Events from the year 1990 in the United States .
January 2 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 2,800 for the first time ever.
January 3 – United States invasion of Panama : General Manuel Noriega , the deposed "strongman of Panama ", surrenders to American forces .
January 5 – The National Gallery of Art purchases The Fall of Phaeton by Peter Paul Rubens .
January 9–20 – The Space Shuttle Columbia flies STS-32 .
January 10 – Time Warner is formed from the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc.
January 13 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office in Richmond, Virginia .
January 15 – Martin Luther King Day Crash – Telephone service in Atlanta, St. Louis, and Detroit, including 9-1-1 service, goes down for nine hours, due to an AT&T software bug.
January 17 – Smith & Wesson introduce the .40 S&W cartridge.
January 18
January 22 – Robert Tappan Morris, Jr. is convicted of releasing the Morris worm .
January 24
Richard Secord is sentenced to two years probation for lying to the United States Congress about the Iran–Contra affair .
In Miami, William Lozano, a Hispanic police officer, is sentenced to seven years in prison for shooting a black motorcyclist in 1989, an event that had set off three days of rioting.
January 25 – Avianca Flight 52 crashes into Cove Neck, Long Island, New York , killing 73, after a miscommunication between the flight crew and JFK Airport officials.
January 28 – The San Francisco 49ers defeat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV .
January 29
January 31
February 14: Pale Blue Dot
March – Greyhound bus drivers strike for higher pay.
March 1
March 6 – An SR-71 sets a U.S. transcontinental speed record of 1 hour 8 minutes 17 seconds, on what is publicized as its last official flight.
March 9 – Antonia Novello is sworn in as Surgeon General of the United States , becoming the first female and Hispanic American to serve in the position.
March 18
March 22 – A jury in Anchorage, Alaska finds Joseph Hazelwood guilty of misdemeanor negligence for his role in the Exxon Valdez oil spill . He is sentenced to pay $50,000 in restitution and to spend 1,000 hours cleaning oily beaches.
March 25 – In New York City, a fire due to arson at an illegal social club called "Happy Land " kills 87.
March 26 – The 62nd Academy Awards , hosted by Billy Crystal , are held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles , with Bruce Beresford 's Driving Miss Daisy winning four awards out of nine nominations, including Best Picture . Jessica Tandy , at 80, becomes the oldest actress to win Best Actress and the oldest person to win for acting until 2012. Oliver Stone wins his second Best Director award for Born on the Fourth of July . The telecast garners over 40 million viewers.
March 27 – The United States begins broadcasting TV Martí to Cuba .
March 28 – U.S. President George H. W. Bush posthumously awards Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal .
April 24: Hubble Space Telescope in orbit
June 1: 1990 Chemical Weapons Accord
June – The last month of the 1980s business cycle expansion, at the time the second-longest expansion in American history (the 1960s expansion was a year longer), comes to an end; the unemployment rate is 5.2%.
June 1
June 2 – The Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak spawns 88 confirmed tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, killing 12; Thirty-seven tornadoes occur in Indiana, eclipsing the previous record of 21 during the 1974 Super Outbreak .
June 7
June 9 – Mega Borg oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston, Texas .
June 11
June 14 – 1990 NBA Finals : The Detroit Pistons defeat the Portland Trail Blazers .
June 17–30 – Nelson Mandela tours North America, visiting three Canadian cities and eight U.S. cities.
June 18 – James Edward Pough kills 10 and injures six before committing suicide at a General Motors car loan office in Jacksonville, Florida .
June 22 – The United States Fish and Wildlife Service declares the spotted owl a threatened species .
June 25 – In Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health , the Supreme Court allows public officials to intervene in questions of termination of life support in the absence of an advance healthcare directive .
June 26 – President George H. W. Bush reneges on his 1988 "no new taxes " campaign pledge in a statement accepting tax revenue increases as a necessity to reduce the budget deficit.[ 3] This later becomes a factor in the 1992 presidential election .
June 28 – The Dart Man attacks begin in New York City.[ 4]
July – The United States enters the early 1990s recession .
July 2 – A U.S. District Court acquits Imelda Marcos on racketeering and fraud charges.
