First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launched raids in the city of Kizlyar, Dagestan, which turned into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.
Radio astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail announced the discovery of two pulsar planets orbiting PSR B1257+12 (depicted), the first confirmed detection of exoplanets.
U.S. representative Raymond Lederer was convicted of bribery and conspiracy for his role in the Abscam scandal, but continued to serve his term for three more months.
The Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, ending a 33-game winning streak, the longest in major American professional team sports.