1990s

The 1990s refers to the time period between the beginning of and the end of. The 1990s were marked by rapid progression of globalization following the collapse of the and the end of the. Key forces shaping the decade were the of the late 80s, and the advent of  in middle-class homes, resulting in the rise to prominence of the. The would go on to revolutionize modern culture, and has served as a major medium for the integration and the spread of popular culture in the entire world. The are between the  and the  and the  declared by U.S President Bush after the.

The widespread adoption of and the  increased economic, while high levels of private investment in equity markets increased personal wealth among many Americans, Japanese, South Koreans, Australians and Europeans.

Economics
Despite economic prosperity and democracy, there were problems in the 1990s that became more visible after the decade ended. In a rapid increase in incidence of  contributed to falling  and zero or negative growth rates. In the GDP decreased as their economies restructured to produce goods they needed and some  occurred. in the developing world after (i.e. the Asian economic crises of 1997) began to undermine some support for a global economy.

Many countries, institutions, companies, and organizations experienced the 1990s as a prosperous time. Despite the, high income economies such as the , , , , and experienced steady economic growth for much of the decade.

In many countries, political stability and decreased militarization due to the winding down of the led to economic development and higher standards of living for many citizens. These trends were also fueled by inexpensive fossil energy, with low petroleum prices caused by a glut of oil. Oil and gas were discovered in many countries in the former Soviet bloc, leading to economic growth and wider adoption of between nations, but the 15 new nations of the old USSR, plus, struggled to adjust to the new economic reality. Consequently, the decade ended in a painful recession for it.
 * ends the decade with a 4% rate, personal incomes doubled from the recession in 1990, overall higher productivity. After the   act there was a great reduction of poverty rates, and the Wall Street stock exchange stayed over the 10,000 mark from 1999 to 2001.
 * After the booming of the US, in reference to which  coined the memorable phrase "", eventually merged into the  boom / dot-com bubble (2000 – 2001).
 * update and creation of the and other global economic institutions, but opposition by anti-globalization activists showed up in nearly every GATT summit, like the violent street demonstrations in  in December 1999.
 * With the creation of the there is free movement of labour between member states, such as the 1992 and 1995 free trade agreements. The EU agreed to have a single currency, and the  began circulation in March 1999 in 15 member states.
 * Philippines shown a great economic development after The revolt. The economy gains 5% from its deficit until the
 * The (NAFTA), which phases out trade barriers between the,  and  is signed into law by.
 * From until  inclusive, the economy of  and some former  states was in a severe depression. Eastern European economies struggled after the fall of communism, but, ,  and  saw healthy economic growth rates in the late 1990s.
 * Except for Great Britain and, much of had serious economic problems, such as the massive 1995 general strikes in  during its worst recession since . The French economy mildly rebounds at the end of the decade.
 * Democracy, economic reform and peace arrive in Latin America, while the sluggish economies of, by a new emphasis on free markets for all their citizens, and , under economist president elected in 1994, were their best shape by the late 1990s.
 * hits and  in  and  after a long period of phenomenal economic development. Japan was heavily affected, as was  when the 30-year rule of dictator  ended in his resignation after widespread protests in May 1998. See.

World-changing events
Significant events that occurred during or after 1990 which would influence the course of history and character of the decade, include:
 * The Iraqi in.
 * The in   as a result of the fall of the
 * The resignation of as leader of the  and  followed by the election and appointment of  as her successor on, 1990.
 * The and subsequent break-up of the  in.

Significant events that marked the passing of the decade include:
 * The resignation of n  on,  resulting in  Vladimir Putin's succession to the position
 * World-wide New Year's Eve celebrations on.
 * Worldwide concern about possible widespread computer malfunctions resulting from the.
 * The in the United States of America, where two-term   was succeeded by two-term   in a close election clouded by controversies.

HIV Awareness
awareness reached across the world in this decade, and many new drugs were developed to fight the spread of the disease.

Racial Tensions
Racial tensions, exacerbated by immigration and issues around, manifested in. In the United States the issue of, brought into the public consciousness by the , the in 1994 – 95, and the  in 1995, served to make Americans more concerned about racial equality than at any time since the 1960s.

Science

 * Physicists develop and.
 * Detection of s orbiting s other than the sun.
 * is.
 * begins.
 * identification of individuals finds wide application in.
 * launched in ; revolutionizes.
 * introduced allowing therapy against ; drastically reduces  mortality.
 * 's spacecraft lands on  and deploys a small roving vehicle,, which analyzes the planet's geology and atmosphere.
 * The comet swings past the sun for the first time in 4,200 years in April.
 * Development of, replacing products made from ; advances in methods for of waste products (such as paper, glass, aluminum).
 * are developed for commercial use.
 * Discovery of, , s, and first confirmation of s.
 * The probe orbits, studying the planet and its moons extensively.
 * The (GPS) becomes fully operational.
 * Proof of is discovered by.

