The 90’s
Table of Contents 1. Education 2. Fashion 3. Film and Theater 5. Food 6. Culture 7. Sports 8. Music 9. Way of Life 10. Government and Politics 11. Law and Justice 12. Foreign Affairs 14. Domestic Affairs 16. The Giver, Book Review 17. Celebrity Gossip 18. 90s Crossword Puzzle
Education Children living in today’s society live through a much more different way of schooling than in the 90’s. In schools today, children bring their own laptops to school and take them all around in a simple manner. However, in the 90’s, if computer technology was to be used, they had to leave to a separate computer lab to use the big not portable computers. The 90’s was a major turning point for technological advancements in education. More computers were used in teaching children and chalkboards were changed to smartboards to teach but schools still continued to use them. Also, school safety changed in the 90’s after the Columbine school shooting of 1999. This event led to the death of 15 people, before this, schools were not as prepared for such safety breaches. This tragic event changed the course of school safety for ever. In the 1990’s schools in different states began using the standardized testing methods to measure success. This method is still used today such as the Iowa test and Stanford testing.
Fashion Today we’re featuring some of the most famous trends of the 90’s such as Grunge, Hip-Hop and Preppy styles. Grunge
Hip-Hop
The Grunge fashion trend was heavily inspired by famous bands at the time such as the iconic Nirvana. The Grunge fashion trend began in the 1980s with the introduction of the grunge music genre but reached its popularity in the early 1990s but can still be seen today as it has been embraced by Generation-X as an anti-fashion. Most Grunge clothing items are worn loosely to de-emphasize the silhouette. Clothing was made to look as if from a thrift store, shirts were usually plaid and jeans were often ripped. The Hip-Hop fashion trend was inspired by a new genre of music that was introduced in the 1970s-1990s, Hip-Hop. The style was inspired by Hip-Hop artists such as Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa who showed off their own personal style which was then imitated by the younger population of the day. Hip-Hop clothing items were usually baggy athletic-wear such as sweat pants or tracksuits. Clothing was often accented with gold chains, jewelry and often hats worn backwards. 90s Hip-Hop items were also usually sporting neon designs.
Preppy The Preppy fashion trend (which can be observed in the iconic movie Clueless) first began among the wealthy teenagers of the 1980s but remained through the 90s. Typical Preppy clothing trends included blazers and plaid skirts for girls, baseball jackets and polo shirts for boys. Girls also often wore their hair in scrunchies and pigtails.
Film and Theatre In the 1990’s comedy was a big thing for viewers at home. This is why a lot of comedic TV’ Series and Movies came out. Some famous ones are, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air starring Will Smith, F.R.I.E.N.D.S the popular Tv show from the years, 1994-2004. Another comedic Tv Show is Seinfeld. A Sitcom, this is like a situational comedy. Most families watched TV to get entertain. In the 1990’s there was a vast number of movies who are now seen as classics. Jurassic Park, Terminator Judgment Day, Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, Men in Black, these are all great films which were all released in the 1990’s. As well, a lot of Disney Animated films came out. The most popular ones. Some are, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Lion King. For the most part, the people in the 1990’s enjoyed staying home and watching comedy films, including TV Shows. Throughout this decade, films and movies entertain families for hours, and it still does now
Lunchables Lunchables were invited to have a tasty small lunch on the go or wherever you want. The new lunchables contains small slices of ham, cheese and crackers. These can be combined together to form a tasty combination or ll three or have them individually. The small meal in a box is a delicious after school snack for the kids! Eventually, some more combinations were invented making lunchables a very popular snack.
Gushers and Dunkaroos These sweet snacks were very popular for the kids in the 90’s. Gushers were a packed gummy candy that contained a sweet liquid when it was bitten into. Dunkaroos included small sweet cookies to dunk into a sweet yogurt like substance. Even though they were not quite healthy they shaped the junk food era of the 90’s.
Uncrustables The 90’s was an era full of packed foods. Uncrustables were not exception, these small sandwiches contained a PB&J combination. 90’s kids usually packed these packed snacks in their lunchboxes for school or afternoon snacks.
