1990's Decade
Kortney Kirking
Presidents & World Leaders
George H. W. Bush (President of the United States) was in office from 1989 to 1993. His greatest known presidential success was handling the invasion of Kuwait of Saddam Hussein.
Saddam Hussein (World Leader) was the Iraqi president.
Bill Clinton (President of the United States) was in office from 1993 to 2000. His first few years were unsuccesful. He endorsed a health care reform, but it did not get passed through congress. This led to political disasters and Republicans took control of both houses. In 1996, he made a political comeback by signing important laws in the election. His biggest accomplishment was leading the nation to a period of economic prosperity.
George H. W. Bush
(1989-1993) United States President
Saddam Hussein
Iraqi President
Bill Clinton
(1993-2000) United States President
Key Laws
The disability law was passed in 1990. It helped wiht disability law suits and allowed many employees to keep their job.
The civil rights act was passed on November 21, 1991. It changed statutes enforced by the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).
Wars & National Defense
The Persian Gulf War started on August 1990 to February 1991. Saddam Hussein complained to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia about their oil production being too powerful. Iraq then invaded Kuwait in August of 1990. Because Kuwait was a major oil supplier to the United States, President Bush declared to invade Iraq. George Bush quoted, "A line has been drawn in the sand...Withdraw from Kuwait unconditionally and immediatly, or face the terrible consequences" (George H. W. Bush). To get the Iraqi forces to leave Kuwait, air forces drove them out (Operation Desert Storm). On February 28, 1991, President Bush calls ceasefire which end the war.
The Cold War also came to an end in 1992.
In 1993, terrorist bombed the World Trade Centers. It was set from the parking garage. It made a large crater and made several floors collapse. Six people ended up being killed and more than a thousand injured.
Persian Gulf War
August 1990-February 1991
Bombing at the World Trade Center
Parking Garage
Bombing at the World Trade Center
Parking Garage
Technology
The digital answering machine was invented. It made communication and messaging easier.
The use of cellular telephones made it much simpler to communicate.
CD's made it so you could save items on storage.
Memory cards became available for mini cams.
The First mobile phone game (Snake) was released in 1990.
The first MP3 player was invented which made it so you could bring music with you wherever you go.
Entertainment
Some known movies from this decade included Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Forest Gump, and Braveheart. Some popular TV shows included were Friends, Seinfeld, Price is Right, Law and Order, and That 70s Show. Some of the most popular songs in the 1990s were Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson and I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. Michael Bolton, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, New Kids on the Block, Madonna, Whitney Houston, and 2Pac were some famous musicians at this time.
Sports
Sports Teams: Some well known sports teams were the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets (Basketball), Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys (Football), and the Cincinnati Reds (Baseball). The Olympics were a major sporting event during this decade. The Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup, and the World Series were too.
Athletes: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson were both famous African American basketball players, Tiger Woods was a famous African American golf player, Wayne Gretzky was a famous hockey player, and Deion Sanders was a famous football player.
Michael Jordan
Basketball Player
Magic Johnson
Basketball Player
Tiger Woods
Golfer
Cost of Living
- Gas-cost $1.34
- Car-$11,300
- House-$122,900
- Milk-$1.90
- Meat-.89 cents
- Bread-.70 cents
- Pants-$4.75
- Shirt-$3.75
The average salary was $21,000 to $36,000. Common jobs were agriculture, manufacturing, sales occupations, technicians, transportation, and wholesale trade.
Teenagers enjoyed hunting, canoeing, shopping, and sports.
Fashion
Men wore baggy flannel shirts, straight legged denim, and sometimes khakis, blazers, and canvas shoes. They also wore aloha shirts, loafers, jersey/track suits, and neon colors. Women wore trousers with elastic boot straps, denim skirts, bike shorts, turtlenecks, hair scrunchys, neon colors, black leather jackets, and cowboy boots. Everyone wore straight hair and coloring hair became popular. The bowl cut became famous and so did the Jennifer Aniston do.
Famous People
Nelsa Mandela was a famous leader who was released from jail in 1990. He became one of the most important peace leaders in history. He was elected president of South Africa in 1994. Rodney King was beaten and killed by the LA police. His death was further studied and found to be the actual cause of his death. Saddam Hussein was another famous person. He accused Kuwait of stealing oil from Iraq. Iraq then invaded Kuwait and the United States sent half a million soldiers to defend Saudi Arabia against the invasion.