Canadian Maple Leaf bullion coins are a great investment in these troubled times.

References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2009 June 27.

1993 January 1 Twelve-member European Economic Community set up vast free trade zone. [1] Czechoslovakia separates into Czech Republic and Slovakia. [1] [31] June Clayworth, actress (Bodyguard, Criminal Court), dies of lymphoma. [1] Phyllis Hill, actress (Singing in the Dark), dies of lung cancer at age 72. [1] January 3 In Dresden, Germany, reconstruction of the Frauenkirche church begins. The church had collapsed during bombing in 1945. (Reconstruction is completed in 2004.) [10] Peter Brocco, blacklisted in the 1950s, dies of heart attack at age 89. [1] In Moscow, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). [31] Death of Sean Devereux, English Salesian missionary and aid worker (born 1965). [31] January 4 7th largest wrestling crowd (63,500-Tokyo Dome). [1] Joe Keenan, actor (Conviction of Kitty Dodd), dies of cancer at age 69. [1] January 5 George L George, Russian/US journalist/director/producer, dies at age 85. [1] Henk Knol, Suriname Member of Parliament (PvdA), dies at age 61. [1] Jennifer Raine Bissell, daughter of Alan Napier, dies 60. [1] Juan Benet, Goitia Spanish writer (Herrumbrosas Lanzas), dies at age 65. [1] Klaas Wiersma, Dutch Secretary of Justice (VVD), dies. [1] Leonce Gras, Flemish singer/conductor, dies at age 84. [1] Nyamuisi Muvingi, Zaire minister of Culture, murdered. [1] Price is Right model Janice Pennington sues CBS for show accident. [1] Ronnie Welsh, actor (Patterns), dies of brain cancer at age 52. [1] In the USA, the state of Washington executes Westley Allan Dodd by hanging (the first legal hanging in America since 1965). [1] [31] January 6 Elisabeth, arch duchess of Austria/princess of Liechtenstein, dies at age 70. [1] Jean Mueller discovers comet Mueller/1993a. [1] John B "Dizzy" Gillespe, American blues trumpeter/bandleader/composer, dies of cancer at age 75 (born 1917). [1] [31] Rudolph Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer (Kirov), dies of AIDS at age 54. [1] January 7 Richard Branda, actor (Two Minute Warning), dies of colon cancer at age 57. [1] The Winter Consumer Electronics Show is held in Las Vegas, Nevada. 3DO announces a CD-based entertainment platform, developed by Electronic Arts, Time Warner, Matsushita, and Kleiner Perkins. [9] The Fourth Republic of Ghana is inaugurated with Jerry Rawlings as President. [31] January 8 Asif Nawaz, Pakistani General, dies. [1] Hakija Turajlic, Bosnian vice-premier, murdered. [1] NBC offers The Tonight Show to David Letterman. [1] Theo Bruins, Dutch pianist/composer (Syncope), dies at age 63. [1] January 9 Alois Brunner, German/Syrian commandant of KZ-Lower Drancy, dies. [1] Felix Grucci, fireworks expert, dies of Alzheimer's disease at age 87. [1] January 10 Diana Adams, ballerina, dies. [1] Maiden flight of Ultrair (Houston to Los Angeles). [1] Noorjahan Begum, "adulterous" wife in Bangladesh, stoned to death. [1] January 11 Independent presidential candidate Ross Perot publicly returns to politics. [1] Lacey Fosburgh, author (Closing Time), dies of breast cancer at age 50. [1] January 12 Carles Mira, Spanish director (Que Nos Quiten Lo Bailao), dies at age 45. [1] MTV hostess Martha Quinn marries longtime boyfriend Jordan Tarlow. [1] A German court in Berlin drops charges against Erich Honecker (related to shootings at the German-German border) with the justification that he was 80 years old and terminally ill. [37] January 13 Rene Pleven, Prime Minister of France (1950-51, 1951-52), dies. [1] STS-54 (Endeavour) launches into orbit. [1] Death of Hugh Walters, British juvenile science fiction author (born 1910). [31] January 14 David Letterman announces his show is moving from NBC to CBS. [1] Elisabeth A de Vreugd, chambermaid for Dutch Queen, dies at age 98. [1] Manfred Lachs, Polish lawyer (International Court of Justice), dies. [1] The Polish ferry Jan Heweliusz sinks off the coast of Rügen in the Baltic Sea, killing 54 people. [1] [31] January 15 Disney releases the Touchstone Pictures / Paramount Pictures live-action feature film Alive in the US. [6] In Hokkaido, Japan, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurs. Two people killed, 614 injured and substantial damage. [1] [53] Huub H Jacobse, Dutch Member of Parliament (VVD), dies at age 68. [1] Ken Cory dies of AIDS at age 51. [1] Sammy Cahn [Cohen], US songwriter (Bei Mir Bist Du Schön), dies at age 79. [1] Soap opera Santa Barbara final show on NBC TV. [1] Salvatore "Totò" Riina, the Mafia boss known as 'The Beast', is arrested in Palermo, Sicily after 23 years as a fugitive. [1] [31] January 16 Florence Desmond [Dawson], actress (Sally in Our Alley), dies at age 87. [1] Glenn Corbett, US actor (Shenandoah, Chisum, Midway), dies at age 63. [1] Sathasivam Krishnakumar, Sri Lanka commander, commits suicide. [1] Death of Jón Páll Sigmarsson, Icelandian strongman. [31] January 17 14th ACE Cable Awards: HBO wins 32 awards. [1] January 18 M Eleonore Lippits, first Dutch female missionary doctor, dies at age 85. [1] For the first time in the USA, Martin Luther King Day is officially observed in all fifty states. [1] [31] Mia Meijer, Dutch playwright/director (Machine Child), dies. [1] Mike Templeton, second person to receive a heart pump, dies at age 34. [1] January 19 Israel recognizes Palestinian Liberation Organization as no longer criminal. [1] Kees Scherer, Dutch photographer (World Press Photo), dies at age 72. [1] Reginald Lewis, CEO (Beatrice), dies of brain cancer at age 50. [1] Robert M Gates ends term as 15th director of US Central Intelligence Agency. [1] STS-54 (Endeavour) lands. [1] IBM announces a $4.97 billion loss for 1992, the largest single-year corporate loss in United States history. [31] Iraq refuses to allow UNSCOM inspectors to use its own aircraft to fly into Iraq, and begins military operations in the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait, and the northern Iraqi no-fly zones. U.S. forces fire approximately 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Baghdad factories linked to Iraq's illegal nuclear weapons program. Iraq then informs UNSCOM that it will be able to resume its flights. [31] William LeMassena, actor (All that Jazz), dies of lung cancer at age 76. [1] January 20 Admiral Studeman, serves as acting director of US Central Intelligence Agency. [1] Audrey Hepburn, actress (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday), dies of colon cancer in Tolochenaz, Switzerland at age 63 (born 1929). [1] [31] Bill Clinton inaugurated as 42nd President of the USA. [1] [31] Joseph Anthony [Deuster], US director/actor (Rainmaker), dies at age 80. [1] Market value of Microsoft reaches US$26.78 billion, above IBM at US$26.76 billion for the first time. Microsoft becomes the highest valued computer industry company, 14th among all public companies. [4] Mercer McCleod, entertainer, dies of heart failure at age 86. [1] January 21 Nigerian singer Fela Kuti arrested on suspicion of murder. [1] January 22 Disney releases the Hollywood Pictures live-action feature film Aspen Extreme to theaters in the US. [6] Alexander Bodon Hung, Dutch architect (RAI, Dollywood), dies at age 86. [1] Kobo Abe, Japanese writer (Wife in the Sand), dies at age 68. [1] Maria Vlamynck, Flemish author, dies at age 75. [1] January 23 50th Golden Globes: Scent of a Woman, wins. [1] Dudley Stevens, entertainer, dies of AIDS at age 57. [1] Indian Airlines B737 crashes art Aurangabad, 61 die. [1] Thomas A Dorsey, jazz pianist (Take My Hand, Precious Lord), dies. [1] January 24 14th annual star-athon raises $24,000,000. [1] Polish ferry boat John Heweliusz sinks, 52 killed. [1] Soyuz TM-16 launches. [1] Thurgood Marshall, supreme court justice (1967-91), dies 84. [1] Ugur Mumcu, Turkish journalist (Cumhuriyet Murder), dies. [1] January 25 20th American Music Awards: Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey win. [1] Puerto Rico adds English as its second official language. [1] Sears announces it is closing its catalog sales department after 97 years. [1] Mir Aimal Kasi fires a rifle and kills two employees outside US Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia. [31] January 