Technology
Some technologies invented and improved during the 1990s:
 * The and  are created by.
 * The is developed by.
 * introduces and later  to the market, which gain immediate popularity.
 * Explosive growth of the, perhaps caused by a decrease in the cost of s and other technology.
 * Advancements in, , and  lead to faster connection to the Internet.
 * The development of s such as and  makes surfing the  easier and more.
 * The is developed by.
 * Businesses start to build ; E-commerce-only companies such as, , , and  grow rapidly.
 * are popular but ultimately are replaced by.
 * become cheaper and reduce in size, but remain status symbols until they become common in the 2000s.
 * becomes popular; as a result acquires the popular  webmail service.
 * The (commonly known as Y2K), the computer glitch disaster expected to happen on,.
 * operating systems become virtually ubiquitous on s.
 * Development of the free kernel is started.
 * drives are introduced.
 * The media format is developed and popularized.

Cultural Trends

 * in the 1990s was characterized by and . Fashions were often, tattoos and body piercing gained popularity, and "retro" styles inspired by fashions of the 1960s and 1970s were also prevalent. Some young people became increasingly involved in outdoor activities that combined embracing athletics with the appreciation of nature (such as , ,  and ).
 * grew with popularity, the most famous were and
 * Following the 1980s media counter-culture lead by s popularized by in 1986, which provided high-impact media visibility for gays, bisexuals, transsexuals, and transgender people  the 1990s saw a further increase in gay visibility in the mainstream media and the introduction of . In 1990, the World Health Organization removed  from its list of diseases. US TV shows like ', ', ', ', ', ', ',  and ' featured gay characters. Movies like ', ' and  saw mainstream success, and celebrities like, , , ,  and  all spoke openly about their sexuality. U.S. President  generally held a pro-gay rights viewpoint.
 * The 500th anniversary of ' discovery of America in 1992 was popularly observed, despite controversy and protests against Columbus' expeditions victimization of . The holiday was labelled as, in view of Native American experiences of , , and cultural destruction.
 * publishes the novel , popularizing the term as the name of the generation born in the late 1960s and early 1970s (then college-age).
 * The trend explodes due to the success of grunge bands such as, ,  and . It is characterized by wearing flannel shirts, torn jeans, ,  high top sneakers and long, straight hair. The fashion hits an ironic point in 1993, when the flannel clothing these bands wore (because it was cheap and warm and most of these musicians were very poor) became high fashion accessories.  bands would later gain widespread popularity by bands such as  and
 * explodes on with the popularity of ' (1992 – ); along with ' (1995 – ),  (1998), and Real World reunions, these shows remained popular throughout the 1990s. Reality would become a staple of main networks in the early part of the 2000s.
 * Blood and gore in television and video games rises dramatically, along with language and sexual content, especially during the latter half of the decade; a Parental Ratings system for television is introduced in because of related complaints.
 * become more advanced and popular. Rivals and  dominate the early 1990s. The   and  would later dominate the late 1990s and remain popular beyond . Sega's   marked the end of Sega's role in the console market.  and  rise in popularity in the late 1990s, with games such as  and ''.
 * , in the form of and  becomes commonplace for young people. This trend continues into the 2000s.
 * reached a new height in popularity, and by, were given their own annual tournament on US cable network ESPN, the X-Games.
 * outdoor sports such as, , , , , , , , and  become hugely popular.
 * are implemented in the US to reduce alcohol abuse.
 * The exploitation of the collectability of results in a trend of "gimmick" packaging and storylines (most notably The ). The comic book industry collapses as interest in print comics decreases among younger generations and casual readers. Comic books disappear as a familiar sight at the newsstands. As comics, including Japanese  and other graphic novels become more available in bookstore chains, the role of the comic book store as a source for comics and social gathering wanes. The domination by industry giants  and  ends as various independents, such as  produce popular titles. The era of comic book collecting for speculative  ends.  by amateur  become popular.
 * Conversion to became a trendy initiative for United States schools.
 * Due to the success of the, s became very popular among families, and effectively replaced the as the stereotypical family vehicle.
 * Major 1990s slang words/phrases, mostly related to, include: "dawg" "homie", "phat", "da bomb", "tight", "word to your mother", " [because the face ain't listening]", "it's goin' down", "You go girl!", "yo", "whatever!", "all that and a bag of chips".
 * Young adult and teenage fiction books become popular due to the efforts of and  throughout the entire 1990s.
 * becomes an important European artistic film movement by the end of the decade.
 * music dominates s and has numerous major mainstream hits in European (and to a lesser extent, North American) music charts.
 * Mainstream "", as it is dubbed by the media, became hugely popular in Europe and the U.S. From the early s of 1990 to about 1996, gradually gained widespread recognition as a new genre in its own right. This trend reached a head in the latter part of the decade as underground parties were largely replaced by massive commercially sponsored parties, and as music media such as  began coverage of it.
 * leads to increased segmentation in styles of music.
 * 24-hour coverage  during the  leads to increased awareness and coverage of world events and knock-off  shows such as  and -style journalism.
 * grows; by the end of the decade gained more and more popularity. * Grunge culture sparks as  dies off in late and, allowing other styles of heavy metal to return to prominence when the popular  group  hits number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart with their third album . The  subculture associated with grunge becomes very prominent in this decade. Due to grunge's huge success,  and  become the spokesmodels of Generation X.
 * of and  of, wage a cultural war in the  scene, leading to the murder of both Shakur in 1996 and BIG in 1997.
 * National conservative political commentators such as, emerge on United States , influencing the 1994  and criticism of
 * is hugely on   from  to present and up to  or  in the U.S. Popular artists include,  and.
 * replaces around ., a genre popularized by the 1994 self-titled album by , becomes a major genre of rock around the year  along with  and alternative rock.
 * / culture appears during the mid-1990s. and "scene" culture flourishes in the late 1990s, most likely around the later part of 1998.
 * makes a comeback in the late 1990s, starting in the year with artists such as the, , , , , ,  and many more.
 * peaks in the mid to late 1990s.
 * and hip-hop influenced R&B, such as music groups like, and  (who became the greatest selling female group of all time), are big in the 1990s.
 * The introduction of affordable, smaller in the mid-1990s to expand cable services had carried up to 500  channels.

