Approximately 70% of Americans live in cities.

The Communist party relinquishes its monopoly on power in Yugoslavia, and ethnic tensions increase.

Syrian troops enter Beirut to intervene in Lebanon's civil war.

Nelson Mandela is released from a South African prison after serving 27 years for his opposition to apartheid.

Space shuttle Discovery is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying the Hubble Space Telescope.

Sammy Davis, Jr., a legendary African-American variety entertainer, dies at age 65.

Operation Desert Shield begins in the Persian Gulf, as the United States sends troops to Saudi Arabia after Iraq annexes Kuwait. Yellow ribbons become an American symbol of troop support.

In response to its invasion of Kuwait, Iraq receives crippling sanctions from the United Nations.

Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan is forced out of office after being accused of incompetence and corruption estimated at $1.5 billion.

East and West Germany are united as one country for the first time since World War II.

Japan's Akihito formally assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The Cold War further thaws during a Conference of Security and Cooperation in Europe; NATO and Warsaw Pact forces are reduced.

The office of prime minister of Great Britain transfers to John Major as Margaret Thatcher resigns.

The movie Dances With Wolves is released. Directed by and starring Kevin Costner, the film will receive the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1990. Ghost, with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, and Hamlet, featuring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, are other Hollywood releases.

Former priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide becomes Haiti's first democratically elected president.

After winning a popular election, Lech Walesa becomes president of post-communist Poland.