1990 Fun Facts, Trivia and History
Quick Facts from 1990:
- World Changing Event: Solitaire was originally included in early computer programs to help users strengthen their clicking and dragging skills.
- The Top Song was Because I Love You (The Postman Song) Stevie B
- The Movies to Watch include Home Alone, Ghost, Edward Scissorhands, Dick Tracy and Dances with Wolves
- The Most Famous Person in America was probably Madonna
- The Bestselling books:
- Minimum Wage in 1990: $3.80 per hour
Tandy Computer 1000RL & color monitor: $799.00
Nintendo Game Boy: $89.97 - The Funny Guy was: Billy Crystal
The Funny Lady: Paula Poundstone - The Long Break Up: When Simon and Garfunkel were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Art Garfunkel thanked Paul Simon for enriching his life and Paul said, “Arthur and I agree about almost nothing. But it’s true, I have enriched his life quite a bit.” They sang three songs together and left the stage.
Top Ten Baby Names of 1990:
Jessica, Ashley, Brittany, Amanda, Samantha, Michael, Chris, Topher, Matthew, Joshua, Daniel
The Hotties and Fashion Icons:
Elle Macpherson
Hollywood Hunks and Leading Men:
Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Richard Gere, Michael Hutchence, Patrick Swayze, Sean Connery
“The Quotes:”
“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”
– Mrs. Fletcher in a Lifecall commercial
“I do not like broccoli. I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m the President of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.”
-George H.W. Bush
Time Magazine’s Man of the Year:
George H. W. Bush
Miss America:
Debbye Tucker (Columbia, MO)
Miss USA:
Carole Gist (Michigan)
The Scandals:
Rocker Chuck Berry was accused and sued by several women who claimed that he had installed a video camera in the ladies’ bathrooms at two of his St. Louis restaurants.
Rob and Fabrice, better known as Milli Vanilli, have to return their “Best New Artist” Grammy because they didn’t sing on their hit album.
Airplane Celebrity Death: Stevie Ray Vaughan
Pneumonia Celebrity Death: Jim Henson
Pop Culture News:
World Wide Web/Internet protocol (HTTP) and WWW language (HTML) created by Tim Berners-Lee.
The 1990 England world cup song, World in Motion by New Order, was originally called ‘E for England’, but was vetoed by the FA, because of the rampant Ecstasy Drug Culture in England at the time.
Cost of a Superbowl ad in 1990: $700,000
Doomsday Clock:
10 minutes to midnight, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
1990: “As one Eastern European country after another (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania) frees itself from Soviet control, Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev refuses to intervene, halting the ideological battle for Europe and significantly diminishing the risk of all-out nuclear war. In late 1989, the Berlin Wall falls, symbolically ending the Cold War. “Forty-four years after Winston Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech, the myth of monolithic communism has been shattered for all to see.”
The Habit:
The “cool” people were watching Twin Peaks on ABC, everybody was watching Macauley Culkin in Home Alone.
The really, really cool people were wearing parachute pants, just like M.C. Hammer. Can’t touch that.
1st appearances & 1990’s Most Popular Christmas gifts, toys and presents:
Batman action figures, Bob Mackie Barbie, Madeline Ragdoll, Tribond Game, Power Drencher water gun, Taboo
Popular and Notable Books From 1990:
The Bad Place by Dean Koontz
The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk
The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum
The Buddah of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
The Burden of Proof by Scott Turow
Daddy by Daniel Steel
The Dark Place by Stephen King
Devices and Desires by P.D. James
Four Past Midnight by Stephen King
L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy
Memories of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon
Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel
September by Rosamunde Pilcher
The Stand by Stephen King
Thanos Quest by Jim Starlin and Ron Lim
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O. Zelinsky
Best Film Oscar Winner:
Driving Miss Daisy (presented in 1990)
1990 Entries to The National Film Registry:
All About Eve (released in 1950)
All Quiet on the Western Front (released in 1930)
Bringing Up Baby (released in 1938)
Dodsworth (released in 1936)
Duck Soup (released in 1933)
Fantasia (released in 1940)
The Freshman (released in 1925)
The Godfather (released in 1972)
The Great Train Robbery (released in 1903)
Harlan County, U.S.A. (released in 1976)
How Green Was My Valley (released in 1941)
It’s a Wonderful Life (released in 1946)
Killer of Sheep (released in 1977)
Love Me Tonight (released in 1932)
Meshes of the Afternoon (released in 1943)
Ninotchka (released in 1939)
Primary (released in 1960)
Raging Bull (released in 1980)
Rebel Without a Cause (released in 1955)
Red River (released in 1948)
The River (released in 1938)
Sullivan’s Travels (released in 1941)
Top Hat (released in 1935)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (released in 1948)
A Woman Under the Influence (released in 1974)
The Big Movies: (according to boxofficemojo)
1. Home Alone
2. Ghost
3. Dances With Wolves
4. Pretty Woman
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
6. The Hunt For Red October
7. Total Recall
8. Die Hard 2: Die Harder
9. Dick Tracy
10. Kindergarten Cop
1990 Most Popular TV shows:
1. Cheers (NBC)
2. 60 Minutes (CBS)
3. Roseanne (ABC)
4. A Different World (NBC)
5. The Cosby Show (NBC)
6. Murphy Brown (CBS)
7. Empty Nest (NBC)
8. America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC)
9. The Golden Girls (NBC)
10. Designing Women (CBS)
1990 Billboard Number One Songs:
December 23, 1989 – January 13, 1990:
Another Day In Paradise – Phil Collins
January 20 – February 9:
How Am I Supposed To Live Without You – Michael Bolton
February 10 – March 2:
Opposites Attract – Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
March 3 – March 23:
Escapade – Janet Jackson
March 24 – April 6:
Black Velvet – Alannah Myles
April 7 – April 13:
Love Will Lead You Back – Taylor Dayne
April 14 – April 20:
I’ll Be Your Everything – Tommy Page
April 21 – May 18:
Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor
May 19 – June 8:
Vogue – Madonna
June 9 – June 15:
Hold On – Wilson Phillips
June 16 – June 29:
It Must Have Been Love – Roxette
June 30 – July 21:
Step by Step – New Kids on the Block
July 21 – August 3:
She Ain’t Worth It – Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown
August 4 – August 31:
Vision of Love – Mariah Carey
September 1 – September 7:
If Wishes Came True – Sweet Sensation
September 8 – September 14:
Blaze of Glory – Jon Bon Jovi
September 15 – September 29:
Release Me – Wilson Phillips
September 29 – October 5:
(I Can’t Live Without Your) Love & Affection – Nelson
October 6 – October 12:
Close to You – Maxi Priest
October 13 – October 19:
Praying for Time – George Michael
October 20 – October 26:
I Don’t Have the Heart – James Ingram
October 27 – November 2:
Black Cat – Janet Jackson
November 3 – November 9:
Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
November 10 – November 30:
Love Takes Time – Mariah Carey
December 1 – December 7:
I’m Your Baby Tonight – Whitney Houston
December 8, 1990 – January 4, 1991:
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) – Stevie B
1990 United States Census:
Total US Population: 248,709,873
1. New York, New York – 7,322,564
2. Los Angeles, California – 3,485,398
3. Chicago, Illinois – 2,783,726
4. Houston, Texas – 1,630,553
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – 1,585,577
6. San Diego, California – 1,110,549
7. Detroit, Michigan – 1,027,974
8. Dallas, Texas – 1,006,877
9. Phoenix, Arizona – 983,403
10. San Antonio, Texas – 935,933
Sports:
World Series Champions: Cincinnati Reds
Superbowl XXIV Champions: San Francisco 49ers
NBA Champions: Detroit Pistons
Stanley Cup Champs: Edmonton Oilers
U.S. Open Golf Hale Irwin
U.S. Tennis: (Men/Ladies) Pete Sampras/Gabriela Sabatini
Wimbledon (Men/Women): Stefan Edberg/Martina Navratilova
NCAA Football Champions: Colorado & Georgia Tech
NCAA Basketball Champions: UNLV
Kentucky Derby: Unbridled
World Cup (Soccer): West Germany
