1990s

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 1952-2022)
 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/ 
 http://m-w.com/