Culture of the Time Starting off with the youth of the time, kids would normally play with toys and play video games. Toys had become considerably more complex compared to the past, with electronic toys coming into being. Other toys like action figures were based off of TV shows, comic books, and movies of the time. Examples of characters are Batman, The Power Rangers, GI Joes, and spiderman. Video Games had also advanced with the Nintendo NES. With better 16-bit graphics, compared to the older 8-bit, video games had become more popular among youth. Military toys and toy guns had also become more popular due to the Persian Gulf war going on. The decade also saw great change in sports. In baseball, there was a major line of events including Cincinnati dominating the National League, and in 1991 the first time ever where a baseball team rose from last place to first. These events in sports was not limited to baseball, but in boxing Mike Tyson lost the Heavyweight Title to James Douglas. It was a great disappointment for fans as Mike was a fan favorite and was previously undefeated. There was also a change in the NFL had added the two point conversion rule in 1994 which took effect and was successful in 1995, greatly increasing attendance in games and making the games more interesting. The Nation itself also was incredibly prosperous during the 1990s. The United States economy had grown 4 percent during the decade, and an average of 7.1 million jobs per year were added to the workforce. Plus, he generation was relatively casual as even if one had an office job they could get away with not wearing a necktie. Overall the 90s was a prosperous and fun and is regarded by some people as the greatest decade ever.
Sports The 1990’s what wonderful years for sports. It is no secret that The Chicago Bulls completely ruled this decade. They won a total of 6 championships in just 10 years. Michael Jordan was the face of the sport. And of everything. He is undoubtedly the best basketball player to ever live. Michael Jordan paired up with Scottie Pippen to completely rule the NBA seasons. Basketball was completely controlled by no other than MJ.
In the Boxing World, Mike Tyson did great things*Boxing wise*. Apart for going to jail, he came back and won a championships. He won the WBC title against Frank Bruno in 1996. Later in 1996 he fought against Holyfield. The first match, he lost but there was a lot of controversy because what Holyfield did was not allowed. So later, Tyson did the unthinkable, he bit Holyfield in the ear. Thus, disqualifying him.
Music of the Day Featuring the music of the 90s with starting with mid 1991 when Nirvana released Smells Like Teen Spirit. A common iconic rock song that is still remembered to this day. Smells Like Teen Spirit is definitely a song that ascended Nirvana to the next level of fame and popularity, becoming one of the most iconic songs and definitely earning them a spot in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. Another amazing single that came out is “Whoomp! (there it is)” by tag team. This party single has been considered one of the most popular for the past 25 years. Whilst not being considered the art of music, it is definitely a fun energetic hip hop piece. It hits 5 of the 100 top 90s, songs. It can still be heard today in the breaks of football or any sporting event. One major change for music was specifically in the pop and rap genres. In the early 1990s the change in pop and the rise in rap began. This change in popular taste of music had definitely affected American music leaderboards for years to come. With hit songs like “Out of Time” by R.E.M. and some other questionably named songs by N.W.A., rap had hit the top spot on the Billboard 200 for the first time ever. More on pop. There was a period where hip hop had begun to merge with other genres including dance, country, and alternative rock, and with these pop was created. It is widely regarded that with the birth of modern pop, the mainstream hard rock and rock era ended. Major pop hits include the Macarena by Los del Rio, Wannabe by Spice Girls, and even Smash Mouth by All Star.
The Way of Life First off in the life of a kid growing up in the 90s. For the average life of a child. The day would probably start off with a radio song wake up, depending on the person's taste either listening to hip hop, rap, or rock. Then for breakfast, since there was little food regulations most breakfast cereals were pretty much sugar. An example is the famed pop tart crunch cereal, which was considered perfectly normal for the time. Then after breakfast most likely they would go to school which consisted of fairly normal classes. However, the new computer class had come to being where students would look to become more technically savvy. Then would come lunch, most likely the considerably unhealthy lunchables with cheetos and juice. After school was over kids would head home, probably have a afternoon snack, and burn off all that extra energy with toys and games. An example of a sugar burning game is a skip it, where a tether is attached to one foot with a ball at the end and the person loops the ball around, jumping over the line. Other things they would do after school is watch TV at home, watch one of the many movie masterpieces that came out, and message friends using the internet highway. TV was still booming at the time and everybody had one. With video stores to rent anything you want to watch. The 90s was also a time of great filmmaking with important social commentary. One example of this great social commentary is Airborne in 1993 where a teen moves to cincinnati and can’t fit in, but he is eventually able to become the cool kid and earns everyone’s respect with his rollerblading skills. Furthermore, with the internet being created one of the first programs were instant messenger. Using AOL both adults and children were able to message each other instantly, as long as both parties were online. AOL instant messenger was one of the first predecessors to texting.
