90's+Major+Events+and+Politics

Soviet Union: []

Chances are good that you were too busy watching [|Sailor Moon] and playing with your**Power Rangers** to notice many of the major events that happened in the '90s. No worries, Kidzworld's got the lowdown on the important (and not-so-important) events that shaped the **last decade**.

The Year 1990

 * The [|Gulf war] begins after Saddam Hussein accuses Kuwait of **stealing oil** from Iraq. [|Iraq] invades Kuwait and the US send half a million soldiers to defend **Saudi Arabia** against invasion.


 * [|South African] antiapartheid activist, **Nelson Mandela** is freed after spending 27 years as a political prisoner.



The Year 1991

 * The [|Soviet Union] is dissolved and the 15 separate republics (including **Russia**) are now independent. [|Maps] will never look the same.


 * Magic Johnson tests [|HIV positive] and retires from the [|NBA].



The Year 1992

 * Riots erupt in **South Central LA** following the acquittal of four white police officers who were [|caught on video] beating speeding suspect**Rodney King**. During the riots, 55 people were killed, 2,300 people were injured and 1,100 buildings were destroyed.

The Year 1993

 * After seven years together, [|New Kids On The Block] go their separate ways, proving that perhaps they did not have **The Right Stuff** after all.


 * Michael Jordan retires from the NBA to play **minor league baseball**. He returns to the NBA 17 months later.



The Year 1994

 * In the first South African election in which black people are [|allowed to vote], Nelson Mandela is **elected president**. He is the first black South African president.


 * American figure skater, Nancy Kerrigan, is **clubbed in the knee** one month before the [|Winter Olympics]. It was later discovered that the attack was organized by associates of rival skater, **Tonya Harding**. Despite her injury, Kerrigan still went on to win the silver metal at the Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

The Year 1995

 * The trail of former NFL star OJ Simpson begins. He is accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman. OJ is later found**not guilty**.
 * A federal building in **Oklahoma City** is bombed and 168 people are killed. Later, two anti-government, American terrorists - Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols - were convicted of the bombing. Timothy McVeigh has since been [|executed]. Terry Nichols is now facing more charges in Oklahoma and could be sentenced to death as well.

The Year 1996

 * A bomb explodes at the Olympic Park in [|Atlanta, Georgia]. One person is killed, but no one is ever charged in **the crime**.


 * Also in the US, "**The Unabomber**" Theodore Kaczynski is arrested. Kaczynski killed three people and injured many more with **mail bombs**.

The Year 1997

 * Dolly the cloned sheep is born at the **Roslin Institute** in Scotland. She is the first mammal [|cloned] from an adult cell.


 * The movie **Titanic**, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, is released. It goes on to become the highest grossing movie of all time, until Avatar in 2010.

The Year 1998

 * Geri Halliwell (AKA Ginger Spice) leaves the Spice Girls to become [|Solo Spice].


 * The **Price it Right** airs its 5,000th episode.

The Year 1999

 * Two students go on a shooting spree at **Columbine High School** in Colorado. They kill 13 people and then themselves.

> > > > > > > Bibliography: > > > "90s Timeline | 1990-1999 | Music | Fashion | News | Events | Gulf War | Nelson Mandela." //Website For Kids | Kids & Teen Chat Room | Free Kids Games | Contests | Safe Website For Kids - Kidzworld//. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .
 * While the world [|parties like it's 1999] (if you read that and thought, "Huh?" ask your 'rents about a dude named Prince), computer geeks freak out about the "Y2K Bug." It turns out that the world didn't end. Go figure.