Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What was daily life like back in the mid-late 1990's (say, 1994 to 1999)?
I was a grade-schooler at the beginning of the period and a middle-schooler at the end. Most of my developmental "milestones" came at the end of the decade.
I remember TGIF on TV followed by 20/20 (and my parents even let me stay up to watch the local 10 pm news and a show after that towards the end!); goofy sitcoms like "Ellen" and the "Drew Carey Show"; Ace of Base on the radio in the beginning of the period, followed by such acts as the Hootie & The Blowfish, Goo Goo Dolls, Coolio, TLC, All 4 One, and Paula Cole in the middle, and then a change to very "commercial" groups such as Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and 98 Degrees at the end. For a short while (say, 1995-97), it seemed like the top hits appealed to adults and youth alike, as they were often so mellow. I don't think country was that big back then, or at least we didn't listen to it on our rural acreage. Big, curly hair and BUM shirts in the early part of the period gave way to baggy, sagged JNCO jeans and flat hair on girls, spiked on boys, and whiteboys wearing "thug" brands such as FUBU at the end. Clothing on girls and women seemed to be more modest; the baggy fashions even made inroads into young womens' clothing. I remember cartoons on Saturday morning in the earlier part of the period, watched by everybody my age; I abandoned them for "Daria", "Simpsons", and "King of the Hill" in around 1997 or so. This was also the era I re-discovered dance music with Amber, Real McCoy, La Bouche, 2 Unlimited, etc. playing on the radio, and I soon downloaded samples of their songs off of Musicblvd.com (later acquired by CDNOW, and eventually folded into Amazon), but didn't buy their CDs, as I was too embarrassed to reveal to my parents what music I liked.
News and politics-wise, I grew up in a Republican household. My dad would constantly bash Clinton and "the liberals". I don't remember much at all in the news in the mid-90s, except the OJ Simpson trial, Clinton v. Dole election, and the Oklahoma City bombing, but didn't watch much back then. In the late 90's I became more interested in current events and remember the almost non-stop coverage of the Clinton scandals, especially the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Locally, I remember the Iron Range was struggling with mine closures, probably similar to the factory closures that devastated Duluth in the 1970s. I remember the small city, sort of a suburb, where I attended church and went to school for a while was in much worse shape in the late 1990s than it is now. I remember more people smoking; both of my parents smoked, and if my memory serves me right, many restaurants did not even segregate the smokers from the non-smokers. However, the health effects of smoking were known, and many people attempted to quit.
I remember getting online (on Compuserve) and running up the bill to $60 by going over my allotted minutes. We switched to AOL; eventually, we also went from a 2.4 kbps modem to a 28.8 kbps modem, and it seemed so much faster, although the massive growth in subscriptions to AOL meant endless busy signals. While the internet was still nascent, "multimedia" CD-ROMs thrived. Computers bought at major retailers came pre-packaged with a ton of CD-ROMs, everything from maps to Encarta to games. What speed your CD-ROM drive was really made a difference. By the end of the decade much had changed; computers were sold at vastly reduced prices, sometimes given away, by having the buyer sign a contract with an ISP (much as cell phones are today); broadband had appeared in some areas but the vast majority of residential users still connected by dial-up, albeit on unlimited plans with 56k rather than 14.4k modems; filesharing had began en masse; etc. Stocks and investing were in the news a lot, and lots of people were enriching themselves off the Dot.com boom (or attempting to) in 1998 / 99.
I've said my word (and could say many more, but have to go to bed)...what do YOU remember about daily life in the mid-late 90's?
I'm pretty close to you in age, born in January 1990 so I was 4 to 9 during that period.
I found it a pretty depressing time to be honest. The 90s style was a lack of style and I remember hearing about school shootings, kidnappings, and violent cartoons as a child. Even though I was allowed to roam free to a certain extent from a small age my mom told me that the world was much safer when she was young. Not true at all, but it definitely made that time seem dark.
I have grown somewhat fond of the era over time though.
The mid 90's were set up in 1992. 1992 was in the vein of 1990. We were still discussing the Huxtables, Johnny Carson, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dan Quayle, and Tim Burton's Batman. 1992 was the new 1989 in some ways. 1992 was not mid-90's just like 1989 was not early 90's. '89 was in the vein of 1987 unlike '92.
The mid-90's began in 1993. They were a boring time for most X'ers and Boomers. If you enjoyed that period, you were a child born in 1987 onward. They had Rocko's Modern Life, while we had the pop cultural Ren and Stimpy. You get my point. All of those Nicktoons would not be around if people of all ages did not enjoy Ren and Stimpy in mid '92. I saw Rocko as a rip-off at the time. Ren and Stimpy was well received by all ages.
