1995 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

1995 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

Quick Facts from 1995:

  • American Home Grown Terrorism: Oklahoma City Bombing: a truck bomb at Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building killed 168 people and injured nearly 700 people.
  • The Top Song was One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
  • Influential Songs include: I Wish by Skee-Lo, I Like It, I Love It by Tim McGraw, This Is How We Do It by Montell Jordan and You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette
  • The Movies to Watch include Toy Story, Apollo 13, 12 Monkeys, Babe, Jumanji, Braveheart, and Mr. Holland’s Opus
  • The Java computer language was invented.
  • People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive: Brad Pitt
  • Notable books include: The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
  • Price of Ballpark Hot Dogs, 16 oz: $1.49
    Price of IBM Aptiva 486DX2-66 Computer, with the monitor, in 1995: $1799.00
  • Forbes Magazine announced that Bill Gates was the richest man in the world with a net worth of $12.9 billion dollars.
  • 1 ounce of gold value: $387.00
  • The Funny Late Night Host: Jay Leno
    The Funny Late Late Night Host: Tom Snyder
  • The Conversation:  Did O.J. Simpson kill his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman?
  • The Private Conversation: During the filming of Batman Forever, Jim Carrey approached Tommy Lee Jones to say hello. Jones replied, “I hate you. I really don’t like you… I cannot sanction your buffoonery.”
Year of the Pig
The year of the pig is one of the 12 years in the Chinese zodiac cycle. The pig is the twelfth and last animal in the cycle.
The years of the pig include: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043, 2055, 2067
The year of the pig is associated with good luck, wealth, and generosity. People born in the year of the pig are said to be honest, kind, and have a strong sense of responsibility. They are also said to be hardworking, brave, and have a strong sense of self-worth. They are known to be quite optimistic, and they always see the good in others. They are also known to be quite generous and are always willing to help others. They are said to be quite successful in their careers and often achieve great things. They are also known to be quite easygoing and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
Top Ten Baby Names of 1995:
Jessica, Ashley, Emily, Samantha, Sarah, Michael, Matthew, Chris, Topher, Jacob, Joshua
Fashion Icons and Sex Symbols:
Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson
Hollywood Hunks and Leading Men:
George Clooney, Antonio Sabàto, Jr., Colin Firth, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt

“The Quotes”
“Houston, we have a problem”
– Tom Hanks, in ‘Apollo 13’
(paraphrased from the actual quote – “Houston, we’ve had a problem here”)

Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s first words to US President Clinton upon meeting him in 1995 were, “Do you think O.J. did it?”
On October 3, 1995, when OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder on both counts, so much work stopped to pay attention to the verdict that it cost American companies an estimated $480 million in lost productivity.

“No Soup For You!”
The Soup Nazi on TV’s Seinfeld. The location was based on a real place and character, found at Al Yeganeh’s Soup Kitchen in New York.

“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit!”
– Defense Attorney Johnnie Cochran at O.J. Simpsons murder trial

Time Magazine’s Man of the Year:
Newt Gingrich
Miss America:
Heather Whitestone (Birmingham, AL)
 Miss USA:
Chelsi Smith (Texas)/ Shanna Moakler (New York)
The Tragedy:
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols killed 168 people in Oklahoma City, including 19 children.

The Scandals:
Drew Barrymore table danced for David Letterman on his talk show, and, with her back to the audience, flashed David by lifting up her shirt.

Patrick Combs deposited one of those fake “winning lottery checks” for $95,093.35. His bank took the deposit, and after several weeks, he took out the cash. The whole story can be found on his website.

Marlon Brando, as a guest on Larry King Live, kissed a surprised Larry on the mouth. We know you don’t really need to see it, but we included a picture.

Cindy Crawford and husband Richard Gere took out a full-page ad in the London Times to proclaim their heterosexuality. The 1994 marriage ended in 1995.

Celebrity Paralyzed By a Horse:
Christopher Reeve
Mysterious Olympian Skater Death:
Sergi Grinkov, 2-time Gold Medalist, died while practicing with his partner (and wife) Ekaterina Gordeeva

Pop Culture Facts & History:
The Rock and Roll Hall of fame opened in Cleveland, Ohio.

The 1995 Whitney Houston single Exhale holds the record for longest streak at #2 on the Hot 100, having been there for 11 straight weeks. All 11 of those weeks, it was runner-up to the same song, One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.

Newsweek published an article scoffing the future of the internet. It laughed at the idea that people would get news, learn, or buy airline tickets online.

