Timeline April 1990

Events in April 1990 14

• 1905 – 1990 Greta Garbo (1905-1990) Died 15 April 1990, aged 84 Greta Garbo was a Swedish-American actress celebrated for silent and early sound films including "Grand Hotel" and "Ninotchka." She retired from acting in 1941 and lived reclusively for the rest of her life. She died in New York City on 15 April 1990.
• 1910 – 1990 Paulette Goddard (1910-1990) American actress, Charlie Chaplin's co-star in Modern Times and The Great Dictator.
• 1990 Nepal's pro-democracy movement restores multi-party rule King Birendra accepts constitutional monarchy Weeks of pro-democracy protests known as the Jana Andolan pressured Nepal's King Birendra to lift the ban on political parties. On 8 April 1990 he agreed to a new constitution establishing a multi-party constitutional monarchy. The movement ended three decades of direct royal rule.
• 1990 Hungary holds first free elections since 1945 Democratic Forum wins governing mandate Hungary's first free parliamentary elections since World War II were held in two rounds on 25 March and 8 April 1990. The Hungarian Democratic Forum won the largest share of seats and formed a coalition government. The vote completed Hungary's transition from communist rule.
• 1990 Windows 3.0 released Microsoft transforms personal computing Microsoft released Windows 3.0 on May 22, 1990, the first commercially successful version of Windows. It transformed the personal computer market and set the stage for Windows' global dominance.
• 1990 Ryan White dies AIDS activist teenager, age 18 Ryan White, the teenager who became a symbol of the AIDS crisis after contracting HIV from a blood transfusion, died of pneumonia on April 8, 1990. His advocacy helped change public understanding of AIDS.
• 1990 – 1991 Twin Peaks -- 'Who killed Laura Palmer?' Co-created with Mark Frost, Twin Peaks debuted on ABC on 8 April 1990 and became a cultural phenomenon. The series -- a murder mystery set in a logging town in the Pacific Northwest -- introduced Lynch''s surrealist sensibility to a mainstream television audience of 35 million viewers. FBI Agent Dale Cooper, the Red Room, the Black Lodge, and the question 'Who killed Laura Palmer?' entered the cultural vocabulary. The show ran for two seasons before cancellation, but its influence on subsequent television drama was immeasurable.
• 1990 Public Enemy release Fear of a Black Planet 911 Is a Joke Their best-selling album.
• 1990 1990 World Snooker Championship Hendry Rise Stephen Hendry becomes the youngest-ever world champion. Winner: Stephen Hendry; Runner-up: Jimmy White. Score: 18–12.
• 1990 Croatia holds first multi-party elections Franjo Tuđman's HDZ wins power Croatia held its first free multi-party elections since World War II in April and May 1990. Franjo Tuđman's Croatian Democratic Union won a decisive majority, ending communist rule. The result accelerated Croatia's push toward independence from Yugoslavia.
• 1990 First Earth Day in 20 years 200 million participate worldwide The 20th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 1990 mobilised 200 million people in 141 countries, launching the modern environmental movement globally.
• 1990 Paulette Goddard dies in Ronco sopra Ascona Paulette Goddard dies aged 79.
• 1990 Zaire's Mobutu announces end of one-party rule Long-time dictator promises multi-party system President Mobutu Sese Seko announced on 24 April 1990 that Zaire would end 23 years of one-party rule and move toward a multi-party system. The announcement came amid growing domestic unrest and the end of Cold War support for his regime. Democratic reforms stalled and Mobutu remained in power for years afterward.
• 1990 Colombian presidential candidate Carlos Pizarro assassinated Former guerrilla leader shot aboard flight Carlos Pizarro, presidential candidate for the demobilized M-19 guerrilla movement, was shot and killed aboard a domestic flight on 26 April 1990. He was the third Colombian presidential candidate assassinated during that election cycle. The killings underscored the violence surrounding Colombia's drug wars.