Fashion
The 1990s in popular culture is typically referred to as the decade of "anti-fashion". In reality, anti-fashion was only one of many trends in fashion in the 1990s. The fashion of the 1990s was characterized by minimalist styles, and many overlapping, often contradictory trends. The most significant event was the rise of grunge fashion in 1992. In the late 1990s there was a move away from grunge. Retro clothing inspired by the 1960s and 1970s was popular for much of the 1990s.

Music

 * was the primary taste throughout most of the decade. gained popularity towards the very end of the decade. Popular styles include , ' , ' , ' and ' , ' gained a large number of fans in Northern Europe, ' and British Rock , ' , ' , ' , , , , ),  , and '  towards the end of the decade. Singer-songwriters include , , , , and .  which, would later become a staple of , began receiving commercial and critical acclaim. Notable examples include 's  and 's , which have since become highly influental on the genre. 's popularity exploded in 1997 with the release of OK Computer. Most notable, though, was the explosion of Grunge band Nirvana into the mainstream, who found a large audience in the youths of the '90s through their apathetic attitude and their appeal to.
 * diversifies throughout the decade and experiences numerous trends, beginning with the commercial success of pers, , , and . Other major developments include the proliferation of / (, , , , , and ) and the  / phenomena (,, ,,, , , and ), followed by the  (, , , , and ), and pop rap (, , and ).
 * Smoothly produced held over from the late 1980s into, returns with the  and  in Britain and the  in America beginning in , ultimately leading to stars like ,  and , while  continues to have success with her influential . Michael Jackson continues making arresting music and finds international popularity growing. "Black Or White" released in 1991, becomes a huge global hit, remaining at #1 in the US charts for 7 weeks.
 * American / is very  from  to, with acts like , , , , , & . Similarly, Eurodance gains popularity in the , with many Eurodance artists scoring club hits on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Billboard Hot 100 . These artists include , , , , ,, , , , , , , , , , ,, , , , , , , , , ,  and.
 * such as is  with  such as such, , , , , and . R&B  such as , , , and  are hugely popular as well. In addition, ,  (and later 's solo act), and  combine  with R&B in the 1990s (see ). Artists such as , , and  appeal to the  crowd with their  songs in the early to mid-1990s. R&B s are big throughout the 1990s such as , , ,  and especially  who appealed to the Top 40 crowd are popular as well.
 * s such as or  became popular; a fusing of s from, ,  and.
 * becomes popular outside a Spanish-speaking audience with crossover hits by, ,and , the hit dance song  and others. As culture grows in the US, other Latin music genres took root, like  music in the  is a mixed music genre: accordion based Mexican conjunto, Texan country, and modern pop merged to produce a new sound.
 * Music becomes more profane, by end of decade a sticker becomes acceptable rather than controversial.
 * In America, becomes more  with popular chart topping artist such as, , , , , and . The genre will also build up a more extensive audience world-wide, which sees the first English 24 hour terrestrial country station open in.
 * Popular bands maintain a strong presence into the 1990s., , , and  were all still quite popular through the mid-1990s.  and 's popularity and success spanned the entire decade and both were extremely popular at the turn of the new millennium.
 * Music resumes its political content after the hiatus of the 1980s. Starting in, the draws up to 120,000 people per year to a rock festival for the benefit of the cause of the . Also, socially aware metal bands such as  and  form.
 * becomes widely recognized at in Europe/USA and, later in the decade, in popular culture. The drug, (also called Ecstasy or MDMA) is popularized by the burgeoning .  is highly popularized in mainstream culture later in the decade by , among other artists of the  genre.
 * 1980s backlash, beginning in about and lasting into the mid-1990s. During most of the 1990s, anything "Eighties" was considered to be ultimately uncool. As a result, people start wearing straighter hair, darker clothes and acoustic music becomes popular in opposition to the bright synthpop of the 1980s.
 * Contemporary Christian Music continued to increase in popularity, with artists such as, , and  all releasing platinum selling albums. Songs such as  by Amy Grant,  by Jars of Clay, and  by Sixpence None the Richer were all  hits.

