Timeline May 1990

Events in May 1990 10

• 1925 – 1990 Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990) Died 16 May 1990, aged 64 Sammy Davis Jr. was an American entertainer known as a singer, dancer, and actor, and as a member of the Rat Pack alongside Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. He broke racial barriers in American entertainment across a decades-long career. He died of throat cancer in Beverly Hills on 16 May 1990.
• 1936 – 1990 Jim Henson (1936-1990) Died 16 May 1990, aged 53 Jim Henson was an American puppeteer who created the Muppets and co-created "Sesame Street." His characters, including Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, became fixtures of children's television worldwide. He died suddenly of a bacterial infection in New York City.
• 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 Latvia declares independence Second Baltic state to break from USSR Latvia formally declared the restoration of its independence from the Soviet Union on May 4, 1990, following Lithuania's lead.
• 1990 Estonia declares independence Third Baltic state breaks free Estonia declared the beginning of a transition period toward full independence from the Soviet Union on May 8, 1990.
• 1990 Van Gogh's "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" sells for record price Auction sets new high for a painting Vincent van Gogh's "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" sold at Christie's in New York on 15 May 1990 for $82.5 million, a record for any artwork at the time. The buyer was Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito. The sale highlighted the booming art market of the late 1980s.
• 1990 Yemen unified North and South Yemen merge The Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen merged to form the Republic of Yemen on May 22, 1990, ending decades of division.
• 1990 – present Jewel Kilcher Singer-songwriter born in 1990 American singer-songwriter known professionally as Jewel, born in Homer, Alaska.
• 1990 Yeltsin elected chairman of the Russian Supreme Soviet Reformer takes power in Russia Boris Yeltsin was elected president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on May 29, 1990, beginning his rise to power that would culminate in the dissolution of the USSR.
• 1990 Bush-Gorbachev summit Chemical weapons accord signed US President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met in Washington for a four-day summit beginning May 30, 1990, signing an accord to end chemical weapons production.