1990s Overall

The 1990s was a decade of renovation, progress and peace (relatively). I think the 90s shaped who we are as a society today and it certainly had a huge impact on the millennial generation, who were either teenagers or kids during that era. The 90s witnessed so many iconic cultural phenomenon it is impossible to fit them all in one list. However I will attempt to give you the top 10 iconic events that – in my opinion – that left its mark in the world.

#1 – Collapse of the Soviet Union (1988-1991)

The Cold War was one of the hallmarks of the 20th century, it was a period of geopolitical tension between the US and the USSR and their respective allies. Between the years 1988-1991 the Soviet Union dissolved and the modern Federation as well as 15 sovereign nations emerged in the aftermath. Despite Mikhail Gorvachev’s efforts the political and economic reforms within the Soviet Union as to the planned economy did not yield the expected results. Following a 1991 military coup attempt in Moscow the system completely collapsed and Gorbachev had to retire as the leader of the Communist Party since it ceased to function. This marked the end of a conflict that lasted for more than four decades.

#2 – Debut of Euro (1999)

Debut of Euro – practically the second most prominent currency in the world today after USD – took place in the 90s and it vastly changed the economic system in Europe as well as the surrounding countries. Even though the EU and its predecessors contemplated about a common currency since the 60s, it took some time for all parties to gather around the table and agree on it. The Maastricht Treaty entered into force in 1993 with the goal of creating an economic and monetary union by 1999 for all EU states except for the UK and Denmark. The currency was formed in 1999 and the notes began to circulate in 2002.

#3 – Operation Desert Storm (1991)

Also known as the “First Gulf War”, Operation Desert Storm was another milestone in the 90s. On August 2, 1990 the Iraqi Army invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait. The international community strongly condemned this act and it brought a swift series of actions against Iraq, including economic sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council. A coalition was formed under the leadership of US president George H.W. Bush and UK’s prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The coalition army was basically the largest military alliance since World War 2.

The initial contact between the coalition and Iraqi troops in Kuwait began on January 17, 1991 with the aerial and naval bombardment which continued for 5 weeks. The ground assault started on February 24, 1991. The result was a decisive victory for the coalition forces who liberated Kuwait and advanced into Iraqi territory.

#4 – Yugoslav Wars (1992-2001)

The Yugoslav Wars took place between 1991 and 201 and it was a series of ethnic conflicts, wars of independence and insurgencies fought in the territories of former Yugoslavia. Following the breakup of Yugoslav federation in 1992 its constituent republics all declared independence and due to unresolved tensions between the ethnic and religious minorities the accumulation of economic and political conflicts lead to combat.

Although most of the wars ended by peace accords, it came with a huge human cost and economic damage in the region. At the beginning of the conflict the Yugoslav army sought to preserve the unity of the whole of Yugoslavia by crushing the secessionist governments. However this movement was led by Slobodan Milosevic, which evoked Serbian nationalism to replace the collapsing communist system. This situation led to several minority groups in the Yugoslav army (such as the Slovenes, Croats, Kosovar, Albanians and Bosniaks) to leave the idea of a unitarian state.

This conflict is often referred to as Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War 2. It involved several war crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. The Bosnian genocide was the first European crime to be formally classified as genocidal in character since World War 2.

#5 – Return of Hong Kong to China (1997)

This event is usually referred to as “Hong Kong handover” by the international community and “Transfer of Sovereignty over Honk Kong” by China. It is the formal passing of authority over the territory of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China on July 1, 1997. This was the end of 156 years of British rule in the former colony.

Hong Kong had been a colony of the British Empire since 1842, and its territory was expanded on two occasions. The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration had set the conditions under which Hong Kong was to be transferred, with China agreeing to maintain existing structures of government and economy under a principle of “one country, two systems” for a period of 50 years. Hong Kong became China’s first special administrative region and it was followed by Macau after its transfer from Portugal in 1999.

#6 – Expansion of Access to Internet (1991-1995)

For better of for worse, the widespread use of internet changed the lives of all of us that’s fore sure. During the late 80s the first internet service provider companies were formed. These companies provided service to the regional research networks and provide alternate network access, UUCP-based email and Usenet Netws to the public. The first commercial dialup ISP in the US was “The World” which opened in 1989.

Common design elements of the “Web 1.0” era websites included statics pages instead of dynamic HTML, content served from filesystems instead of regional databases and so on. During the period from 1997 to 2001, the first speculative investment related to the Internet took place in which “dot-com companies” were propelled to exceedingly high valuations as investors rapidly stoked stock values, followed by a market crash. However this only temporarily slowed enthusiasm and growth, which quickly recovered and continued to grow.

#7 – Deep Blue vs. Kasparov (1996)

Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov was a pair of six game chess matches between the world chess champion Garry Kasparov and an IBM supercomputer called Deep Blue. The first match was played in Philadelphia in 1996 and won by Kasparov. The second was played in New York City in 1997 and won by Deep Blue. This was the first defeat of a world chess champion by a computer under tournament conditions.

Deep Blue’s win was seen as symbolically significant, a sign that artificial intelligence was catching up to human intelligence and could defeat one of humanity’s great intellectual champions.

#8 – Peak of Film Industry (1994-1999)

This item may be the most controversial one in this list, but I believe that the film industry reached its peak in the 1990s. I do not think we will ever see the likes of blockbuster iconic movies, such as the Terminator, Fight Club or Jurassic Park. There are several factors that contribute to this observation:

• During the later decades, especially in 2010s, ‘streaming’ became the primary choice of viewers. Thanks to Netflix, Hulu, Youtube and hundreds of other sources that stream all kinds of content 24/7, most people started to opt for viewing their content of choice in the comfort of their own homes, rather than taking a 15 min. drive to the movie theater, buying an expensive ticket and being stuck in a hall for the next 3-4 hours. Since the movie theater experience lost its allure full-length movies became less and less profitable. This phenomenon caused the most talented artists, directors and effect producers to go for other art forms, such as computer games, short series or even individual projects.
• The computer technology started replacing acting skills. The producers are no longer seeking to make an artistic impact in the film industry, but they are rather trying to entertain the masses with the help of cheap, abundant and available technology. These tools can be used as a semi-substitute for improving a skill, but they never replace the actual talent. Unfortunately the movie market today is filled with average plots, terrible acting but tons of special effects.
• In our fast-paced world most people do not have the time to allocate 2-3 hours to watch a movie in an interrupted fashion. It is simply a matter of convenience. In the past producers were certain that the viewers would have to be sitting in a movie theater without any interruption and without any sound or light distractions. Today the habits of the general public diverge from this expectation. This unavoidably effects the content and quality of the movie.

#9 – Google Is Founded (1998)

Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were PhD students at Stanford University in California. In March of 1999 the company moved its offices to Palo Alto, California. The next year Google began selling advertisements associated with search keywords. Today Google is an undisputable part of our everyday lives, it has a market capitalization level of 1.9 trillion dollars and more than 140.000 employees. The photo above was taken in 1999 in front of a non-descript building and shows the first team of Google. It is a good illustration as to how startups can start from zero and go to the top of the world.

#10 – Columbine Shooting (1999)

The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting and failed bombing that occured on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, US. T10 students were killed in the school library where the perpetrator pair subsequently committed suicide. 21 additional people were injured by gunshots, and gunfire was also exchanged with the police. Another 3 people were injured trying to escape. At the time it was the deadliest high school shooting in US history. It created shockwaves around the world and raised serious questions as to safety of public schools.

Don’t forget to see my other articles about top 10 iconic events of 2000s and 2010s:

• 10 Significant Events of 2000s
• 10 Significant Events of 2010s