The A - Z Of 1991 Facts: You Will Love Reading This!

Did you know that the famous chicken joint, KFC, received its official name in the year 1991?

Well, this indeed is the case when the owners of KFC decided to rename their company from Kentucky Fried Chicken, which was the original name of the company, to KFC. This decision was made based on the idea that a shorter and catchier name would reach out to and yield more customers.

Like any other year, the year 1991 witnessed some of the major events and entertainment hits of all time.

Some of the key personalities mentioned in this article, who were either born or passed away this year, made major contributions to advancing the entertainment industry with their invaluable work.

Major events such as the START treaty, the launch of the sts-44 mission by NASA, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union took place this year and have had huge contributions in shaping the following years.

Some of the entertainment productions of that year include the song 'Smells like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana, and movies such as 'Silence of the Lambs', 'Beauty and the Beast', and 'Hood Prince of Thieves'.

Most importantly, the World Wide Web, the first website, was built at CERN labs by Tim Berners-Lee that year.

Keep reading to learn more about the year 1991! If you enjoyed reading this article, then you must check out 1992 facts and 1993 facts to discover various trivia and fun facts, and much more.

Major Events That Happened In 1991

The year 1991 indeed witnessed a number of significant events that had a massive impact on the following years. Some of the major treaties were signed between nations this year, besides waging wars and conducting space experiments. Let us learn about some of the major events of 1991.

The first and foremost mention must be made of Operation Desert Storm, wherein the Iraqi Forces were bombed in an air attack by the United Nations Coalition Force that was led by the United States, Arab, and some European countries. Prior to this, Iraq had made attempts to annex Kuwait.

The US and NATO placed troops in Saudi Arabia and called it Operation Desert Shield.

The air attacks continued from mid-January till February when Operation Desert Sabre was executed, wherein Southern Iraq and Kuwait were attacked by the ground forces.

By the end of February, Iraqi forces were defeated and sent back to Iraq. Next, the START I Treaty, also known as the New START Treaty, was signed between President George H. W. Bush of the US and Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union in July of 1991.

On signing the treaty, they agreed to reduce and limit the nuclear warheads of both nations to 7,950. Negotiations between the two countries had continued for nine years, and the treaty came into effect in 1994.

This treaty was a precursor to many more START treaties that were signed between several countries.

This year also witnessed the break up of the USSR wherein countries, namely Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, and Estonia-gained independence from the rule of the Soviet Union.

These Soviet Republics under the Soviet Union started revolting against Soviet rule in August of 1991.

The break-up was declared sometime in September and, by the end of the year, the new Russian government replaced the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, which led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This also put an end to the command economy, which was the main feature of the USSR from 1917-1991.

Additionally, 1991 was also the beginning of the 'Special Period In A Time Of Peace' in Cuba, when the country faced a major economic crisis due to the dissolution of the USSR, which led to the rural population of the country illegally migrating to the capital city of Havana.

The 'Acid Rain Treaty' was signed by the United States' President George H. W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The treaty made it mandatory to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, the sources of acid rain in the countries of the US and Canada.

In November of 1991, the STS-44 mission was launched by NASA. Seven astronauts, namely Frederick Gregory, Terence Hendricks, James Voss, F. Story Musgrave, Mario Rancor Jr., and Thomas Henan, were present inside the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Besides conducting several experiments, this mission was primarily aimed at deploying a Defense Support Program satellite by the Department of Defense of the US. The mission was successfully completed after seven days when the crew landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Some of the other events include Dallas's changing from an at-large district to a single-member district, which caused a rise in the number of Hispanic and African American council members. The Balkan War and the Gulf War began this year after Slovenia and Croatia broke out of Yugoslavia.

Key Births In 1991

The year 1991 has witnessed some of the major births of all time. These people have gone on to achieve great heights in their lives in the following years. Here is a list of the key births of that year.

The famous Danish singer, Nicolai Kielstrup, was born on October 4, 1991, in Vejle, Denmark. Some of his popular song albums include 'Dejavu - Tilbage Til Mig', 'Stage 2', 'Nicolai / Nicolai', and 'Nicolai'.

