August 31, 1994: The Russians Pull Their Last Troops Out of the Baltics

August 31, 1994: The Russian Federation pulls the last of its armed forces out of the "Baltic States": Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. These countries had gained their independence from the Russian Empire after World War I, but it didn't last.

On September 28, 1939, under threat of invasion, Estonia signed a treaty of "mutual assistance" with the Soviet Union, which allowed the establishment of Soviet military bases there. Latvia, under similar duress, did so on October 5; Lithuania, on October 10.

On June 14, 1940, the day the Nazis marched into Paris, the Soviets issued an ultimatum to Lithuania, demanding the replacement of the Lithuanian government, and that the Red Army be allowed into the country. The government decided that, with Soviet bases already in Lithuania, armed resistance was impossible and accepted the ultimatum.

The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was incorporated into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on August 3, 1940; the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic followed on August 5; the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, on August 6.

During the Eastern European phase of World War II, which the Soviets named the Great Patriotic War, the Nazis killed 120,000 people in Lithuania, 85,000 in Latvia, 10,000 in Estonia.

With the Eastern European revolutions of 1989 in mind, on March 11, 1990, Lithuania's Supreme Council declared independence from the Soviet Union. Latvia did the same on May 4. The Soviets responded with military force, but Lithuania fought them to a stalemate. Latvia's independence was recognized by the United Nations on August 21, 1991, followed by Lithuania's and Estonia's on September 17.

On December 25, 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved. On August 31, 1993, the last Russian troops left Lithuania. A year later, the last Russian troops were pulled out of Latvia and Estonia.

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August 31, 1994 was a Tuesday. Major League Baseball was the only North American sports league that was supposed to be in its regular season, but the Strike of '94 had just begun. So there were no scores on this historic day.