1990's Events and Timelines: All the 411 about 1993

1993 Timeline

History & Politics | Music | Television | Movies | Sports

With the help of Björk, 1993 had us taking a look at human behavior.

There was an old fashion standoff in Waco, TX between government officials and 'insane in the brain' cult leader David Koresh. The debacle that ensued had us renaming the town Whacky Waco or Whack-O and dreaming of our own utopian compounds (only ours would be way cooler and less creepy). Also, The World Trade Center saw its first terrorist attack as a car bomb exploded in its parking garage, just a foreshadowing of things to come. These two events alone left us 'dazed and confused' and, like Four Non Blonds, asking, "Hey, what's going on?"

Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List showed us one man's resolve to save as many Holocaust victims as possible. Indecent Proposal presented us with the question how far will one go for money ... or in the case of mute pianist, a piano. And,

Philadelphia brought to light homophobia and the fear of AIDs in our society. Plus we found our inner slackers in MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head.

In the world of sports, Michael Jordan announced his retirement from basketball to pursue his dreams of baseball. And this declaration came on the heels of the Chicago Bulls' NBA champion three-peat. (I know. Say what, right? ... We were all asking why quit now when your team's on fire?)

Music of '93 got in on the human emotion side of the debate too. Haddaway had us contemplating "What is love?" And whatever love is, Meatloaf said he'd do anything for it, just not that (you decided what that might be). Plus, Aerosmith had us "Cryin'" because, as R.E.M. and the rest of the world knows, everybody hurts sometimes. But really there's no reason to be sad because Mariah Carey taught us a "Hero" lies in all of us.

All in all, I think Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg explained human behavior the best: "It's like this and like that and like this, uh, it's like that and like this and like that uh." Why you ask? 'Cuz it "ain't nuthin' but a G thang, baby."

• Russian president Boris Yeltsin and his American counterpart George H. Bush sign the

START II nuclear weapons treaty, pledging to reduce the number of missiles held by both superpowers.

• An enormous oil spill off the coast of Scotland occurs when the M/V Braer oil tanker runs

aground.

• Brian Mulroney resigns as prime minister of Canada, resulting in the appointment of the

country's first female leader, Kim Campbell.

• A car bomb is detonated in the parking garage of the World Trade Center, causing over

1,000 casualties.

• A standoff between agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the

Branch Davidian religious sect lead by David Koresh occurs in Waco, Texas. The event would end with many deaths on both sides and the destruction of the group's compound.

• 184 people are killed during a 2 day blizzard that strikes the entire eastern seaboard of

the Caribbean, the United States and Canada.

• Personal computer technology takes a major step forward with the release of the Intel

Pentium chip.

• The World Wide Web goes public.

• A terrible earthquake rips through Tokyo, killing 385 people and measuring 7.5 on the

Richter scale.

• Hurricane Calvin slams into Mexico and takes 34 lives.

• The multi-million dollar Mars Observer probe breaks radio contact with NASA and

disappears completely into the reaches of space.

• The Battle of Mogadishu occurs in Somalia between members of the U.S. army and city

militias. The death toll would surpass 500.

• The North American Free Trade Agreement is passed by Canadian, America and Mexican

governments, codifying the economic interactions of the three countries.

• Colombia's notorious cocaine cartel leader Pablo Escobar is killed by police.

Presidents Boris Yeltsin and George H. Bush sign the START II treaty

A car bomb explodes in the World Trade Center's parking garage

David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidian religious sect, has a standoff with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms in Waco, TX

David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidian religious sect

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Jane Seymour stars as a doctor on the edge of frontier medicine in this period western drama.

Walker, Texas Ranger
Set in the modern-day west, Chuck Norris dispenses his own form of karate justice in this notorious action series.

Beavis and Butt-Head
A cartoon team rip into music videos and avoid responsibility in this slacker show that found huge success on MTV.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
This zany children's program about young warriors in brightly-colored suits would translate Japanese television for an American audience.

Homicide: Life on the Street
Gritty and realistic, Homicide was one of the first cop dramas to push the boundaries regarding what types of stories could be told on television.

The Late Show with David Letterman
After his falling out with NBC, popular late night host Letterman finds a new home on CBS and begins a nightly ratings war with Jay Leno's 'The Late Show' that lasts for more than a decade.