Emma Roberts, one of the most popular American actresses and singers, was born on February 10 in Rhinebeck, New York, in the United States. 'Scream Queens', 'Holidate', 'We're the Millers', 'American Horror Story', 'Little Italy', and 'The Hunt' are some of the popular movies where you will find her at her best.

'Unfabulous and More' is her debut soundtrack album, which was released in the year 2005.

One of the most popular Japanese actors, Masahiro Usui, was born on December 3, 1991, in Tokyo, Japan. Some of the movies he was cast in include the series 'Engine Sentai Go-onger', 'Maho Shojo wo wasurenai', 'Maria-Sama ga miteru', and 'Wasure Yuki, Lifeline'. He is a member of the D-Boys, an acting troupe that is produced by Watanabe Entertainment.

Kie Kitano, the famous Japanese actress, gravure idol, and singer, was born on March 15 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan. 'Halfway, 14-sai No Haha', 'Double Meaning', 'Taiyo To Umi No Kyushitsu' are some of her popular movies. Some of her popular songs include 'Hazakura', 'Kuukaren', 'Sakurasaku', and so on.

Qian Lin, a Chinese singer, was born on March 11. Popularly known as Linlin, this Chinese singer was one of the two non-Japanese members of the Morning Musume.

Mary Elizabeth Clarke, more popularly known as Emmy Clarke, is an American actress born on September 25, 1991, in Mineola, New York, the United States. She has acted in various American movies, such as 'Monk', 'Apartment Troubles', and 'My House in Umbria'.

Declan Galbraith, a famous British singer, was born on December 19, 1991, in Hoo St. Werburgh, in the United Kingdom. 'Declan', 'You and Me', and 'Thank You' are some of his most loved song albums of all time.

Lena Meyer-Landrut, a German singer-songwriter, was born on May 23 in Hanover, Germany. She represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo and won the competition. Some of her popular songs include 'Satellite', 'Wild and Free', and 'Don't Lie To Me'.

Since listing all the names of the famous people who were born this year can be quite exhaustive, here are some of the names that you can check out to further your knowledge: William Tomlin, a British actor, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, a Canadian actress, Calum Worthy, a famous Canadian actor and musician, Erika Umeda, a Japanese singer, Henry Surtees, a British racing driver, Evanna Lynch, the famous Irish actress, Atsuko Maeda, one of the most popular Japanese singers, and Masahiro Usui, a popular Japanese actor.

Famous People Who Died In 1991

As the year 1991 has witnessed some of the key births, it has also experienced some of the great losses across the world. Read on to learn about some of the deaths that that year witnessed.

Mohammed Abdel Wahab, a popular Egyptian singer, and composer was born on March 13, 1902, in Cairo, Egypt, and passed away on May 4, 1991. Some of his most loved music compositions include 'Han El Wed', 'Yamsafer Wahdak', and 'La Mosh Ana Ely Abky'.

Margot Fonteyn, an English ballet dancer, was born on May 18, 1919, in Reigate, United Kingdom. She left the world on February 21, 1991, when she was in Panama City.

Natalie Schafer, a popular American actress, was famous for her work as Lovey Howell in 'Gilligan's Island'. She was born on November 5, 1900, in Red Bank, New Jersey, United States, and passed away on April 10, 1991, when she was in Beverly Hills, California, United States.

Some of her famous works include 'Dishonored Lady', 'Gilligan's Island', and 'Forever Darling'.

Manolo Gómez Bur, a Spanish actor, was born on April 21, 1917, in Madrid, Spain, and passed away on May 30, 1991, in Bailen, Spain. Some of his famous movies include 'El Pobre Garcia', and 'Red Cross Girls', 'Los Tramposos'.

Renato Rascel, a famous Italian actor and singer, was born on April 27, 1912, in Turin, Italy, and passed away on January 2, 1991, when he was in Rome, Italy.

Some of his popular movies include 'Seven Hills of Rome', 'The Overcoat', 'Uncle was a Vampire', and some of his song compositions include 'Arrivederci Roma', 'II Piccolo Corazziere', and 'E Arrivata La Bufera'.

