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Rock And Roll

Rock and roll

:For other uses of "rock and roll", see Rock and roll (disambiguation). Rock and roll (also spelled rock 'n' roll, especially in its first decade), is a genre of music that emerged as a defined musical style in American South in the 1950s, and quickly spread to the rest of the country, and the world. From the late 1950s to the mid 1990s rock was perhaps the most popular form in music in the western world. It later evolved into the various different sub-genres of what is now called simply 'rock'. As a result, "rock and roll" now has two distinct meanings: either traditional rock and roll in the 1950s style, or later rock and even pop music which may be very far from traditional rock and roll (rhythm sample).

Precursors and origins

Main article: Origins of rock and roll Rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in America in the 1950s, though elements of rock and roll can be heard in rhythm and blues records as far back as the 1920s. Early rock and roll combined elements of blues, boogie woogie, jazz and rhythm and blues, and is also influenced by traditional Appalachian folk music, gospel and country and western. Going back even further, rock and roll can trace a foundational lineage to the old Five Points district of mid-19th century New York City, the scene of the first fusion of heavily rhythmic African shuffles and sand dances with melody driven European genres, particularly the Irish jig. Rocking was a term first used by black gospel singers in the American South to mean something akin to spiritual rapture. By the 1940s, however, the term was used as a double entendre, ostensibly referring to dancing, but with the hidden subtextual meaning of sex; an example of this is Roy Brown's "Good Rocking Tonight". This type of song was usually relegated to "race music" (the music industry code name for rhythm and blues) outlets and was rarely heard by mainstream white audiences. In 1951, Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey Alan Freed would begin playing this type of music for his white audience, and it is Freed who is credited with coining the phrase "rock and roll" to describe the rollicking R&B music that he brought to the airwaves. There is much debate as to what should be considered the first rock and roll record. Candidates include the 1951 "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats, or later and more widely-known hits like Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" "Johnny B. Goode" or Bo Diddley's "Bo Diddley" or Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" or, as RollingStone magazine pointed out, to some controversy, in 2005, "That's all right", Elvis Presley's first single for SUN records, in Memphis. Some historians go further back, pointing to musicians like Fats Domino, who were recording in the 40s in styles largely indistinguishable from rock and roll; these include Louis Jordan's "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby?", Jack Guthrie's "The Oakie Bookie" (1947) and Benny Carter and Paul Vandervoort II's "Rock Me to Sleep" (1950). Main artists starting to score in the main hit charts from 1955 onward included the influencial and pioneering: Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis.

Early North American rock and roll (1953-1963)

Whatever the beginning, it is clear that rock appeared at a time when racial tensions in the United States were coming to the surface. African Americans were protesting segregation of schools and public facilities. The "separate but equal" doctrine was nominally overturned by the Supreme Court in 1954. It can hardly be a coincidence, then, that a musical form combining elements of white and black music should arise, and that this music should provoke strong reactions, of all types, in all Americans. 1954The phrase may possibly first be heard on Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five's version of Tamburitza Boogie recorded on August 18, 1950, in New York City. However, in 1922, Trixie Smith had a song titled "My Man Rocks Me with One Steady Roll". On March 21, 1952 in Cleveland, Alan Freed (also known as Moondog) organized the first rock and roll concert, titled "The Moondog Coronation Ball". The audience and the performers were mixed in race and the evening ended after one song in a near-riot as thousands of fans tried to get into the sold-out venue. The culture industry soon understood that there was a white market for black music that was beyond the stylistic boundaries of rhythm and blues and so social prejudice and racial barriers, could do nothing against the forces of capitalism. Rock and roll was an overnight success in the U.S. making ripples across the atlantic, culminating in 1964 with the British Invasion. By the end of the decade, rock had spread throughout the world. In Australia, for example, Johnny O'Keefe became perhaps the first modern rock star of that country, and beginning a long history of Australian rock.

Rockabilly

Main article: Rockabilly In 1954, Elvis Presley recorded at Sam Phillips' Sun studios in Memphis, the regional hit "That's All Right, Mama." Elvis played a rock and country & western fusion called rockabilly, which was characterized by hiccupping vocals, slapping bass and a spastic guitar style. He became the first superstar rock musician. It was the following year's "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets that really set the rock boom in motion, though. The song was one of the biggest hits in history, and frenzied teens flocked to see Haley and the Comets perform it, even causing riots in some places; "Rock Around the Clock" was a breakthrough for both the group and for all of rock and roll music. If everything that came before laid the groundwork, "Clock" certainly set the mold for everything else that came after. With its combined rockabilly and R & B influences, "Clock" topped the U.S. charts for several weeks, and became wildly popular in places like Australia and Germany. The single, released by independent label Festival Records in Australia, was the biggest-selling recording in the country at the time. In 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly became the first rock musicians to tour Australia, marking the expansion of the genre into a worldwide phenomenon. That same year, Bill Haley & His Comets toured Europe bringing rock 'n' roll to that continent for the first time.