Television

 * North America


 *  becomes enormously popular in the United States, lasting from to  and spawning a new sitcom subgenre.
 * ' ( – ) becomes popular with adult audiences, eventually paving the way for many adult-oriented  shows throughout the next 10 years, including ,,  and '.
 * became popular throughout the 1990s. In the late 1990s, the was the biggest impact for professional wrestling with the  (present day World Wrestling Entertainment),, and . By the early 2000s, the WWF came out of the wars victorious over both WCW and ECW.
 * , David Lynch's surrealistic crime drama, runs on ABC for two seasons, expanding the limits for prime time subject matter and quirky characters, and pushing TV producers and directors toward adapting a more cinematic filming style for television programming -- an influence still visible in the 2000s.
 * and collaborate to produce the 1996 television movie of the  series, starring  as the Doctor.
 * starts to become on US  in the mid to late 1990s. Popular NASCAR drivers during this era are the late, , , , , and.
 * Pro Basketball sees high US  in the 1990s with stars like, , , , , , ,  and.
 * US Saturday morning children's television programming, Like, reaches its peak popularity in the early and mid 1990s considered by many to be a "renaissance" in American animation. Everything from ', ', ', ', '', ', and ', to television adaptations of popular video game characters ' and '.
 * The experiences an animation renaissance with the popularity of  shows in the early and-mid-1990s, such as ', ', ', ' and .
 * gains popularity with the block of shows, such as ', ', ', ', ' and '.
 * , originally from the 1980s, remain popular in the early and-mid-1990s.
 *  gains popularity with children in the mid 1990s, leading to the entire series.
 * becomes popular in the United States in the late 1990s with shows like ', ', ', ', and .
 * moves away from music videos and into original television shows such as , which is often cited as the main inspiration for the boom of the 2000s.
 * aimed at an adult audience become popular. Among the most successful are ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( –, – ) and ' (-, -).
 * US increase  aimed at  and . Some of the most popular are ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), and  ( – ).
 * Television shows involving human interaction with dangerous wildlife become popular. Most notably shows like, a popular series starring , which began airing in 1996. , and other similar shows (many of which involved ) remained popular into the 2000s.
 * Notable American television aimed at the teen/preteen market include ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), ' ( – ), and ' ( – ),' ( – ),  ( – ), among others. Many of these were concentrated on 's Friday night block.
 * The sci – fi/fantasy TV genre saw three successful ' spinoffs: ' ( – ), ' ( – ), and ' ( – ). It also featured other massively popular shows, such as ' ( – ); '( – ); ' ( – ); ' ( – ); ' ( – ); and ' ( – ), the spinoff of Hercules that went on to drastically dwarf its predecessor in popularity, notoriety, controversy, and overall viewership. Another notable series in the fantasy genre was ' ( – ) which never had very high ratings but quickly received a cult following as well critical acclaim. It inspired many other series with the superhero/struggle of real life theme, such as ' ( – ) and Buffy's spin-off  ( – ).
 * The changes from classic Disney programming to live action programming starting in the late 1990s, especially around the year . No longer a pay-subscription channel in 1996, the channel expanded their young audience on basic cable. See . By, the "MTV-esque"  along with  was the main focus of the Disney Channel, causing classic Disney shorts and shows such as the  to experience backlash.
 * starts showing more original programming in a form of that almost changed the face of the network by.
 * On, , after 30 years, retired as host of the  on , with  taking over as host on . The choice of Leno over  host and Carson protege  is instrumental in Letterman signing a deal with  in January 1993. Letterman aired his final NBC show on ,  and the  premiered on ,.
 * The highest-rated shows on network television:
 * – : ' and '
 * United Kingdom
 * UK television — Popular comedies include, , , , , , , , and  amongst many others.  has a string of successful crime dramas including , ,  and.
 * High rated programmes this decade include the launch of the in 1994, the  interview with  in 1995, and her funeral two years later,
 * The 'docusoap' genre is popular in the late 1990s, with shows like making celebrities out of the people in them.
 * obtain the rights to the English in 1992, producing high revenues for the league and becoming the bedrock of the subscription television service, holding a monopoly on the rights until 2007.
 * British public service television channel is granted independence from the, and begins showing US programmes such as ' and ' in peak viewing time.
 * is launched in 1997 and becomes the country's fifth and final terrestrial channel.
 * Satellite and cable television becomes widespread, characterised by the battle and eventual merger of and  at the start of the decade, and the launch of  in 1998. Satellite channels rise from a handful in 1990 to almost a hundred by 1999.
 * Prize limits on gameshows are lifted in 1993, leading to shows with much bigger prizes, especially the launch of  in 1998, soon launched around the world. Channel 4's becomes the first programme to give away a million pounds to a contestant at the end of 1999.
 * Europe
 * New private channels in :, , , , , and in :.
 * Eastern European television enjoys less government restrictions and carries more American programming.
 * Middle East
 * begins broadcasting in 1996, subsidised by a grant from the and expanded their programming range across the Arabic-speaking world.
 * obtain the rights to the English in 1992, producing high revenues for the league and becoming the bedrock of the subscription television service, holding a monopoly on the rights until 2007.
 * British public service television channel is granted independence from the, and begins showing US programmes such as ' and ' in peak viewing time.
 * is launched in 1997 and becomes the country's fifth and final terrestrial channel.
 * Satellite and cable television becomes widespread, characterised by the battle and eventual merger of and  at the start of the decade, and the launch of  in 1998. Satellite channels rise from a handful in 1990 to almost a hundred by 1999.
 * Prize limits on gameshows are lifted in 1993, leading to shows with much bigger prizes, especially the launch of  in 1998, soon launched around the world. Channel 4's becomes the first programme to give away a million pounds to a contestant at the end of 1999.
 * Europe
 * New private channels in :, , , , , and in :.
 * Eastern European television enjoys less government restrictions and carries more American programming.
 * Middle East
 * begins broadcasting in 1996, subsidised by a grant from the and expanded their programming range across the Arabic-speaking world.