July 9–11 – The 16th G7 Summit is held in Houston.
July 19 – Pete Rose is sentenced to five months in prison after pleading guilty to filing false tax returns.
July 20
July 25 – The United States Senate votes to reprimand Senator David Durenberger for improper financial dealings and orders him to pay restitution.
July 26
July 28 – A fire at a generating plant knocks out power to 40,000 homes in Chicago's west side. Power is restored by July 31.
August 2
August 6 – Gulf War : The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to its invasion of Kuwait .
August 9 – Yosemite National Park closes temporarily because of forest fires.
August 10 – The Magellan enters orbit around Venus .
August 12 – "Sue ", the best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found, is discovered near Faith, South Dakota by Sue Hendrickson .
August 18 – In New York City, a jury finds three teenagers guilty of raping and assaulting a woman in Central Park in April 1989. On September 11, they are sentenced to 5–10 years in prison.
August 19 – Leonard Bernstein conducts his final concert, ending with Ludwig van Beethoven 's Symphony No. 7 performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra .
August 26–28 – In Gainesville, Florida , police find five murdered college students, apparently killed by a serial killer .
August 28 – The Plainfield Tornado (F5 on the Fujita scale ) strikes the towns of Plainfield , Crest Hill , and Joliet, Illinois , killing 29 people (the strongest tornado to date to strike the Chicago Metropolitan Area ).
September 28: Washington National Cathedral completed
October 2 – The Senate confirms David Souter to the Supreme Court; he takes his seat on October 9.
October 3 – In Fort Lauderdale, Florida , a jury convicts a record store owner of obscenity for selling an album by 2 Live Crew . On October 20, a second jury finds 2 Live Crew not guilty of obscenity on charges stemming from a June 1990 performance.
October 5 – In Cincinnati , a jury finds an art museum and its art director innocent of breaking obscenity laws for displaying sexually explicit photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe .
October 6 – STS-41 : The Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off and launches the Ulysses on a mission to study the sun .
October 6–8 – The federal government temporarily halts all non-essential services after Congress fails to enact a new budget and President Bush vetoes a stop-gap spending measure.
October 9 – Leonard Bernstein announces his retirement from conducting after 47 years. He dies five days later.[ 5]
October 20 – The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Oakland Athletics , 4 games to 0, to win their 5th World Series Title.
October 22
President Bush vetoes a civil rights bill that would have strengthened federal protection against job discrimination, arguing that it would lead to race and gender-based quotas.
In Orange County, California , a judge denies a surrogate mother 's request for parental rights to a child she bore for another couple.
October 24 – United States Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole announces her resignation.
October 25 – Evander Holyfield defeats James "Buster" Douglas to become the heavyweight boxing champion.
October 27 – Congress passes the Clean Air Act of 1990.
December 11: John Gotti arrested
December – The unemployment rate rises to 6.3%, the highest since May 1987.
December 1 – Quarterback Ty Detmer of the BYU Cougars football wins the Heisman Trophy .
December 2 – STS-35 : Space Shuttle Columbia begins a mission that ends on December 10, a day earlier than planned, ending a mission plagued with computer and plumbing problems.
December 2–8 – President Bush visits Brazil, Uruguay , Argentine , Chile, and Venezuela .
December 3 – At Detroit Metropolitan Airport , Northwest Airlines Flight 1482 (a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 ) collides with Northwest Airlines Flight 299 (a Boeing 727 ) on the runway, killing eight passengers and four crew members on Flight 1482.
December 11
December 14 – President Bush names Lynn Morley Martin to replace Elizabeth Dole as Secretary of Labor.
December 17 – President Bush names Lamar Alexander as United States Secretary of Education , replacing Lauro Cavazos , who resigned on December 12.
December 25 – The Godfather Part III opens in theaters.
