1990s

The 1990s refers to the years 1990 to 1999; the last decade of the 20th Century. 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. Key forces shaping the decade were the Gulf War; popularization of Personal Computer and Internet leading to the dot.com boom.

Events and trends

While optimism and hopes were high following the collapse of Communism, the backlash of the Cold War's effect was only beginning, precipitating the continuation 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, Australia, and South Korea experienced steady economic growth for nearly the entire decade. The United Kingdom, after the recession of 1991-92 and Black Wednesday, experienced a run of 51 consecutive quarters of economic growth that stretched into the new millenium. Even less affluent nations such as Malaysia saw tremendous improvements in economic prosperity and quality of life during the 1990s. Many countries, institutions, companies, and organizations also viewed the 90s decade as "a prosperous time", 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, virtual reality. Oil and Gas was discovered in many countries and Pope John Paul II's papacy reached its peak. Nevertheless, the 1990s brought tragic conflicts as well, like the Balkan Wars, the Rwandan genocide, the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia and the first Gulf War.

Criticism/Backlash of the Decade

Despite denials from various sociologists and media pundits, some feel that the 90s were an era of increasing materialism and growing hypocrisy continued from the 1980s. In general it could still be said that the mindset of the 1980s and 1990s were more or less the same. The 1990s are also widely critized for their controversial pop culture obsessed with gore, sex, violence, and language, along with the 2000s to a somewhat lesser extent. The 1990s nonetheless have a very positive receiving into the 2000s and are still considered quite "modern" even as of 2006, with many genres of media from the decade still being quite cool among youth during the 2000s as no great revolutions in pop culture have occurred for some time and only moderate backlash of the decade itself has yet occurred. Also, while not a criticism of the decade per se, some people see the 1990s as the beginning of the 21st Century rather than the end of the 20th Century in an abstract sense based on the fact that the Cold War, a definitive phoenomenon of the 20th Century, was over by about 1991 and the tech boom began to take off a couple years after, and very 21st Century events such as the rise of the Internet and other information technologies and the expansion of Islamic terrorism began to become prominent in the 1990s.

Technology

Internet]
- The Pentium processor is developed by Intel.
- Microsoft introduces Windows 95 to the market, which gained immediate popularity.
- Explosive growth of the Internet, decrease in the cost of computers and other technology.
- Advancements with computer modems, ISDN, cable modems and DSL lead to faster connection to the Internet.
- The development of web browsers such as Netscape and Internet Explorer makes surfing the World Wide Web easier and more user friendly.
- The Java programming language is developed by Sun Microsystems.
- Businesses begin E-commerce websites; companies such as Amazon.com, eBay, AOL, and Yahoo! grew rapidly on the Internet.
- Cell phones burst in popularity and decrease in size, becoming a necessity for modern life.
- Pagers and PDAs become popular communication tools.
- E-mail becomes popular; as a result Microsoft acquires the popular Hotmail.com.
- 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, introduced in the 1980s, later branching into DVD.

Science

DVD]
- Detection of extrasolar planets orbiting stars other than the sun.
- The cloning of Dolly the sheep is achieved.
- Human Genome Project begun.
- DNA identification of individuals finds wide application in criminal law.
- Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990; revolutionizes astronomy.
- Protease inhibitors introduced allowing HAART therapy against HIV; drastically reduces AIDS mortality.
- NASA's spacecraft Pathfinder lands on Mars and deploys a small roving vehicle, Sojourner, that analyzes the planet's geology and atmosphere.
- The Hale-Bopp comet swings past the sun for the first time in 4,200 years.
- Development of biodegradable products, replacing products made from styrofoam; advanced methods for recycling of waste products (such as paper, glass, aluminum) are developed.
- Genetically engineered crops are developed for commercial use.
- Discovery of dark matter, dark energy, and brown dwarves, and first confirmation of black holes.
- The Galileo probe orbits Jupiter, studying the planet and its moons extensively.

