SpaceApr · 1990
Hubble goes up
Discovery lifts humanity's best telescope into orbit. The universe finally has a good camera.
§ Press play
A 90s road trip
Scroll year by year. Every stop is a moment that shaped the decade — from Hubble to Napster.
Stop 01 / 10'90The decade cracks open4 moments
TVSep · 1990Fresh Prince premieres
A West Philadelphia teen moves to Bel-Air. Sitcom history in a two-minute rap intro.
ToysNov · 1990Game Boy fever
Tetris ships worldwide with a grey brick. Every airport becomes a puzzle café.
HistoryOct · 1990Germany reunites
The Berlin Wall came down in '89, the two Germanys officially become one. Fireworks.
Stop 02 / 10'91The internet quietly starts4 moments
TechAug · 1991First website goes live
Tim Berners-Lee posts a page about the WWW project. Nobody visits it. Yet.
MusicSep · 1991Nevermind drops
Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit turns a generation from hairspray to flannel overnight.
CinemaJul · 1991Terminator 2
Liquid metal, mall shootouts, and the best 'I'll be back' since the first one.
MusicNov · 1991Bohemian Rhapsody, again
Wayne's World revives Queen. Millions of kids headbang in the back seat.
Stop 03 / 10'92Grunge, Barcelona, arcade fights4 moments
SportsJul · 1992Barcelona '92 & the Dream Team
Cobi, Freddie Mercury's ghost duet, and Jordan + Magic on the same court. Wow.
GamesApr · 1992Mortal Kombat lands
Toasty. Every arcade smells like sweat and quarters for the next 12 months.
MusicSep · 1992MTV Unplugged: Nirvana
Grunge trades distortion for candlelight and a cello. Flannel is officially formal wear.
TVDec · 1992The Real World: NY
MTV films seven strangers picked to live in a loft. Reality TV starts here.
Stop 04 / 10'93Dinosaurs eat lawyers4 moments
CinemaJun · 1993Jurassic Park
Spielberg + ILM open the gates. A generation learns to fear a trembling glass of water.
TVSep · 1993X-Files begins
The truth is out there. Also: government cover-ups, aliens, and a flashlight budget of one.
GamesDec · 1993Doom shareware
id Software drops the first episode for free. Office LANs are never productive again.
SportsOct · 1993Toronto wins twice
Back-to-back World Series for the Blue Jays. Canada is briefly the centre of baseball.
Stop 05 / 10'94Coffee shop sofas rule the world4 moments
TVSep · 1994Friends premieres
Six twentysomethings, one impossible apartment, and The Rachel haircut lands.
HistoryMay · 1994Mandela elected
Nelson Mandela becomes the first Black president of South Africa. A twelve-hour queue in Soweto to vote.
CinemaOct · 1994Pulp Fiction
Tarantino makes a $200 million cult movie. Diners never look the same again.
GamesNov · 1994PlayStation launches (JP)
Sony's grey box hits Japan. Europe waits a full year, chewing its Sega controllers.
Stop 06 / 10'95Toys are alive, tapes are shrinking4 moments
CinemaNov · 1995Toy Story
Pixar drops the first full-CG feature. A cowboy doll launches a fifteen-year franchise.
GamesDec · 1995PlayStation in Europe
Grey box, four coloured buttons, and a startup jingle wired straight into a generation's memory.
TechAug · 1995Windows 95
Start button, Solitaire, and the sound of dial-up. Personal computing goes mass market.
TechJul · 1995Amazon opens
An online bookstore ships its first order from Jeff Bezos's garage. Bookshops shrug.
Stop 07 / 10'96Spice, sheep, and pocket pets4 moments
MusicJul · 1996Spice Girls: Wannabe
Girl power in five colour-coded packages. Platform sneakers up 400% overnight.
ToysNov · 1996Tamagotchi hatches
A tiny egg on a keychain teaches millions of kids about pixel poop and grief.
GamesSep · 1996Nintendo 64
Three-pronged controller, GoldenEye splitscreen, Mario in 3D. Sleepovers get loud.
ScienceJul · 1996Dolly the sheep
First mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell. A very famous, very good sheep.
Stop 08 / 10'97Pocket monsters and iceberg movies4 moments
GamesFeb · 1997Pokémon Red/Blue
Trade Pikachus over a link cable. Every playground becomes a tournament.
CinemaDec · 1997Titanic
Cameron parks a boat in cinemas for 11 months. Céline Dion parks in your head forever.
TVAug · 1997South Park premieres
Construction-paper kids in a mountain town. Parents everywhere ask 'is this OK?'
SportsJul · 1997Tiger Woods, first Masters
21 years old, wins by 12 strokes. Golf gets a new default face.
Stop 09 / 10'98Furbies invade, Google appears4 moments
ToysOct · 1998Furby invasion
A talking owl-hamster hybrid becomes the year's must-have gift. Parents unplug them at 3 a.m.
TechSep · 1998Google, incorporated
Two Stanford grads register a domain in a Menlo Park garage. Nothing much happens after that.
TVNov · 1998SpongeBob teaser airs
A yellow sponge in a pineapple. Nickelodeon has no idea what it's about to unleash.
TechAug · 1998iMac G3
Bondi Blue, translucent, no floppy drive. Apple learns to charge for design.
Stop 10 / 10'99Bullet time and Y2K parties4 moments
CinemaMar · 1999The Matrix
Bullet time, wire fu, green cascading code. The Wachowskis rewire late-90s style overnight.
CinemaMay · 1999Star Wars: Phantom Menace
The wait ends. Opinions… vary. Pod racing is undeniable, though.
MusicJul · 1999Napster launches
A dorm-room MP3 tool nukes the music industry. RIP CD singles.
HistoryDec · 1999Y2K party
The world stockpiles bottled water. Engineers quietly patch the future. Nothing explodes.
// End of tape — please rewind //