Computer and video games

 * graphics become the standard by end of decade. Although had long since seen the transition to full 3D, other genres begin to copy this trend by the end of the decade.
 * became the first video game sex symbol, becoming a recognisable figure in the entertainment industry throughout the late 1990s.
 * The, primarily between ( (marketed as the Sega Genesis in North America), introduced in ) and  (, introduced in ), sees the entrance of  with the  in , which becomes the first successful CD-based console (as opposed to cartridges). By the end of the decade, Sega's hold on the market becomes tenuous after the commercial failures of the  in  and the  in.
 * finds a rival in with the release of the  on the Genesis in 1991.
 * released the first 3-D styled video game  for the SNES in 1994, and three sequels to further advance video game design.
 * s rapidly decrease in popularity.
 * Fighting games like 's ', 's futuristic ' and the more violent  from prompted the video game industry to adopt a game rating system, and hundreds of knock-offs are widely popular in mid-to-late1990s.
 * Sony's becomes the top selling game console and changes the standard media storage type from  to  in consoles.
 * ' bursts onto the world scene and instantly popularizes the  genre, and even how games are played, as Doom is among the first games to feature multiplayer capabilities. It is not until ', however, that game developers begin to take multiplayer features into serious consideration when making games.   features the next evolutionary step in the genre with continual progression of the game (no levels in the traditional sense) and an entirely in-person view, and becomes one of the most popular computer games in history.
 * The genre becomes popular with games such as '  and ' . '  and '  further advance and popularize the genre.   becomes the second-best selling game in computer game history.
 *  first debuted (in North America) in 1990 for the NES, and remains among the most popular video game franchises, with 11 total sequels to date, with another in development, plus numerous spin-offs and related titles.
 * (MMORPGs) see their entrance into the computer game world with ' in, although they don't gain widespread popularity until ' and  in . MMORPGs go on to become among the most popular genres in the 2000s.
 * entered the world scene with the release of the original ' and ' games in  in, later changed to  and  for worldwide release in 1998. It soon becomes popular in the U.S. and is adapted into a popular children's  series and  game, among other media forms. Its popularity remains well into the 2000's.

