Year by year · 20th century

1994

1994 in world history: 14 events, 9 deaths and 1 state that came to an end. 190 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 1 January

    NAFTA takes effect between the United States, Canada and Mexico

    The North American Free Trade Agreement came into force, phasing out most tariffs among the three countries and creating one of the world's largest free-trade areas. It was replaced by the USMCA in 2020.

    United StatesMexicoCanada

  2. 5 April

    Nirvana's Kurt Cobain dies in Seattle

    Kurt Cobain, singer and guitarist of Nirvana, died at his Seattle home aged 27; his body was found three days later. His death closed the band that had carried grunge into the mainstream.

  3. 7 April

    Genocide against the Tutsi begins in Rwanda

    Hours after President Habyarimana's aircraft was shot down, extremists began killing Tutsi and moderate Hutu. In about 100 days an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 people were murdered.

    Genocide

  4. 27 April

    South Africa holds its first all-race elections

    Millions of Black South Africans voted for the first time. The ANC won decisively and Nelson Mandela became president, ending the apartheid order. The date is now Freedom Day.

    South Africa

  5. 6 May

    Channel Tunnel is formally opened

    Queen Elizabeth II and President François Mitterrand opened the 50 km rail tunnel under the Channel. It gave Britain its first fixed link to the Continent since the Ice Age.

  6. 19 May

    Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis dies in New York

    The former First Lady died aged 64. Her composure after her husband's assassination in 1963 made her an enduring public figure, and she later worked as a book editor.

    New York

  7. 17 June

    O. J. Simpson leads police on a televised chase

    About 95 million viewers watched police follow a white Ford Bronco carrying the former football star along Los Angeles freeways. Simpson was later acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

  8. 16 July

    Fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 begin hitting Jupiter

    Over six days some 21 fragments of the comet slammed into Jupiter, the first collision between solar system bodies ever observed. They left dark scars in the atmosphere larger than Earth.

  9. Event

    Real Plan

    The Real Plan, or Plano Real, was the economic stabilisation programme that ended chronic hyperinflation in Brazil in 1994.

ProfileState187 states with a known seat in 1994Open the atlas at 1994 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Died in 1994 9

States that came to an end 1

All years → The 20th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1994. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1994
MLA
“1994.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1994. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1994.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1994.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1994’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1994 (Accessed: ).