26 Axel Von Dem Bussche, German aristocrat, dies. [1] Jan Gies, Dutch resistance fighter (helped Anne Frank), dies at age 87. [1] Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor (large iron sculptures), dies at age 80. [1] In Yunnan, China, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurs. At least 66 people injured, 6,972 houses destroyed and 21,444 seriously damaged in southwestern Yunnan Province. [53] Václav Havel is elected President of the Czech Republic. [31] January 27 Andre "the Giant" Roussimoff, French professional wrestler, dies of heart attack at age 49 (born 1946). [1] [31] DC-3 crashes in Kinshasa, killing 12. [1] Erik Mörk, Danish actor (Europe), dies at age 67. [1] January 28 Aben Kandel, screenwriter (Dinner at 8), dies of heart failure at age 96. [1] John Steadman, actor (Gator, Fade to Black), dies of lung ailment 83. [1] The demilitarized zone between Norway and Sweden is agreed by the two countries to no longer be needed. It was initiated by the 1905 convention, at 15-km wide on both sides of the border. [7] January 29 Hank Werba [Herman Werblowski], US journalist (Variety), dies at age 79. [1] Michel Renault, French ballet dancer (Giselle), dies. [1] January 30 100,000 Europeans demonstrate against fascism and racism. [1] Taikichiro Mori, Japanese real estate developer, dies at age 88. [1] February 1 New York Judge Sol Wachtler indicted for harassing Joy Silverman. [1] Soyuz TM-16 lands. [1] February 2 François Reichenbach, French director (L'Amérique Insolite), dies at age 70. [1] Frito Lay pays court ordered $2,500,000 to Tom Waits for using his song, "Step Right Up". [1] February 3 Federal trial of four police officers charged with civil rights violations in videotaped beating of Rodney King begins in Los Angeles, California. [1] Karel Goeyvaerts, Flemish composer (8 Horse Bet), dies at age 69. [1] February 4 Admiral Studeman, ends term as acting director of US Central Intelligence Agency. [1] Russian space agency tests a 82-foot wide space mirror. [1] February 5 Grenade explodes in Sarajevo, killing 63 and injuring 160. [1] Joseph L Mankiewicz, US writer/director/producer (All about Eve), dies at age 83 (born 1909). [1] [31] R James Woolsey becomes 16th director of US Central Intelligence Agency. [1] Tip Tipping [Tim], American actor and stuntman, dies in sky-diving accident at age 34 (born 1958). [1] [31] U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Family and Medical Leave Act. [31] February 6 Frances Hunt, actress (You're a Sweetheart), dies of stroke at age 77. [1] February 7 W Sybout A Colenbrander, Dutch historian/journalist, dies at age 82. [1] February 8 Casper van den Berg, Dutch poet (Fashionable inconvenience), dies. [1] Douglas Heyes, director/writer (Kitten with a Whip), dies at age 73. [1] Eliot Janeway, financial columnist (Eliot Doomsday), dies at age 80. [1] Franz Schnyder, Swiss director (10th of May), dies at age 82. [1] General Motors sues NBC, after Dateline NBC allegedly rigged two crashes showing that some GM pickups can easily catch fire if hit in certain places. NBC settles the lawsuit the following day. [1] [31] Paul Brickhill, Dutch/US WWII pilot/physician, dies. [1] Suchoi-24 crashes into Tupolev passenger flight, 134 die. [1] February 9 Army of opium king Khun Sa kills 60 in northeast Burma. [1] David Willis, British journalist (BBC World Service), dies at age 54. [1] Kate Wilkinson, actress (Clara - Another World), dies of cancer at age 76. [1] Nasrullah Mansoor, Afghan guerilla leader/governor of Paktia, dies. [1] February 10 Michael Jackson Talks To Oprah Winfrey airs on ABC and draws an astounding 39.3 rating/56 share, 90 million people. [1] John Grossman, Czechoslovakian director (Process, Revisor), dies. [1] Maurice Bourges-Maunoury, Prime Minister of France (1957), dies. [1] US officially backs peace plan in Bosnia. [1] February 11 George A Stephen, inventor (Weber Kettle Grill), dies at age 71. [1] Janet Reno is selected by President Clinton as U.S. Attorney General. [1] [31] Joy Garrett, actress (Days of Our Lives), dies of liver failure at age 47. [1] Oksana