Covers

Main article: Cover version Through the late 1940s and early 1950s, R&B music had been gaining a stronger beat and a wilder style, with artists such as Fats Domino and Johnny Otis speeding up the tempos and increasing the backbeat to great popularity on the juke-joint circuit. Despite the efforts of Freed and others, black music was still taboo on many white-owned radio outlets. However, savvy artists and producers quickly recognized the potential of rock and raced to cash in with white versions of this black music. Covering was customary in the music industry at the time. One of the first successful rock and roll covers was Wynonie Harris's transformation of Roy Brown's "Good Rocking Tonight" from a jump blues to a showy rocker. The most notable trend, however, was white pop covers of black R&B numbers. Black performers saw their songs recorded by white performers, an important step in the dissemination of the music, but often at the cost of feeling and authenticity. Most famously, Pat Boone recorded sanitized versions of Little Richard songs, though Boone found "Long Tall Sally" so intense that he couldn't cover it. Later, as those songs became popular, the original artists' recordings received radio play as well. Little Richard once called Pat Boone from the audience and introduced him as "the man who made me a millionaire". The cover versions were not necessarily straightforward imitations. For example, Bill Haley's incompletely bowdlerized cover of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" transformed Big Joe Turner's humorous and racy tale of adult love into an energetic teen dance number, while Georgia Gibbs replaced Etta James's tough, sarcastic vocal in "Roll With Me, Henry" (covered as "Dance With Me, Henry") with a perkier vocal more appropriate for an audience unfamiliar with the song to which James's song was an answer, (Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie").

British Rock and Roll

Main article: British rock The Trad jazz movement brought blues artists to Britain, and in 1955 Lonnie Donegan's version of "Rock Island Line" began Skiffle music which inspired many young people to have a go, including John Lennon whose "The Quarry Men" formed in March 1957 would gradually change and develop into The Beatles. This primed the United Kingdom to respond creatively to American rock and roll which had an impact across the globe. In Britain skiffle groups, record collecting and trend-watching were in full bloom among the youth culture prior to the rock era, and color barriers were less of an issue with the idea of separate "race records" seeming almost unimaginable. Countless British youths listened to R&B and rock pioneers and began forming their own bands. Britain quickly became a new centre of rock and roll. In 1958 three British teenagers formed a rock and roll group, Cliff Richard and the Drifters (later renamed Cliff Richard and the Shadows). The group recorded a hit, "Move It", marking not only what is held to be the very first true British rock 'n' roll single, but also the beginning of a different sound — British rock. Richard and his band introduced many important changes, such as using a "lead guitarist" (virtuoso Hank Marvin) and an electric bass. The British scene developed, with others including Tommy Steele and Adam Faith vying to emulate the stars from the U.S.. Some touring acts attracted particular popularity in Britain, an example being Gene Vincent. This inspired many British teens to begin buying records and follow the music scene, thus laying the groundwork for Beatlemania. At the start of the '60s instrumental dance music was very popular, with hits including Apache by the The Shadows and Telstar by The Tornados from a British branch of Surf instrumental music.

Decline and rebirth

Main article: Rock (music). At the end of the 1950s the original Rock 'n' Roll rush faded, as stars like Elvis Presley diverted into the more commercial sound of ballads, and the music went out of fashion. It had influenced other genres which were going strong, and in the United Kingdom it formed a major part of the mix that brought the surge of British rock that reinvigorated Rock music worldwide.

Books

- The Fifties by Pulitzer Prize winning author David Halberstam (1996) Random House (ISBN 0517156075) provides information and analysis on fifites popular culture exploring major social and cultural changes including television, transistor radios, the phenomenon of Elvis Presley and the rise of rock-and-roll.
- The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll : The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music by editors James Henke, Holly George-Warren, Anthony Decurtis, Jim Miller. (1992) Random House (ISBN 0679737286)
- The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll by Holly George-Warren, Patricia Romanowski, Jon Pareles (2001) Fireside Press (ISBN 0743201205)

External links

- [http://www.history-of-rock.com The History of Rock'n'Roll 1954 - 1963]
- [http://www.bandnews.org/genre/Rock/ Rock and Roll News]
- [http://www.rockhallsf.com San Francisco Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]
- [http://www.myclassiclyrics.com/elvis_presley/elvis_presley_sound_video_3.html Analysis on the True Birth of Rock and Roll] When did rock really begin
- [http://www.jerryfielden.com/essays/electromusic.htm The influence of Electronic Music in Rock Music, 1967-76; Keith Emerson, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and others]
- [http://nomuzak.co.uk/against_pop.html Pop and Rock] An analysis of musical form and technique in popular music.
- [http://www.reasontorock.com/ Reason to Rock - Rock Music as Art Form]
- [http://www.myclassiclyrics.com/ Classic Rock Lyrics Page]
- [http://www.rockforums.net/ Rock Forums]
- [http://www.everythingrock.com/ Everythingrock.com - Rock music source & community]
- [http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Rock-Talk/ Rock music forum]
- [http://www.rantandroll.com/ Rock and Roll Forum]
- [http://www.rockreviews.co.uk/ Rock Reviews] ja:%E3%83%AD%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%83%B3%E3%83%AD%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB ko:%EB%9D%BD simple:Rock music Category:American styles of music Category:Radio formats Category:Rock music Category:Musical movements Category:Musical genres Category:Youth culture in the United Kingdom Category:Moral panics

Rock and roll (disambiguation)

Rock and roll or Rock 'n' roll may refer to:
- Rock and roll, a popular music style
- Rock and roll (dance)
- Rock 'n' Roll (computer game)
- "Rock 'n' Roll", a GI Joe character
- Rock and Roll: an Introduction to The Velvet Underground, a 2001 compilation album
- Rock N Roll, an album by the singer Ryan Adams ;Songs
- Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter song)
- By Led Zeppelin, on their 1971 album Led Zeppelin IV.
- By The Velvet Underground, on their 1970 album Loaded (album)

1950s

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Events and trends

The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the the baby boom from returning GIs who went to college under the Montgomery G.I. Bill and settled in suburban America. Most of the internal conflicts that had developed in earlier decades like women's rights, civil rights, imperialism, and war were relatively suppressed or neglected during this time as a returning world from the brink hoped to see a more consistent way of life as opposed to liberalism and radicalism of the 1930s and 1940s. The effect of suppressing social problems in the 50s would backfire in the 60s with the counter-culture movement. The 1950s were also marked with a rapid rise in conflict with the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union that would heighten the Cold War to an unprecedented level which would include the Arms Race, Space Race, McCarthyism, and Korean War. Stalin's death in 1953 left an enormous impact in Eastern Europe that forced the Soviet Union to create more liberal policies internally and externally. The rise of Suburbia as well as the growing conflict with the East are the two generally accepted reasons for the conservative domination of this decade.

Technology

- United States tests the first fusion bomb. See History of nuclear weapons
- Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, and thus the Sputnik crisis
- The De Havilland Comet enters service as the world's first jet airliner
- Charles Townes builds a maser in 1953 at Columbia University.

Science

- Urey-Miller experiment shows that under simulated conditions resembling those thought to have existed shortly after Earth first accreted, many of the basic organic molecules that form the building blocks of modern life are able to spontaneously form
- Francis Crick and James D. Watson discover the helical structure of DNA at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge
- Bruce Heezen discovers the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
- Polio vaccine
- The first organ transplants are done in Boston and Paris in 1954.

War, peace, and politics

- Korean War
- Red Scare, McCarthy Hearings
- Suez Crisis
- European Common Market founded.
- Warsaw pact founded.
- Most aboveground nuclear test explosions happened during this decade.
- The United States CIA orchestrated the overthrow of the Guatemalan government.
- Hungarian revolution of 1956 brutally suppressed by Soviet Union's troops.
- Fidel Castro gains power in Cuba.
- Mahmoud Abbas becomes involved in Palestinian politics in Qatar.
- Decolonization: Algeria, Vietnam, and elsewhere.
- Early history of the People's Republic of China, of the state of Israel, and of the Indonesian state.

Economics

- "Economic miracle" in West Germany and Italy.

Culture, religion

- Traditional pop music reaches its climax; early rock and roll music was embraced by teenagers/youth culture while generally dismissed or condemned by older generations.
- Brylcreem and other hair tonics have a period of popularity
- Television replaces radio as the dominant mass medium in industrialized countries.
- In the West, the generation traumatized by the Great Depression and World War II creates a culture with emphasis on normality and calm conformity.
- Juvenile delinquency said to be at unprecedented epidemic proportions in USA, though some see this era as relatively low in crime compared to today. Continuing poverty in some regions during recessions later on in this decade.
- Fairly high rates of unionization, government social spending, taxes, and the like in the US and European countries. Mostly liberal or moderate Western governments, though communism/Cold War play a role in reaction to, and within, domestic politics.
- Beatnik culture/ The Beat Generation
- Optimistic visions of semi-Utopian technological future including such devices as the flying car.
- The Day the Earth Stood Still hits movie theaters.
- Along with the appearance of the sentence Kilroy was here across the United States, graffiti as an art form develops, especially among urban African Americans; graffiti eventually becomes one of the four elements of hip hop
- Considerable racial tension with military and schools desegregation in the US, though controversy never truly erupts as later on in the 1960s.
- The Catcher in the Rye
- The Twilight Zone premiers as the first major science-fiction show. Rise of evangelical Christianity including Youth for Christ (1943); the National Association of Evangelicals, the American Council of Christian Churces, the Billy Graham Evagelistic Association (1950), and the Campus Crusade for Christ (1951). Christianity Today was first published in 1956. 1956 also marked the beginning of Bethany Fellowship, a small press that would grow to be a leading evangelical press.
- Carl Stuart Hamblen religious radio broadcaster.

