1990s

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s – 1990s – 2000s 2010s 2020s
Years:	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture; Establishments – Disestablishments

The 1990s (often referred to as the '90s) was the decade that began on January 1, 1990 and ended on December 31, 1999.

Many important world events happened in the 1990s. One was the fall of the Soviet Union, which ended the Cold War. Two genocides, in Rwanda and Serbia, happened in the '90s. In South Africa, Apartheid ended. The European Union was established, and the Gulf War was fought in the Middle East.

There were major developments in computer technology. The World Wide Web (invented in 1989) became extremely popular and connected people around the world. Microsoft and Apple grew significantly.

In sports, West Germany, Brazil, and France each won a FIFA World Cup. In Major League Baseball, World Series winners included the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Florida Marlins.

Events

These are just a few of the major world events that occurred in the 1990s:

1990 - 1991 – Gulf War
1990 – German reunification
1991 – The end of the Cold War.
1991 – Breakup of Yugoslavia, followed by the Yugoslav wars.
1991 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union
1991 – Rosuvastatin was patented. It was approved for medical use in the United States twelve years later.
1991 – Wawasan 2020 (Vision 2020) was introduced by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union.
1993 – Dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
1994 – Genocide in Rwanda
1994 – End of Apartheid in South Africa.
1995 – Bosnian genocide
1997 – Handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China.

Notable people

World leaders

Africa

In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak was President from 1981-2011
In South Africa, Nelson Mandela was President from 1994–1999, and Thabo Mbeki was President from 1999–2008

Asia

In China, Jiang Zemin was General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002
In Libya, Muammar al-Gaddafi was dictator from 1969 to 2011
In Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister from 1981 to 2003
In North Korea, Kim Il-Sung was dictator from 1948-1994, and Kim Jong-il was dictator from 1994 to 2011
When the Soviet Union existed, Mikhail Gorbachev was its leader from 1985–1991
After the Soviet Union fell, Boris Yeltsin was President of Russia from 1991 to 1999

Europe

In France, François Mitterrand was President from 1981 to 1995, and Jacques Chirac was President from 1995 to 2007
In Germany, Helmut Kohl was Chancellor until 1998, and Gerhard Schröder was Chancellor from 1998-2005
In Palestine, Yasser Arafat was the first President of the Palestinian National Authority from 1994-2004
In Poland, Lech Wałęsa was President from 1990-1995
In Serbia, Slobodan Milošević was President from 1989 to 2000
In the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II was Queen throughout the decade (she served from 1952-2002)
Also in the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister (PM) from 1979 to 1990; John Major was PM from 1990 to 1997; and Tony Blair was PM from 1997 to 2007
Pope John Paul II led Vatican City and the Catholic Church in the 1990s (this was the last full decade he would serve as Pope; he died in 2005)

Middle East

In Iraq, Saddam Hussein was President from 1979–2003
In Israel, Yitzhak Rabin was Prime Minister from 1992-1995, when he was assassinated

North and South America

In Cuba, Fidel Castro was Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976, then President from 1976 - 2008
In Peru, Alberto Fujimori was President from 1990–2000
In the United States, George H. W. Bush was President until 1993, and Bill Clinton was President from 1993–2001

Athletes

Andre Agassi, American tennis player
Barry Bonds, American baseball player
Ken Griffey Jr., American baseball player
Michael Schumacher, German Formula 1 driver
Michael Jordan, American basketball player
Pete Sampras, American tennis player

Musical artists

Backstreet Boys, American boy band
Britney Spears, American singer
Celine Dion, singer
Madonna, singer-songwriter
Mariah Carey, singer
Nirvana, rock band
The Prodigy, electronic dance group
Spice Girls, music group
Tupac Shakur, American rapper (murdered in 1996)
Whitney Houston, singer

Actors

Arnold Schwarzenegger, American actor
Brad Pitt, American actor
Eddie Murphy, American actor and comedian
Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian and talk show host
George Clooney, American actor
Jim Carrey, Canadian-American actor and comedian
Julia Roberts, American actor/actress
Mel Gibson, American actor
Nicole Kidman, Australian-American actress
Oprah Winfrey, American actress and talk show host
Robin Williams, American actor and comedian
Sandra Bullock, American actress
Steven Seagal, American actor
Tom Cruise, American actor
Tom Hanks, American actor

Others

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft
Diana, Princess of Wales (killed in a car crash in 1997)
Gianni Versace, fashion designer
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple

Other websites

Source for some items:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ Archived 2013-05-10 at the Wayback Machine
http://m-w.com/

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s – 1990s – 2000s 2010s 2020s
Years:	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments