8+(f)+-+The+1990's

The **1990s** collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999. During this time, the widespread adoption of [|personal computers], the [|Internet] and the increased economic [|productivity] led to the equity market booms around the world, and caused an influx of wealth to the [|United States] , [|Europe] and [|Asia]. This decade started with the [|United States] invasion of Iraq, as well as the cementation of [|free-market capitalism] in many economic system worldwide. During this decade, racial [|prejudice] lost moral acceptance, and the gender roles for women began to increase dramatically in many [|industrialized countries]. Oil and gas were discovered in many countries in the former Soviet bloc, leading to economic growth and wider adoption of [|trade] between nations. These trends were also fueled by inexpensive fossil energy, with low petroleum prices caused by a glut of oil. Political stability and decreased militarization due to the winding down of the [|Cold War] led to economic development and higher standards of living for many citizens. Personal incomes doubled from the recession in 1990, and there was higher productivity overall. After the 1996 [|Welfare Reform Act] there was a reduction of poverty, [|[1]] and the Wall Street stock exchange stayed over the 10,000 mark from 1999 to 2001. After the 1992 booming of the US [|stock market], [|Alan Greenspan] coined the phrase " [|irrational exuberance] ". [|GATT] update and creation of the [|World Trade Organization] and other global economic institutions, but opposition by anti-globalization activists showed up in nearly every GATT summit, like the demonstrations in [|Seattle] in December 1999. With the creation of the [|E.U.] there is **free movement of labor** between member states, such as the 1992 and 1995 free trade agreements. The EU agreed to have a single currency, and the [|Euro] began circulation in March 1999 in 12 member states. The Philippines saw great economic development after The [|People Power] revolt. The economy gains 5% from its deficit until the [|Asian financial crisis of 1997]. The [|North American Free Trade Agreement] (NAFTA), which phases out trade barriers between the [|United States], [|Mexico] and [|Canada] is signed into law by [|U.S. President] [|Bill Clinton]. From 1990 until 1998 inclusive, the economy of [|Russia] and some former [|USSR] states was in a severe depression. Eastern European economies struggled after the fall of communism, but [|Poland], [|Hungary] , [|Estonia] and [|Lithuania] saw healthy economic growth rates in the late 1990s. Except for the United Kingdom and [|Ireland], much of [|Europe] had serious economic problems, such as the massive 1995 general strikes in [|France] during its worst recession since [|World War II]. 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 [|Brazil], by a new emphasis on free markets for all their citizens, and [|Mexico], under economist president [|Ernesto Zedillo] elected in 1994, were their best shape by the late 1990s. [|Financial crisis] hits [|East] and [|Southeast Asia] in 1997 and 1998 after a long period of phenomenal economic development. Japan was heavily affected, as was [|Indonesia] when the 30-year rule of President [|Suharto] ended in his resignation after widespread protests in May 1998. See [|East Asian Tigers]. Significant events that occurred during or after 1990 which would influence the course of history and character of the decade, include: The Iraqi [|invasion of Kuwait] in [|August 2], [|1990]. The [|German reunification] in [|October 3], [|1990] as a result of the fall of the [|Berlin Wall] The resignation of [|Margaret Thatcher] as leader of the [|Conservative Party] and [|Prime] [|Minister of the UK] followed by the election and appointment of [|John Major] as her successor on [|November 28], 1990. The [|Moscow Coup] and subsequent break-up of the [|Soviet Union] on [|December 21] , [|1991]. Significant events that marked the passing of the decade include: The resignation of [|President] [|Boris Yeltsin] on [|December 31], [|1999] resulting in [|Prime] [|Minister] Vladimir Putin's succession to the position World-wide New Year's Eve celebrations on [|December 31], [|1999]. Worldwide concern about possible widespread computer malfunctions resulting from the [|Year 2000 problem]. ** RELEASE OF NELSON MANDELA **
 * THE 90’s **

** Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ** ( IPA : [|[xolí] [|ɬ] [|a] [|ɬ] [|a mandéːla]] ; born [|18 July] [|1918] ) is a former [|President] of [|South Africa], the first to be elected in [|fully representative] democratic elections. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti- [|apartheid] activist and leader of the [|African National Congress] and its armed wing [|Umkhonto we Sizwe]. He spent 27 years in prison, much of it on [|Robben Island], on convictions for crimes that included sabotage committed while he spearheaded the struggle against apartheid. Among opponents of apartheid in South Africa and internationally, he became a symbol of freedom and equality, while the apartheid government and nations sympathetic to it condemned him and the [|ANC] as [|communists] and [|terrorists]. Following his release from prison on [|11 February] [|1990], his switch to a policy of reconciliation and negotiation helped lead the transition to multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, he has been widely praised, even by former opponents. Mandela has received [|more than one hundred awards] over four decades, most notably the [|Nobel Peace Prize] in 1993. He is currently a celebrated elder [|statesman] who continues to voice his opinion on topical issues. In South Africa he is often known as **Madiba**, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela's clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela. Mandela has frequently credited [|Mahatma Gandhi] for being a major source of inspiration in his life, both for the philosophy of non-violence and for facing adversity with dignity.

