Helen Clark is sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand, the second woman to hold the post and the first following an election.
The new Constitution of South Africa is promulgated by Nelson Mandela.
The Nagorno-Karabakh independence referendum is held, with 99.98% voting in favor of independence.
Nursultan Nazarbayev is sworn in as the 1st President of Kazakhstan.
Mongolian Revolution: At the country's first open pro-democracy public demonstration, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj announces the establishment of the Mongolian Democratic Union.
United Nations General Assembly recognizes the Convention against Torture.
Democracy is restored in Argentina with the inauguration of President Raúl Alfonsín.
Arab–Israeli conflict: Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin and President of Egypt Anwar Sadat are jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Zanzibar gains independence from the United Kingdom as a constitutional monarchy, under Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill receives the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Chinese Civil War: The People's Liberation Army begins its siege of Chengdu, the last Kuomintang-held city in mainland China, forcing President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek and his government to retreat to Taiwan.
The Human Rights Convention is signed by the United Nations.
World War II: Government of Poland in exile send Raczyński's Note (the first official report on the Holocaust) to 26 governments who signed the Declaration by United Nations.
World War II: The Royal Navy capital ships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse are sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy torpedo bombers near British Malaya.
World War II: Battle of the Philippines: Imperial Japanese forces under the command of General Masaharu Homma land on Luzon.
Selma Lagerlöf becomes the first female writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the mediation of the Russo-Japanese War, becoming the first American to win a Nobel Prize in any field.
The first Nobel Prize ceremony is held in Stockholm on the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
Spanish–American War: The Treaty of Paris is signed, officially ending the conflict. Spain cedes administration of Cuba to the United States, and the United States agrees to pay Spain $20 million for the Philippines.
Russo-Turkish War: The Russian Army captures Plevna after a 5-month siege. The garrison of 25,000 surviving Turks surrenders. The Russian victory is decisive for the outcome of the war and the Liberation of Bulgaria.