Others

- Wartime rationing ends in the United Kingdom.

People

World leaders

- Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent (Canada)
- Prime Minister John Diefenbaker (Canada)
- Chairman Mao Zedong (People's Republic of China)
- President Chiang Kai-shek (Republic of China on Taiwan)
- President Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt)
- Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (India)
- Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (Israel)
- Emperor Hirohito (Japan)
- Pope Pius XII
- Pope John XXIII
- Taoiseach John A. Costello (Ireland)
- Taoiseach Eamon de Valera (Ireland)
- Taoiseach Sean Lemass (Ireland)
- Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union)
- Nikita Khrushchev (Soviet Union)
- King George VI (United Kingdom)
- Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Robert Menzies (Australia)
- Prime Minister George Borg Olivier (Malta)
- President Harry S. Truman (United States)
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower (United States)
- Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (West Germany)
- President Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia)

Entertainers

- Desi Arnaz
- Abbott and Costello
- Paul Anka
- Lucille Ball
- Jack Benny
- Chuck Berry
- Humphrey Bogart
- Marlon Brando
- Maria Callas
- Dalida
- James Dean
- Bo Diddley
- Margot Fonteyn
- Ava Gardner
- The Goons
- Cary Grant
- Tony Hancock
- Audrey Hepburn
- Charlton Heston
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Buddy Holly
- Grace Kelly
- Ernie Kovacs
- Mario Lanza
- Jerry Lewis
- Dean Martin
- Groucho Marx
- Marilyn Monroe
- Paul Newman
- Laurence Olivier
- Elvis Presley
- George Reeves
- Little Richard
- James Stewart
- Gale Storm
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Jacques Tati
- Elizabeth Taylor
- John Wayne
- Jack Webb
- Ed Wynn

Sports figures

- Alberto Ascari (Italian racing driver)
- Roger Bannister (English track and field athlete)
- Yogi Berra (American baseball player)
- Maureen Connolly (American tennis player)
- Colin Cowdrey (England cricketer)
- Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentinian racing driver)
- Neil Harvey (Australian cricketer)
- Gordie Howe (Canadian ice hockey player)
- Len Hutton (England cricketer)
- Rocky Marciano (American boxer)
- Stanley Matthews (English soccer player)
- Willie Mays (American baseball player)
- Ferenc Puskás (Hungarian soccer player)
- Maurice Richard (Canadian ice hockey player)
- Sugar Ray Robinson (American boxer)
- Bill Russell (American basketball player)
- Gary Sobers (West Indies cricketer)
- Brian Statham (England cricketer)
- Frank Tyson (England cricketer)
- Frank Worrell (West Indies cricketer)
- Lev Yashin (Russian soccer player)

External links

- [http://www.fiftiesweb.com The FiftiesWeb]
- [http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/20TH/1950s.html WWW-VL: 1950s History] Category:1950s ko:1950년대 ja:1950年代 simple:1950s

1950s

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Events and trends

Technology

Science

War, peace, and politics

Economics

- "Economic miracle" in West Germany and Italy.

Culture, religion

Others

- Wartime rationing ends in the United Kingdom.

People

World leaders

Entertainers

Sports figures

External links

- [http://www.fiftiesweb.com The FiftiesWeb]
- [http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/20TH/1950s.html WWW-VL: 1950s History] Category:1950s ko:1950년대 ja:1950年代 simple:1950s

1990s

The 1990s refers to the years 1990 to 1999; the last decade of the 20th Century. The 90s were marked with rapid progression of globalization and global capitalism following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Key forces shaping the decade were the Gulf War; popularization of Personal Computer and Internet leading to the dot.com boom.