Gene Tierney, an American actress, was born on November 19, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York, United States, and passed away on November 6, 1991, in Houston, Texas, United States. Some of the movies where you will find her include 'Laura', 'Leave Her to Heaven', and 'Heaven Can Wait'.

Klaus Kinski, a German actor, was born on October 18, 1926, in Sopot, Poland, and passed away on November 23, 1991, in California, United States. 'My Best Friend', 'Fitzcarraldo', and 'Woyzeck' are some of the popular movies he had worked in.

Igor Talkov, the famous Russian singer, poet, and composer, was born on November 4, 1956, in Tula Oblast, Russia. He passed on October 6, 1991, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, at a fairly young age. Some of his music compositions include 'Ya Vernus', 'Pure Ponds', 'Metamorfoza', and many others.

Yves Montand, a French actor, and singer was born on October 13, 1921, in Monsummano Terme, Italy, and passed away on November 9, 1991, in Senlis, France.

Some of the movies in which he worked include 'The Wages of Fear', 'Lovers Like Us', 'The Red Circle', and much more, and a few of his songs include 'A Paris', 'Les Feuilles Mortes', and so on.

Miles Davis, an American jazz trumpeter, Per Yngve Ohlin, a Swedish singer, Edwina Booth, the popular American actress, Jack Crawford, the Australian tennis champion, Peggy Ashcroft, the British actress, Cassandra Harris, an Australian actress, Serge Gainsbourg, a French singer, Viviane Romance, a famous French actress, Freddie Mercury, a song composer and singer, and Vilma Banky, a Hungarian-born actress, are the names of some key personalities who left the world in the year 1991.

Nobel Prizes Awarded In 1991

Like every year, the Nobel prizes were awarded to deserving personalities in the year 1991. Here is a compilation of Nobel prize winners from 1991 that you may want to know about.

To begin with, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her active participation in the 'nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights'. Next, Bert Sakmann and Erwin Neher were awarded the Nobel Prize for their invaluable discoveries in the fields of physiology and medicine.

Richard R. Ernst received the Nobel Prize for his contributions in the field of chemistry. Ronald Coase was awarded the Nobel Prize for this significant work in the field of economic science.

Nadine Gordimer received the Nobel Prize for her contributions to the field of literature. Pierre-Gilles de Gennes was awarded the Nobel Prize for his invaluable contributions in the field of physics.

Did You Know...

Apart from the Nobel Prizes that were awarded in the year 1991, a number of movies and song albums were released this year, making the pop-culture history of 1991 quite interesting. Here is a small list of entertainment productions that this year witnessed.

The first animated movie, 'Beauty and the Beast', achieved a nomination in the best picture category at the Oscars.

'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves', directed by Kevin Reynolds and produced by Morgan Creek Productions, was released on June 14, 1991. 'Major Dad', an American sitcom television series, was created by Richard C. Okie and John G. Stephens.

This show aired on CBS from September 17, 1989-May 17, 1993.

One of the most popular movies of all time, 'The Silence of the Lambs', directed by Jonathan Demme, was released in theaters on February 14, 1991, and received the Academy Award for Best Picture. Anthony Hopkins, who starred in the movie, also won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Apart from these, 'Naked Gun', 'Robin Hood', 'Fresh Prince', 'Hasta La Vista Baby', 'Addams Family', and 'The Poor Little Rich Girl' are some of the popular releases of 1991 that you can check out.

The National Film Registry included some of the best movies of all time that featured some of our most beloved characters. This list includes 'A Space Odyssey (1968)', 'The Battle of San Pietro (1945)', 'The Blood of Jesus (1941)', and many more.

A few of the major singles and song albums released this year include 'Smells like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana which got a three-star rating by Rolling Stone magazine.

'Everything I Do I Do It For You' by Bryan Adams, 'Pearl Jam' by Metallica, 'Dangerous' by Michael Jackson, 'Here We Go' by C+C Music Factory, 'Unforgettable' by Natalie Cole, 'Nevermind' by Nirvana, 'Good Vibrations' by Marky Mark and 'The Funky Bunch' are some of the major song hits of this year.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1991 facts, then why not take a look at 1994 facts or 1996 facts.