1990

World Events[]

United States invasion of Panama: General Manuel Noriega, the deposed "strongman of Panama", surrenders to American forces
Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison, near Cape Town, South Africa, after 27 years behind bars.
The Community Charge (poll tax) takes effect in England and Wales amid widespread protests
Gulf War: Iraq invades Kuwait, eventually leading to the Gulf War.
In Burma, the State Law and Order Restoration Council orders the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and five other political dissidents.
Cold War: East Germany and West Germany reunify into a single Germany.
Cold War: Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and reform his nation.
Margaret Thatcher announces she will not contest the second ballot of the leadership election for the Conservative Party (UK).
J.K. Rowling begins writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in summer 1990, which would be completed in 1995 and published in 1997.

Flea and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers are arrested and charged for an incident two days earlier at a performance in Daytona Beach during MTV's spring break coverage, in which they allegedly sexually assaulted and verbally abused a female audience member after jumping from the stage. They are released on $2,000 bail.
Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee is arrested for allegedly exposing his backside during a performance in Augusta, Georgia.
Axl Rose (Guns 'N' Roses) marries model Erin Everly, daughter of singer Don Everly, in a Las Vegas ceremony. Divorce papers are filed on May 24, then withdrawn, then filed again in October.
A judge rules that heavy metal band Judas Priest is not responsible for the actions of two Nevada youths who shot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band's music in December 1985.
Guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan is killed in a helicopter crash following a concert at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. He was 35.
Roger Waters and numerous guest stars stage a performance of Pink Floyd's The Wall in Berlin, Germany to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall eight months earlier. Scorpions, Cyndi Lauper, Thomas Dolby, Sinéad O'Connor, The Band and Bryan Adams are among the performers.