On thinking about the 1990s, we are filled with a bout of nostalgia.It was when fashion was at its finest, and the music that came out became instant earworms. The 90s defined a resurgence of the retro industry, and we are still not over the technology that existed back then.One of the reasons we cannot forget the 90s is how it redefined society as a whole. It was also when the world finally came together and formed a global village. Our current use of the internet or even the smartphone is due to the steps walked during the 90s. 1995 was one such year when both good and bad things happened worldwide. Hence, we thought of commemorating the year by letting you know some of the most memorable facts.So, do keep reading if you are interested in knowing how 1995 may have felt.If you enjoyed this article, why not read about 1991 facts and 1992 facts here on Kidadl?Major Deaths In 1995We know that a year brings both good and bad things as human beings. One thing that does eventually get to us is the death of someone, especially when they are significant to the world. So, let’s look at some deaths that shook the year 1995.We were pretty surprised to see the list of deaths for the year as it’s enormous. Many significant people, especially from the film industry, sadly passed away. However, the current generation would surely recognize one person as the American painter Bob Ross. The calm and composed man who had taken the world aback with his voice and beautiful paintings passed away July 4, 1995.Other significant people that passed away were Dean Martin, Elizabeth Montgomery, Jerry Garcia, Queen of Tejano music - Selena, Mary Wickes, Vivian Blaine, Alexander Godunov, Jeremy Brett from My Fair Lady, Doug McClure, Phyllis Brooks, Mary Beth Hughes, and Jerry Garcia, among others. 1995 was also the year when the renowned novelist Patricia Highsmith passed away at the age of 74. Though not human death, December 31, 1995, also marked the end of the famous American cartoon strip Calvin and Hobbes, which had been going on since 1985.One of the most unfortunate major events of 1995 was the Oklahoma City Bombing in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. It was the domestic bombing event undertaken by two anti-government extremists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Sadly, around 168 people died in the event while injuring another 680 or more people. One-third of a building was destroyed by the bombing and had to be demolished. More damages were seen within a 16-block radius, affecting around 324 buildings. At the place of the bombing, which was once the Federal Building, now stands the Oklahoma City National Memorial to honor the victims. This had to be one of the critical historical facts from 1995.The most significant murder case in 1995 was the Tejano pop star murder of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who used to sing in Spanish and English. Yolanda Saldívar, the president of Selena’s fan club, murdered her when confronted about the embezzlement of $60,000. This horrific event saddened famous music artists throughout the country. The then-Texas governor, George W. Bush, declared Selena’s birthday to be commemorated as Selena Day, mainly in Texas. This death remains embedded in the pop-culture history of 1995. The famous American actress and singer Selena Gomez is named after her.The Fifth Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated in 1995.Social Reforms In 1995When it comes to a year, we may look forward to the different changes that may take part in society. Even though these aren’t very apparent during the year, the significance does come up at a later stage.One of the most significant outcomes of 1995 etched in history was the end of the Bosnian War. The armed conflict had been going on in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1992. The war is thought to have been caused by the breakup of Yugoslavia. The Serb forces were thought to have been the main perpetrator of the war, and the most iconic events were the Siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre.In November, the peace negotiations to end the war were held in Dayton, Ohio, while the war finally got over with the signing of the ‘General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina’ in an event held in Paris on December 14, 1995. The war had been defined as one of the worst cases of ethnic cleansing that took place since the Second World War. So this made 1995 a momentous year in mitigating international conflict, especially in Europe.Another important social reform was the introduction of a chickenpox vaccine, especially in the USA. Before the widespread use of the vaccine, there were around 4,000,000 cases in the USA every year, with approximately 10,500–13,000 hospital admission and 100–150 deaths, especially in young children. However, the CDC reports during the years 2003-2004 suggested a sharp decline of about 90% in chickenpox cases and a drop of 97 percent in death caused by chickenpox in children. The vaccine is a part of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.Economic Growth In 1995One of the things that defined the 1990s as a decade had to be the economic growth, especially in the USA. Hence, let’s have a look at it.Everyone remembers that the 1990s began with the economic recession of 1991, but things caught up quickly and led to the economic expansion that continued till 2001. Along with a strong economy with low inflation, the USA saw a steady rise in the job market with a pretty great stock market. However, for the time being, the GDP of the USA was stalled for a while in 1995 as the Federal Reserve decided to increase the interest rates from 3-6 percent to keep a check on inflation.This was also the beginning of intense investment in the dot com bubble due to the rising popularity of tech and internet-based companies. At the same time, the USA was still threatened by the economic collapse in other countries, one of the significant ones happening in Mexico during the year 1995. During this time, the unemployment rate in Mexico climbed by 7.4 percent compared to the pre-crisis stage. In 1995 the GDP growth was around 2.55 percent, and approximately 2.15 million jobs were created.Business Growth In 1995When it came to business in 1995, the world was ruled by technology. And Bill Gates of Microsoft was leading in the game.1995 was the year when Microsoft announced Windows 95, which would make having a personal computer a reality for people all around the world. It did revolutionize the market of operating systems. On top of that, Microsoft was also entering the league of the internet, and Internet Explorer 1 was launched on August 17, 1995. The browser might have been retired now, but it was one of the first to make a change in the business and economy market.A huge boom was seen in the shares of Netscape Communications, and by the end of the 1990s, the internet had been able to make an industry worth $10 billion. You will be surprised to know that the year also marked the entry of businesses like Craigslist, eBay, and Opera Software.Noble Prizes Given In 1995In any given year, one of the notable award ceremonies that everyone keeps an eye on has to be the Nobel. 