The late-90's were better than the mid-90's, but not as great as the very early 90's. If you liked that time than you missed out on '78-'93.
What was daily life like back in the mid-late 1990's (say, 1994 to 1999)?
I was a grade-schooler at the beginning of the period and a middle-schooler at the end. Most of my developmental "milestones" came at the end of the decade.
I remember TGIF on TV followed by 20/20 (and my parents even let me stay up to watch the local 10 pm news and a show after that towards the end!); goofy sitcoms like "Ellen" and the "Drew Carey Show"; Ace of Base on the radio in the beginning of the period, followed by such acts as the Hootie & The Blowfish, Goo Goo Dolls, Coolio, TLC, All 4 One, and Paula Cole in the middle, and then a change to very "commercial" groups such as Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and 98 Degrees at the end. For a short while (say, 1995-97), it seemed like the top hits appealed to adults and youth alike, as they were often so mellow. I don't think country was that big back then, or at least we didn't listen to it on our rural acreage. Big, curly hair and BUM shirts in the early part of the period gave way to baggy, sagged JNCO jeans and flat hair on girls, spiked on boys, and whiteboys wearing "thug" brands such as FUBU at the end. Clothing on girls and women seemed to be more modest; the baggy fashions even made inroads into young womens' clothing. I remember cartoons on Saturday morning in the earlier part of the period, watched by everybody my age; I abandoned them for "Daria", "Simpsons", and "King of the Hill" in around 1997 or so. This was also the era I re-discovered dance music with Amber, Real McCoy, La Bouche, 2 Unlimited, etc. playing on the radio, and I soon downloaded samples of their songs off of Musicblvd.com (later acquired by CDNOW, and eventually folded into Amazon), but didn't buy their CDs, as I was too embarrassed to reveal to my parents what music I liked.
News and politics-wise, I grew up in a Republican household. My dad would constantly bash Clinton and "the liberals". I don't remember much at all in the news in the mid-90s, except the OJ Simpson trial, Clinton v. Dole election, and the Oklahoma City bombing, but didn't watch much back then. In the late 90's I became more interested in current events and remember the almost non-stop coverage of the Clinton scandals, especially the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Locally, I remember the Iron Range was struggling with mine closures, probably similar to the factory closures that devastated Duluth in the 1970s. I remember the small city, sort of a suburb, where I attended church and went to school for a while was in much worse shape in the late 1990s than it is now. I remember more people smoking; both of my parents smoked, and if my memory serves me right, many restaurants did not even segregate the smokers from the non-smokers. However, the health effects of smoking were known, and many people attempted to quit.
I remember getting online (on Compuserve) and running up the bill to $60 by going over my allotted minutes. We switched to AOL; eventually, we also went from a 2.4 kbps modem to a 28.8 kbps modem, and it seemed so much faster, although the massive growth in subscriptions to AOL meant endless busy signals. While the internet was still nascent, "multimedia" CD-ROMs thrived. Computers bought at major retailers came pre-packaged with a ton of CD-ROMs, everything from maps to Encarta to games. What speed your CD-ROM drive was really made a difference. By the end of the decade much had changed; computers were sold at vastly reduced prices, sometimes given away, by having the buyer sign a contract with an ISP (much as cell phones are today); broadband had appeared in some areas but the vast majority of residential users still connected by dial-up, albeit on unlimited plans with 56k rather than 14.4k modems; filesharing had began en masse; etc. Stocks and investing were in the news a lot, and lots of people were enriching themselves off the Dot.com boom (or attempting to) in 1998 / 99.
I've said my word (and could say many more, but have to go to bed)...what do YOU remember about daily life in the mid-late 90's?
I preferred Cross Colours of '92 to FUBU, they were more memorable. The Cross Colours logo was far more creative than just seeing "FUBU" on everything. A lot of people questioned what FUBU was. Cross Colours made more sense for that clothing line.
TGIF was better left in the very early 90's.
People made a bigger deal out of TGIF in 1991. I remember the Full House parody, Fool House, in MAD Magazine. I can remember when Urkel was still extremely young looking. Ha, we had The Jaleel White Show in early '92. He had a doll/board game/cereal/and coloring book to boot. 20/20 was a nice follow-up to TGIF in November of '91. I can recall seeing the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas trial while eating some Pop Qwiz popcorn (which was new). We saw the most memorable episode of Step By Step, when it was new. Remember when Urkel flew over with that jetpack of his. Suzanne Somers did those Thighmasters infomercials. I got to laugh at Scott Baio while he was on Baby Talk in '91/'92. Saturday mornings were even more exciting. Remember Captain N: The Game Master and "Garfield and Friends". How can you not? The Simpsons episodes were te earliest ones. You know when the show's focus was on the family only. MTV was MTV for the most part. Top 20, Dial MTV, Yo! MTV Raps, MTV Rock N Roll Show, 120 Minutes, Headbanger's Ball, MTV Dance Party, Totally Pauly. There were a few shows that could fit in with today's MTV. We had the first season of The Real World (when it was good), MTV's House of Style, Liquid Television, and Remote Control are the best examples of this.