Grant Gustin
Kelly Rohrbach
Christopher Massey
Nick Moody
Jake Thomas
Julia Fox
Sean Kingston
Dalilah Muhammad
Lindsey Morgan
February 2 – Julia Fox , actress and model
February 3 – Sean Kingston , singer
February 4 – Zach King , internet personality, filmmaker, and illusionist
February 6 – Jermaine Kearse , football player
February 7 – Dalilah Muhammad , Olympic hurdler
February 8
February 9 – Camille Winbush , actress
February 10 – Trevante Rhodes , actor
February 11 – Q'orianka Kilcher , German-born actress and activist
February 12 – Robert Griffin III , football player
February 14
February 17 – Jamie Alvord , cyclist
February 18
February 20 – Derek Anderson , mixed martial artist
February 22
February 23
February 24
February 25 – RaShaun Allen , football player
February 26 – Chris Banjo , football player
February 27
February 28 – Ryan Allen , football player
Kristinia DeBarge
Kiowa Gordon
Laura Harrier
Thomas Rhett
Corey Cott
March 2 – YesJulz , social media personality
March 4
March 6 – Demitrius Bronson , football player and pro wrestler
March 7 – Chase Owens , pro wrestler
March 8
March 9 – YG , rapper and actor
March 10
March 11 – Reiley McClendon , actor
March 13 – Emory Cohen , actor
March 15
March 17 – Rizza Islam , conspiracy theorist
March 18
March 20 – Tessa Violet , musician and online personality
March 22
March 24
March 25 – Kiowa Gordon , actor
March 26
March 28 – Laura Harrier , actress and model
March 29 – Timothy Chandler , German-born soccer player
March 30
Kristen Stewart
Maren Morris
Machine Gun Kelly
April 1
April 2
April 3 – Madison Brengle , tennis player
April 4 – Matthew Aucoin , composer, conductor, pianist, and writer
April 6 – Charlie McDermott , actor
April 8
April 9 – Kristen Stewart , actress and director
April 10 – Maren Morris , country singer
April 11 – Darrius Garrett , American-born Rwandan basketball player
April 14
April 16
April 17 – R. J. Allen , soccer player
April 18 – Britt Robertson , actress
April 21 – Bree Essrig , actress
April 22 – Machine Gun Kelly , actor, rapper, and singer
April 23 – Matthew Underwood , actor
April 24
April 27 – Austin Dillon , stock car driver
April 28 – Chelsea Stewart , soccer player
April 29
Kay Panabaker
Brooks Koepka
Leven Rambin
Luke Kleintank
Chris Colfer
May 2
May 3
May 5
May 6
May 7 – Jonathan Zlotnik , politician
May 8 – Kemba Walker , basketball player
May 9 – John McEntee , political advisor
May 10
May 11 – Taylor Fletcher , Olympic Nordic combined skier
May 12
May 14
May 16
May 17
May 18 – Luke Kleintank , actor
May 21 – Trevor Andrews , curler
May 22 – Kenny Anunike , football player and coach
May 24
May 25
May 26 – Eric Griffin , basketball player
May 27 – Chris Colfer , actor
May 29 – Erica Garner , civil rights activist (d. 2017 )
May 30 – Dean Collins , actor
May 31 – Phillipa Soo , actress and singer
Ryan Higa
Tristin Mays
Christian Taylor
Ashly Burch
June 2 – Brittany Curran , actress and singer
June 3 – Rachael Adams , volleyball player
June 4
June 5 – Kyle Pavone , singer and co-frontman for We Came As Romans (d. 2018)
June 6
June 7 – Allison Schmitt , Olympic swimmer
June 9 – John Andreoli , baseball player
June 10 – Tristin Mays , actress and singer
June 12
June 15 – Denzel Whitaker , actor
June 16 – Austin Krajicek , tennis player
June 18
June 19
June 20
June 21 – Ra'eese Aleem , boxer
June 22
June 23
June 27 – Bobby Wagner , football player
June 28 – Ape Drums , DJ and record producer
June 30
Connor Paolo
James Maslow
Daveigh Chase
Soulja Boy
July 2
July 5 – Nick Anderson , baseball player
July 6
July 7 – Amadeus Serafini , actor
July 8 – Randy Brown , American-born Jamaican mixed martial artist
July 10
July 11
July 12
July 13 – Brooke Ammerman , ice hockey player
July 15
July 16 – James Maslow , actor and singer