** ELECTRONIC AGE ** The [|Pentium processor] is developed by [|Intel]. Explosive growth of the [|Internet], perhaps caused by a decrease in the cost of [|computers] and other technology. Advancements in [|computer modems], [|ISDN] , [|cable modems] and [|DSL] lead to faster connection to the Internet. [|Pagers] are initially popular but ultimately are replaced by [|mobile phones] toward the end of the decade. Hand-held [|satellite phones] are introduced towards the end of the decade. [|CD burner] drives are introduced. [|Digital SLRs] and regular [|Digital cameras] become commercially available. The [|DVD] media format is developed and popularized along with a plethora of [|Flash] [|memory card] standards. [|Apple] introduces the [|iMac] computer, initiating a trend in computer design towards translucent plastics and multicolor case design, discontinuing many [|legacy] [|technologies] like [|serial ports], and beginning a resurgence in the company's fortunes that continues unabated to this day. [|IBM] introduces the 1-inch wide [|Microdrive] hard drive in 170 MB and 340 MB capacities. The first [|GSM] network is launched in [|Finland] in 1991 The first MP3 Player, the [|MPMan], is released in late spring of 1998. It came with 32Mb of flash memory expandable to 64Mb. The introduction of affordable, smaller [|satellite dishes] and the [|DVB-S] standard in the mid-1990s expanded satellite television services that carried up to 500 [|television] channels. The [|World Wide Web] and [|HTML] are created by [|Tim Berners-Lee] and eventually displace the [|Gopher protocol]. [|Microsoft] introduces [|Windows 95] and later [|Windows 98] to the market, which gain immediate popularity. The development of [|Web browsers] such as [|Netscape Navigator] and [|Internet Explorer] makes surfing the [|World Wide Web] easier and more [|user friendly]. The [|Java programming language] is developed by [|Sun Microsystems]. Businesses start to build [|E-commerce] [|websites] ; E-commerce-only companies such as [|Amazon.com], [|eBay] , [|AOL] , and [|Yahoo!] grow rapidly. [|E-mail] becomes popular; as a result [|Microsoft] acquires the popular [|Hotmail.com] webmail service. [|Instant Messaging] and the [|Buddy list] becomes popular. [|AIM] and [|ICQ] are two early protocols. The [|Year 2000 problem] (commonly known as Y2K), the computer glitch disaster expected to happen on [|January 1], [|2000]. [|Microsoft Windows] operating systems become virtually ubiquitous on [|IBM PCs]. Development of the free [|Linux] kernel is started by [|Linus Torvalds] in [|Finland]. [|3-D] graphics become the standard by end of decade. Although [|FPSs] had long since seen the transition to full 3D, other genres begin to copy this trend by the end of the decade. The [|console wars], primarily between [|Sega] ( [|Sega Mega Drive] (marketed as the Sega Genesis in North America), introduced in 1988) and [|Nintendo] ( [|Super NES], introduced in 1990), sees the entrance of [|Sony] with the [|PlayStation] in 1994, 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 end of the [|Saturn] in 1998 and the [|Dreamcast] in 2001. [|Mario] finds a rival in [|Sonic the Hedgehog] with the release of the [|original game] on the Genesis in 1991. [|Arcade games] rapidly decrease in popularity. Fighting games like [|Capcom] 's [|//Street Fighter II//], [|Sega] 's futuristic [|//Virtua Fighter//] and the more violent [|//Mortal Kombat//] from [|Acclaim] 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 [|PlayStation] becomes the top selling game console and changes the standard