1995 was one of the most exciting years, so let’s find out why.Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs shared the Nobel prize for peace. While the one for medicine went to Edward B. Lewis, Eric F. Wieschaus, and Christiane Nuesslein-Volhard. The American physicists’ Martin L. Perl and Frederick Reines received the Nobel prize for their contribution to the research of subatomic particles.1995 was also when the well-known Irish poet Seamus Heaney received his Nobel in literature, and the Swedish Academy of Letters went on to gift him a prize of $1 million. For the research on the depletion of the Ozone layer, the Nobel prize for Chemistry went to Mario Molina, Paul Crutzen, and Sherwood Rowland.However, among all the Nobel prize winners, the most interesting was Robert E. Lucas Jr, who won the Nobel prize for Economics. He had to share half the prize money with his ex-wife, who had mentioned it as a clause in the divorce settlement of 1988 stating the division of the prize if he won it in the next seven years. Unfortunately or fortunately, 1995 had to be the year when he received it for working in the field of macroeconomic analysis.Did you know?Here are some of the miscellaneous facts about the year 1995 that everyone should know to feel how things were like in the year 1995.1995 market the year in pop culture history when the American actress Drew Barrymore table danced on the talk show hosted by David Letterman.This was the year when there was hope for peace after the cold war.The famous battle for Croatian Independence began in 1995.The world population was around 5.7 billion people.The 1993 world cup of basketball was played in the Matthew Knight Arena, Oregon, USA.The president of the USA in 1995 was Bill Clinton, and the first lady was Hillary Clinton. This is said to be the year when the scandal between President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern, is said to have started that finally culminated in the president’s impeachment in 1998.In Cleveland, Ohio, the Rock and Roll Hall of fame opened in September 1995.The Disney Pixar computer-animated movie series’ Toy Story’ kicked off in 1995, and the first premiere was in New York. Being the first film in the franchise, ‘Toy Story’ was also the first feature film ever made by Pixar. Besides, the movies ‘Batman Forever’ and ‘Apollo 13’ topped the box office. The slapstick comedy film ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ was also released in 1995. This was also the year when Walt Disney bought ABC.On the other hand, the most-watched TV shows for the year were ‘E.R.,’ ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Friends,’ ‘The Single Guy,’ ‘Caroline In The City’, and ‘Monday Night Football.’ The ‘Seinfeld’ set from the ‘Soup Nazi’ episode was based on Al Yeganeh’s Soup Kitchen in New York. It’s said that the character was also based on him.The Atlanta Braves managed to become the World Series Champions in 1995 with a score of 4-2 against the Cleveland Indians. While the Stanley Cup Champs were the New Jersey Devils.On June 20, 1995, the American Singer Michael Jackson released his ninth studio album ‘HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I.‘The films ‘The Adventures Of Robin Hood’ (1938), ‘All That Heaven Allows’ (1955), ‘American Graffiti’ (1973), and ‘The Philadelphia Story’ (1940), among others, entered The National Film Registry in 1995.The most popular Christmas gifts for 1995 were Playstations, Beanie Baby, and Sky Dancers.Drew Barrymore, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Aniston, and Alicia Silverstone were the fashion icons of 1995 and the 1990s. Their sense of fashion has remained ingrained in pop culture ever since.1995 was when Starbucks launched the iconic Frappuccino or frappe to the market as a summer refresher.On November 14, 1995, the song ‘One Sweet Day’ was released, featuring popular music artists Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey.A fun event happened when Marlon Brando visited the sets of Larry King Live as a guest and ended up kissing Larry.In 1995, leading newspapers, The Washington Post and the New York Times, published a 35,000-word manifesto posted by an anonymous mail bomber called Unabomber.Chelsi Smith from Texas was crowned Miss USA in 1995 and won the Miss Congeniality title.The quirky book ‘Politically Correct Holiday Stories: For an Enlightened Yuletide Season’ by James Finn Garner was published by MacMillan in October 1995. The Booker Prize for the year went to the war novel ‘The Ghost Road’ written by Pat Barker. ‘The Lost World’ by Michael Crichton also came out in 1995.The first-ever successful solo transpacific balloon flight took place in 1995 when Steve Fossett, a stockbroker from the USA, managed to cross the Pacific and cover a distance of around 5,885 miles on a balloon. He rode a helium-filled balloon by the name of Solo Challenger and set sail from South Korea.The top song of the year was ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ by Coolio, which also featured L.V.The HP-38G Graphic Calculator was made and introduced to the US market in 1995 for a whopping price of $80.The actor duo Cindy Crawford and husband Richard Gere ended their marriage in 1995.The Spawn action figures by Todd McFarlene made action figures cool again, especially for people who loved comic books.Some popular bands of that time were Dave Matthews band, Green Day, Guns n Roses, and Hootie & The Blowfish.The newspaper Newsweek published an article by the astronomer Clifford Stoll who claimed that people wouldn’t be able to read the news or buy airline tickets online and doubted that it would ever play a significant role in our daily lives. Well, we now know how that ends!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1995 facts, why not look at 1993 facts or 1994 facts?
On thinking about the 1990s, we are filled with a bout of nostalgia.