Popular video games of the 1990s
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

Internet

 * Beginnings of ; in  and  the  controversy.
 * The first MP3 Player, the, is released in late spring of 1998. It came with 32Mb of flash memory expandable to 64Mb.
 * The Internet begins to affect pop culture, beginning around.
 * Most television stations establish an Internet presence during the later half of the decade.
 * Earliest examples of Internet film.
 * interest decreases heavily with introduction of the Web.
 * on the Internet launches and grows rapidly (one of the few industries to experience growth during dot.com bust of 2000)
 * A concept of online social ettiquette, "" begins to form in 1995.
 * Online chat debuts in the mid 1990s, along with social networking and teen community sites such as and  in the late 1990s.

International Issues
Politically, the 1990s was an era of spreading democracy. The former countries of the moved from totalitarian regimes to democratically-elected governments. The same happened in other non-communist countries, such as, , , and. Capitalism made great changes to the economies of communist countries like and, and even  where old-school leader  continued to blast American corruption.

The improvement in relations between the countries of and the former members of the  ended the  both in  and other parts of the world. In 1993, the Prime Minister of, , and leader  shook hands in agreement for peace, at the conclusion of peace talks sponsored by US president. The outcome of these talks, known as the, was an agreement by to allow  self-government.

Conflicts like the, the , the in Somalia and the first , as well as the continuation of , led some to hypothesize a , but the decade was also a time of peace in terror-ridden  when the  agreed to a truce in. This marked the beginning of the end of 25 years of violence between the two sectarian groups, Protestant and Catholic, and the start of political negotiations.

In the United States
In the, was president for much of the decade. Under Clinton, the United States was involved in few foreign wars and saw a resurgence of liberal movements. However, the end of the Cold War dramatically changed the political landscape of the world as the long-standing "Communism vs. Capitalism" conflict essentially came to an end. One result of this was the establishment of political allegiances between many developing countries, and concurrent changes within their own governments. Great strides were made towards Israeli-Palestinian peace in the early part of the decade, due to official recognition of  in 1993. However, later in the decade, the peace process became derailed and eventually the conflict escalated once again, especially in the s. became visible as a terrorist threat against the U.S. after the bombing of the American embassies in  and  in 1998.
 * The bombing of the in U.S.  by an explosive-filled van leads to awareness in U.S. of international  as a rising threat.
 * U.S. Congressman crafts his manifesto "", leading his  to become the controlling majority in the.
 * U.S. president 's sex scandal with and his  trial in, which lasts the entire year.

In Canada

 * , in a rekindled wave of separatism by activists, almost seceded from the dominion in a  on,.

In Europe

 * reunified on  and, after integrating the economic structure and provincial governments, focused on modernization of the former communist East. People who were brought up in a communist culture became integrated with those living in democratic western Germany.
 * On, , the presidents of , and  signed the  which declared the  dissolved and established the  (CIS), in its place.
 * The becomes the  on January 1,.
 * The birth of the "Second Republic" in, with the investigations of.
 * s for gay partners legalized in some European countries (,, and ).
 * A decade of women presidents in the.

In the United Kingdom

 * The, after a recession in –  and its withdrawal from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on , experienced sustained economic growth that stretched into the new millennium.
 * In the UK in 1994, Tony Blair becomes leader of the British Labour Party and begins the "New Labour" project moving the party to the centre of British politics, which in 1997 ends 18 years of government by the Conservative party in a landslide election victory.
 * begins in in.

In the Middle East

 * (resulting from 's invasion of ) and embargo on  in.
 * North Yemen and South Yemen merge to form.
 * and   agree to the  at the culmination of the, negotiated by the    on ,.
 * In 1994, a peace treaty is signed between and.

In Eastern Europe

 * Break up of the in  — the end of the,  becomes sole world . The Cold War was officially declared over on ,.
 * Dissolution of into  and.
 * in former in.
 * begins in late. Roughly 12,000 people are killed during open hostilities between n military forces and ethnic forces. The  sends in peace keeping forces after  military actions result in a Serbian military withdrawal by early 1999. The US deploys American police officers to serve with the United Nations to help build a Kosovo police force.
 * The war  – ;  started in, and is ongoing.