War, peace, and politics

Jupiter] Jupiter]
- Reunification of Germany on October 3 1990.
- End of apartheid in South Africa (1990) and election of ANC government of Nelson Mandela.
- Gulf War (resulting from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait) 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. Congressman Newt Gingrich crafts his manifesto "Contract with America", leading his Republican Party to become the controlling majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 after a long period of phenomenal economic development. See East Asian Tigers.

Culture

Trends/Various

- The Gay 1990s The 1990s saw an increase in gay visibility. Tv shows like thirtysomething,My So called Life and Ellen featured gay characters, Movies like The Birdcage,In and Out and Kiss Me Guido saw mainstream sucess, and celebrities like K.D Lang and George Michael coming out of the closet. Even President Bill Clinton generally held a pro gay rights viewpoint.
- 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), and Real World reunions, these shows remained popular throughout the 1990s.
- Video games become more advanced, but still a far cry from the systems of the 2000s. The more influential game systems of the Nineties include the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sony Playstation, and the Sega Dreamcast.
- Extreme sports reached a new height in popularity, and by 1995, were given their own annual tournament on US cable network ESPN, the X-Games.
- Black becomes a dominant color in fashion, among several dark colors (see Goth, The Matrix, and Regis Philbin).
- Dogma 95 becomes the leading European artistic film movement by the end of the decade.
- Professional wrestling became extremely popular. After scandals and near bankruptcy due to competition from World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation was repackaged more edgier and realistic. Superstars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley, Steve Borden (Sting), Bill Goldberg, Raven, Sabu and others became household names. At the same time, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) led wrestling's entry into edgier angles.
- Recreational sports such as rock climbing, mountain biking, sky diving, snowboarding, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, in-line skating, kayaking and rowing become hugely popular.
- Extended alcohol sales are implemented to reduce alcohol abuse.
- The 1990s remains a somewhat "cool" decade into the 2000s as many aspects of the 90s continue to be important into the next decade, see New Nineties.

Music

- Grunge music, popularized by Nirvana, big from the fall of 1991 through 1994 but influential to rock up to 2005 (see Post-Grunge), Grunge movement followed by the Britpop movement of about 1995 to 1997 which was in turn followed by numetal.
- Teen pop held over from the late 1980s popular into 1990, returns with Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls in latter third of the decade
- Radiohead comes to be one of the most critically and commercially loved bands since The Beatles. Two of their albums, The Bends and Ok Computer top lists at the end of the decade.
- Rap music gains widespread mainstream acceptance throughout the decade, starting with the success of MC Hammer, Public Enemy and Vanilla Ice around 1989-91 and ending with hip-hop inspired by Puff Daddy, Dr. Dre and Eminem c. 1997-99. By 1999 hip hop had definitely passed rock and roll in popularity.
- Music festivals such as Lollapalooza became popular; a fusing of genres from alternative rock, rap, punk rock and garage bands.
- Rock music begins to be referred to as "alternative" as it is originated in 1980s underground rock and 1970s punk and begins to lose popularity to hip hop.
- Trance, techno and electronica music becomes widely popular at rave parties in Europe/USA and in pop culture, particularly later in the decade. The drug Ecstasy, (aka MDMA or 'X') is popularized by rave culture.
- 1980s backlash, beginning in about 1991 and lasting into the 2000s. During most of the 1990s anything "Eighties" was considered to be ultimately uncool.
- Music becomes more profane, by end of decade a Parental Advisory sticker becomes acceptable rather than controversial.
- In America, country music becomes more mainstream with popular chart topping artist such as Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw. The trend decreases somewhat in the 2000s.