In my day, people went out to clubs to actually dance. If you were great at splitting, then others formed a Soul Train line. We enjoyed listening to Technotronic, Tony Toni Tone, Rozalla, Vanilla Ice, Inner City, Twin Hype, Snap!, Cece Penision, and Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam. The New Jack Swing definately made people, in their 20's and 30's, monsters on the dance floor. Young ladies would shout, "Go, go, go, go"! It was easy to get them to dance with you. Everyone looked fit because they were doing The Worm, The Funky Charltan, The Shopping Cart, The Humpty Dance, The Cabbage Patch, Voguing, The Robocop, and The Alligator. People were wearing sunglasses, polka dot button-up tops, and Hammer pants (Harems). The Zubaz pants were made for those wearing NIKE shirts. We had some groundbreaking music videos from "Faith No More", "R.E.M.", and "Nirvana". Most X'ers were paying attention to the mainstream rap game. "TLC" had a look to promote them like all early 90's artists. People wore those rave pacifiers too in early '93. I liked the positivity T-boz, Lisa Left Eye Lopas, and Chili had in '92. They were young, but on top of their game.
People did not use the computer much in my times. There were Living Rooms full of people around the NES ( which was just called the Nintendo then) and played some Paperboy or Wheel of Fortune. Not many people had the SNES until late '91-'93. We still read magazines for our information. Entertainment Weekly was brand new. Comic Books were Collector's items. Certain Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures were wanted by people of all ages.
Oh well. Help, I've fallen into the very early 90's and I cannot get out!
Last edited by anonymous14; 04-28-2013 at 06:45 AM..
Hard to remember, but I retired in the late 1990s.
Yeh, it's not that long ago.
I was teaching in a middle school, computers were becoming popular and we were trying to get them in the school so that all kids could learn to use one, not just the rich kids.
First week of school one year we were in lockdown due to threats from gangs in a nearby city. From then on there were police in the school at all times. I think that was the year I quit because everything had gotten too crazy and violent. There was no discipline in the school either, no respect. Impossible to teach when you have to be like a prison warden all the time.
I don't know what was on tv because I never had time to watch it. Get up, go to school, come home, do prep. school work for the next day, cook supper, eat, do a little bit of housework, go to bed. Repeat.
There was the Gulf War and horrible monstrous airplanes were heard overhead. That was kind of scary. They were carrying tanks, I think. That was bad but it's only gotten worse since.
The late 90s was a weird time where everything became more "extreme" and risque, like pro wrestling and trash talk shows became popular. People complain about reality TV now but Maury, Jenny Jones and Jerry Springer were just as trashy.
I liked the time, there was still optimism about America unlike now because the Cold War was over and there was the excitement of the internet and all kinds of new technology. Those were my high school years where I'd go to school and hang out with friends after then do homework and spend time with family. I used to always watch shows that aired when I wasn't home on VHS and had a daily schedule of shows I'd tape, a lot like I do with DVR today. Only thing different now if I think about it is I work instead of school and don't just chill with friends anymore.
The late 90s was a weird time where everything became more "extreme" and risque, like pro wrestling and trash talk shows became popular. People complain about reality TV now but Maury, Jenny Jones and Jerry Springer were just as trashy.
I liked the time, there was still optimism about America unlike now because the Cold War was over and there was the excitement of the internet and all kinds of new technology. Those were my high school years where I'd go to school and hang out with friends after then do homework and spend time with family. I used to always watch shows that aired when I wasn't home on VHS and had a daily schedule of shows I'd tape, a lot like I do with DVR today. Only thing different now if I think about it is I work instead of school and don't just chill with friends anymore.
Agreed, the late 90's were a weird time. I could not believe the mid 90's did so much damage to the history of the 90's overall. At least people wore Old Navy and GAP clothing then. As a fan of the very early 90's, I got tired of the anti-fashion movement of '93-'96. 1990-1993 was full of life from beginning to the very end.
Look at this, even Archie wore Skidz apparel in late '90/early '91:
Funny how that happens when you get old. But I do remember thinking of the '50s as ancient history while I was growing up in the '70s.
Yeah I think the time when you were a small child or before you were born is always going to seem pretty ancient. If you can remember a time well it will seem relatable and recent.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
