A ship carrying 458 people capsizes in the Yangtze river in China's Hubei province, killing 442 people.
A rare tornado outbreak occurs in New England; a strong EF3 tornado strikes Springfield, Massachusetts, during the event, killing four people.
Space Shuttle Endeavour makes its final landing after 25 flights.
Air France Flight 447 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. All 228 passengers and crew are killed.
General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It is the fourth largest United States bankruptcy in history.
A fire on the back lot of Universal Studios breaks out, destroying the attraction King Kong Encounter and a large archive of master tapes for music and film, the full extent of which was not revealed until 2019.
Cyclone Gonu develops from an area of convection in the Arabian Sea, becoming the worst recorded natural disaster in Oman.
Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols is sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Nepalese royal massacre: Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal shoots and kills several members of his family including his father and mother.
Dolphinarium discotheque massacre: A Hamas suicide bomber kills 21 at a disco in Tel Aviv.
American Airlines Flight 1420 slides and crashes while landing at Little Rock National Airport, killing 11 people on a flight from Dallas to Little Rock.
Republic of South Africa becomes a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations.
Dobrinja mortar attack: Thirteen are killed and 133 wounded when Serb mortar shells are fired at a soccer game in Dobrinja, west of Sarajevo.
Cold War: George H. W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty comes into effect.
Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.
The first black-led government of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 90 years takes power.
The first international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty are filed.
Aeroflot Flight 418 crashes in Bioko, Equatorial Guinea, killing 46.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded by Jalal Talabani, Nawshirwan Mustafa, Fuad Masum and others.