Television

- Japanimation becomes popular in the United States in the late 1990s with shows Pokemon, Dragonball Z, and Cowboy Bebop.
- Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers gains popularity with kids in the mid 90s; leading to entire Power Rangers series. Barney and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also popular
- MTV moves away from music videos and into original television shows such as The Real World, which is cited as the inspiration for the Reality TV boom of the 2000s.
- Cartoons aimed at an adult audience become popular. Among the most successful are The Simpsons (1989-), Ren & Stimpy (1991-1995), Beavis and Butt-head (1993-1997), South Park (1997-), King of the Hill (1997-), and Family Guy (1999-2002, 2005-).
- Television networks increase programs aimed at twenty- and thirty-somethings. Some of the popular are Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000), Melrose Place (1992-1999), Party of Five (1994-2000), Ally McBeal (1997-2002), Friends (1994-2004), and Seinfeld (1989-1998).
- Notable television sitcoms aimed at the teen/preteen market include Boy Meets World (1993-2000), Full House (1987-1995), Family Matters (1989-1998), and Third Rock From The Sun (1996-2001), among many others.
- Major 1990s slang words/phrases, mostly related to hip hop include "homie", "phat", "da bomb", "Audi 5000", "tight", "word to your mother", "Talk to the hand", "You go girl!", and "Wasssuppp!"

Other significant events

Talk to the hand]
- The massive global human impact on the environment, which first garnered attention in the 60s, was widely acknowledged.
- Divorce and scandal rocked the British Royal House of Windsor.
- The assassination of Selena Quintanilla.
- Sex and violence in the media increase, especially in the late part of the decade. Profanity in music reaches peak in the late 90s.
- O.J. Simpson's trial, described in the media as 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.
- The 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 in 1991, begin to fall afterwards to the lowest levels since the late 1960s at end of decade.
- Drug use in the U.S. reaches an all-time low in 1992 before increasing, reaching its peak in 1997 before declining again.
- Princess Diana dies in a car accident in 1997. Debates of accident vs assassination rage.
- 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 the youngest and first African-American to win the Masters.
- The Omagh bombing in Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland which kills 29 civilians (including a woman pregnant with twins) and injures hundreds more.
- 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.
- Beer keg registration becomes popular public policy in U.S.

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)
- Prime Minister Mike Moore (New Zealand)
- Prime Minister Jim Bolger (New Zealand)
- Prime Minister Jenny Shipley (New Zealand)
- Prime Minister Helen Clark (New Zealand)
- President Ion Iliescu (Romania)
- President Emil Constantinescu (Romania)
- 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)
- King Juan Carlos I (Spain)
- President Felipe González (Spain)
- President José María Aznar (Spain)
- 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

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia] Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- 2pac
- Ace of Base
- Adam Sandler
- Aaliyah
- Alice in Chains
- Alanis Morrissette (Jagged Little Pill)
- Annie Lennox
- Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, Titus)
- Ashley Judd
- Beavis and Butt-Head
- Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting)
- Bill Hicks
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Boyz II Men
- Bret Hart
- Britney Spears
- Bruce Willis (the Die Hard series, Pulp Fiction)
- Mariah Carey
- Dana Carvey (Wayne's World)
- Dean Cain
- Carmen Electra
- Christina Aguilera
- Cuba Gooding Jr (Boyz N the Hood, Jerry Maguire)
- Amy Grant
- Dave Matthews Band
- Demi Moore (Ghost, Striptease, A Few Good Men)
- Denzel Washington ( Malcolm 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)
- Eurythmics
- Friends
- Courtney Cox
- Jennifer Aniston
- Lisa Kudrow
- Matt LeBlanc
- Matthew Perry
- David Schwimmer
- The Fugees
- Green Day (Dookie, Nimrod)
- Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Se7en)
- Liam Gallagher of Oasis
- Noel Gallagher of Oasis
- Teri Hatcher
- Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale)
- Halle Berry (Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,Bullworth)
- Hanson
- Harrison Ford
- Helen Hunt (Mad About You, Twister, As Good as It Gets)
- Hootie & The Blowfish
- 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.
- Nirvana
- Oasis
- Phil Collins
- Pamela Anderson (Baywatch)
- Pearl Jam
- "Image:Princesymbol.png" The artist formerly known as Prince
- Queen Latifah (Living Single, Set It Off)
- Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction)
- Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List, The English Patient)
- Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager)
- Samuel L. Jackson (Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction)
- Sandra Bullock (Speed, A Time to Kill)
- Shawn Michaels
- Spice Girls
- 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)
- Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Men In Black)

Films

See also: 1990s in film

Books & Literature

Sports figures

Se

1990
:This article is about the year. For other uses, see 1990 (disambiguation). :"MCMXC" redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a.D.. 1990 (MCMXC) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar.
Events

January

- January 3 - Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces.
- January 7 - The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns.
- January 9 - Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello, the man who led the coup against Dr Apolo Milton Obote's government, dies in Ormduruman Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan.
- January 10 - Time Warner is formed from the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc.
- January 11 - Massive (200,000) demonstration in favor of Lithuanian independence.
- January 13 - Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office in Richmond, Virginia.
- January 15 - Thousands storm the Stasi HQ in Berlin in an attempt to view their records.
- January 18 - Former McMartin preschool operators Raymond Buckey and his mother Peggy McMartin Buckey are acquitted in a Los Angeles, California court of 52 child molestation charges.
- January 18 - Washington, DC, Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.
- January 22 - Robert Tappan Morris, Jr. is convicted of releasing the 1988 Internet worm.
- January 25 - Avianca Flight 52 crashed into Cove Neck, Long Island, after a miscommunication between the flight crew and JFK airport officials.
- January 25 - The Berlin Wall starts to come down.
- January 25-January 26 - Burns' Day storm rages over northwestern Europe - 97 dead
- January 27 - City of Tiraspol in the Moldavian SSR declares brief independence
- January 29 - The trial of the former skipper of the Exxon Valdez, Joseph Hazelwood, begins in Anchorage, Alaska. He is accused of negligence that resulted in America's worst oil spill.
- January 31 - The first McDonald's opens in Moscow, USSR.
February
USSR
- February 2 - Apartheid: In South Africa President F.W. de Klerk allows the African National Congress to legally function again and promises to set Nelson Mandela free.
- February 7 - Collapse of the Soviet Union: The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly of power
- February 10 - South African President F.W. de Klerk announces that Nelson Mandela would be released the next day.
- February 11 - James "Buster" Douglas KOs Mike Tyson to win world heavyweight boxing crown.
- February 11 - Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster prison, near Cape Town, South Africa
- February 13 - German reunification: An agreement is reached for a two-stage plan to reunite Germany
- February 15 - The United Kingdom and Argentina restore diplomatic links after 8 years. The UK had broken off links in response to Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands, a British Dependent Territory
- February 26 - The Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections.
- February 26 - The USSR agrees to withdraw all 73500 troops from Czechoslovakia by July, 1991.
- February 27 - Exxon Valdez oil spill: Exxon and its shipping company are indicted on five criminal counts.
March

- March 1 - A fire at the Sheraton Hotel in Cairo kills 16.
- March 1 - Steve Jackson Games is raided by the U.S. Secret Service, prompting the later formation of the EFF.
- March 1 - Royal New Zealand Navy discontinues the daily rum ration
- March 4 - Afrisecal movement/ Afrisecaism introduced as an intellectual school of thought to the Literary collective of Jos by Francis Okechukwu Ohanyido on his birthday as part of the "Afriquest initiative".
- March 6 - An SR-71 sets a US transcontinental speed record of 1 hour 8 minutes 17 seconds, on what is publicized as its last official flight.
- March 9 - Police seals off Brixton South London after another night of protests against the poll tax
- March 9 - Dr. Antonia Novello is sworn in as Surgeon General of the United States, becoming the first female and Hispanic to serve in that position
- March 9 - Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Clyde Wells confirms he will rescind Newfoundland's approval of the Meech Lake Accord, effectively killing the Accord
- March 10 - 18 months after seizing power in a coup, Prosper Avril is ousted in Haiti
- March 11 - Lithuania declares independence from the Soviet Union
- March 11 - Patricio Aylwin is sworn-in as the first democratically-elected Chilean president since 1970
- March 15 - Gulf War: Iraqis hang British journalist Farzad Bazoft for spying. Daphne Parish, a British nurse, is sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment as an accomplice
- March 15 - Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first executive president of the Soviet Union
- March 15 - The Soviet Union announces that Lithuania's declaration of independence is invalid
- March 18 - 12 paintings, collectively worth $100 million, are stolen by two thieves posing as police officers from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. This is the largest art theft in US history and the paintings (as of 2005) have not been recovered
- March 18 - East Germany holds first free elections since 1932
- March 18 - Thieves loot Isabella Steward Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, stealing paintings and treasures worth estimated $200 million (not recovered as of 2005)
- March 20 - Ferdinand Marcos's widow, Imelda Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering
- March 21 - After 75 years of South African rule Namibia becomes independent
- March 21 - A massive poll tax demonstration in Trafalgar Square, London turns into a riot. 417 people injured, 341 arrested
- March 23 - Gerald Bull assassinated in Brussels
- March 24 - The government of Australian prime minister Bob Hawke is re-elected for a 4th term.
- March 25 - In New York City, a fire due to arson at an illegal social club called "Happy Land" kills 87
- March 27 - Propaganda: The United States begins broadcasting TV Martí to Cuba
- March 27 - Namibia becomes a state independent of South Africa
- March 28 - President George H. W. Bush presents Jesse Owens with the Congressional Gold Medal.
- March 31 - London anti-Poll Tax Riots in Trafalgar Square. Incident subsequently known as "The Second Battle of Trafalgar"
April

- April 7 - Iran Contra Affair: John Poindexter is found guilty of five charges for his part in the scandal but the convictions were later reversed after an appeal
- April 7 - Scandinavian Star, a Bahamas-registered ferry, catches fire en route from Norway to Denmark - 158 dead
- April 13 - The Soviet Union apologizes for the Katyn Massacre
- April 15 - Food poisoning kills 450 guests of an engagement party in Uttar Pradesh
- April 24 - The Space Shuttle Discovery places the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.It becomes operational May 20
- April 24 - West and East Germany agree to merge currency and economies on July 1
May

- May 2 - In London, England, man brandishing a knife robs courier Nicholas Lane of bearer bonds worth £292 million - the largest mugging to date.
- May 15 - Portrait of Doctor Gachet by Vincent van Gogh is sold for a record $82.5 million.
- May 19 - British agriculture Minister John Gummer feeds a hamburger to his 5-year-old daughter to counter rumours about the spread of Mad cow disease and its transmission to humans
- May 20 - The first post- Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania
- May 22 - The leaders of the Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen announce the unification of their countries as the Republic of Yemen.
- May 29 - Rhode Island celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
June

- June 1 - U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production and to start destroying each of their nation's stockpiles
- June 12 - The parliament of the Russian Federation formally declares its sovereignty (see Russia Day)
- June 20 - British Chancellor John Major proposes a new European currency which would circulate alongside existing national currencies.
- June 22 - Underwater volcano Mount Didicas erupts in the Philippines
July

- July 2 - Stampede in a pedestrian tunnel leading to Mecca - 1426 pilgrims dead
- July 8 - At 12:34:56 PM the time and date by US reckoning was 12:34:56 7/8/90.
- July 8 - West Germany defeats Argentina 1-0 to win the Football World Cup 1990
- July 12 - Square Co., Ltd. releases Final Fantasy in North America.
- July 15 - Tamil Tigers kill 168 Muslims in Colombo, Sri Lanka
- July 16 - In the Philippines, an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale kills over 1600
- July 25 - The Serbian Democratic Party declares sovereignty of the Serbs in Croatia
- July 27 - The parliament building and a government television house in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago are stormed by the Jamaat al Muslimeen in a Coup d'état attempt which lasts five days. Approximately 26 to 30 people are killed and several wounded (including then Prime Minister, A.N.R. Robinson, who was shot in the leg).
- July 27 - Belarus declares its sovereignty; a key step toward independence from the USSR.
- July 28 - Alberto Fujimori becomes president of Peru
- July 30 - IRA car bomb kills British MP Ian Gow, a staunch unionist.
August