Oasis was so popular in the UK in 1995 that a single was released in November of that year of just audio of both Noel and Liam Gallagher arguing during an interview entitled Wibbling Rivalry and it charted, peaking at 52.

Blue M&Ms didn’t exist until 1995 when a poll was held to replace the tan shade of M&M that was deemed redundant in addition to the brown M&M. The color choice was pink, blue or purple… blue won.

Dolly (the clone) the Sheep was born on July 5th and lived for seven years.

La Chupacabra, the legendary goat sucking beast was first named by Silverio Pérez, a Puerto Rican comedian, in March of 1995.

Convict Daniel Luther Heiss discovered that the key pictured on his prisoners’ information handbook was the master key for the entire Berrimah jail in Darwin, Australia. Another inmate, Shane Baker, was a trained jeweler, replicated it and both escaped.

The X Games were the first broadcast on ESPN.

Jim Carrey was nominated for Worst New Star in the 1995 Golden Raspberry Awards for his roles in Dumb & Dumber, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and The Mask.

Starbuck’s Frappuccino was released in 1995.

Actor James Cromwell had such a significant personal experience playing farmer Hoggett in the 1995 film Babe that he became an ethical vegan.

A coffee company in Syracuse, NY, renamed itself Federal Espresso in 1995, using branding that Federal Express(FedEx) claimed belonged to them. Federal Express sued and won. The company has gone by the name Freedom of Espresso ever since.

People have been meeting online via Match.com since 1995.

AuctionWeb began in San Jose, California, on September 3, 1995, by Pierre Omidyar. The company officially changed the name of its service to ‘eBay’ in September 1997.

The first professional sports game streamed online was the Mariners vs the Yankees in September 1995. The Seattle Mariners beat the New York Yankees 6-5.

CNET launched www.shareware.com (now downloads.digitaltrends.com/)

Tom Kenny (the voice of Spongebob) and Jill Talley (the voice of Karen, Plankton’s computer wife) have been married since 1995.

The automobile ‘Blind Spot’ problem was solved in 1995 when engineer George Platzer published a 16 pages paper detailing the correct setup procedure of side-view mirrors.

The George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine was released.

Windows 95 was the second most installed piece of software on computers in 1995. Video game DOOM was first.

Todd McFarlane’s Spawn action figures made action figures cool again, even for comic book geeks.

Salmon sushi wasn’t introduced in Japan until 1995 when Norwegian businessmen convinced Japanese businessmen that Atlantic Salmon was safe to eat raw.

In 1975, Leonard Nimoy published his autobiography I Am Not Spock. In 1995, he published a second volume: I Am Spock.

JavaScript was created by Netscape programmer Brendan Eich. It was first released under the name of LiveScript and included with Netscape Navigator 2.0 in September ’95. It was officially renamed JavaScript on December 4.

When he landed back on Earth on March 22, cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returned with the record for space flight – 437 days.

“Cheese-eating surrender monkeys” is an insult used to refer to French people. It first appeared in the Simpsons (1995) when Willy says “Bonjoooouuurrr, ya cheese-eatin’ surrender monkeys” to a French class. The term has since entered two Oxford Quotation Dictionaries.

The lowest PGA score of 63 was played by Michael Bradley and Brad Faxon.

George Samuel Hurst invented the first resistive touchscreen who received US Patent (#3,911,215) on October 7, 1975. and produced the first version in 1982.

Rock Musician Heart Failure Death: Jerry Garcia

Queen of Tejano Pop Star Murder: Selena, killed by the ex-president of her fan club.

Cost of a Superbowl ad in 1995: $1,150,000

Mysteries:
After the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, there was a mysterious detached leg found in the rubble of the destroyed building. Since all 168 victims’ legs have been accounted for, the left leg has perplexed investigators and has yet to be traced back to an owner.

The government of China kidnapped a 6-year-old Tibetan boy, the Panchen Lama, and replaced him with a puppet of their own choosing. The real Panchen Lama was the youngest political prisoner in the world at the time of his arrest and has never been heard from since.

Doomsday Clock:
14 minutes to midnight, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
1995: Hopes for a large post-Cold War peace dividend and a renouncing of nuclear weapons fade. Particularly in the United States, hard-liners seem reluctant to soften their rhetoric or actions, as they claim that a resurgent Russia could provide as much of a threat as the Soviet Union. Such talk slows the rollback in global nuclear forces; more than 40,000 nuclear weapons remain worldwide. There is also concern that terrorists could exploit poorly secured nuclear facilities in the former Soviet Union.