media storage type from [|cartridges] to [|compact discs] in consoles. // [|Doom] // (1993) bursts onto the world scene and instantly popularizes the [|FPS] genre, and even how games are played, as Doom is among the first games to feature multiplayer capabilities. It is not until [|//Quake//] (1996), however, that game developers begin to take multiplayer features into serious consideration when making games. [|//Half-Life//] (1998) 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 [|real-time strategy] (RTS) genre is introduced in 1992 with the release of [|//Dune II//]. [|//Warcraft: Orcs & Humans//] (1994) popularizes the genre, with [|//Command & Conquer//] and [|//Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness//] in 1995 sets up the first major real-time strategy competition and popularizes multiplayer capabilities in RTS games. [|//StarCraft//] in 1998 becomes the second best-selling computer game of all time. It remains among the most popular multiplayer RTS games to this day, especially in [|South Korea]. [|//Homeworld//] in 1999 becomes the first successful 3d RTS game. The rise of the RTS genre is often credited with the fall of the [|turn-based strategy] (TBS) genre, popularized with [|//Civilization//] in 1991. The //Civilization// franchise is the only TBS franchise that remains popular. // [|Final Fantasy] // first debuted (in North America) in 1990 for the NES, and remains among the most popular video game franchises, with 12 new titles to date, with another in development, plus numerous spin-offs, sequels, movies and related titles. [|//Final Fantasy VII//], released in 1997, especially popularized the series. [|Zelda] continues its massive popularity with a series of groundbreaking games, including [|//The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time//], released in 1998, which is considered one of the best and most groundbreaking games of all time. [|Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing games] (MMORPGs) see their entrance into the computer game world with [|//Ultima Online//] in 1997, although they don't gain widespread popularity until [|//EverQuest//] and [|//Asheron's Call//] in 1999. MMORPGs go on to become among the most popular genres in the 2000s. [|Pokémon] entered the world scene with the release of the original [|Game Boy] [|//Pokémon Red//] and [|//Pokémon Green//] games in [|Japan] in 1996, later changed to [|Pokémon Red] and [|Pokémon Blue] for worldwide release in 1998. It soon becomes popular in the U.S. and is adapted into a popular children's [|anime] series and [|trading card] game, among other media forms. Its popularity remains well into the 2000s with several new games and spin-offs. CULTURAL TRENDS [|Youth culture] in the 1990s was characterized by [|environmentalism] and [|entrepreneurship]. Fashions were often [|individualistic], [|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. [|Jam bands] grew in popularity. Along with these Jam bands came a new popularity of 1960's counter-culture. Following the 1980s media counter-culture lead by [|tabloid talk shows] popularized by [|Oprah Winfrey] in 1986, which provided high-impact media visibility for gays, bisexuals, transsexuals, and transgender people [|[1]] the 1990s saw a further increase in gay visibility in the mainstream media. In 1990, the World Health Organization removed [|homosexuality] from its list of diseases. US TV shows featured gay characters. Movies with gay characters saw mainstream success. U.S. President [|Bill Clinton] generally held a pro-gay rights viewpoint.

