1990s Fun

The 1990s is often remembered as a decade of relative peace and prosperity: The Soviet Union fell, ending the decades-long Cold War, and the rise of the Internet ushered in a radical new era of communication, business and entertainment. 
What made the 1990s feel like the 1990s? It wasn’t just MTV’s all-weekend Madonnathons, grungewear and the theme song from “Friends” At the very least, in North America and Europe, the 1990s possessed a sense of happiness. Money still generated money. Computers were becoming fast easy and cheap, and with them came a sense equality for everyone. Y2K had people storing food and water in their basements in fear of what might happen when the clock rolled over into 2000.

• By the end of 1990, the credit union system has 12,891 federally insured credit unions, $223 billion in assets and 61 million members.
• 1998 – Within days of House and Senate approval, President Bill Clinton signs the Credit Union Membership Access Act into law on August 7, and with it restores expansion privileges and provides for multiple common-bond credit unions.

In the 1990s

• 1990: Nelson Mandela is released from prison in South Africa
• 1980: East and West Germany are reunited after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• 1991: The Internet becomes available for unrestricted commercial use.
• 1992: The European Union is created when the Maastricht Treaty is signed.
• 1993: The Hubble Telescope is repaired in space by a crew on the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
• 1993: NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) is signed into law.
• 1994: Genocide and Civil War take place in Rwanda with an estimated 500,000 or more people killed.
• 1995: The online auction website Ebay is founded
• 1996: Bill Clinton is elected for a second term as the United States President after he defeats Bob Dole.
• 1996: The Summer Olympics are held in Atlanta, Georgia.
• 1997: Scientists at the Roslin Institute unveil “Dolly” the first successfully cloned sheep.
• 1998: The United States has a budget surplus for the first time in thirty years.
• 1999: President Bill Clinton faces impeachment proceedings.
• 1999: The file-sharing service Napster is created.

The cost of:

• A car- $16,000
• A house- $123,000
• A gallon of gas- $1.34
• A loaf of bread- $1.40
• A dozen eggs- $1.00
• Average annual income was $34,890