In Asia

 * In Japan, after three decades of economic growth put them in third place in the world's economies, the situation worsened after . The recession went on into the early 2000s, bringing an end to the seemingly unlimited prosperity that the country had hitherto enjoyed. However, the rise of free market economics in under more  regulation had not slowed that country's economic prosperity in the 1990s, and its economic growth continues.
 * Less affluent nations such as, and  also saw tremendous improvements in economic prosperity and quality of life during the 1990s. Optimism and hopes were high following the collapse of Communism, and restructuring following the end of the Cold War was beginning. However, there was also the continuation of terrorism in  regions that were once the "frontlines" for American and Soviet foreign politics, particularly in Asia.
 * South-East Asia economic crisis starting from 1997.
 * became one of the most controversial issue in South East Asia. ,, and wants to occupied the zone. But the sovereign country  aimed for its hurisdiction.
 * The brings 120,000 people together in the interest of increased human rights and autonomy for  from.
 * hands sovereignty of to the  on,.
 * breaks away from n control in, merely a year after the fall of from power, ending a twenty-four year  with more than 200,000 casualties. The  deploys a peace keeping force, spearheaded by the  and  armed forces. America deploys US police officers to serve with the  element, to help train and equip an East Timorese police force.
 * Great Britain hands sovereignty of to the  on,.
 * In May 1999, sends troops covertly to occupy strategic peaks in . A month later the  with  results in a political fiasco for, followed by a military withdrawal to the . The incident leads to a military  in October in which the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is ousted by Army Chief.

In Africa

 * End of in   and election of  government of.
 * gains independence from.
 * Military actions in in  lead to questions of the United States' role as a police officer of the world. (See also ).
 * kills one million people, in.
 * The started in  in central  and includes 5 different cultures and 7 different nations. It goes on until.

Significant events

 * The prompted a nationwide debate in the U.S. about the  right of the,  and other radical groups.
 * The, the bombing of a federal building in , killed 168. Bombing suspect claimed he bombed the building in retaliation for the  Waco massacre.
 * In France, dies in a car accident in . Debates of  vs.  rage well into the 2000s.
 * The forms in 1992 under the.
 * was elected President of in 1994, becoming the first black-President in South African history.
 * The occurred, with 52 deaths and 5,500 property fires in a 100-square mile riot zone. The riots were a result of the state court acquittal of three White and one Hispanic L.A. police officers by an all-white jury in a police brutality case involving motorist, but in 1993, all four officers were convicted in a federal civil rights case.
 * The in, ,  which kills 29 civilians and injures hundreds more.
 * 's trial, described in the media as the "", but on, , Simpson was found "not guilty" of double-murder of ex-wife and her friend, . In the 1997 civil case, Simpson was held responsible and had to pay financial damages to the victims' families.
 * The across the  opens in 1994, connecting  and . As of 2007 it is the second-longest rail tunnel in the world, but with the undersea section of 37.9 km (23.55 miles) being the longest undersea tunnel in the world.
 * : took control of the  and the  for the first time in 40 years.   assumes the role of antagonist to the.
 * US president was caught in a media-frenzied sex scandal over his intern, first announced on , . After the U.S. House of Representatives  on ,  for perjury under oath, following an investigation by federal prosecutor , the Senate acquitted Clinton of the charges on ,  and he finished his second term.
 * The occurred on, , at  when two student gunmen took the Columbine high school library hostage and killed 12 students, a teacher and the two committed suicide, making it the deadliest high school shooting in United States history.
 * The vs.  federal case of  –, , involved claims by Hill that Thomas committed  against her. Thomas was not charged, but Hill became a national celebrity and a martyr to , triggering awareness on the issue of workplace sexual harassment. Thomas went on to become an Associate Justice of the.
 * In the, the first mammal,  was confirmed by the , and was reported by global media on , . Dolly would trigger a raging controversy on cloning and  concerns regarding possible human cloning continue to this day.
 * spread fear throughout the and eventually the world in the last half of the decade particularly . Many feared that it would cause the world to end on new years day on,  due to a massive computer crash. It became huge in popular culture and many people stocked up on supplies for fear of a disaster. One year later, ,  was the beginning of the , as well the  and the official end of the.
 * A hit the Philippines on,  and killed around 1000 people in.