- August 2 - Gulf War: Iraq invades Kuwait, eventually leading to the Gulf War.
- August 3 - The highest temperature recorded in the UK until 2003 - 37.1°C (98.8°F) at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire
- August 6 - Gulf War: The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
- August 7 - John Cain Resigns as VIC premier over a series of financial scandals and is replaced by Joan Kirner (10th)
- August 7 - At 12:34:56 (both AM and PM) the time and date by British reckoning was 12:34:56 7/8/90 i.e. 1234567890.
- August 19 - Leonard Bernstein conducts his final concert, ending with Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
- August 27 - Blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughan dies in a helicopter crash along with 4 others following a concert near East Troy, Wisconsin.
September

- September 2 - Transnistria declares its independence from the Moldavian SSR; however, the declaration is not recognized by any government.
- September 11 - President George H. W. Bush delivers a nationally televised speech in which he threatens the use of force to remove Iraqi soldiers from Kuwait, which Iraq had recently invaded.
- September 12 - The two German states and the Four Powers sign the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany in Moscow, paving the way for German re-unification.
October

- October 3 - German re-unification, East Germany becomes part of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- October 5 - After one hundred and fifty years, ten months and two days (Friday, January 3, 1840 - Friday, October 5, 1990), The Herald broadsheet newspaper in Melbourne, Australia is published for the last time as a separate newspaper. Founded in 1840 as The Port Phillip Herald, it is merged with its morning tabloid sister paper The Sun News-Pictorial and the first issue of the new Herald Sun, described by owner Rupert Murdoch as "The world's first 24-hour newspaper", with morning and afternoon editions, is published on the 8th
- October 8 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: In Jerusalem, Israeli police kill 17 Palestinians and wound over 100 near the Dome of the Rock mosque on the Temple Mount
- October 13 - Lebanese Civil War: Syrian military forces invade and occupy Mount Lebanon, ousting General Michel Aoun's government. This effectively consolidates Syria's 14 year occupation of Lebanese soil.
- October 15 - Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and reform his nation.
- October 27 - Supreme Soviet of Kyrgyzstan choses Askar Akayev as republic's first president
- October 27 - New Zealand general election returns National with record number of seats - 67; Labour 29, NewLabour 1
November

- November 1 - Mary Robinson defeats odds-on favourite Brian Lenihan to become the first woman President of Ireland.
- November 1 - The Australian domestic avation market is deregulated.
- November 5 - Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the far-right Kach movement, is shot dead after a speech at a New York City hotel and Reynir Ver Jónsson borned.
- November 8 - Mary Robinson becomes the first female president of the Republic of Ireland.
- November 11 - Gulf War: The U.N. Security Council passes Resolution 678, giving Iraq until Tuesday, January 15, 1991 to withdraw its forces from Kuwait
- November 12 - Crown Prince Akihito becomes the 125th Japanese monarch and takes the title Emperor Akihito of Japan
- November 12 - Tim Berners-Lee publishes a more formal proposal for the World Wide Web. [http://www.w3.org/Proposal]
- November 13 - The first known web page is written.
- November 14 - Germany and Poland sign a treaty confirming the border at the Oder-Neisse line.
- November 15 - Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis launches with flight STS-38.
- November 18 - Andrei Tjikatilo is arrested on suspicion of serial murder and rape
- November 21 - The Super Famicom (aka Super Nintendo) is released in Japan
- November 22 - Margaret Thatcher resigns as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- November 25 - Lech Wałęsa and Stanisław Tymiński win the 1st round of first presidential elections in Poland, see: December 9
- November 27 - The UK Conservative Party chooses John Major to succeed Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- November 29 - Gulf War: The United Nations Security Council passes UN Security Council Resolution 678, authorizing military intervention in Iraq if that nation did not withdraw its forces from Kuwait and free all foreign hostages by Tuesday, January 15, 1991.
- November 29 - Treasurer Paul Keating announces that Australia is experiencing an economic recession.
December

