1990s

Events and trends

The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. The 90s were marked with rapid progression of globalization and global capitalism following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. While optimism and hopes were high following the collapse of Communism, the backlash of the Cold War's effect was only beginning, precipitating the rise of terrorism in Third World regions that were once the frontlines for American and Soviet foreign politics, particularly in Asia. However, during the 1990s many First World economies such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, and South Korea, experienced steady economic growth for nearly the entire decade.

Many countries, institutions, companies, organizations, etc. viewed the 90s decade as "the greatest decade", meaning that almost all of them rebounded after many years of failure. Some examples include Apple Computer's revival of power after being at the edge of bankruptcy, breakthroughs in many fields of technology that includes the Internet, compact disc, virtual reality, etc., the discovery of oil and gas on many countries and Pope John Paul II's papacy reached its peak. Regardless, the 1990s brought tragic conflicts as well, like the Serbian-Croatian conflict, the Rwandan genocide, and the first Gulf War.

Technology

Graphic representation of the WWW

• The World Wide Web was born at CERN
• Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology
• Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity
• Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K)
• Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM PCs
• Development of free operating system Linux is started
• Breakthrough of compact disc technology, later branching into DVD

Science

Hubble Space Telescope

• Detection of extrasolar planets orbiting stars other than the sun
• Cloning (of Dolly the sheep) achieved
• Human Genome Project begun
• DNA identification of individuals finds wide application in criminal law
• Hubble Space Telescope launched; revolutionizes astronomy
• Protease inhibitors introduced allowing HAART therapy against HIV; drastically reduces AIDS mortality

War, peace and politics

Gulf War

Rwandan genocide

• Reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990
• End of apartheid in South Africa (1990) and election of ANC government of Nelson Mandela
• Gulf War and United Nations embargo on Iraq in 1991
• North Yemen and South Yemen merge to form Yemen (1991)
• Break up of the Soviet Union in 1991 - the end of the Cold War, United States as sole world superpower.
• The bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 by an explosive-filled van leads to awareness of international terrorism as a rising threat.
• Eritrea gains independence from Ethiopia (1993)
• European Union is declared in 1992
• Military actions in Somalia in 1993 lead to questions of the United States' role as a policing officer of the world. (see also, Black Hawk Down).
• Rwandan genocide kills one million people, in 1994
• The birth of the "Second Republic" in Italy, with the Mani Pulite investigations of 1994
• Peace process begins in Northern Ireland in 1995
• Balkan war in former Yugoslavia in 1995
• A decade of women presidents in the Republic of Ireland
• The United Kingdom hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997
• U.S. president Bill Clinton's sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky and his impeachment trial in 1998, which lasts the entire year
• Anti-globalization protests
• The Second Congo War start in 1998 in central Africa and includes 5 different cultures and 7 different nations. It goes on until 2002
• In May 1999, Pakistan sends troops covertly to occupy strategic peaks in Kashmir. A month later the Kargil War with India results in a political fiasco for Nawaz Sharif, followed by a military withdrawal to the Line of Control. The incident leads to a military coup in October in which the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is ousted by Army Chief Pervez Musharraf.
• Union of Soviet Socialists Republic (USSR) collapsed after Mikhail Gorbachev resigns in his position. Boris Yeltsin became the president of Russian Federation.
• Portugal hands sovereignty of Macau to the People's Republic of China on December 20, 1999

Economics

• Development of GATT, the World Trade Organization and other global economic institutions
• After 1992 the booming of the US stock market, in reference to which Alan Greenspan coined the memorable phrase "irrational exuberance", which eventually stretched into the dot-com boom / dot-com bubble
• Financial crisis hits East and Southeast Asia in 1997 and 1998.

Culture

Beavis & Butthead

• Douglas Coupland publishes the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularizing the term Generation X as the name of the generation born in the late 1960s and early 1970s (then college-age)
• Reality Television explodes on MTV with the popularity of The Real World (1992-); Along with Road Rules (1995-), Real World/Road Rules Challenge (1998), Real World marathons, Road Rules marathons, and Real World Reunions, these shows remained popular throughout the 1990's.
• Grunge music gains widespread mainstream acceptance in the early part of the decade; alternative rock gains popularity as a result
• Rap music gains widespread mainstream acceptance in the late part of the decade
• Black becomes a dominant color in fashion, along with several dark colors (see Goth, The Matrix, and Regis Philbin)
• Trance, techno electronic music becomes widely popular in Europe/USA
• Dogme 95 becomes the leading European artistic film movement by the end of the decade
• Video games become more advanced. The more influential game systems include the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sony Playstation, and the Sega Dreamcast, being one of the first to jumpstart the online gaming craze of the 2000s.
• Extreme sports reached a new height in popularity, and by 1995, were given their own annual tournament on ESPN, the X-Games
• Cartoons aimed at an adult audience become popular. Among the most successful are The Simpsons (1989-), Ren & Stimpy (1991-1995), Beavis & Butthead (1993-1997), South Park (1997-), King of the Hill (1997-), and Family Guy (1999-)