Government and Politics The government of the 90s held two significant presidents. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, during their presidencies both passed several important laws which became beneficial to the country. During the first few years of the 90s (1988-1993) George H.W. Bush was president. During his presidency in the 90s, Bush’s major accomplishment was the ADA or the Americans with Disabilities Act which provided equality in the working environment for American individuals suffering from disabilities. In 1992 the economy grew sluggish which undermined Bush’s chances for for re-election that year, instead the votes went in favor of the democratic Bill Clinton who was president from 1993 to 2001. Bill Clinton’s presidency marked a time of prosperity in America. Almost 6 million jobs were created in only his first two years of administration. In 1994 the economy faced its lowest inflation rate in 25 years. The President signed also into law the Brady Bill, which imposes a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases so that background checks can be done to help keep handguns away from criminals. The President's Crime Bill also put 100,000 new police officers on the street. More than 1,200 communities received grants to hire 27,000 additional officers. The Crime Bill also punished criminals by expanding the number of offenses eligible for the death penalty and implementing the "three-strikes-and-you're-out" provision, and the Bill banned the manufacture of 19 specific types of deadly assault weapons, while simultaneously protecting hunters' rights by exempting over 650 hunting rifles.
Law and Justice The 90s was quite an eventful decade in terms of law and criminal justice. Several important crimes were committed and several laws were passed. In the Early 90s Congress expanded EEOC's (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) authority and jurisdiction when several significant laws were passed: the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991. The Americans With Disabilities Act passed in 1990 was the first civil rights law passed by the US government which addressed discrimination against the disabled individuals in a working environment. This was followed by the Older Workers Benefit Act in 1990, which overturned the Supreme Court's decision in Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio v. Betts. Later on November 21 1991, the Civil Rights act was passed. This act addressed a series of no fewer than seven decisions by the Supreme Court, some of which were regarded as changing the well-established environment of discrimination law, and calling into existing precedent. The 1990s was also a decade for notorious crimes in the US. One of the most famous crimes in the 1990s included the Gardner Museum Heist. The heist occurred on March 18 1990 and became one of the largest private-property thefts in US history. Two thieves (dressed as police officers snuck into the museum and stole 13 works, including one Vermeer, one Manet, five Degases, and three Rembrandts. The works of art are estimated to have been worth over $300 million. The thieves were never caught. On April 19 1995, another terrible event took place. A former US army soldier, Timothy McVeigh, drove a truck filled with 21/2 tons of homemade explosions and detonated near the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building killing 168, including 16 children. He was executed on June 11 2001.
Foreign Affairs In the year, 1989, the Eastern European Communist rule ended. In November 9, 1989. The emotional Communist rule ended. The Berlin Wall being torn down. This was great news in the Western world. The communist rule ended without the west firing a single shot. From 1989 to 1994, George HW Bush was the president. Later, Clinton took office. So the U.S in the 1990's the US had 2 presidents, 2 presidents that had to deal with different situations. George H.W. Bush During his years as president, even though Communism in the East ended it did not in Latin America. For example, in Panama, Noriega was in power. And because the US did not agree on his terms and the violence in his country. He wanted to remove him from power. After the elections in Panama there was a chance for Bush to remove him from power. He missed the chance so people in America were angry. He got his team together and declared he wanted to remove the dictator from power. Because of an incident in which an American was killed. The administration saw an excuse to remove him from power. In December 20, the United States of America launched “Operation Just Cause� where the United States sent 10,000 troops to overthrow the government.
Foreign Affairs “OPERATION JUST CAUSE” What was “Operation Just Cause”? This was on operation conducted by the Bush administration from the years 1989 to 1990. Its purpose was to overthrow the dictator of Panama, Noriega. During these 2 months, the US accomplish a lot. The not only wanted to remove the dictator from power but also, they wanted to elect a new president so Panama turned Democratic. The US was containing communism in Latin America after the end of Communism in Eastern Europe. Operation was successful The United States stopped Panama from staying under the harsh and dictatorship rule of Noriega. This was a great for the American people because the first successful battle under Bush. As well, this gave Bush some confidence going forward. As well, this made the US look stronger. The fact that the US could get into a war and win it in a matter of months, is outrageous.