Events and trends

While optimism and hopes were high following the collapse of Communism, the backlash of the Cold War's effect was only beginning, precipitating the continuation of terrorism in Third World regions that were once the frontlines for American and Soviet foreign politics, particularly in Asia. However, during the 1990s many First World economies such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and South Korea experienced steady economic growth for nearly the entire decade. The United Kingdom, after the recession of 1991-92 and Black Wednesday, experienced a run of 51 consecutive quarters of economic growth that stretched into the new millenium. Even less affluent nations such as Malaysia saw tremendous improvements in economic prosperity and quality of life during the 1990s. Many countries, institutions, companies, and organizations also viewed the 90s decade as "a prosperous time", meaning that almost all of them rebounded after many years of failure. Some examples include Apple Computer's revival of power after being at the edge of bankruptcy, breakthroughs in many fields of technology that includes the Internet, virtual reality. Oil and Gas was discovered in many countries and Pope John Paul II's papacy reached its peak. Nevertheless, the 1990s brought tragic conflicts as well, like the Balkan Wars, the Rwandan genocide, the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia and the first Gulf War.

Criticism/Backlash of the Decade

Despite denials from various sociologists and media pundits, some feel that the 90s were an era of increasing materialism and growing hypocrisy continued from the 1980s. In general it could still be said that the mindset of the 1980s and 1990s were more or less the same. The 1990s are also widely critized for their controversial pop culture obsessed with gore, sex, violence, and language, along with the 2000s to a somewhat lesser extent. The 1990s nonetheless have a very positive receiving into the 2000s and are still considered quite "modern" even as of 2006, with many genres of media from the decade still being quite cool among youth during the 2000s as no great revolutions in pop culture have occurred for some time and only moderate backlash of the decade itself has yet occurred. Also, while not a criticism of the decade per se, some people see the 1990s as the beginning of the 21st Century rather than the end of the 20th Century in an abstract sense based on the fact that the Cold War, a definitive phoenomenon of the 20th Century, was over by about 1991 and the tech boom began to take off a couple years after, and very 21st Century events such as the rise of the Internet and other information technologies and the expansion of Islamic terrorism began to become prominent in the 1990s.

Technology

Internet]
- The Pentium processor is developed by Intel.
- Microsoft introduces Windows 95 to the market, which gained immediate popularity.
- Explosive growth of the Internet, decrease in the cost of computers and other technology.
- Advancements with computer modems, ISDN, cable modems and DSL lead to faster connection to the Internet.
- The development of web browsers such as Netscape and Internet Explorer makes surfing the World Wide Web easier and more user friendly.
- The Java programming language is developed by Sun Microsystems.
- Businesses begin E-commerce websites; companies such as Amazon.com, eBay, AOL, and Yahoo! grew rapidly on the Internet.
- Cell phones burst in popularity and decrease in size, becoming a necessity for modern life.
- Pagers and PDAs become popular communication tools.
- E-mail becomes popular; as a result Microsoft acquires the popular Hotmail.com.
- Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K).
- Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM PCs.
- Development of free operating system Linux is started.
- Breakthrough of compact disc technology, introduced in the 1980s, later branching into DVD.

Science

DVD]
- Detection of extrasolar planets orbiting stars other than the sun.
- The cloning of Dolly the sheep is achieved.
- Human Genome Project begun.
- DNA identification of individuals finds wide application in criminal law.
- Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990; revolutionizes astronomy.
- Protease inhibitors introduced allowing HAART therapy against HIV; drastically reduces AIDS mortality.
- NASA's spacecraft Pathfinder lands on Mars and deploys a small roving vehicle, Sojourner, that analyzes the planet's geology and atmosphere.
- The Hale-Bopp comet swings past the sun for the first time in 4,200 years.
- Development of biodegradable products, replacing products made from styrofoam; advanced methods for recycling of waste products (such as paper, glass, aluminum) are developed.
- Genetically engineered crops are developed for commercial use.
- Discovery of dark matter, dark energy, and brown dwarves, and first confirmation of black holes.
- The Galileo probe orbits Jupiter, studying the planet and its moons extensively.

