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Tenth of 12 posts with an illustrated decade-by-decade timeline for the years 1900 to 2021. For more on the timeline and a link to the book on Amazon, see here. This post is available as a video at https://youtu.be/h3MxLtDHl_k.

1990-1999

This post is a teaser, not the full text for 1990-1999.

Among the events of this decade:

• 1990 First gene therapy and birth of first “designer babies,” twins whose sex was chosen in a lab.
• 1991 Rodney King is beaten by LAPD officers after resisting arrest for driving while intoxicated. In 1992 (Apr.-May), rioting following the acquittal of the LAPD officers results in 63 deaths, more than 2,000 injuries, and nearly $1 billion in property damage.
• 1991, Dec.: USSR dissolves into states based on old political and ethnic boundaries. Oligarchs take over industry and energy sectors.
• 1991-1999 Following breakup of Communist Yugoslavia, wars erupt between Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians. 1992-1996 Siege of Sarajevo by Bosnian Serbs. 1995 NATO and UN use air strikes to stop ethnic cleansing (expulsion of members of particular race or religion from a particular area) by Bosnian Serbs. 1998-1999 Kosovo War: NATO intervenes in war of Albanian separatists vs. Yugoslav military and Serb paramilitary.
• 1995, Apr.: Oklahoma City bombing (168 dead) by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who claim to have done it to avenge Ruby Ridge and Waco (1992 and 1993).

• 1995, Oct.: O.J. Simpson found not guilty of murder of his ex-wife and friend, after 133 days of televised courtroom coverage from Los Angeles. “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” The trial leads to conspiracy theories and polarization of racial attitudes.
• 1997-2001 Dot-com bubble (a.k.a. dot-com boom, tech bubble, Internet bubble): speculation in Internet-related companies leads to spike in their value. The Nasdaq Composite stock market index, weighted heavily to the info technology sector, rises 400%.
• 1999, Dec.: US turns Panama Canal over to Panama, under treaty negotiated by Jimmy Carter.
• 1999, Dec.: In Russia, Boris Yeltsin hands power to Vladimir Putin.
• Culture: Rise of multiculturalism, which emphasizes loyalty to a particular group and insistence on its value (vs. assimilation). Argues that all cultures are equal regardless of the ideas they espouse. At extreme, can be used to attack science, reason, republican government, individualism, and more.

• Economics: In 1990s, for the first time, more Americans are employed by the government than by the manufacturing sector.
• Science & technology: 1997 Pathfinder probe lands on Mars and Galileo probe orbits Jupiter. 1998 construction of International Space Station begins. Cell phones, personal computers, faxes, email, text messages, and digital cameras become common, as does civilian use of GPS (based on 24 US satellites).

• Books: popular authors include John Grisham, Stephen King, Danielle Steel, and Michael Crichton. Popular series: Harry Potter, Outlander, Goosebumps, Song of Ice and Fire (made for TV as Game of Thrones). Cutting edge: David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest, 1996: an “encyclopedic novel” in which the endnotes have footnotes.
• Visual arts: Traditional artists include Jack Vettriano and EvAngelos Frudakis. Turner Prize winners include Damien Hirst for Mother and Child, Divided, 1995, a formaldehyde-preserved cow and calf in separate glass cases.
• Movies: Jurassic Park, Titanic, Forrest Gump.
• TV: Seinfeld. In 1992, Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ends 30-year run.
• Video games: Super Mario 64, Street Fighter II, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tamagotchi.
• Popular album artists: Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Garth Brooks. Styles include grunge, hip hop, R&B, teen pop, ska punk, Latin pop, rave, industrial music, groove metal, nu metal.

Feedback I’d appreciate from you on the PDF of 1990-1999

• Have I listed all the most significant events for this decade? Space is limited and there’s room for disagreement, but do tell me if you think anything important is missing. In case you want to add events important to you, I’ve allowed some blank space on every set of facing pages.
• I have not read all the books I mention nor listened to all the musical styles. Are any of the facts or descriptions wrong? Corrections welcome.
• I’d like to include major events in areas such as education, psychology, Supreme Court decisions, and sports. If you can boil down those or similar fields to a half-dozen significant events from 1900 to 2021, send them to me and I’ll try to work them in.
• Of course, point out typos, bad grammar, messy syntax, and so on.

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