Fads & Fashion

The "Rachel" Haircut

• Adidas Windpants
• Baby Doll Dresses
• Baggy Jeans
• Body Piercing
• Budweiser Wassup! Commercial
• Canvas Shoes
• Cargo Pants
• Cole Hahn Loafers
• Doc Martens
• Fishing Hats
• Flannel shirts
• Flare Jeans
• Fleece
• George Foreman Grill
• Guess Jeans
• Microbrewery
• Kenneth Cole
• The Macarena
• Mehndi
• Nike
• Starbuck's Coffee
• Starter Jackets
• Tattoos
• Tae Bo
• The "Rachel" Haircut
• Thigh High Stocking
• Thong Bikini
• Tommy Hilfiger
• Versace
• Yoga

Other significant events

Oklahoma City Bombing

• Global human impact on the environment widely accepted
• Divorce and scandal rock the British Royal House of Windsor
• Assassination of Selena Quintanilla
• Magic Johnson announced he had contracted HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) and retires immediately from the NBA.
• O.J.'s trial, called by many the trial of the century
• You go, girl! becomes a popular phrase in the media as feminism is more widely accepted and publicised in the media with The Spice Girls, the WNBA, women's boxing, Sex and the City and others showcasing modern femininity.
• The Vieques controversy
• The Oklahoma City Bombing, the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168.
• Waco massacre prompts a nationwide debate in the U.S. about the freedom of association right of the Michigan Militia, Montana Militia and other radical groups
• Crime levels in the U.S. peak late in the decade and begin to taper off
• Princess Diana dies in a car accident in 1997. Debates of accident vs assassination rage.

People

World leaders

• Prime Minister Bob Hawke (Australia)
• Prime Minister Paul Keating (Australia)
• Prime Minister John Howard (Australia)
• President Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello (Brazil)
• President Itamar Franco (Brazil)
• President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (Brazil)
• Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (Canada)
• Prime Minister Kim Campbell (Canada)
• Prime Minister Jean Chrétien (Canada)
• "Paramount Leader" Deng Xiaoping (People's Republic of China)
• President Jiang Zemin (People's Republic of China)
• President Lee Teng-hui (Republic of China on Taiwan)
• President Franjo Tuđman (Croatia)
• Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (Denmark)
• President Hosni Mubarak (Egypt)
• President François Mitterrand (France)
• President Jacques Chirac (France)
• Chancellor Helmut Kohl (Germany)
• Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (Germany)
• Governor David Clive Wilson (Hong Kong (under British rule))
• Governor Christopher Francis Patten (Hong Kong (under British rule))
• Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa (Hong Kong, People's Republic of China)
• Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (India)
• President Mohammad Khatami (Iran)
• President Saddam Hussein (Iraq)
• Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (Israel)
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel)
• Emperor Akihito (Japan)
• Governor Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira (Macau (under Portuguese rule))
• Chief Executive Edmund Ho (Macau, People's Republic of China)
• President Yasser Arafat (Palestinian Authority)
• Pope Pope John Paul II
• President Corazon Aquino (Philippines)
• President Fidel Ramos (Philippines)
• President Joseph Estrada (Philippines)
• President Boris Yeltsin (Russia)
• Taoiseach Charles Haughey (Republic of Ireland)
• Taoiseach Albert Reynolds (Republic of Ireland)
• Taoiseach John Bruton (Republic of Ireland)
• Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (Republic of Ireland)
• President Boris Yeltsin (Russia)
• President Wee Kim Wee (Singapore)
• President Ong Teng Cheong (Singapore)
• President Sellapan Ramanathan (Singapore)
• President Frederik Willem de Klerk (South Africa)
• President Nelson Mandela (South Africa)
• President Kim Dae-jung (South Korea)
• President Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union)
• Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom et al.)
• Prime Minister John Major (United Kingdom)
• Prime Minister Tony Blair (United Kingdom)
• President George H.W. Bush (United States)
• President Bill Clinton (United States)
• President Slobodan Milošević (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)

