A coup removed Jean-Bertrand Aristide as President of Haiti.

A suicide bombing at a police recruiting center in Al Hillah, Iraq result in the killing of 127.

The John Jay Report is released which details the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in the United States.

The sister to the RMS Titanic, the  HMHS Britannic, is launched.

President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees after 20 years of rule.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offers a US$3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.

The French law on colonialism is passed, that requires teachers to teach the “positive values of colonialism”. It is repealed at the beginning of 2006.

An earthquake measuring 6.3 in magnitude hits Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 181 people.