Kostina, Russian gymnast, dies in an auto accident. [1] Death of Robert W. Holley, American biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1922). [31] February 12 James Bulger, age 2, disappears from the Strand Shopping Centre in Liverpool - his body is found on a disused railway in Liverpool two days later. [1] [31] Buena Vista generally releases the film Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey to theaters in the USA. [6] Disney releases the film The Cemetery Club to theaters in the US in the USA. [6] February 13 Agatha Hagtingius-Seger, Dutch author (Sparkles Chain), dies at age 91. [1] February 14 Buddy Pepper, composer, dies of heart failure at age 70. [1] Fire in Linxi department store in Tangshan China, kills 79. [1] February 15 Bombings by Mafia drug lords kill 14 in Bogotá, Colombia. [1] George Wallington [Giacinto Figlia], Italian bebop-pianist, dies. [1] February 16 Donald Phelps dies of AIDS at age 61. [1] Richard Salant, news president (CBS - 60 Minutes), dies at age 78. [1] Sharon Disney, adopted daughter of Walt and Lillian Disney, dies of complications from cancer. [6] February 17 Alfredo de Leon, leader (Philippines Red Scorpio Gang), killed. [1] George E Wilburn, film editor, dies of emphysema at age 77. [1] Haitian ferry boat capsize in storm, killing approximately 1,215 out of 1,500 passengers. [1] [31] February 18 Edward S "Ted" Haworth, US set designer (Sayonara, Marty), dies at age 76. [1] Jacqueline Hill, British actress, dies of cancer at age 63 (born 1929). [1] [31] Leslie Norman, English director/producer (Dunkirk), dies at age 82. [1] February 19 Gerhard Gesell, judge (Pentagon Papers), dies of liver cancer at age 82. [1] Kenya Moore, 22, (Miss Michigan), crowned 42nd Miss USA. [1] Michael David Morrison, actor (Caleb - As the World Turns), dies at age 33. [1] February 20 Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian auto-designer and manufacturer, dies at age 76 (born 1916). [1] [31] February 22 Two eleven-year-old boys are charged with the February 12 murder of Jamie Bulger in Liverpool. [31] Jean Lecanuet, French UDF-presidential candidate, dies at age 72. [1] Pieter A H Bos, Dutch lawyer/procureur-General (Aruba), dies at age 63. [1] February 23 Edwin Louis Battle, actor (Almost Blue, Chase), dies of stroke at age 33. [1] Actor Gary Coleman wins $1,280,000 lawsuit against parents for high fees. [1] [31] February 24 35th Grammy Awards: "Tears in Heaven" - Eric Clapton wins. [1] Yukihiro Matsumoto creates the Ruby programming language. [31] February 25 Eddie Constantine, actor (Alphaville, License to Kill), dies at age 75. [1] Jan D Boeke, Dutch organist/conductor, dies. [1] Jean G H "Sjeng" Tans, Dutch Prime Minister (Social Democrat, 1965-69), dies. [1] John D Boeke, organist/conductor, dies. [1] Troy Caldwell, country musician (Marshall Tucker Band), dies at age 45. [1] February 26 In New York City, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center goes off, killing six and injuring over 1,000. [1] [31] Constance Ford, US actress (Another World, Burden Hunt), dies at age 64. [1] Fletcher Knebel, author (7 Days in May), commits suicide at age 81. [1] Mark Kolthoff, Dutch painter/photographer, dies at age 92. [1] February 27 José Duval, actor (Juan Valdez), dies at age 72. [1] Lillian Gish, American actress (Birth of a Nation), dies at age 96 (born 1893). [1] [31] Ruby Keeler, actress (42nd Street), dies of cancer at age 83. [1] February 28 7th American Comedy Awards: Seinfeld wins. [1] Fer A Olthoff, Dutch WWII resistance fighter (Het Parool), dies. [1] Franco Brusati, Italian director/writer (Bread and Chocolate), dies at age 70. [1] Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, with a warrant to arrest leader David Koresh on federal firearms violations. Four agents and five Davidians die in the raid and a 51-day standoff begins. [1] [31] Ishiro Honda, Japanese director/producer (Godzilla), dies at age 81. [1] Joyce Carey [Lawrence], English actress (Number 27), dies at age 94. [1] Ruby Keeler, Canadian actress (42nd Street, Dames), dies of cancer at age 82 (born 1910). [1] [31]