Entertainers

Seinfeld

Aaliyah

Mike Myers as Austin Powers

Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura

• 2pac
• Bill Hicks
• Adam Sandler
• Aaliyah
• Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, Titus)
• Ashley Judd
• Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting)
• Billy Bob Thornton
• Bret Hart
• Britney Spears
• Bruce Willis (the Die Hard series, Pulp Fiction)
• Mariah Carey
• Dana Carvey (Wayne's World)
• Carmen Electra
• Christina Aguilera
• Cuba Gooding Jr (Boyz N the Hood, Jerry Maguire)
• Demi Moore (Ghost, Striptease, A Few Good Men)
• Denzel Washington (Malcom X, Mo' Better Blues, Philadelphia)
• Destiny's Child (Destiny's Child, The Writing's On The Wall)
• Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen)
• Elizabeth Berkley (Saved by the Bell, Showgirls)
• Friends: Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer
• The Fugees
• Harrison Ford
• Liam Gallagher of Oasis
• Noel Gallagher of Oasis
• Whitney Houston
• Halle Berry (Introducing Dorothy Danridge,Bullworth)
• Helen Hunt (Mad About You, Twister, As Good as It Gets)
• Jack Nicholson
• Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld)
• Jerry Springer
• Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask)
• Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman, Notting Hill)
• Kate Winslet (Titanic)
• Keanu Reeves (The Matrix)
• Kurt Cobain
• Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic)
• Liam Neeson
• Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone)
• The Undertaker
• Martin Lawrence (House Party, Martin, Bad Boys)
• Mary J Blige (What's the 411?)
• Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting)
• Meg Ryan
• Mel Gibson (Braveheart)
• Michael Jackson
• Michael Keaton
• Michelle Pfeiffer (The Age of Innocence, Batman Returns)
• Mike Myers (Wayne's World, Saturday Night Live, Austin Powers)
• Mira Sorvino
• Nicole Kidman (My Life, Eyes Wide Shut)
• Notorious B.I.G.
• Oasis
• Phil Collins
• Pamela Anderson (Baywatch)
• Queen Latifah (Living Single, Set It Off)
• Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction)
• Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List, The English Patient)
• Samuel L. Jackson (Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction)
• Sandra Bullock (Speed, A Time to Kill)
• Shawn Michaels
• Stone Cold Steve Austin
• Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns)
• Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Saved by the Bell,Beverly Hills 90210 )
• TLC (Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes, T-Boz, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas)
• Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Philadelphia, Toy Story, The Green Mile)
• Toni Braxton (Toni Braxton (album) )
• U2 (Achtung Baby)
• Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction)
• Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act, Ghost, Ghosts of Mississippi, Hollywood Squares)

Film

• The Bodyguard (1992)
• Clueless (1995)
• The Crying Game (1992)
• A Few Good Men (1992)
• Forrest Gump (1994)
• Jurassic Park (1993)
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
• Independence Day (1996)
• Men In Black (1997)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• Scream (1996)
• Titanic (1997)
• Toy Story (1995)
• The Blair Witch Project (1999)
• Waiting to Exhale (1995)
• Wayne's World (1992)

Sports figures

The original Dream Team's starters. Top Row: Barkley, Ewing, Malone Bottom: Johnson, Jordan

• Andre Agassi (U.S tennis player)
• Sergey Bubka (Ukrainian track and field athlete)
• Roger Clemens (U.S. baseball player)
• Linford Christie (English track and field athlete)
• The Dream Team (U.S. 1992 Olympics basketball Team)
• Dale Earnhardt (U.S. racing driver)
• Brett Favre (U.S. American football player)
• Paul Gascoigne (English football (soccer) player)
• Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopian track and field athlete)
• Ryan Giggs (Welsh soccer player)
• Jeff Gordon (U.S. racing driver)
• Steffi Graf (German tennis player)
• Wayne Gretzky (Canadian ice hockey player)
• Hicham El Guerrouj (Moroccan track and field athlete)
• Tony Hawk U.S. extreme sport athlete)
• Evander Holyfield (U.S. boxer)
• Miguel Induráin (Spanish cyclist)
• Andrew Johns (Australian Rugby League player)
• Michael Johnson (U.S. track and field athlete)
• Michael Jordan (U.S. basketball player)
• Michelle Kwan (U.S. figure skater)
• Brian Lara (Trinidadian cricketer)
• Matthew Le Tissier (English football (soccer) player)
• Mario Lemieux (Canadian ice hockey player)
• Tony Lockett (Australian Australian Rules Football player)
• Jonah Lomu (New Zealand rugby union player)
• Greg Maddux (U.S. baseball player)
• Mark McGwire (U.S. baseball player)
• Karl Malone (U.S. basketball player)
• Mark Messier (Canadian ice hockey player)
• Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lankan cricketer)
• Shaquille O'Neil (U.S. basketball player)
• Michael Owen (English soccer player)
• Scottie Pippen (U.S. basketball player)
• Cal Ripken Jr. (U.S. baseball player)
• Dennis Rodman (U.S. basketball player)
• Patrick Roy (Canadian ice hockey player)
• David Robinson (U.S. basketball player)
• Pete Sampras (U.S tennis player)
• Barry Sanders (U.S. American football player)
• Michael Schumacher (German racing driver)
• Monica Seleš (Yugoslavian tennis player)
• Ayrton Senna (Brazilian racing driver)
• Emmitt Smith (U.S. American football player)
• Sammy Sosa (U.S. baseball player)
• John Stockton (U.S. basketball player)
• Sachin Tendulkar (Indian cricketer)
• Alberto Tomba (Italian skier)
• Mike Tyson (U.S. boxer)
• Courtney Walsh (Jamaican cricketer)
• Shane Warne (Australian cricketer)
• Steve Waugh (Australian cricketer)
• Larry Walker (Canadian baseball player)
• Tiger Woods (U.S. Golfer)

See also

• 1990s music groups

External links

• 90s memories and memorabilia
• Crazyfads.com - 1990's fads
• In The 90's... The Nineties nostalgia site
• VH1's I Love The 90's
• VH1's I Love The 90's Part Deux