ENGL C101 Guide for Debilyn Kinzler: The 1990s

1990s

• Persian Gulf War began as Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait.
• Nelson Mandela is Freed
• Hubble Space Telescope launched. The first sophisticated optical observatory was placed into orbit around Earth. 
• Eastern European Communist regime falls

1991

• South Africa repeals apartheid.
• Collapse of USSR
• Seattle-based rock band Nirvana releases its breakthrough album Nevermind, which announces a new musical style (grunge) and gives voice to the post-baby boom young adults known as Generation X

1992

• Riots erupted in Los Angeles after the acquittal of four white Los Angeles policemen on all but one charge connected with the severe beating of an African-American motorist named Rodney King. 
• Dr. Dre released his first solo album, The Chronic. Hugely influential, it redefines mainstream hip-hop.
• William Clinton was elected President
• Earth Summit

1993

• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• European Union formed. 
• Kim Campbell became the first woman prime minister of Canada.
• Toni Morrison became the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

1994

• Jeff Bezos launched Amazon, which became the world's largest online retailer. 
• Nelson Mandela became the first Black president of South Africa.
• The sitcom Friends first aired and became hugely popular.
• Construction begins on the Three Gorges Dam. 

1995

• Oklahoma City Bombing
• U.S. space shuttle Atlantis docks with Russian space station Mir. 
• Former football star O.J. Simpson, in one of the most notorious criminal trials in American history, is acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
• Pixar's Toy Story was released in American theaters and became a box office hit. 

1996

• U.S. television host Oprah Winfrey adds a book-club segment to her popular show, creating a literary sensation as her selections become instant best sellers.
• The chess-playing computer Deep Blue raises new questions about artificial intelligence after defeating Garry Kasparov, the game’s best human player.
• The Taliban seize Kabul
• The Unabomber is captured

1997

• Displaying "Girl Power," the Spice Girls made history in England as their first four singles hit number one on the British charts. 
• J.K. Rowling published the first novel in her Harry Potter series. 
• Princess Diana and two others were killed in a car accident in Paris. 
• Tiger Woods shot 270 over 72 holes at the Masters Tournament to become the first person of African descent, as well as the first person of Asian descent, to win a major professional golf title.
• James Cameron’s Titanic is released in American theaters. The drama about the doomed ocean liner eventually became the first film to make more than $1 billion worldwide.
• The Kyōto, Japan, conference on global climate change adopts a treaty that is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change.

1998

• After nine seasons, the hugely influential sitcom Seinfeld airs its final episode. It was cocreated by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David and was described as a “show about nothing.”
• Google was founded by Sergey Brin and Larry Page. The search engine will become one of the most popular sites on the Internet.
• Japanese video game manufacturer Nintendo launched the interactive toy Pokémon in the American market.
• Mark McGwire, first baseman of the St. Louis Cardinals, hits his 62nd home run of the season, breaking Roger Maris’s record; by season’s end, McGwire will have hit 70 home runs.
• Bill Clinton became the second U.S. president to be impeached. He is charged with perjury and obstruction of justice relating to an investigation into his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, though he is later acquitted by the Senate.

1999

• Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in basketball history, announces his retirement for the second time. He has won two Olympic gold medals and 10 league-scoring titles and led the Chicago Bulls to six national titles.
• In one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, two students attacked Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, killing 13 before taking their own lives.