Other significant events

 * The issue in the US gains momentum in, when  voters approved , a controversial initiative that would prevent undocumented immigrants from using public services, later was blocked by federal courts.
 * in the US over the  had banned or regulated most kinds of  and semi-automatic weapons. The law called for a 5-day waiting period for potential gun-owners to be checked for past crimes before they can purchase a firearm.
 * You go, girl! becomes a popular phrase in the media as feminism is more widely accepted and publicized with The, the , ,  and others showcasing modern femininity and challenged the problem of.
 * With help from clinical, an mother, Bobbie McCaughey, gave birth to the first surviving  in 1997. There followed a media frenzy and widespread support for the family.
 * In August, scientists announced, then debunked a big "discovery" of "martian" microscopic life on an asteroid originated from , found in  and examined to only find mineral formation, not.
 * dies shortly after confirming that he has.
 * , and  become the decade's most publicized deaths, in 1991, 1994 and 1996 respectively.
 * Divorce and scandal rocked the  of.
 * The murder of, Tejano superstar from Texas.
 * Sex and violence in the media increase, especially in the late part of the decade. in music reaches peak in the late1990s.
 * Models and  become major s during the 1990s.
 * becomes the most successful supermodel of the decade.
 * The movie becomes a cultural phenomenon throughout the world and eventually becomes the biggest grossing movie of all time making almost 2 billion dollars world wide in a span of little over a year.
 * players went on strike in August 12,, thus ended the season, canceled the the first time in 90 years, and went on until ,  when players and team owners in agreement.
 * The.
 * levels in the U.S. peak in, begin to fall afterwards, reaching the lowest levels since the late1960s by end of decade.
 * In the U.S. use reaches an all-time low in  before increasing, reaching its peak in  before declining again.
 * Examples of the decade's worst natural disasters: strikes South  in August, the devastating  in , the March Superstorm of 1993 and the Blizzard of 96 in the eastern U.S. which crippled the east coast with up to four feet of snow and the megalopolis with up to 30 inches.
 * People are d from the volcanic island of, a . The Soufirre Hills erupt in  and continued on until 2002.
 * , a dormant volcano in the island of in the  erupted in 1991 to decimate nearby towns and an American air force base permanently abandoned by hot ash fall and under mudslides.
 * , the  who won the, dies at age 87.
 * 21-year-old  wins the  by a record 12 strokes; becoming both the youngest and the first  of  descent to win the.
 * The on,  at  in  which kills 2 and injures 111.
 * School violence in the US is brought into the national spotlight with numerous incidents, such as the.
 * , his wife and sister-in-law  are killed when Kennedy's private plane crashes off the coast of.
 * wins his first in, less than two years after battling.
 * Debate on highly publicized by  doctor, charged with multiple counts of  of his terminally ill patients through the decade.
 * becomes highly popular.
 * Beer becomes popular public policy in U.S.
 * voters passed in, to legalize  only for medical purposes, the debate over legalization of marijuana in the U.S. goes on today.
 * , 's hairstyle on the hit show, becomes a cultural phenomenon with millions of women copying it worldwide.
 * Controversy surrounded with the release of the track 'Smack My Bitch Up'. The National organization for Women(NOW) claimed that the track was "advocating violence against women" due to the lyrics of that song. The music video (directed by Jonas Åkerlund) featured a first-person POV of someone going clubbing, indulging in large amounts of drugs and alcohol, getting into fist fights with men, abusing women and picking up a prostitute. At the end of the video the camera pans over to a mirror, revealing the subject to be a woman.
 * The model 1300 style has a resurgence of popularity in Europe in 1992 which kicks off a multinational media sensation, the 1994 re-introduction of "The Wonderbra" brand, and a spike in push-up, plunge bras around the world.

World leaders

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Entertainers

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Films

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 *  (1992)
 *  (1992)
 *  (1999)
 *  (1998)
 *  (1995)
 *  (1997)
 *  (1990)
 *  (1993)
 *  (1995)
 *  (1992)
 *  (1999)
 *  (1991)
 *  (1996)
 *  (1995)
 *  (1995)
 *  (1991)
 *  (1995)
 *  (1996)
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 *  (1997)
 *  (1994)
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 *  (1990)
 *  (1994)
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 *  (1996)
 *  (1997)
 *  (1992)
 *  (1999)
 *  (1994)
 *  (1991)
 *  (1995)
 *  (1990)
 *  (1997)
 *  (1996)
 *  (1994)
 *  (1990)
 *  (1992)
 *  (1993)
 *  (1996)
 *  (1994)
 *  (1995)
 *  (1998)
 *  (1994)


 *  (1995)
 *  (1996)
 *  (1997)
 *  (1993)
 *  (1999)
 *  (1999)
 *  (1996) (re-release)
 *  (1993)
 *  (1993)
 *  (1990)
 *  (1994)
 *  (1991)
 *  (1992)
 *  (1998)
 *  (1993)
 *  (1992)
 *  (1993)
 *  (1999)
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 *  (1990)
 *  (1995)
 * '' (1999)
 *  (1994)
 *  (1996)
 *  (1996)
 * ' and ' (1992 and 1993)
 *  (1995)
 *  (1992)

Books and literature
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Sports figures
See also:
 * American Football :


 * Athletics (Track & Field):


 * Australian Rules Football :


 * Baseball :


 * Basketball :




 * Boxing :


 * Cricket :


 * Cycling :


 * Football (soccer):


 * Golf :


 * Ice Hockey :


 * Motor Sport :


 * Professional Wrestling :


 * Rowing


 * Rugby Union :


 * Rugby League :


 * Skating :


 * Alpine Skiing :


 * Nordic Skiing :


 * Swimming:


 * Tennis :