- December 1 - Channel Tunnel workers from the United Kingdom and France meet 40 meters beneath the English Channel seabed, establishing the first ground connection between the United Kingdom and the mainland of Europe since the last ice age
- December 1 - The Los Angeles, California radio station KROQ opens their first annual Acoustic Christmas live concert.
- December 2 - A coalition led by Chancellor Helmut Kohl wins the first free all-German elections since 1932
- December 3 - At Detroit Metropolitan Airport, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 carrying Northwest Airlines Flight 1482 collides with a Boeing 727 carrying Northwest Airlines Flight 299 on the runway, killing 8 passengers and 4 crewmembers aboard flight 1482
- December 3 - Mary Robinson is elected the first female President of Ireland.
- December 6 - Saddam Hussein releases the Western hostages
- December 9 - Slobodan Milošević becomes President of Serbia
- December 9 - Lech Wałęsa wins the 2nd round of Poland's first presidential election
- December 16 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide is elected president of Haiti, ending three decades of military rule.
- December 31 - Russian Garry Kasparov holds his title by winning the World Chess Championship match against his countryman Anatoly Karpov.
Births

- January 7 - Liam Aiken, American actor
- January 30 - Jake Thomas, American actor
- February 11 - Q'Orianka Kilcher, German-born actress
- February 13 - Erdini Qoigyijabu, eleventh Panchen Lama
- February 23 - Christian Copelin, American actor
- February 28 - Anna Muzychuk, Ukrainian chess player
- March 8 - Abigail and Brittany Hensel, American conjoined twins
- March 23 - Princess Eugenie of York
- March 24 - Keisha Castle-Hughes, Australian-born actress
- April 9 - Kristen Stewart, American actress
- April 10 - Alex Pettyfer, British actor
- April 15 - Emma Watson, British actress
- May 1 - Caitlin Stasey, Australian actress
- May 2 - Kay Panabaker, American actress
- May 16 - Thomas Sangster, English actor
- July 24 - Daveigh Chase, American actress
- August 6 - JonBenét Ramsey, American beauty queen and murder victim (d. 1996)
- October 18 - Carly Schroeder, American actress
- October 22 - Jonathan Lipnicki, American actor
- November 7 - Marisa Siketa, Australian actress
- November 27 - Shane Haboucha, American actor
- November 30 - Magnus Carlsen, Norwegian chess player
- December 17 - Ashley Edner, American actress
- December 20 - Joanna Noelle Levesque, American singer/Actress
Deaths

- January 2 - Alan Hale Jr., American actor (b. 1918)
- January 4 - Doc Edgerton, American electrical engineering (b. 1903)
- January 6 - Pavel Alekseyevich Cherenkov, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- January 9 - Spud Chandler, baseball player (b. 1907)
- March 13 - Karl Münchinger, German conductor (b. 1915)
- March 20 - Lev Yashin, Russian footballer (b.1929)
- April 15 - Greta Garbo, Swedish actress (b.1905)
- April 17 - Ralph Abernathy, American civil rights leader (b. 1926)
- May 16 - Sammy Davis Jr., American actor, dancer, and singer (b. 1925)
- May 16 - Jim Henson, American puppeteer (b. 1936)
- June 3 - Stiv Bators, American singer (The Dead Boys) (b. 1949)
- June 22 - Ilya Frank, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
- July 7 - Bill Cullen, American game show host (b. 1920)
- July 18 - Yun Po Sun, President of South Korea (b. 1897)
- July 22 - Manuel Puig, Argentinian writer (b. 1932)
- August 17 - Pearl Bailey, American singer and actress (b. 1918)
- August 27 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, American guitarist (b. 1954)
- September 16 - Len Hutton, English cricketer (b. 1916)
- September 26 - Alberto Moravia, Italian novelist (b. 1907)
- September 30 - Patrick White, Australian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
- October 13 - Le Duc Tho, Vietnamese general and politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1911)
- October 14 - Leonard Bernstein, American composer and conductor (b. 1918)
- November 17 - Robert Hofstadter, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
- November 23 - Roald Dahl, English writer (b. 1916)
- December 2 - Aaron Copland, American composer (b. 1900)
- December 14 - Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss writer (b. 1921)
- December 16 - Douglas Campbell, American World War I flying ace (b. 1896)
Nobel Prizes