War, peace, and politics

Jupiter] Jupiter]
- Reunification of Germany on October 3 1990.
- End of apartheid in South Africa (1990) and election of ANC government of Nelson Mandela.
- Gulf War (resulting from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait) and United Nations embargo on Iraq in 1991.
- North Yemen and South Yemen merge to form Yemen (1991).
- Break up of the Soviet Union in 1991 - the end of the Cold War, United States as sole world superpower.
- The bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 by an explosive-filled van leads to awareness of international terrorism as a rising threat.
- Eritrea gains independence from Ethiopia (1993).
- European Union is declared in 1992.
- Military actions in Somalia in 1993 lead to questions of the United States' role as a policing officer of the world. (see also, Black Hawk Down).
- Rwandan genocide kills one million people, in 1994.
- The birth of the "Second Republic" in Italy, with the Mani Pulite investigations of 1994.
- Peace process begins in Northern Ireland in 1995
- Balkan war in former Yugoslavia in 1995.
- A decade of women presidents in the Republic of Ireland.
- The United Kingdom hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997.
- U.S. Congressman Newt Gingrich crafts his manifesto "Contract with America", leading his Republican Party to become the controlling majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- U.S. president Bill Clinton's sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky and his impeachment trial in 1998, which lasts the entire year.
- Anti-globalization protests.
- The Second Congo War start in 1998 in central Africa and includes 5 different cultures and 7 different nations. It goes on until 2002.
- In May 1999, Pakistan sends troops covertly to occupy strategic peaks in Kashmir. A month later the Kargil War with India results in a political fiasco for Nawaz Sharif, followed by a military withdrawal to the Line of Control. The incident leads to a military coup in October in which the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is ousted by Army Chief Pervez Musharraf.
- Portugal hands sovereignty of Macau to the People's Republic of China on December 20, 1999.

Economics

- Development of GATT, the World Trade Organization and other global economic institutions.
- The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which phases out trade barriers between the United States, Mexico and Canada is signed into law by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
- After 1992 the booming of the US stock market, in reference to which Alan Greenspan coined the memorable phrase "irrational exuberance", which eventually stretched into the dot-com boom / dot-com bubble.
- Financial crisis hits East and Southeast Asia in 1997 and 1998 after a long period of phenomenal economic development. See East Asian Tigers.

Culture

Trends/Various

- The Gay 1990s The 1990s saw an increase in gay visibility. Tv shows like thirtysomething,My So called Life and Ellen featured gay characters, Movies like The Birdcage,In and Out and Kiss Me Guido saw mainstream sucess, and celebrities like K.D Lang and George Michael coming out of the closet. Even President Bill Clinton generally held a pro gay rights viewpoint.
- Douglas Coupland publishes the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularizing the term Generation X as the name of the generation born in the late 1960s and early 1970s (then college-age).
- Reality television explodes on MTV with the popularity of The Real World (1992-); along with Road Rules (1995-), Real World/Road Rules Challenge (1998), and Real World reunions, these shows remained popular throughout the 1990s.
- Video games become more advanced, but still a far cry from the systems of the 2000s. The more influential game systems of the Nineties include the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sony Playstation, and the Sega Dreamcast.
- Extreme sports reached a new height in popularity, and by 1995, were given their own annual tournament on US cable network ESPN, the X-Games.
- Black becomes a dominant color in fashion, among several dark colors (see Goth, The Matrix, and Regis Philbin).
- Dogma 95 becomes the leading European artistic film movement by the end of the decade.
- Professional wrestling became extremely popular. After scandals and near bankruptcy due to competition from World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation was repackaged more edgier and realistic. Superstars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley, Steve Borden (Sting), Bill Goldberg, Raven, Sabu and others became household names. At the same time, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) led wrestling's entry into edgier angles.
- Recreational sports such as rock climbing, mountain biking, sky diving, snowboarding, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, in-line skating, kayaking and rowing become hugely popular.
- Extended alcohol sales are implemented to reduce alcohol abuse.
- The 1990s remains a somewhat "cool" decade into the 2000s as many aspects of the 90s continue to be important into the next decade, see New Nineties.

Music

- Grunge music, popularized by Nirvana, big from the fall of 1991 through 1994 but influential to rock up to 2005 (see Post-Grunge), Grunge movement followed by the Britpop movement of about 1995 to 1997 which was in turn followed by numetal.
- Teen pop held over from the late 1980s popular into 1990, returns with Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls in latter third of the decade
- Radiohead comes to be one of the most critically and commercially loved bands since The Beatles. Two of their albums, The Bends and Ok Computer top lists at the end of the decade.
- Rap music gains widespread mainstream acceptance throughout the decade, starting with the success of MC Hammer, Public Enemy and Vanilla Ice around 1989-91 and ending with hip-hop inspired by Puff Daddy, Dr. Dre and Eminem c. 1997-99. By 1999 hip hop had definitely passed rock and roll in popularity.
- Music festivals such as Lollapalooza became popular; a fusing of genres from alternative rock, rap, punk rock and garage bands.
- Rock music begins to be referred to as "alternative" as it is originated in 1980s underground rock and 1970s punk and begins to lose popularity to hip hop.
- Trance, techno and electronica music becomes widely popular at rave parties in Europe/USA and in pop culture, particularly later in the decade. The drug Ecstasy, (aka MDMA or 'X') is popularized by rave culture.
- 1980s backlash, beginning in about 1991 and lasting into the 2000s. During most of the 1990s anything "Eighties" was considered to be ultimately uncool.
- Music becomes more profane, by end of decade a Parental Advisory sticker becomes acceptable rather than controversial.
- In America, country music becomes more mainstream with popular chart topping artist such as Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw. The trend decreases somewhat in the 2000s.