Domestic Affairs George H. W. Bush The first president during the 1990’s was George HW Bush and once he was sworn in he addressed the homelessness, drug addiction and, crime. He was sworn in on 1989 and these were his main concerns, during his presidency he vetoed 44 bills and was only overridden by congress once. Bush promised to escalate his war on drugs by incorporating the 1033 program which equipped authorities with anti drug fighting equipment. Apart from drugs, President Bush signed two important domestic legislation during his time in office. The first one was the Americans with disabilities act and the second was the Clean Air act. The Americans with disabilities act prohibits the discrimination of disabled persons in jobs, places and transportation. The Clean Air act of 1990 curved three aspects hurting the environment, reducing urban smog, curbing acid rain, and eliminating emissions of toxic chemicals. George HW. Bush appealed to the people due to his “no new taxes” policy. He used this during his election campaign and gained him popularity inside the republican party. The policy did not last for long because in 1990, money was needed to continue spending on dpmestic programs and Bush was faced on the issue whether to go back on his promise or continue his policy. However, the democrats and republicans quarreled on the subject and the policy was eventually changed. Thus the republican felt betrayed by the new policy of raising taxes after a compromise between congress called, “Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990”.
Domestic Affairs Bill Clinton The American people were led throughout the era of the 90’s until the start of the 2000’s by this democrat president. He began and won his campaign claiming that he would address the healthcare crisis and unemployment. Clinton’s main passion was that every American should have health care available to them, therefore the health care reform. However, there were many issues with this because Americans were worried about Clinton’s program denying them the freedom to go to whichever doctor they prefer. Also, the Republican understood how beneficial the act would be if the middle class and working class was linked to the democratic party, they were determined to deny Clinton on the issue. Even though Clinton was quite passionate about the Health Care Reform, by 1994 the program was doomed. Like Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton was also impeached after a cheating scandal surfaced. Monica Lewinsky is the “other woman” in the scandal and when Clinton was question under oath whether he had relations with that women he denied them. This lead to impeachment due to the fact that he lied under oath and obstruction of justice. This scandal became as popular as the Watergate scandal in the 70’s and every bit of the case was crucial entertainment and information. In the end however, Clinton was acquitted or pardoned from his charges but is greatly remembered for this scandal even today.
Book Review: The Giver
The Giver was a young adult dystopian novel written by American author Lois Lowry. The novel was written and published in 1993 and has since become a famous example of the dystopian genre. The story follows a 12 year-old boy named Jonas who lives in a dystopian society in which the government controls every aspect of daily life resulting in a totalitarian regime. One of the aspects controlled by the government is the memories of citizens. Memories are filtered so no unwanted thoughts are given to the citizens. Instead these thoughts and memories are given to the Giver. Jonas becomes the Giver’s apprentice and learns of the wonders the government censors. He then begins to rebel against the regime. The book The Giver is definitely an honorable classic whose messages will stay in the minds of readers for generations. In 1994 The Giver won the Newbery Medal, in 1994 the Regina Medal and in 1996 the William Allen White Award. The book won various other awards through the years such as the Booklist Editor’s choice and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book. Despite its many adaptations, it’s messages and themes remain true even to today’s society. It’s main theme, the importance of memories, are still significant today. The novel also teaches young readers to stand for what they believe in and tp never falter in the face of adversity. Most of all the novel explores what it means to truly be human. The novel shows us that trying to remove pain and suffering is impossible, for it’s only human nature to feel. In conclusion, the novel The Giver was and always will be a literary classic for all ages, definitely worth the time of all who read this.
Celebrity Gossip Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan The 1994 rivalry between Olympic skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan led to a scandalous turn when Nancy took a club to the knee. Tonya Harding, a figure skater from Oregon who grew up in poverty with an abusive mother is considered to blame for Nancy’s tragedy. Harding,s mother abused her mentally and physically as a child and young adult bringing her down constantly and pushing her to unimaginable measures in the figure skating area. Harding grew up in a very negative environment due to her mother's cruel taunts causing her to be a very rough individual. Harding was not directly involved in Kerrigan's attack, her ex-husband hired a hitman to club Kerrigan in the right knee. However, she was not gravely injured but it did cost her to pull out of the US figure skating championship then. Even though Harding was not involved directly she was till fined $160,000 and a three year probation. Scandalous! Could the rivalry between these two escalate to more violent measures? And what is Tonya Harding thinking right now about her ex?
The 90s Word Search: Films
("Films of the 1990s")
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