July 18
July 19
July 21 – Chris Amrhein , football player
July 24
July 26 – Zach Kornfeld , internet personality
July 27
July 28 – Soulja Boy , rapper
July 29
July 30 – Molly McCook , actress
July 31 – Ruby Modine , actress, dancer, and singer
Lucas Till
Jennifer Lawrence
Bo Burnham
Erika Harlacher
August 2
August 3 – Anthony Arena , soccer player
August 5 – Patrick Reed , golfer
August 6
August 7 – Tate Forcier , football player
August 8 – Tommy Bracco , actor, reality television star, and Broadway performer
August 9 – Denicos Allen , football player
August 10
August 13 – DeMarcus Cousins , basketball player
August 14
August 15
August 17 – Janelle Adams , basketball player
August 20 – Bradley Klahn , tennis player
August 21 – Bo Burnham , comedian and musician
August 22 – Adam Thielen , football player
August 23
August 24 – Jeffrey Vinokur , chemist and dancer
August 25 – Max Muncy , baseball player
August 27
August 29
Jamie Anderson
Allison Scagliotti
Christian Serratos
September 1 – Christopher Agorsor , soccer player
September 3 – Keaton Pierce , singer and frontman for Too Close to Touch (d. 2022 )
September 4
September 6
September 8
September 9 – Haley Reinhart , singer
September 10
September 11 – Shawn Armstrong , baseball player
September 12 – Tyler Acord , musician
September 13 – Jamie Anderson , Olympic snowboarder
September 14 – Cody Anderson , baseball player
September 15 – Matt Shively , actor
September 19 – Patrick Breeding , singer
September 20 – Phillip Phillips , singer
September 21
September 27
September 28 – Jasper Dolphin , rapper, actor, and stunt performer
September 29 – Doug Brochu , actor, comedian, and voice actor
September 30
Shaul Guerrero
Brittney Griner
Ciara Renée
Jonathan Lipnicki
October 1 – IDubbbz , youtuber
October 2
October 4 – Rich Homie Quan , rapper (d. 2024)
October 5 – Alex Boniello , actor, musician, author, and producer
October 6
October 7 – Ayla Kell , actress
October 8 – Trent Harmon , singer
October 12 – Brock Coyle , football player
October 13 – Bailey Noble , actress
October 14 – Shaul Guerrero , wrestler
October 17
October 18
October 19
October 20
October 22
October 23
October 24 – Kirby Bliss Blanton , actress
October 25
October 29 – Carlson Young , actress
October 30 – George Abud , actor, playwright, and musician
October 31
Kendall Schmidt
SZA
Sarah Hyland
November 2 – Kendall Schmidt , actor, singer, and guitarist
November 6 – Bowen Yang , Australian-born actor, comedian, writer, and podcaster
November 7 – Courtney Marie Andrews , singer/songwriter
November 8 – SZA , R&B singer
November 9
November 10
November 11 – Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir , basketball player
November 12
November 13 – Kathleen Herles , voice actress
November 14 – DJ Suede the Remix God , musician
November 17 – Shanica Knowles , actress and singer
November 18 – Carly Aquilino , comedian, actress, television host, and television personality
November 19
November 20 – Zack Martin , football player
November 21 – Nickmercs , livestreamer
November 22 – Brock Osweiler , football player
November 23 – Nick Williams , football player
November 24 – Sarah Hyland , actress
November 25 –
November 27 – Blackbear , hip hop musician, singer, composer, and record producer
November 28 – Sena Acolatse , ice hockey player
November 29 – Sheldon Richardson , football player
Chanel Iman
Andy Biersack
David Archuleta
December 1
December 4 – Matt Amodio , game show contestant and winner
December 6
December 7 – Kwame Alexander , basketball player
December 9 – Shondel Archer , American-born Guyanese footballer
December 10 – Terrell Sinkfield , football player
December 11 – Derrick Nix , basketball player
December 13
December 17
December 18 – Sierra Kay , singer/songwriter, model, and lead vocalist for VersaEmerge
December 20
December 22 – Josef Newgarden , race car driver
December 23 – Anna Maria Perez de Tagle , actress
December 24 – Marcus Jordan , basketball player
December 26
December 27 – Zelina Vega , wrestler and actress
December 28
Barbara Stanwyck
Ava Gardner
January 2 – Alan Hale Jr. , American actor (b. 1921)
January 4 – Doc Edgerton , American electrical engineer (b. 1903)
January 5 – Arthur Kennedy , American actor (b. 1914)
January 7 – Bronko Nagurski , Canadian-American football player (b. 1908)
January 9
January 10 – Lyle R. Wheeler , American art director (b. 1905)
January 18
January 19 – Arthur Goldberg , Supreme Court justice (b. 1908)
January 20 – Barbara Stanwyck , American actress (b. 1907)
January 22 – Roman Vishniac , Russian-American photographer (b. 1897)
January 23 – Allen Collins , American musician (b. 1952)
January 24 – Madge Bellamy , American actress (b. 1899)
January 25 – Ava Gardner , American actress (b. 1922)
January 26 – Lewis Mumford , American historian of science (b. 1895)
January 27 – Helen Jerome Eddy , American actress (b. 1897)
January 28 – Joseph Payne Brennan , American writer (b. 1918)
January 30 – John Rogers Cox , American painter (b. 1915)
Johnnie Ray
February 2 – Mel Lewis , American jazz musician (b. 1929)
February 3 – Jane Novak , American actress (b. 1896)
February 5 – Joseph J. Nazzaro , Air Force general (b. 1913)
February 7
February 8 – Del Shannon , American musician and singer (b. 1934)
February 9 – Una Hanbury , British born sculptor (b. 1904)
February 10 – Bill Sherwood , American musician and director (b. 1952)
February 13 – Angela Gregory , American sculptor and professor (b. 1903)
February 14 – Jean Wallace , American actress (b. 1923)
February 15 – Henry Brandon , German Born actor (b. 1912)
February 16 – Keith Haring , American pop artist (b. 1958)
February 17 – Erik Rhodes , American actor (b. 1906)
February 19 – Otto E. Neugebauer , Austrian-born American mathematician and historian of science (b. 1899)
February 22 – Stephen W. Burns , American actor (b. 1954)
February 23 – James M. Gavin , American army general (b. 1907)
February 24
February 27 – Nahum Norbert Glatzer , American scholar (b. 1903)
February 28 – Cornell Gunter , American singer (b. 1936)
Gary Merrill
Tom Harmon
March 4 – Hank Gathers , American basketball player (b. 1967)
March 5 – Gary Merrill , American actor (b. 1915)
March 6
March 12 – Gene Klein , American businessman (b. 1921)
March 13 – Bruno Bettelheim , American child psychologist (b. 1903)
March 14 – Harold Medina , American lawyer, teacher, and judge (b. 1888)
March 15 – Tom Harmon , American football player and broadcaster (b. 1919)
March 18 – Robin Harris , American actor, comedian and voice artist (b. 1953)
March 19
March 24 – Ray Goulding , American comedian (b. 1922)
March 26 – Halston , American fashion designer (b. 1932)
March 30 – Harry Bridges , Australian-born union leader (b. 1901)
Greta Garbo
Ralph Abernathy
April 3
Edna Reindel , Surrealist and American Regionalist painter and sculptor (b. 1894)
Sarah Vaughan , American jazz vocalist (b. 1924)
April 7 – Ronald Evans , American astronaut (b. 1933)
April 8 – Ryan White , American AIDS activist (b. 1971)
April 10 – Fortune Gordien , American Olympic athlete (b. 1922)
April 15 – Greta Garbo , Swedish-born actress (b. 1905)
April 17 – Ralph Abernathy , American civil rights activist (b. 1926)
April 18
April 22 – Albert Salmi , American actor (b. 1928)
April 23 – Paulette Goddard , American actress (b. 1910)
April 25 – Dexter Gordon , American jazz saxophonist (b. 1923)
April 27 – Bella Spewack , American songwriter (b. 1899)
April 30 – Joseph E. Johnson , American government official (b. 1895)
Sammy Davis Jr.