Television

- Japanimation becomes popular in the United States in the late 1990s with shows Pokemon, Dragonball Z, and Cowboy Bebop.
- Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers gains popularity with kids in the mid 90s; leading to entire Power Rangers series. Barney and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also popular
- MTV moves away from music videos and into original television shows such as The Real World, which is cited as the inspiration for the Reality TV boom of the 2000s.
- Cartoons aimed at an adult audience become popular. Among the most successful are The Simpsons (1989-), Ren & Stimpy (1991-1995), Beavis and Butt-head (1993-1997), South Park (1997-), King of the Hill (1997-), and Family Guy (1999-2002, 2005-).
- Television networks increase programs aimed at twenty- and thirty-somethings. Some of the popular are Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000), Melrose Place (1992-1999), Party of Five (1994-2000), Ally McBeal (1997-2002), Friends (1994-2004), and Seinfeld (1989-1998).
- Notable television sitcoms aimed at the teen/preteen market include Boy Meets World (1993-2000), Full House (1987-1995), Family Matters (1989-1998), and Third Rock From The Sun (1996-2001), among many others.
- Major 1990s slang words/phrases, mostly related to hip hop include "homie", "phat", "da bomb", "Audi 5000", "tight", "word to your mother", "Talk to the hand", "You go girl!", and "Wasssuppp!"

Other significant events

Talk to the hand]
- The massive global human impact on the environment, which first garnered attention in the 60s, was widely acknowledged.
- Divorce and scandal rocked the British Royal House of Windsor.
- The assassination of Selena Quintanilla.
- Sex and violence in the media increase, especially in the late part of the decade. Profanity in music reaches peak in the late 90s.
- O.J. Simpson's trial, described in the media as the "trial of the century".
- You go, girl! becomes a popular phrase in the media as feminism is more widely accepted and publicised in the media with The Spice Girls, the WNBA, women's boxing, Sex and the City and others showcasing modern femininity.
- The Vieques controversy.
- The Oklahoma City Bombing, the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168.
- The Waco massacre prompts a nationwide debate in the U.S. about the freedom of association right of the Michigan Militia, Montana Militia and other radical groups.
- Crime levels in the U.S. peak in 1991, begin to fall afterwards to the lowest levels since the late 1960s at end of decade.
- Drug use in the U.S. reaches an all-time low in 1992 before increasing, reaching its peak in 1997 before declining again.
- Princess Diana dies in a car accident in 1997. Debates of accident vs assassination rage.
- Mother Teresa, the Roman Catholic nun who won the Nobel Peace Prize, dies at age 87.
- 21-year-old Golfer Tiger Woods wins the Masters Tournament by a record 12 strokes; becoming the youngest and first African-American to win the Masters.
- The Omagh bombing in Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland which kills 29 civilians (including a woman pregnant with twins) and injures hundreds more.
- John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette are killed when Kennedy's private plane crashes off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
- American cyclist Lance Armstrong wins his first Tour de France in 1999, less than two years after battling testicular cancer.
- Beer keg registration becomes popular public policy in U.S.

People

World leaders

- Prime Minister Bob Hawke (Australia)
- Prime Minister Paul Keating (Australia)
- Prime Minister John Howard (Australia)
- President Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello (Brazil)
- President Itamar Franco (Brazil)
- President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (Brazil)
- Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (Canada)
- Prime Minister Kim Campbell (Canada)
- Prime Minister Jean Chrétien (Canada)
- "Paramount Leader" Deng Xiaoping (People's Republic of China)
- President Jiang Zemin (People's Republic of China)
- President Lee Teng-hui (Republic of China on Taiwan)
- President Franjo Tuđman (Croatia)
- Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (Denmark)
- President Hosni Mubarak (Egypt)
- President François Mitterrand (France)
- President Jacques Chirac (France)
- Chancellor Helmut Kohl (Germany)
- Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (Germany)
- Governor David Clive Wilson (Hong Kong (under British rule))
- Governor Christopher Francis Patten (Hong Kong (under British rule))
- Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa (Hong Kong, People's Republic of China)
- Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (India)
- President Mohammad Khatami (Iran)
- President Saddam Hussein (Iraq)
- Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (Israel)
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel)
- Emperor Akihito (Japan)
- Governor Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira (Macau (under Portuguese rule))
- Chief Executive Edmund Ho (Macau, People's Republic of China)
- President Yasser Arafat (Palestinian Authority)
- Pope Pope John Paul II
- President Corazon Aquino (Philippines)
- President Fidel Ramos (Philippines)
- President Joseph Estrada (Philippines)
- Prime Minister Mike Moore (New Zealand)
- Prime Minister Jim Bolger (New Zealand)
- Prime Minister Jenny Shipley (New Zealand)
- Prime Minister Helen Clark (New Zealand)
- President Ion Iliescu (Romania)
- President Emil Constantinescu (Romania)
- President Boris Yeltsin (Russia)
- Taoiseach Charles Haughey (Republic of Ireland)
- Taoiseach Albert Reynolds (Republic of Ireland)
- Taoiseach John Bruton (Republic of Ireland)
- Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (Republic of Ireland)
- President Boris Yeltsin (Russia)
- President Wee Kim Wee (Singapore)
- President Ong Teng Cheong (Singapore)
- President Sellapan Ramanathan (Singapore)
- President Frederik Willem de Klerk (South Africa)
- President Nelson Mandela (South Africa)
- President Kim Dae-jung (South Korea)
- President Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union)
- King Juan Carlos I (Spain)
- President Felipe González (Spain)
- President José María Aznar (Spain)
- Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom et al.)
- Prime Minister John Major (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Tony Blair (United Kingdom)
- President George H.W. Bush (United States)
- President Bill Clinton (United States)
- President Slobodan Milošević (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)

