Former football hero and actor O.J. Simpson pleads not guilty to the murders of his ex-wife and a male friend. Simpson’s trial becomes an unprecedented media circus. Also that year:

• After winning South Africa’s first election open to all races, Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as the nation’s first black President.

• Kurt Cobain, lead singer for the rock band Nirvana and an alleged drug user, commits suicide.

• Chant, a collection of Gregorian chants recorded by Spanish Benedictine monks, becomes a surprise best-selling recording worldwide.

• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, widow of President Kennedy and noted for her glamour and style, dies in New York City.

• Figure skater Tonya Harding pleads guilty to conspiracy charges arising from an assault on her rival Nancy Kerrigan at the U.S. National Championships.

• Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collides with Jupiter, causing a spectacular explosion as it breaks up and strikes the planet in several places.