[|Toyota Camry] was one of the best selling vehicles in the U.S. throughout the 90's.  The 500th anniversary of [|Christopher Columbus] ' discovery of America in 1992 was popularly observed, despite controversy and protests against Columbus' expeditions victimization of [|Native Americans]. The holiday was labeled by some as [|racist], in view of Native American experiences of [|colonialism], [|slavery] , [|genocide] and cultural destruction. [|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). The [|Grunge] trend explodes, with several Grunge bands gaining mainstream success, and the attendant fashion caught on widely. [|Reality television] began on [|MTV] ; this would grow in iportance into the 2000s. Blood and gore in television and video games rose dramatically, along with language and sexual content, especially during the latter half of the decade; a Parental Ratings system for television was introduced in 1997 because of related complaints. [|Video games] became more advanced and popular, with several makes becoming big sellers. [|Simulation] and [|God games] rose in popularity in the mid-late 1990s. [|Extreme sports] reached a new height in popularity, and by 1995, were given their own annual tournament on US cable network [|ESPN]. [|Extended alcohol sales] are implemented in the US to reduce alcohol abuse. The exploitation of the collectability of [|comic books] results in a trend of "gimmick" packaging and storylines (most notably The [|Death of Superman] ). 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 [|manga] 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 [|Marvel Comics] and [|DC Comics] ends as various independents produce popular titles. The era of comic book collecting for speculative [|investment] ends. [|Webcomics] by amateur [|cartoonists] become popular. Conversion to [|Block scheduling] became a trendy initiative for United States schools.

The [|Ford Explorer], which sparked the [|SUV] craze among families in the '90s. Due to the success of the [|Ford Explorer], [|Sport Utility Vehicles] became very popular among families, and effectively replaced the [|station wagon] and [|minivan] as the stereotypical family vehicle. Major 1990s slang words/phrases, mostly related to [|hip hop culture], included " [|Talk to]  [|the hand] ." [|Dogme 95] becomes an important European artistic film movement by the end of the decade. [|Eurodance] music dominates [|discotheques] and has numerous major mainstream hits in European (and to a lesser extent, North American) music charts. Mainstream " [|Techno] ", as it is dubbed by the media, became hugely popular in Europe and the U.S. From the early [|raves] of 1990 to about 1996, [|electronic music] 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 [|MTV] began coverage of it.

Breakdancer in [|Ljubljana], [|Slovenia] when hip-hop music swept the globe in the 1990s. [|Media consolidation] leads to increased segmentation in styles of music. 24-hour [|CNN] coverage during the [|Gulf War] leads to increased awareness and coverage of world events and [|Infotainment] shows. [|Hip-hop culture] grows; by the end of the decade [|hip hop] gained more and more popularity. [|Tupac Shakur] of [|Death Row Records] and [|The Notorious BIG] of [|Bad Boy Records] , wage a cultural war in the [|hip hop music] scene, leading to the murder of both Shakur in 1996 and BIG in 1997. [|Professional wrestling] experiences a huge rise in popularity. [|Electronica] is hugely [|popular] on [|Top 40] [|radio] from 1990 to present and up to 1996 or 1997 in the U.S. [|Alternative rock] overtakes [|Grunge] in popularity around 1995. [|Nu metal], a genre popularized by the 1994 self-titled album by [|Korn], becomes a major genre of rock around the year 1997 along with [|post-grunge] and " [|indie rock] ". [|Indie] / [|hipster] culture appears during the mid-1990s. [|Emo] and "scene" culture flourishes in the late 1990s, most likely around the later part of 1998. [|Teen pop] makes a comeback in the mid-1990s [|Christian music] peaks in the mid to late 1990s. [|R&B] [|Music] and hip-hop influenced R&B are big in the 1990s.