Frasier
Kelsey Grammar plays a neurotic psychiatrist in this long-running sitcom.

Diagnosis Murder
Dick van Dyke returns to television as a crime-solving doctor.

Schindler's List
Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes
Steven Spielberg's in-depth examination of the Jewish Holocaust and the man who tried to save as many victims as he could from execution.

Mrs. Doubtfire
Starring Robin Williams, Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan
A man attempts to re-connect with his children after losing custody by posing as a female nanny.

The Fugitive
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Harrison Ford and Joe Pantoliano
A remake of the television program where a man must prove his innocence in his wife's murder while staying one step ahead of the law.

The Firm
Starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Gene Hackman
A young lawyer discovers that there are a few perks he hadn't planned on when he joins a prestigious law partnership.

Sleepless in Seattle
Starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan and Bill Pullman
A widower in Seattle connects with a woman in New York City over the late-night radio airwaves and tries to piece his life back together.

Indecent Proposal
Starring Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore and Robert Redford
A down-on-their-luck couple are faced with an offer they can't refuse from an older millionaire.

In the Line of Fire
Starring Clint Eastwood, John, John Malcovich and Rene Russo
An aging Secret Service agent must put his life on the line for the President one more time.

The Pelican Brief
Starring Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington and Sam Shepard
Another John Grisham tale of lawyers and legal intrigue, combined with action and suspense.

Jurassic Park
Starring Sam Neil, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum
The highest grossing film of 1993 is a fascinating, frightening and amazing-to-watch tale of dinosaurs let loose on a modern landscape.

Cliffhanger
Starring Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow and Michael Rooker
Daredevil mountain climbers and professional thieves face off in the Rocky Mountains.

The Piano
Starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel and Anna Paquin
Breathtakingly beautiful film set in the 1850s about a mute woman and her piano sent to New Zealand for an arranged marriage and the consequences it wreaks on the lives of all involved.

Cool Runnings
Starring Leon Robinson, John Candy and Doug E. Doug
Fictionalize tale of a group of Jamaicans determined to qualify for the Winter Olympics as a bobsled team.

Dazed and Confused
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Wiley Wiggins and Ben Affleck
This film detailing the last day of school in small-town 1970's Texas would become a cult classic.

In The Name Of The Father
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson and Pete Postlethwaite
Harrowing true story of a group of Irish citizens who were falsely accused and imprisoned for an IRA bombing.

Menace II Society
Starring Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate and Jada Pinkett-Smith
Harshly realistic, this film examines daily life in South Central Los Angeles through the eyes of a group of young friends.

Philadelphia
Starring Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Antonio Banderas
A lawyer is fired after being diagnosed with AIDS and fights a battle against his old firm to be re-instated.

True Romance
Starring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette and Dennis Hopper
Tony Scott directs a script written by soon-to-breakout Quentin Tarantino that deals with young love, gangsters and a caper gone wrong.

Tombstone
Starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer and Bill Paxton
Critically acclaimed telling of the events that lead up to the shoot out at the OK Corral.

• Dale Earnhardt wins the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship for the sixth time.

• The Colordao Rockies and the Florida Marlins join Major League Baseball as expansion

franchises, and the Toronto Blue Jays make it two Canadian-team World Series Championships in a row.

• The Montreal Canadiens win their 24th Stanley Cup, handily defeating the Los Angeles

Kings.

• Emerson Fittipaldi wins the Indianapolis 500, but the overall CART championship is

captured by Nigel Mansell who had made the move from Formula 1.

• The Chicago Bulls seem unstoppable, defeating the Phoenix Suns to capture their third

NBA title in a row.

• It's also three straight Wimbledon Women's titles for Steffi Graf, while Pete Sampras

emerges as the Men's champion.

• Evander Holyfield wins the Heavyweight boxing title back from Riddick Bowe.

• Michael Jordan announces his retirement from professional basketball.

• The Formula 1 driver's championship is won by Alain Proust.

• Bernhard Langer wins the PGA Masters Tournament in golf.

• Sea Hero takes first place in the Kentucky Derby.

Colorado Rockies & Florida Marlins are added as MLB expansion teams

Colorado Rockies & Florida Marlins are created as MLB expansion teams

Michael Jordan retires from the NBA

Michael Jordan retires from NBA