released from Sun Microsystems
Scientists in Southern England estimate the oldest Europeans at 500,000 years old
The Channel Tunnel, which took 15,000 workers over seven years to complete, and is 31 miles long joining France and England opens on 6th May
The European Fighter Aircraft "Eurofighter" has makes its inaugural test flight after 10 years in development
Lisa Marie Presley marries Michael Jackson
Kurt Cobain commits suicide
The Shawshank Redemption
Forrest Gump
The Lion King (Disney)
True Lies
The Santa Clause
The Flintstones
Dumb & Dumber
Clear and Present Danger
Speed
The Mask
Pulp Fiction
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Miracle on 34th Street
Muriels Wedding
Star Trek: Generations
Bryan Adams
Rod Stewart
Sting
Sheryl Crow with All I Wanna Do
Bon Jovi
Erasure
Aerosmith
Janet Jackson
Pearl Jam
Phil Collins
Snoop Doggy Dogg
Alice in Chains
Boys II Men with On Bended Knees and I'll Make Love To You
Rolling Stones
Blind Melon
Celine Dion with Power of Love
Beastie Boys
Law & Order
America's Funniest Home Videos
One Foot in the Grave (UK)
Rugrats
The Jerry Springer Show
The Ren & Stimpy Show
Absolutely Fabulous
Beavis and Butt-head
Frasier
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
NYPD Blue
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
The Late Show with David Letterman
The X-Files