Jim Henson
Rex Harrison
Howard Duff
July 4 – Phil Boggs , American Olympic diver (b. 1949)
July 7 – Bill Cullen , American game show host (b. 1920)
July 8 – Howard Duff , American actor (b. 1913)
July 13 – Lois Moran , American actress (b. 1909)
July 15 – Trouble T Roy , American hip-hop dancer (b. 1967 )
July 18 – Karl Menninger , American psychiatrist (b. 1893)
July 19 – Eddie Quillan , American actor (b. 1907)
July 21 – Joe Turner , American jazz pianist (b. 1907)
July 26 – Brent Mydland , American keyboard player (b. 1952)
July 27 – Bobby Day , American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1928)
Pearl Bailey
Stevie Ray Vaughan
August 6 – Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. , 4-star general of the American Marine Corps (b. 1896)
August 9 – Dorothy Appleby , American film actress (b. 1906)
August 12 – Dorothy Mackaill , British-born American actress (b. 1903)
August 17 – Pearl Bailey , American actress and singer (b. 1918)[ 7]
August 18 – B. F. Skinner , American psychologist (b. 1904)
August 23 – David Rose , British-born American songwriter, composer, and arranger (b. 1910)
August 25 – Willard L. Beaulac , American diplomat (b. 1899)
August 27
August 28 – Larry Jackson , American baseball player and politician (b. 1931)
Irene Dunne
September 1 – Buster Adams , American baseball player (b. 1915)
September 4 – Irene Dunne , American actress (b. 1898)
September 6 – Tom Fogerty , American musician (b. 1941)
September 8 – Joe Gleason , American baseball pitcher (b. 1895)
September 14 – Lotus Long , American actress (b. 1909)
September 19 – Hermes Pan , American choreographer (b. 1910)
September 22 – John A. Danaher , American politician (b. 1899)
September 23 – Betty Warfel , American professional baseball player (b. 1928)
Leonard Bernstein
Art Blakey
Robert Hofstadter
November 3 – Mary Martin , American actress and singer (b. 1913)
November 7 – Vito Russo , American activist, historian, and author (b. 1946)
November 5 – Meir Kahane , American rabbi and political figure (b. 1932)
November 11 – Elliott Chaze , American journalist and novelist (b. 1915)
November 12 – Eve Arden , American actress (b. 1908)
November 17 – Robert Hofstadter , American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
November 27 – David White , American actor (b. 1916)
Aaron Copland
Armand Hammer
December 2
December 4 – Edward Binns , American actor (b. 1916)
December 7
December 8 – Martin Ritt , American film director (b. 1914)
December 9 – Mike Mazurki , American actor and wrestler (b. 1907)
December 10 – Armand Hammer , American business tycoon (b. 1898)
December 13 – Alice Marble , American tennis champion (b. 1913)
December 15
December 16 – Douglas Campbell , World War I pilot (b. 1896)
December 18 – Anne Revere , American actress (b. 1903)
December 20 – Elmo Tanner , American singer and whistler (b. 1910)
December 28
December 31 – George Allen , American football coach (b. 1918)
^ Newsome, John (February 5, 2015). "Police hope for new information in brutal Las Cruces murders after 25 years" . CNN . Retrieved November 26, 2023 .
^ "Bowling Alley Case, now 30 Years Old, Remains Unsolved" . Las Cruces, NM . Retrieved November 26, 2023 .
^ John T. Woolley; Gerhard Peters (June 26, 1990). "Statement on the Federal Budget Negotiations" . The American Presidency Project . Archived from the original on September 26, 2012.
^ Stanley, Alessandra (July 7, 1990). "New Force In Fashion: 'Dart Man' " . The New York Times . Retrieved March 3, 2009 .
^ "Leonard Bernstein, 72, Music's Monarch, Dies" . The New York Times . October 15, 1990. Retrieved July 16, 2014 .
^ "2017 world 100m champion Bowie dies | NEWS | World Athletics" . worldathletics.org . Retrieved June 13, 2023 .
^ "Pearl Bailey | American entertainer" . Encyclopedia Britannica . Retrieved June 4, 2020 .