Entertainers

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia] Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- 2pac
- Ace of Base
- Adam Sandler
- Aaliyah
- Alice in Chains
- Alanis Morrissette (Jagged Little Pill)
- Annie Lennox
- Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, Titus)
- Ashley Judd
- Beavis and Butt-Head
- Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting)
- Bill Hicks
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Boyz II Men
- Bret Hart
- Britney Spears
- Bruce Willis (the Die Hard series, Pulp Fiction)
- Mariah Carey
- Dana Carvey (Wayne's World)
- Dean Cain
- Carmen Electra
- Christina Aguilera
- Cuba Gooding Jr (Boyz N the Hood, Jerry Maguire)
- Amy Grant
- Dave Matthews Band
- Demi Moore (Ghost, Striptease, A Few Good Men)
- Denzel Washington ( Malcolm X, Mo' Better Blues, Philadelphia)
- Destiny's Child (Destiny's Child, The Writing's On The Wall)
- Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen)
- Elizabeth Berkley (Saved by the Bell, Showgirls)
- Eurythmics
- Friends
- Courtney Cox
- Jennifer Aniston
- Lisa Kudrow
- Matt LeBlanc
- Matthew Perry
- David Schwimmer
- The Fugees
- Green Day (Dookie, Nimrod)
- Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Se7en)
- Liam Gallagher of Oasis
- Noel Gallagher of Oasis
- Teri Hatcher
- Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale)
- Halle Berry (Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,Bullworth)
- Hanson
- Harrison Ford
- Helen Hunt (Mad About You, Twister, As Good as It Gets)
- Hootie & The Blowfish
- Jack Nicholson
- Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld)
- Jerry Springer
- Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask)
- Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman, Notting Hill)
- Kate Winslet (Titanic)
- Keanu Reeves (The Matrix)
- Kurt Cobain
- Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic)
- Liam Neeson
- Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone)
- The Undertaker
- Martin Lawrence (House Party, Martin, Bad Boys)
- Mary J Blige (What's the 411?)
- Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting)
- Meg Ryan
- Mel Gibson (Braveheart)
- Michael Jackson
- Michael Keaton
- Michelle Pfeiffer (The Age of Innocence, Batman Returns)
- Mike Myers (Wayne's World, Saturday Night Live, Austin Powers)
- Mira Sorvino
- Nicole Kidman (My Life, Eyes Wide Shut)
- Notorious B.I.G.
- Nirvana
- Oasis
- Phil Collins
- Pamela Anderson (Baywatch)
- Pearl Jam
- "Image:Princesymbol.png" The artist formerly known as Prince
- Queen Latifah (Living Single, Set It Off)
- Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction)
- Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List, The English Patient)
- Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager)
- Samuel L. Jackson (Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction)
- Sandra Bullock (Speed, A Time to Kill)
- Shawn Michaels
- Spice Girls
- Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns)
- Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210 )
- TLC (Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes, T-Boz, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas)
- Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Philadelphia, Toy Story, The Green Mile)
- Toni Braxton ( Toni Braxton (album) )
- U2 (Achtung Baby)
- Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction)
- Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act, Ghost, Ghosts of Mississippi, Hollywood Squares)
- Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Men In Black)

Films

See also: 1990s in film

Books & Literature

See also : 1990s Books
- The Bridges of Madison County, by Robert James Waller
- Chicken Soup for the Soul, by Jack Canfield and