** INTERNET ** Beginnings of [|MP3] [|music downloading] ; including the [|Napster] controversy in 1999 and 2000. The Internet begins to affect pop culture, beginning around 1996. Most television stations establish an Internet presence during the later half of the decade. Earliest examples of Internet film. [|Bulletin Board System] interest decreases heavily with introduction of the Web. [|Pornography] on the Internet launches and grows rapidly (one of the few industries to experience growth during the [|dot.com bust] of 2000) A concept of online social ettiquette, " [|Netiquette] " begins to form in 1995. Online chat debuts in the mid 1990s, along with social networking and teen community sites such as [|Classmates.com] and [|Xanga] in the late 1990s. Popular Internet sites such as [|Newgrounds], [|Something Awful] and [|The Best Page in the Universe] began in the mid to late 90s. ** OTHER SIGNIFICANT EVENTS ** [|Gun politics] in the US over the 1993 [|Brady Bill] had banned or regulated most kinds of [|automatic weapons] 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 [|Spice Girls], the [|WNBA] , [|women's boxing] , [|girl power] , showcasing modern femininity. With help from clinical [|fertility drugs], an [|Iowa] mother, Bobbie McCaughey, gave birth to the first surviving [|septuplets] in 1997. There followed a media frenzy and widespread support for the family. In August 1995, [|NASA] scientists announced, then debunked a big "discovery" of "martian" microscopic life on an asteroid originated from [|Mars], found in [|Antarctica] and examined to only find mineral formation, not [|alien] [|bacteria]. [|Kenny Everett] dies shortly after confirming that he has [|AIDS]. [|Freddie Mercury], [|Kurt Cobain] , [|Tupac Shakur] , and [|Notorious B.I.G.] are the most publicized music-related deaths of the decade, in 1991, 1994, 1996, and 1997 respectively. Divorce and scandal rocked the [|British] [|Royal House] of [|Windsor]. The murder of [|Selena Quintanilla], Tejano superstar from Texas. [|Cindy Crawford] becomes the most successful supermodel of the decade. The movie [|Titanic] 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. [|Major League baseball] players went on strike in August 12, 1994, thus ended the season, canceled the [|World Series] the first time in 90 years, and went on until [|March] [|29], [|1995] when players and team owners in agreement. The [|Vieques] [|controversy]. [|Crime] levels in the U.S. peak in 1991, begin to fall afterwards, reaching the lowest levels since the late 1960s by end of decade. In the U.S. [|drug] use reaches an all-time low in 1992 before increasing, reaching its peak in 1997 before declining again. Examples of the decade's worst natural disasters: [|Hurricane Andrew] strikes South [|Florida] in August 1992, the crippling [|Superstorm] of March 1993 along the [|Eastern] [|Seaboard], the devastating [|1994 Northridge Earthquake] in [|Los Angeles] , the [|Great] [|Hanshin earthquake] in [|Kobe], [|Japan] in January 1995, the [|Blizzard of 1996] in the eastern U.S., the deadly [|Hurricane Mitch] which struck [|Central America] in October 1998, and the destructive [|F-5 Oklahoma City tornado] in May 1999, the August [|1999] [|İzmit earthquake] in [|Turkey], and the September 1999 [|Chi-Chi earthquake] in [|Taiwan].

People are [|evacuated] from the volcanic [|Caribbean] island of [|Montserrat], a [|British overseas territory]. The Soufirre Hills erupt in 1995 and continued on until 2002. [|Mount Pinatubo], a dormant volcano in the island of [|Luzon] in the [|Philippines] erupted in 1991 to decimate nearby towns and an American air force base permanently abandoned by hot ash fall and under mudslides. [|Mother Teresa], the [|Roman Catholic] [|nun] who won the [|Nobel Peace Prize] , dies at age 87. 21-year-old [|Golfer] [|Tiger Woods] wins the [|Masters Tournament] by a record 12 strokes; becoming both the youngest and the first [|American] of [|multiracial] descent to win the [|Masters]. The [|Olympic Park Bombing] on [|July 27], [|1996] at [|that year's Summer Olympics] in [|Atlanta, Georgia] which kills 2 and injures 111. School violence in the US is brought into the national spotlight with numerous incidents, such as the [|Columbine High School massacre]. [|John F. Kennedy, Jr.], his wife [|Carolyn Bessette] and sister-in-law [|Lauren Bessette] are killed when Kennedy's private plane crashes off the coast of [|Martha's Vineyard]. [|American] [|cyclist] [|Lance Armstrong] wins his first [|Tour de France] in 1999, less than two years after battling [|testicular cancer]. Debate on [|assisted suicide] highly publicized by [|Michigan] doctor [|Jack Kevorkian] , charged with multiple counts of [|homicide] of his terminally ill patients through the decade. [|Seinfeld] becomes highly popular. Beer [|keg registration] becomes popular public policy in U.S. [|California] voters passed [|Proposition 215] in 1996, to legalize [|cannabis] only for medical purposes, the debate over legalization of marijuana in the U.S. goes on today. [|The Rachel], [|Jennifer Aniston] 's hairstyle on the hit show [|Friends] , becomes a cultural phenomenon with millions of women copying it worldwide.