Kosovo declares its independence. The region's secession from Serbia followed an armed conflict referred to as the Kosovo War.

Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is jailed for life. Dahmer was convicted of murdering and dismembering at least 17 young men and boys.

The “Armory Show” opens in New York. The art exhibition featured works by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh and marked the advent of artistic modernism in the United States.

“Madama Butterfly” is premiered. Giacomo Puccini's opera, one of the world's most performed works of musical theater, was poorly received in its first performance.

A precursor of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is founded. The “Committee for Relief to the Wounded” was created by a group of citizens in Geneva, Switzerland.