Quick Facts about the First Gulf War
Major Participating Countries![Cropped image of The Gulf war map : [a special pullout section showing the war zone and key weapons used by the allied and Iraqi forces] / Time map by Holmes/Lertola/Pugliese/Wells. [1991] / Map Div. 92-15626](https://libapps.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/313473/images/20230125_154326.jpg)
- Iraq
- Kuwait (Supported by United States)
Abbreviated List of Important Dates
August 2, 1990: Kuwait is invaded and annexed by Iraq.
August 2, 1990 – January 17, 1991: Dubbed Operation Desert Shield, this time frame includes deployment and buildup of military resources for Kuwait.
January 17, 1991–February 24, 1991: Named Operation Desert Storm, this air campaign focused on depleting the defenses of Iraq.
February 24, 1991–28, 1991: Named Operation Desert Sabre, this operation was a major ground offensive that led to Saddam Hussein accepting a cease-fire on February 28.
March 3, 1991: Iraq accepts the terms of a cease-fire agreement.
Alternatively known as the Persian Gulf War or Operation Desert Storm.
Source for Quick Facts: "Persian Gulf War Timeline," Britannica. -- The editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, "Persian Gulf War." Britannica.
Image Source: Cropped image of The Gulf war map : [a special pullout section showing the war zone and key weapons used by the allied and Iraqi forces] / Time map by Holmes/Lertola/Pugliese/Wells. [1991] / Map Div. 92-15626
Catalog Tips
When searching the Online Research Catalog, in the Advanced Search, checkmark "Cartographic" under Format and type the following into the Keyword Field or Subject Field for most results:
- Persian Gulf War
- Middle East (utilizing date function, limit to years from approximately 1990-1991)
- Kuwait (utilizing date function, limit to years from approximately 1990-1991)
- Kuwait War
For more specific results, combine the above search terms with any of the terms listed in the "Terms to Search in the Online Research Catalog" portion of this guide's Using Our Catalogs page.
A Selection of Maps and Atlases at the Map Division
- Middle East crisis. 1990
- Map Div. 92-15687
- Catalog Note: Shows tanker routes, oil fields, and pipelines.
- The Gulf war map : [a special pullout section showing the war zone and key weapons used by the allied
and Iraqi forces] / Time map by Holmes/Lertola/Pugliese/Wells. [1991]
- Map Div. 92-15626
- War in the Gulf : an Associated Press news map. 1991
- Map Div. 92-15688
- [Map showing Kuwait and neutral zones between Saudi Arabia and Iraq and between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait]. [1991]
- Map Div. 99-390
- Khowr Zhobeir demarcated by the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission. 1993
- Map Div. 96-6735
- Catalog Note: Reproduced from the 'Final report on the demarcation of the international boundary between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait by the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission,' New York, 20 May 1993."
- A historical atlas of Kuwait / Kurt Ray. 2004
- Map Div. 07-2195
Image: War in the Gulf : an Associated Press news map. Map Div. 92-15688
Digitized Map Collections
U.S. Army Center of Military History: Operation Desert Storm
United States Military Academy West Point: The First Gulf War
- Contains digitized maps pertaining to the First Gulf War and campaigns
Additional Recommended Books and Documents at NYPL
- Desert storm. Volume 1, The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait & Operation Desert Shield 1990-1991. 2019
- JFG 20-47
- Operation Desert storm. Volume 2, Operation Desert Storm and the coalition liberation of Kuwait 1991. 2021
- JFG 21-188
- Encyclopedia of the Persian Gulf War. 1995
- *R-RMRR UF500 .G8 1995
- Legacy in the sand : the United States Army Armament, Munitions and Chemical in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. 1993
- Available online: Digitized version.
- Mobilizing for the storm : the Army National Guard in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. 2001
- DS79.744.L64 M446 2001
- Available courtesy of Princeton University Library
- Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm : chronology and fact book. 1995
- JFE 96-2477
- The United States Navy in "Desert Shield", "Desert Storm." 1991
- JFF 91-2575
- The whirlwind war : the United States Army in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm / Frank N. Schubert and Theresa L. Kraus, general editors. 1995
- JFF 98-1467
- Available online, courtesy of HathiTrust
When searching your local neighborhood library for books about the First Gulf War, we recommend trying these keyword searches on the home page of NYPL:
- Persian Gulf War
- Gulf War
Please see below for a list of recommended books about the First Gulf War that can be found at your local branch:
Flight 149 by ISBN: 9781541700055Publication Date: 2021-09-07A gripping, real-life drama that reveals the true story of a plane full of unsuspecting passengers who landed in a war zone and were delivered into the hands of a murderous dictator. On August 1, 1990, Flight 149 was scheduled for its routine London-to-Kuala Lumpur run. But when the plane, carrying 385 passengers and crew, landed at a Kuwait airport to refuel that day, it was surrounded by Iraqi tanks and about to be bombed by fighter jets. The passengers and crew were kept as hostages and suffered brutal treatment including violent attacks, sexual assaults, and mock executions. When the survivors were eventually released, they were never told why their plane landed in the middle of an invasion, or who a mysterious team of late arrivals on the flight might have been. Their story was overshadowed by the ensuing Gulf War. Until now. In Flight 149, Stephen Davis draws on unique witness accounts from the hostages, and uncovers the lies and coverups orchestrated by the British secret service and CIA. This story reveals an astonishing misuse of intelligence that changed the course of history and forever altered the relationship between the West and the Middle East.
Theater of Operations: the Gulf Wars 1991-2011 by ISBN: 9780996893084Publication Date: 2019-11-05This exhibition catalogue, accompanying the major building-wide exhibition Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991-2011, includes four new commissioned texts by scholars of Iraqi art Zainab Bahrani, Rijin Sahakian, and Nada Shabout, as well as a media-focused critique from McKenzie Wark. The book will also feature essays from our curators Ruba Katrib and Peter Eleey, as well as critical reproductions from contemporaneous media artifacts, ranging from the Baghdad Diaries--the personal diaries during Iraqi occupation and sanction of artist Nuha Al-Radi--as well as entries from the still-anonymous blogger Riverbend's Baghdad Burning blog chronicling her time living under occupation, as well as texts from Serge Daney, Jean Baudrillard. As this conflict was the first to disseminate via a 24hr televised news cycle, this publication examines the impact of this period of ongoing conflict and its pervasive effects on visual culture.