- Physics - Jerome Isaac Friedman, Henry Way Kendall, and Richard Edward Taylor
- Chemistry - Elias James Corey
- Physiology or Medicine - Joseph E. Murray, E. Donnall Thomas
- Literature - Octavio Paz
- Peace - Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, Derek Gooley
Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel

- Harry Markowitz, Merton Miller, William Sharpe
Fields Medalists

- Vladimir Drinfeld, Vaughan Frederick Randal Jones, Shigefumi Mori, Edward Witten
Templeton Prize

- Baba Amte (Joint Award)
- L. Charles Birch (Joint Award)
Right Livelihood Award

- Alice Tepper Marlin, Bernard Lédéa Ouedraogo, Felicia Langer and ATCC (Asociación de Trabajadores Campesinos del Carare)
Uncertain dates
For a brief while in early 1990, Romania had a civil war in the aftermath of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, the opposition was for Nicolae Ceauşescu and the Communist regime, and those for the new regime.
- New Revised Standard Version of the Bible is published in the United States.
- Metropolitan Aleksy of Leningrad elected Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia.
- First Anglican female priests in the United Kingdom are ordained at St. Anne's Cathedral, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- Robert Runcie announces resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury. George Carey succeeds him.
- Channel 7 + 10 networks go into receivership (Aus)
- Homosexual Acts between Consenting adults decriminalized in Queensland
- Beginnings of Trance music
- General continuation of 1980s-style pop culture as large events in 1991 and 1992 such as the Grunge movement start the Nineties pop cultural era
- als:1990 ko:1990년 ja:1990年 simple:1990 th:พ.ศ. 2533

20th century

The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar. Common usage sometimes regards it as lasting from 1900 to 1999, but this is incorrect since counting of calendar years begins with the year 1. The 20th century is also sometimes known as the nineteen hundreds (1900s). Decades are almost always considered as starting with the "0" year and named accordingly ("1960s", etc.). However, a number of arguments have been used to justify the common usage. One was advanced, erroneously, by Stephen Jay Gould. He claimed that the first decade had only nine years, thus contradicting the definition of decade equaled 10 years. Another argument is that the astronomical year numbering system for years does have a year zero, the year normally known as 1 BC. In 2000 the International Organization for Standardization clarified ISO 8601 to use the astronomical year numbering system, which could be interpreted as retrospectively endorsing all the people who had celebrated the new century a few months earlier. The term is also used to describe various periods that overlap with the calendar definition, most notably the Short twentieth century, which claims that the 20th Century spanned from 1914 to 1989, rendering the pre-WWI 1900s into the 19th Century and putting the 1990s at the beginning of the 21st Century. Indeed, the part of the 20th Century before World War I is quite identical to the late 1800s culturally and technologically and the 1990s decade pointed in many ways (such as the rise of the Internet) to the 21st Century and is seen by some as not being truly a part of the 20th Century.

Overview

The twentieth century saw a remarkable shift in the way that vast numbers of people lived, as a result of technological, medical, social, ideological, and political innovations. Terms like ideology, world war, genocide, and nuclear war entered common usage and became an influence on the lives of everyday people. War reached an unprecedented scale and level of sophistication; in the Second World War (1939-1945) alone, approximately 57 million people died, mainly due to massive improvements in weaponry. The trends of mechanization of goods and services and network