What happened in March 1990?
The top front-page story of each day in March 1990, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Mar 1🌋 Alaska Volcano Erupts – The Redoubt Volcano erupted twice, disrupting flights and dropping ash on Anchorage for the first time in over two decades.
- Mar 2🚀 Shuttle Deploys Satellite – A $500 million spy satellite was successfully deployed by astronauts aboard the space shuttle early today.
- Mar 3🏫 Governors Commit to Education – U.S. governors pledge a 10-year strategy to improve schools and student outcomes, emphasizing long-term educational goals.
- Mar 4🏔️ Iditarod Is Under Way – Seventy dog teams and mushers set out today in the Iditarod Trail sled-dog race, a 1,160-mile chase through snow and ice.
- Mar 5🏛️ Italy Fears Art Loss – Italy worries about art treasures scattering in Europe after armed men stole over 200 valuable artifacts from Herculaneum.
- Mar 6🌳 New Environment Secretary – A pioneer conservationist is appointed Brazil's new Secretary of Environment, emphasizing rain forest protection.
- Mar 7🔬 Soviets Approve Business Ownership – The Soviet Parliament approved a property law allowing citizens to own small-scale factories, marking a significant economic reform.
- Mar 8🌍 Gorbachev Demands Billions – President Gorbachev demands Lithuania pay $33 billion to secede from the Soviet Union, escalating tensions.
- Mar 9🚀 Shuttle Atlantis Landing – A hydraulic hose failure caused a brief drop in pressure inside the space shuttle Atlantis before landing, but the astronauts were unharmed.
- Mar 10🌍 Rauschenberg Exhibition Opens – Robert Rauschenberg's exhibition in Berlin promotes cultural unification between East and West Germany, marking a significant artistic milestone.
- Mar 11🧬 Gene Therapy Advances – Gene therapy using viruses as messengers to deliver missing genes to children with congenital disorders moves closer to reality.
- Mar 12🇱🇹 Lithuania Declares Independence – Lithuania's parliament declared independence from the Soviet Union, establishing a non-Communist government to negotiate future relations.
- Mar 13🗳️ Lithuania Declares Independence – Lithuania's parliament declared independence from the Soviet Union, marking a significant step in the country's democratic movement.
- Mar 14🗳️ Lithuania Declares Independence – Lithuania's Parliament unanimously adopted a declaration asserting independence from the Soviet Union, marking a significant step in the region's quest for autonomy.
- Mar 15🗳️ Gorbachev Elected President – Mikhail S. Gorbachev was elected to a new executive presidency, gaining powers to address the Soviet Union's economic and ethnic crises.
- Mar 16🕊️ Vatican Resumes Ties – The Roman Catholic Church and the Soviet Union re-established permanent official contacts, paving the way for a potential papal visit.
- Mar 17🌍 De Klerk Meets Mandela – President F. W. de Klerk announced talks with an African National Congress delegation led by Nelson Mandela to begin on April 11 in Cape Town.
- Mar 18🏛️ New Paris Opera Opens – The new opera house, built on the site of the Bastille prison, had its grand opening today with a performance of Berlioz's 'Les Troyens.'
- Mar 19🚀 NASA Space Station Flaw – Experts found major design flaws in NASA's $30 billion space station Freedom, jeopardizing its construction timeline.
- Mar 20🦙 Almost Intact Mammoth Found – An almost intact baby mammoth, frozen for at least 12,000 years, has been discovered in Western Siberia, scientists reported.
- Mar 21🌍 Namibia Achieves Independence – Namibia becomes the world's newest independent nation after 75 years under South African control, adopting a democratic constitution.
- Mar 22🌱 Bamboo Lab Breakthrough – Scientists coax bamboo to flower in lab, a significant advance for this vital timber crop, which typically flowers only once every century.
- Mar 23🌍 U.S.-Soviet Grain Pact – The U.S. and Soviet Union reached a long-term grain agreement, ensuring an export market for an additional million tons of American agricultural products.
- Mar 24🏛️ Mongolia Ends Monopoly – Mongolia's Communist legislators abolished their party's monopoly on power and approved elections with multiple candidates.
- Mar 25🌍 Gorbachev's New Cabinet – President Mikhail S. Gorbachev has appointed a new Cabinet, balancing reformists with hard-liners, marking a significant political shift in the Soviet Union.
- Mar 26🕊️ Pope Urges Peace – Pope John Paul II appeals for sincere dialogue and a just solution to the crisis in Lithuania amid rising tensions.
- Mar 27🌍 Germany Reunification Game – East and West Germany united today in a historic game, marking a significant step towards reunification amid global scrutiny.
- Mar 28🏥 Triple Transplant Recipient Dies – A 26-year-old woman, the world's only heart, liver, and kidney transplant patient, died from hepatitis complications.
- Mar 29🎨 Sistine Ceiling Restored – The Sistine Chapel ceiling is unveiled after a decade of restoration, showcasing Michelangelo's frescoes in their full glory.
- Mar 30🌍 Lithuania Discusses Sovereignty – Lithuania's leaders signaled readiness to discuss a referendum on independence with the Kremlin, seeking dialogue amid rising tensions.
- Mar 31🔬 Spinal Injury Treatment – Researchers have demonstrated that drug treatment can reduce paralysis and disability in individuals with serious spinal cord injuries.
Happy Birthday! 1990 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1990 in real headlines. See the 1990 book →
Born in March? Pick the day
Every birthday in March has its own On This Day in Headlines book: