Year by year · 20th century

1993

1993 in world history: 16 events, 14 deaths, 2 states founded and 1 that came to an end. 191 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 1 January

    Czechoslovakia splits peacefully into two states

    In the 'Velvet Divorce', Czechoslovakia dissolved by agreement into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The separation was negotiated by politicians without a referendum and passed without violence.

    Czechoslovakia

  2. 3 January

    Bush and Yeltsin sign the START II arms treaty

    In Moscow, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin agreed to cut their strategic nuclear arsenals by about two-thirds and ban multiple-warhead land-based missiles. The treaty never fully entered into force.

    Moscow

  3. 26 February

    Truck bomb explodes beneath the World Trade Center

    Islamist militants detonated a bomb in the North Tower's underground car park, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000. The towers survived but were destroyed in the attacks of 2001.

  4. 28 February

    Federal raid on the Branch Davidians begins the Waco siege

    A gun battle at the compound near Waco, Texas, killed four federal agents and six Branch Davidians. The 51-day siege ended on 19 April in a fire that killed 76 people, including children.

  5. 13 September

    Rabin and Arafat shake hands on the Oslo Accords

    Israel and the PLO signed the Declaration of Principles at the White House, with a historic handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat. The deal created Palestinian self-rule, but lasting peace proved elusive.

  6. 1 November

    The Maastricht Treaty creates the European Union

    The Treaty on European Union came into force, establishing the EU alongside the European Communities. It introduced EU citizenship and set the path to economic and monetary union and the euro.

    European Union

  7. Event

    Dissolution of Czechoslovakia

    The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, known as the Velvet Divorce, divided the federation into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993.

  8. Battle

    Battle of Mogadishu (1993)

    The Battle of Mogadishu was fought on 3–4 October 1993 in the Somali capital, when US special forces trying to capture lieutenants of the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid were trapped after two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down.

  9. Event

    Multi-Party Negotiating Forum

    The Multi-Party Negotiating Forum was the body that negotiated the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1993, after the breakdown of CODESA.

ProfileState188 states with a known seat in 1993Open the atlas at 1993 →

In the profiles

  • AndorraA new constitution is approved by referendum and Andorra joins the United Nations
  • Kingdom of BelgiumA constitutional reform makes Belgium a federal state
  • UgandaThe kingdoms are restored as cultural institutions
  • Republic of SomalilandThe Borama conference chooses Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal as president
  • Yoruba religionThe Supreme Court of the United States upholds the right of a Santería church in Florida to practise animal sacrifice

Wars and longer events

Died in 1993 14

States founded 2

States that came to an end 1

All years → The 20th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1993. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1993
MLA
“1993.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1993. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1993.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1993.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1993’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1993 (Accessed: ).