Nobel Prize Winners:
Physics – Martin L. Perl, Frederick Reines
Chemistry – Paul J. Crutzen, Mario J. Molina, F. Sherwood Rowland
Medicine – Edward B. Lewis, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Eric F. Wieschaus
Literature – Seamus Heaney
Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – Robert Lucas, Jr.*
Peace – Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs

*Robert Lucas, upon receiving a Nobel Prize in economic sciences, was only awarded half the prize money. His ex-wife had placed a clause in their divorce settlement in 1988 stating she would receive half the prize money if he won the prize in the following 7 years.

The Habits:
The First X (EXtreme) Games took place in July 1995 in Rhode Island.

The college girls (and their older/younger sisters) were all listening to Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill album.

Watching the film Babe, about a happy little pig, with your family

1st Appearances & 1995’s Most Popular Christmas Gifts, Toys and Presents:
Barbie as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Barbie as Maria in the Sound of Music, Barbie and Ken Star Trek giftset
Popular and Best-selling Books From 1995:
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Five Days in Paris by Danielle Steel
From Potter’s Field by Patricia Cornwell
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram
The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
“L” Is for Lawless by Sue Grafton
Lightning by Danielle Steel
The Lost World by Michael Crichton
Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice
Politically Correct Holiday Stories by James Finn Garner
The Rainmaker by John Grisham
The Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald
Rose Madder by Stephen King
Sabbath’s Theater by Philip Roth
Broadway Show :
Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Review) Opened on March 2, 1995, and closed on January 16, 2000
Best Film Oscar Winner:
Forrest Gump (presented in 1995)
1995 Entries to The National Film Registry:
The Adventures of Robin Hood (released in 1938)
All That Heaven Allows (released in 1955)
American Graffiti (released in 1973)
The Band Wagon (released in 1953)
Blacksmith Scene (released in 1893)
Cabaret (released in 1972)
Chan Is Missing (released in 1982)
The Conversation (released in 1974)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (released in 1951)
El Norte (released in 1983)
Fatty’s Tintype Tangle (released in 1915)
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (released in 1921)
Fury (released in 1936)
Gerald McBoing-Boing (released in 1951)
The Hospital (released in 1971)
Jammin’ the Blues (released in 1944)
The Last of the Mohicans (released in 1920)
Manhattan (released in 1921)
North By Northwest (released in 1959)
The Philadelphia Story (released in 1940)
Rip Van Winkle (released in 1896)
Seventh Heaven (released in 1927)
Stagecoach (released in 1939)
To Fly! (released in 1976)
To Kill a Mockingbird (released in 1962)
The Big Movies: (according to boxofficemojo)
1. Toy Story
2. Batman Forever
3.  Apollo 13
4. Pocahontas
5. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
6. GoldenEye
7. Jumanji
8. Casper
9. Seven
10. Die Hard: With A Vengeance
1995 Most Popular TV Shows:
1. E.R. (NBC)
2. Seinfeld (NBC)
3. Friends (NBC)
4. Caroline In The City (NBC)
5. The Single Guy (NBC)
6. Home Improvement (ABC)
7. Boston Common (FOX)
8. 60 Minutes (CBS)
9. NYPD Blue (ABC)
10. Frasier (NBC)

1995 Billboard Number One Songs:
December 3, 1994 – January 13, 1995:
On Bended Knee – Boyz II Men

January 14January 27:
Here Comes the Hotstepper – Ini Kamoze

January 28February 24:
Creep – TLC

February 25April 14:
Take A BowMadonna

April 15June 2:
This Is How We Do It – Montell Jordan

June 3July 7:
Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman – Bryan Adams

July 8August 25:
Waterfalls – TLC

August 26September 1:
Kiss From A Rose – Seal

September 2September 8:
You Are Not Alone – Michael Jackson

September 9September 29:
Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio

September 30November 24:
Fantasy – Mariah Carey

November 25 – December 1:
Exhale (Shoop Shoop) – Whitney Houston

December 2, 1995 – March 22, 1996:
One Sweet Day – Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men

Sports:
World Series Champions: Atlanta Braves
Superbowl XXIX Champions: San Francisco 49ers
NBA Champions: Houston Rockets
Stanley Cup Champs: New Jersey Devils
U.S. Open Golf Corey Pavin
U.S. Tennis: (Men/Ladies) Pete Sampras/Steffi Graf
Wimbledon (Men/Women): Pete Sampras/Steffi Graf
NCAA Football Champions: Nebraska
NCAA Basketball Champions: UCLA
Kentucky Derby: Thunder Gulch