Highlights
The world was watching. Here's what dominated the headlines:
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait: Iraq invades Kuwait and temporarily establishes the Republic of Kuwait puppet state on the orders of Saddam Hussein, eventually leading to the Gulf War.
Vitalia Diatchenko
Vitalia Diatchenko, Russian tennis player
Norman Maclean
Norman Maclean, American short story writer and essayist (born 1902)
Edwin Richfield
Edwin Richfield, English actor and screenwriter (born 1921)
Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-43 to deploy the TDRS-5 satellite.
Michel Debré, French lawyer and politician, 150th prime minister of France (born 1912)
Mohamed Farrah Aidid, Somalian general and politician, 5th president of Somalia (born 1934)
William S. Burroughs, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1914)
The decade's soundtrack was electric. These artists were making waves:
Charli XCX
Charli XCX, English singer-songwriter
Michel Berger
Michel Berger, French singer-songwriter and producer (born 1947)
Sergey Golovkin
Sergey Golovkin, Russian serial killer and rapist, last person executed by Russia (born 1959)
Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti, Nigerian singer-songwriter and activist (born 1938)
On the field and off it, athletes were making history:
Skylar Diggins
Skylar Diggins, American basketball player
Laremy Tunsil
Laremy Tunsil, American football player
Kristaps Porziņģis
Kristaps Porziņģis, Latvian basketball player
Keston Hiura
Keston Hiura, American baseball player
Must-see TV was a real thing — and this is what filled the airwaves:
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
"Don King, Masoud Karkehabadi, Hugh Fink" (Season 1994, Episode 132) aired on 1994-08-02.
POV
"Dialogues with Madwomen" (Season 7, Episode 9) aired on 1994-08-02.
Biography
"Roy Rogers: American Legend" (Season 1994, Episode 18) aired on 1994-08-02.
The Late Show with David Letterman
"Cameron Diaz, Stevie Nicks" (Season 1994, Episode 123) aired on 1994-08-02.
"DeLane Matthews, Marsha Warfield" (Season 1994, Episode 81) aired on 1994-08-02.
"Frank Luntz, Corbin Bernsen" (Season 1995, Episode 133) aired on 1995-08-02.
"Bob Uecker, Mary Ann Dennis, Roger Clinton" (Season 1995, Episode 129) aired on 1995-08-02.
"Hamlet 2: This Time It's Personal" (Season 4, Episode 25) aired on 1997-08-02.
"Charles Whitman: Austin Sniper" (Season 7, Episode 10) aired on 1998-08-02.
The digital revolution was just getting started:
Total Request Live had teenagers calling in around the clock. Here's what was charting:
The #1 most requested video on TRL on this date in 1999
#2 on TRL — Blink-182, "What's My Age Again?"
#3 on TRL — Will Smith, "Wild Wild West"
#4 on TRL — Santana, "Smooth"
#5 on TRL — Smash Mouth, "All Star"
#6 on TRL — Jennifer Lopez, "If You Had My Love"
#7 on TRL — Ricky Martin, "Livin' la Vida Loca"
#8 on TRL — Backstreet Boys, "I Want It That Way"
#9 on TRL — Savage Garden, "I Want You"
#10 on TRL — Eminem, "My Name Is"
By Year
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